Who remembers building glorious structures and towers with wooden blocks? And then having a sibling knock them down and having to rebuild it over again? There are so many learning experiences with building and making mistakes in block play.
As we are quickly approaching Christmas break and kids will have time off and will be acquiring new toys and activities during this Christmas season, I want to encourage parents and providers to let children play.
More and more people are changing how we give presents. Instead of focusing on the price tag, they are focusing on the experience of the gift. Here are a few options that are inexpensive and often more valuable than anything money itself can buy.
![Two young girls enjoying healthy snacks after school. Courtesy: Bob Nichols, USDA [CC BY 2.0].](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/2019-11/W-00442-00-school-healthy-snacks-nutrition.jpg?h=3fe45f0e&itok=lMqjv37_)
The At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program is a part of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) that focuses on getting children a nutritious meal after the bell rings. For some, this may fill the gap that may occur from lunch that day until the next morning at breakfast.
What your child drinks is just as important as the food they eat each day. Recently, new recommendations were released to help parents and caregivers navigate this important time for children.
National School Lunch Week is October 14–18, 2019. During National School Lunch Week, schools around the country celebrate all of the ways a school lunch can positively affect a child’s life, both at school and at home.
Childcare outside the home is relatively common in the United States, as a majority of children ages two-to-five attend some type of childcare and spend roughly 30 hours per week in others care. Due to this, both parents and early childhood educators are responsible to ensure children are receiving the nutrition they need for proper childhood development.
School is finally out for the summer. Don’t forget to keep offering fun opportunities to read so your kids can keep gaining skills and not lose them as tends to happen during the break.
This summer, communities across South Dakota will be serving free meals to children, to ensure good nutrition and growth. The USDA Summer Meals Programs works with the South Dakota Department of Education, Child and Adult Nutrition Services office to make sure that when school lets out children are well-nourished throughout the summer.
Teaching children responsibility should start at a young age but is something that you have to keep working on throughout childhood. I am working with my 10-and-5-year-old girls to become more responsible for their school work and daily tasks throughout the day so I don’t need to be a broken record each day.