Salida Regional Library: Kid's Connection

Friends are special--

they make our lives better, and make us laugh. Friends are those we create fun memories with and rely on when we need support. During childhood initiating and nourishing a friendship is a step along the path of social and educational development. Young children who learn to take turns, use manners, wait for a verbal response and appropriately address others have built a strong foundation on which to succeed in elementary school. As easy as it might seem to adults, learning social skills is an important part of being successful in school and later in life. Recent research has shown that it is not usually a lack of ability that gets people fired from jobs, but rather a lack of social skills. In addition, children who have friends are happier and report enjoying life more than children who are isolated. Friends’ help each other think through decisions, learn lessons about what is right and wrong, and lead to higher self-esteem. >From working at a preschool I see children as young as three regularly help each other make good decisions. This is not to say that you need to go out and force you children on numerous play dates or to push them to have many friends. But, simply that as a parent or caregiver your role is to support and nurture appropriate social interactions for your child. Every interaction offers a chance for social learning.

As a parent one of the most powerful things you can do to support these skills is to model them yourself. Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to your child in everyday conversation. Catch your child being good and compliment them for sharing or showing sympathy for another. Open the door or offer to help a stranger who needs to reach something from the top shelf! When you do get angry show your child how you calm down by deep breathing or counting to ten out loud. And when you do get overly frustrated and yell or say something you regret (we all do), sincerely apologize, and let your child see you do this. I think we sometimes believe that if we have to say sorry we have done something wrong and lose some innate parent omnipotence. But the reality is parents are a child’s first and most important teacher. If they see you unwilling to apologize for a mistake you are teaching them to do the same

Teach your child to give compliments to each other for working hard or trying a new task. Encourage cooperation by having activities in which children do things together rather than alone. When there is a conflict use it as an opportunity to problem solve with your child rather than just ‘fixing’ it for them. In other words, teach them how to solve the problem themselves. There are some great books out there that you can read to your child about friendship, try “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister, “Whistle for Willie” by Ezra Jack Keats, “Will You Forgive Me” by Sally Grindley, or talk to Becky at the library for other book ideas.

Has it been awhile

since you have visited the Salida Hot Springs and Aquatics Center? If you are curious about the facility or about the aquatic and recreation programs being offered through the city of Salida, please join us for an open house on March 3, 2010 at 6pm. The Recreation Manager and Coordinator are both new to the department and would love to have the opportunity to meet you! Refreshments will be served and door prizes given away to those who attend. Plus, it is the last evening of our used running shoe drive which benefits the organization One World Running who have been serving runner in need around the world since 1986. ( http://oneworldrunning.blogspot.com/) If you bring a pair of shoes you will automatically receive a prize as our way of saying thank you!

The Aquatic Center and Recreation Department is proud to serve this community with events that are happening now :

Beginning Snowshoe Tours: If you have ever wanted to try snowshoeing, here is your chance! All you need to do is dress in warm layers and bring water….we will provide everything else. The snowshoe will be an easy to moderate walk in beautiful national forest near Salida. Meets February 27, and March 21 from 8:30am-1:30PM! No experience necessary, just join us for a day of fun and adventure!

Creative Play Art classes: In keeping with the vibrant and artistic heritage of the community of Salida, the Community Center and the Salida Recreation Department are proud to offer two new art classes starting March 16, 2010. The class is called Creative Play and will run on Tuesday and Thursday from 4-6PM. The adult class is on Tuesday and the youth class is on Thursday afternoon from 4-6PM. Classes will allow participants to explore their creative talents in projects ranging from watercolor, drawing, sculpting and more. The class will be held in the classrooms in the Salida Community Center basement.

Parent tot swim and family fun night: If you are looking for something fun to do as a family for a great price please join us for Parent tot swim on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am-noon and Saturday mornings from 10-noon. Family fun night is Thursday evenings from 5-8PM. Prices are only $5/adults, $3/youth, and $2/child ages 5 and under.

Jive and Dive: March 19 and April 16 from 7-9PM. This middle-schoolers-only party turns the pool into a happenin’ place of fun on Friday nights once a month throughout the school year. Come prepared to participate in games and contests and don’t forget to bring your music so we can play your favorite songs!

These are just a taste of the programs and activities offered this year. For upcoming information about swim lessons, summer activities and more, please join us at the Open House March 3, visit the website at www.salidapool.com or give the Recreation Department a call at 539.5703. Don’t forget to bring your used running shoes to the open house!

We are here to provide safe, fun recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities….Give a new program a try in 2010!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

--The team at the Salida Hot Springs and Recreation Department

The Voice of Local Teens

Each month Youth @ Crossroads is given the opportunity to write about teens or relevant topics for youth in the community. This month I would like to give the students from Chaffee County High School a chance to share some of their words.

Shadow of Truth

The hope of forgiveness shimmers in her eye
She hardens her shell to protect what’s inside
Trial and error didn’t go the right way, now more than ever she hopes there’s a way
Redemption is key in this sick twisted game
She hides her face from pointed fingers with shame
Now in her eye forgiveness is lost
As the black shadow of truth is the cost
Her life never seems to get better
As she runs away in the rain and only gets wetter
With no place to go
And everyone knows
Her little secret
Her only regret
She slowly disappears into dead dark night

--Jessica Vandaveer

Fate

My skin be new,
Yours be old
For you help give birth,
And now you fold
Now a new life begins
But at the cost of your own.
Now here I am a little baby boy,
Stuck in this world without a mother
For she gave her life just to start mine
Sacrificed her self to save her newborn boy.
She looked into my eyes just before she went
And the words of these came out like song
What a wonderful baby boy I’ve brought to this world,
May god show you the way for I’ll be next to him guiding you through.
I love you my son now be a good boy
And live a great life with the memory of me always in your heart.

--Stevie Jones

--Kelly Kissling
Family & Youth Initiatives
Youth @ Crossroads

Purposeful Parenting: Birth to 18 months

The months before your child’s birth have likely been filled with tremendous amounts of learning. Along with the baby clothes, diapers, bassinet and Burley, you are acquiring your philosophy of parenting and re-designing your life to include another person who you have not yet met. When your little one finally enters the world, you likely already have an image of how you will now fill the role of mother or father, including how you will introduce the world to your child throughout her infancy and early childhood.

During the first months of life outside the mother’s body the infant develops foundations of emotional health and security. Dr. D.W. Winnicott, an English pediatrician working in the mid-20th century, suggested that how an infant was introduced to the world could reach far into the adult’s emotional future. His work was at the foundation of gentle birthing practices and careful expansion of the infant’s world so that he could perceive it as a safe and trustworthy place in which to grow and develop.

Dr. Maria Montessori’s work with very young children led her to similar conclusions about the significance of calm and quiet early experiences. She developed her ideas of best-practices for infants based on a clear picture of the kinds of characteristics that would prepare the child for later social, emotional and academic learning. Her idea that the infant brain was perfectly designed for incredible amounts of learning during the first 3 years of life was new and unique when she first professed it in the early 20th century. Today, the awareness of an infant’s brain potential may be common-place, yet how to best support and develop that potential may still be somewhat illusive. Montessori’s ideas on how to introduce the child into the family is, like all of her methods, firmly rooted in careful and thoughtful preparation of the physical and emotional environments which the infant is about to experience.

What follows are a few of the basic tenets of Montessori best-practices for the infant to young toddler. Your infant is growing and changing rapidly during the first eighteen months and her social, emotional and learning needs are changing just as quickly. Understanding how your responses and interactions affects your growing child can make a big difference in the progression from phase to phase:

Strive to develop a warm and supportive home environment. An infant takes in EVERYTHING in her environment by absorbing the experiences through her senses. She feels in her body the physical and emotional climate within which she is seeing, hearing, and absorbing information. “Quiet” the environment by turning down the volume on music or TV, limiting the number of objects in her visual spectrum and changing them periodically, and using soft colors and muted lighting.
If possible, breastfeed. For years, studies have shown that which mothers have known for eternity: infants’ attention is drawn to the human face and the sound of the human voice. The perfect distance for a baby’s visual focus is the distance between his eyes and his mother’s face when breastfeeding. Giving your child undivided attention during this time allows you to know one another and connect deeply, while it is developing your child’s visual acuity and attention to the details of your face.
Aid language development through gentle talk, music and several languages. The beginning steps of verbal communication begin when you speak with your infant and he watches your lips move while hearing the sound of your voice. Repeating his gurgles and coos is a first form of talking together. Talking with your child in quiet tones, telling him what you are doing as you change his diaper and get him dressed, or listening and questioning when he cries develop communication skills that say, “What you need to tell me matters.” Exposing an infant to several languages makes use of the brain’s capacity to learn any of the sounds connected to the world’s languages. This capacity begins to wane with each passing day as the sounds connected with the “mother tongue” hones in on only those needed for communication. Offering second or third languages during the early years enhances learning through development of the linguistic areas of the brain. Unlike “baby talk” which gives the message that he is incapable of understanding the words of his family, different languages exercise his brain and prepare him for a verbal future.
Develop consistent daily routines and structure. The world is a complicated space; imagine the difference between the womb and the home! When you provide your infant with routine, you are helping to develop trust that things happen in an expected order. While adults know and can process that life brings the unexpected, an infant needs the security of regularity to build trust in the world around him.
Help your child learn to self-sooth to develop independence and confidence in herself. Bedtime is a time when your child first experiences independence. Preparing for this time with a familiar routine can help your infant feel safe in this natural separation. When she cries, respond slowly, using your voice to calm her, gently touching her body to let her know you are there as she settles down to sleep. Allowing her to calm herself teaches her that she has the ability to manage her emotions.
Create independence as your child grows by providing child-sized furniture and accessibility to the items of daily living. When your child begins to walk, he is ready to meet the world in a new way. Setting up his room with his clothes separated so he can easily find each item allows him to choose independently. If clothing is available that goes on easily (pants with elastic waists, pull over tops, and shoes with Velcro straps), his natural desire to “do it himself” will help him take responsibility. In the kitchen, a low shelf filled with healthy snack items that he can get to when he’s hungry, not only encourages independence, but also helps him become aware of his body’s messages for “thirsty” and “hungry.” Limit the number of toys and have a “place for everything.” A simple shelf with a place for each toy will encourage your child’s organization while also developing an ability to choose his activity. Rotating the toys periodically actually gives more variety than a jumbled toy box where the toys are hard to find.
Never interrupt your child when she is focusing. When you interrupt your child who is intent on an activity, you are teaching her to be distracted. When your child is concentrating, her internal thoughts are driving her creativity and the self-discipline to use it. What we adults might perceive as encouraging words can be an interruption to the flow of thought that is forging her creative ideas.
Stop disorderly behavior and redirect his attention. Discipline must be handled firmly but with kindness. Be careful to choose words that do not encourage guilt or judgment: “That was bad” or “You were a bad girl.” Redirection to a new activity or distraction from the unwanted behavior accomplishes the same behavior-changing goal as words that can give an unwanted message of shame. A child who understands boundaries in a respectful way is learning cooperation and how to be a member of a family where each person’s needs have value.

--Claudia Mann
Chaffee County Montessori School and
Chaffee County Early Childhood Council.

	Kid's Connection:
Friends are special-- they make our lives better, and make us laugh. Friends are those we create fun memories with and rely on when we need support. During childhood initiating and nourishing a friendship is a step along the path of social and educational development. Young children who learn to take turns, use manners, wait for a verbal response and appropriately address others have built a strong foundation on which to succeed in elementary school. As easy as it might seem to adults, learning social skills is an important part of being successful in school and later in life. Recent research has shown that it is not usually a lack of ability that gets people fired from jobs, but rather a lack of social skills. In addition, children who have friends are happier and report enjoying life more than children who are isolated. Friends’ help each other think through decisions, learn lessons about what is right and wrong, and lead to higher self-esteem. >From working at a preschool I see children as young as three regularly help each other make good decisions. This is not to say that you need to go out and force you children on numerous play dates or to push them to have many friends. But, simply that as a parent or caregiver your role is to support and nurture appropriate social interactions for your child. Every interaction offers a chance for social learning. As a parent one of the most powerful things you can do to support these skills is to model them yourself. Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to your child in everyday conversation. Catch your child being good and compliment them for sharing or showing sympathy for another. Open the door or offer to help a stranger who needs to reach something from the top shelf! When you do get angry show your child how you calm down by deep breathing or counting to ten out loud. And when you do get overly frustrated and yell or say something you regret (we all do), sincerely apologize, and let your child see you do this. I think we sometimes believe that if we have to say sorry we have done something wrong and lose some innate parent omnipotence. But the reality is parents are a child’s first and most important teacher. If they see you unwilling to apologize for a mistake you are teaching them to do the same Teach your child to give compliments to each other for working hard or trying a new task. Encourage cooperation by having activities in which children do things together rather than alone. When there is a conflict use it as an opportunity to problem solve with your child rather than just ‘fixing’ it for them. In other words, teach them how to solve the problem themselves. There are some great books out there that you can read to your child about friendship, try “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister, “Whistle for Willie” by Ezra Jack Keats, “Will You Forgive Me” by Sally Grindley, or talk to Becky at the library for other book ideas. Has it been awhile since you have visited the Salida Hot Springs and Aquatics Center? If you are curious about the facility or about the aquatic and recreation programs being offered through the city of Salida, please join us for an open house on March 3, 2010 at 6pm. The Recreation Manager and Coordinator are both new to the department and would love to have the opportunity to meet you! Refreshments will be served and door prizes given away to those who attend. Plus, it is the last evening of our used running shoe drive which benefits the organization One World Running who have been serving runner in need around the world since 1986. ( http://oneworldrunning.blogspot.com/) If you bring a pair of shoes you will automatically receive a prize as our way of saying thank you! The Aquatic Center and Recreation Department is proud to serve this community with events that are happening now : Beginning Snowshoe Tours: If you have ever wanted to try snowshoeing, here is your chance! All you need to do is dress in warm layers and bring water….we will provide everything else. The snowshoe will be an easy to moderate walk in beautiful national forest near Salida. Meets February 27, and March 21 from 8:30am-1:30PM! No experience necessary, just join us for a day of fun and adventure! Creative Play Art classes: In keeping with the vibrant and artistic heritage of the community of Salida, the Community Center and the Salida Recreation Department are proud to offer two new art classes starting March 16, 2010. The class is called Creative Play and will run on Tuesday and Thursday from 4-6PM. The adult class is on Tuesday and the youth class is on Thursday afternoon from 4-6PM. Classes will allow participants to explore their creative talents in projects ranging from watercolor, drawing, sculpting and more. The class will be held in the classrooms in the Salida Community Center basement. Parent tot swim and family fun night: If you are looking for something fun to do as a family for a great price please join us for Parent tot swim on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am-noon and Saturday mornings from 10-noon. Family fun night is Thursday evenings from 5-8PM. Prices are only $5/adults, $3/youth, and $2/child ages 5 and under. Jive and Dive: March 19 and April 16 from 7-9PM. This middle-schoolers-only party turns the pool into a happenin’ place of fun on Friday nights once a month throughout the school year. Come prepared to participate in games and contests and don’t forget to bring your music so we can play your favorite songs! These are just a taste of the programs and activities offered this year. For upcoming information about swim lessons, summer activities and more, please join us at the Open House March 3, visit the website at www.salidapool.com or give the Recreation Department a call at 539.5703. Don’t forget to bring your used running shoes to the open house! We are here to provide safe, fun recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities….Give a new program a try in 2010! We look forward to seeing you soon! --The team at the Salida Hot Springs and Recreation Department The Voice of Local Teens Each month Youth @ Crossroads is given the opportunity to write about teens or relevant topics for youth in the community. This month I would like to give the students from Chaffee County High School a chance to share some of their words. Shadow of Truth The hope of forgiveness shimmers in her eye She hardens her shell to protect what’s inside Trial and error didn’t go the right way, now more than ever she hopes there’s a way Redemption is key in this sick twisted game She hides her face from pointed fingers with shame Now in her eye forgiveness is lost As the black shadow of truth is the cost Her life never seems to get better As she runs away in the rain and only gets wetter With no place to go And everyone knows Her little secret Her only regret She slowly disappears into dead dark night --Jessica Vandaveer Fate My skin be new, Yours be old For you help give birth, And now you fold Now a new life begins But at the cost of your own. Now here I am a little baby boy, Stuck in this world without a mother For she gave her life just to start mine Sacrificed her self to save her newborn boy. She looked into my eyes just before she went And the words of these came out like song What a wonderful baby boy I’ve brought to this world, May god show you the way for I’ll be next to him guiding you through. I love you my son now be a good boy And live a great life with the memory of me always in your heart. --Stevie Jones --Kelly Kissling Family & Youth Initiatives Youth @ Crossroads Purposeful Parenting: Birth to 18 months The months before your child’s birth have likely been filled with tremendous amounts of learning. Along with the baby clothes, diapers, bassinet and Burley, you are acquiring your philosophy of parenting and re-designing your life to include another person who you have not yet met. When your little one finally enters the world, you likely already have an image of how you will now fill the role of mother or father, including how you will introduce the world to your child throughout her infancy and early childhood. During the first months of life outside the mother’s body the infant develops foundations of emotional health and security. Dr. D.W. Winnicott, an English pediatrician working in the mid-20th century, suggested that how an infant was introduced to the world could reach far into the adult’s emotional future. His work was at the foundation of gentle birthing practices and careful expansion of the infant’s world so that he could perceive it as a safe and trustworthy place in which to grow and develop. Dr. Maria Montessori’s work with very young children led her to similar conclusions about the significance of calm and quiet early experiences. She developed her ideas of best-practices for infants based on a clear picture of the kinds of characteristics that would prepare the child for later social, emotional and academic learning. Her idea that the infant brain was perfectly designed for incredible amounts of learning during the first 3 years of life was new and unique when she first professed it in the early 20th century. Today, the awareness of an infant’s brain potential may be common-place, yet how to best support and develop that potential may still be somewhat illusive. Montessori’s ideas on how to introduce the child into the family is, like all of her methods, firmly rooted in careful and thoughtful preparation of the physical and emotional environments which the infant is about to experience. What follows are a few of the basic tenets of Montessori best-practices for the infant to young toddler. Your infant is growing and changing rapidly during the first eighteen months and her social, emotional and learning needs are changing just as quickly. Understanding how your responses and interactions affects your growing child can make a big difference in the progression from phase to phase: Strive to develop a warm and supportive home environment. An infant takes in EVERYTHING in her environment by absorbing the experiences through her senses. She feels in her body the physical and emotional climate within which she is seeing, hearing, and absorbing information. “Quiet” the environment by turning down the volume on music or TV, limiting the number of objects in her visual spectrum and changing them periodically, and using soft colors and muted lighting. If possible, breastfeed. For years, studies have shown that which mothers have known for eternity: infants’ attention is drawn to the human face and the sound of the human voice. The perfect distance for a baby’s visual focus is the distance between his eyes and his mother’s face when breastfeeding. Giving your child undivided attention during this time allows you to know one another and connect deeply, while it is developing your child’s visual acuity and attention to the details of your face. Aid language development through gentle talk, music and several languages. The beginning steps of verbal communication begin when you speak with your infant and he watches your lips move while hearing the sound of your voice. Repeating his gurgles and coos is a first form of talking together. Talking with your child in quiet tones, telling him what you are doing as you change his diaper and get him dressed, or listening and questioning when he cries develop communication skills that say, “What you need to tell me matters.” Exposing an infant to several languages makes use of the brain’s capacity to learn any of the sounds connected to the world’s languages. This capacity begins to wane with each passing day as the sounds connected with the “mother tongue” hones in on only those needed for communication. Offering second or third languages during the early years enhances learning through development of the linguistic areas of the brain. Unlike “baby talk” which gives the message that he is incapable of understanding the words of his family, different languages exercise his brain and prepare him for a verbal future. Develop consistent daily routines and structure. The world is a complicated space; imagine the difference between the womb and the home! When you provide your infant with routine, you are helping to develop trust that things happen in an expected order. While adults know and can process that life brings the unexpected, an infant needs the security of regularity to build trust in the world around him. Help your child learn to self-sooth to develop independence and confidence in herself. Bedtime is a time when your child first experiences independence. Preparing for this time with a familiar routine can help your infant feel safe in this natural separation. When she cries, respond slowly, using your voice to calm her, gently touching her body to let her know you are there as she settles down to sleep. Allowing her to calm herself teaches her that she has the ability to manage her emotions. Create independence as your child grows by providing child-sized furniture and accessibility to the items of daily living. When your child begins to walk, he is ready to meet the world in a new way. Setting up his room with his clothes separated so he can easily find each item allows him to choose independently. If clothing is available that goes on easily (pants with elastic waists, pull over tops, and shoes with Velcro straps), his natural desire to “do it himself” will help him take responsibility. In the kitchen, a low shelf filled with healthy snack items that he can get to when he’s hungry, not only encourages independence, but also helps him become aware of his body’s messages for “thirsty” and “hungry.” Limit the number of toys and have a “place for everything.” A simple shelf with a place for each toy will encourage your child’s organization while also developing an ability to choose his activity. Rotating the toys periodically actually gives more variety than a jumbled toy box where the toys are hard to find. Never interrupt your child when she is focusing. When you interrupt your child who is intent on an activity, you are teaching her to be distracted. When your child is concentrating, her internal thoughts are driving her creativity and the self-discipline to use it. What we adults might perceive as encouraging words can be an interruption to the flow of thought that is forging her creative ideas. Stop disorderly behavior and redirect his attention. Discipline must be handled firmly but with kindness. Be careful to choose words that do not encourage guilt or judgment: “That was bad” or “You were a bad girl.” Redirection to a new activity or distraction from the unwanted behavior accomplishes the same behavior-changing goal as words that can give an unwanted message of shame. A child who understands boundaries in a respectful way is learning cooperation and how to be a member of a family where each person’s needs have value. --Claudia Mann Chaffee County Montessori School and Chaffee County Early Childhood Council.

Kid's Connection:

Friends are special--

Has it been awhile

The Voice of Local Teens

Purposeful Parenting: Birth to 18 months