Election day is right around the corner and regardless of who you’re voting for there’s a lot of election anxiety going around. In August, the American Psychological association did a survey and discovered that for 7 out of 10 adults politics is a leading cause of stress. Meaning that no matter who wins this upcoming election a large portion of American adults will be dealing with post-election disappointment. Whether it’s a competition like an election with a winner and loser, an unexpected change of plans, a natural disaster, and accident, or any unexpected event- things don’t always go the way […]
Stopping the End of Summer Blues
Summertime is ending and it’s time to think about going back to school, which can cause a lot of mixed emotions. The stress and anxiety people feel at this time can happen for a variety of reasons. Teachers and childcare workers may worry about setting classroom expectations and dealing with a new classroom dynamic. Parents may worry about scheduling and transportation. Children worry about doing homework, getting lost, being separated from their parents, and not knowing the other kids in their class. Regardless, going back to school is a change, and with change comes uncertainty. Here are some tips for […]
Boosting Communication Between Childcare Workers and Parents
For many families childcare services play a large and essential part of their daily routine. It’s not unusual for children with two working parents to spend 35 plus hours a week with a childcare provider. Meaning some children spend half, if not more, of their awake time on weekdays outside of the home. For this very reason, it is essential that childcare workers and parents work together and foster good communication in order to make sure that their children are receiving the best standard of care. Families and childcare workers have always communicated when necessary, for example if a child […]
Fighting Back Against Allergy Season
It’s springtime, but it’s also allergy season., and unfortunately, the 2024 allergy season is expected to start earlier and last longer than previous allergy seasons. An estimated one in four children struggles with seasonal allergies and in years like this, where climate change has had a significant effect on temperatures and plant growth (also known as allergy triggers). It’s no wonder some of us are struggling with uncomfortable allergy symptoms. Runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throats, and even skin rashes can all occur as a result of seasonal allergies and can be quite disruptive when it comes to how […]
6 Tips for Choosing the Best Activities for Your Kids
Engaging in extracurricular activities such as sports, music, and/or clubs has been shown to provide social, mental, and physical benefits for children. Not only that, it can help provide structure, teach time management skills, and allow your child to learn new skills. That said, it can be difficult to find the right activity, and it can also be difficult to find the right balance between structured activities and free, playtime. Here are some tips to help you and your children find the activities that best suit your needs. Make Sure Your Child Is Ready From younger and younger ages, it […]
Fostering Creativity in the New Year
Winter vacation, just like any vacation, tends to start perfectly and then slowly devolve into a “when does school start again?” kind of mood. It’s not that we don’t enjoy the break, but after the holiday festivities and that strange time of Twixmas, it can be challenging to keep everyone happy and entertained. Although the new year brings lots of excitement, it can also be daunting as you try to figure out how to make the upcoming year better for both yourself and your kids. However, this time of year is the perfect time to start developing creativity practices that can […]
Top 5 Tips for Dealing With Picky Eaters
Can you believe it’s already November? As the seasons change and the end of the year approaches a certain kind of restlessness can come along. With days getting shorter and darker and the holidays looming in the near future, this time of year can be exhausting because there’s so much to do and not enough time. Unfortunately, this restlessness can also extend into our meals. It often starts as not knowing what to cook and suddenly finding that you’re a much more “picky” eater than you were at the beginning of the year. Take school lunch for example, when the […]
Making Perfect Attendance a Reality and Not a Dream
There are a lot of mixed feelings at the beginning of the school year. Some kids are excited and love going to school to see their friends and meet their new teachers. However, more anxious and socially reserved kids would much rather stay in the safety of their homes. Most kids will fall somewhere in the middle of this range of extremes, but regardless going back to school is an adjustment that takes time. However, it’s not just our kids who can feel stressed at this time of year. Teachers and childcare workers have new classroom dynamics to work […]
How to Enjoy Summer Without Breaking the Bank
It’s finally summer! That means time for staying up all night, watching movies, enjoying the outdoors, and eating all the frozen treats to stay cool. Rising temperatures and delayed sunsets make this a favorite time of year for many. However, it can also be stressful for parents who have children that are now out of school and need something to do. This time of year can bring up concerns about childcare(especially for working parents), food, and having enough activities to fill up all of the summer free time. Additionally, with rising costs and inflation money can become a concern as […]
Appreciation for Appreciation Days
Every month is chock full of seemingly random holidays and appreciation days you might never have heard of. From the light-hearted National Donut Day on June 2nd to the more serious World Sickle Cell Day on June 19th. The coming months have an array of celebration days that come in all levels of seriousness. The summer months have some exciting opportunities to introduce kids to elements of that natural world as summer is kicking into full gear! Over the next two months celebrations of nature and fun activities include Oceans Week, Rabbit Awareness Week, National Black Bear Day, World Reef […]