Category Archives: Family

By Jennifer Allison

Summer seems to slip away so quickly, the air gets cooler, plants go to seed and school beckons our children. I’ve found a few things that have helped ease the transition back to school for my family.

Set up your rhythm: Design a routine that works around what is important in your day. It is easier for children, especially the younger ones, if there is a consistent rhythm to the day. When do you need to get up so there is enough time to get ready? Try to eat breakfast at the same time every school day, and after school be ready with a snack and activities to allow your child to relax and refresh before they take care of other responsibilities. Keeping it the same most days will help a child stay grounded.

Seek sustainable sleep: This is so important for your child. Sleep allows children to process what they take in during the day and integrate it, and it’s essential for a healthy immune system. Give your child a calming, consistent bedtime ritual, like brushing teeth, reading a story and lightly rubbing their feet or backs. This can bring children back into their bodies and get ready for sleep. Keep to a regular bedtime.

Support the transition: An anxious child who does not want to leave your side will do well knowing what to expect when they get to school. You can say something like, “Mommy will walk you to your classroom, and then I am going to give you a hug and I will see you at the end of the day.” Keep is short and sweet. Lingering only makes the parting harder for your little ones.

Jennifer is an early childhood educator at Gnome’s Home. Please visit  GnomesHome.org for more information on classes for children and adults. 

By Karen Wells

It’s back to school time. You can feel the excitement, the anticipation in the air. The shopping trips to get the new school clothes, gear and electronics – the stuff that makes it all possible.

If you do the traditional, round robin of shopping malls and outlets, you drive there and back, right? If you’re lucky, the ideal parking space awaits, right?

Remember to Stop! Look! Listen! Check for your children or other kids around your car before you park, after parking and before pulling out.

Kids are short. Parents are distracted. Kids are excited and curious. Parents are in a hurry. Cars have blind spots. Kids are oblivious to cars, both parked and moving. Parking lots and driveways are dangerous places, ripe for tragedy.

Stop! Look! Listen! Check where children might be before getting into your car. It takes seconds and could save a life.

According to KidsandCars.org, about 114 children younger than age five were killed in 2015 from backovers – cars that backed over unseen children – and frontovers – cars that moved slowly forward over unseen children.

Don’t leave a child younger than five unattended in a car, even for a minute. Heatstroke or another medical emergency can occur in moments. If the outside temperature is 70 and the windows are closed, it’s 125 inside that car.

We’re good parents. Let’s do our best to keep our children safe. Stop! Look! Listen!

Karen is a master trainer in early childhood education at Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education. She provides health and safety training to parents and childcare staff via Child Care Resource and Referral of Multnomah County. Reach her at 5CornersFamily@gmail.com and 619.244.7892.

By Jennifer Allison

Summer has come into full swing with longer days and later nights, and all the extra sunshine has everyone busy with activity. In the natural world, nature is teeming with life, plants are at their peak growth for the year, and animals are busy foraging and feeding their young.

We are all part of this cycle of life, and we can easily get swept into the energy that is available to us at this time. Our children are feeling it, too! They are out of their school rhythms, and there is a freedom that comes with that. In my household, it can be frazzling to have later nights and days full of activities.

How about you? Are you also feeling the fullness of summer in your home? When our kids are whirling with the day’s activities, it is nice to help bring some calm and groundedness back into their beings. That helps restore rest, and it supports the growth they are also experiencing during the summer.

As a follow up to last month’s column, here are some additional ways to support your kids now that summer is here, and the energy is running high.

• Keep a consistent bedtime: What does this mean exactly? Well, if you are taking advantage of the later daylight, then you have probably moved bedtime back a bit. That is just fine, so keep it the same for your children. They still need eight to 10 hours minimum of rest per night, depending on their age, and more if they are younger. No child can do well with fewer than eight hours of sleep. Their bodies are still developing, and they need our help to get the rest they need.
• Use natural remedies: In our house, we love to take Epsom salt baths and use essential oils on our bodies. Warm salt baths help to ground and support their bodies physically and emotionally. Essential oils, like lavender and chamomile, offer gentle therapeutic benefits. Also dilute the oils with carrier oil like almond or coconut oil, or another one you like. Start with just a small amount — one drop — to make sure your child doesn’t have a reaction.
• Take an evening walk: Nature is healing. Children will do much better in the evening spending time outdoors on a walk, at a park or just in your backyard – as opposed to watching television or doing screen time before bed. Media can be a challenge for many children, winding them up and creating mental hyperactivity. It’s a good idea to bring some mindfulness about when you are allowing their interaction with media.

May these suggestions serve as tools to benefit your family on these long summer days, and to help keep healthy rhythms in your home!

Jennifer Allison is an early childhood educator at Gnome’s Home. Visit gnomeshome.org for information on classes for children and adults.