Back to School and Your Child's Yearly Well-Child Visit

Summer break is nearing it's end, making this a great time to schedule your child's yearly pediatric well-child visit before it's time to head back to school!

Doctor Visits

Regardless of your child's age, an annual well-child exam with your pediatrician is a good idea to add on the to-dos of your "back-to-school" checklist.

Scheduling preventative (vs urgent) yearly pediatrician exams before the school year starts is a convenient way to put the wellness exam on your family's schedule before the hectic year begins. 

Annual wellness exams can be important during your child's transitional years because vital changes take place in your child's physiology and this type of check in with your pediatrician or family doctor is also an opportunity for wellness guidance and advice. 

Depending on your child's age, an annual exam may entail blood pressure and heart monitoring as well as testing for diabetes, cholesterol and anemia. A pediatric vision screening may also be part of the annual check up. Pediatricians also like to use the annual visit to discuss nutrition and exercise and review your child's immunization records.

Continuity of care with your child's physician is truly an invaluable asset because having a long-term history gives the physician an awareness of your child's development progress and it's also helpful for preventing chronic diseases from emerging. 

Back-to-school check-ups are often the only visit most children have with their pediatrician annually. Having the opportunity to have a thorough physical exam is also a good time to address emotional and social concerns. As your child grows older, these questions may become more important as the adolescent years can be emotionally challenging for many kids because of peer and societal influences - drinking, smoking, drugs, depression and sexual activity are big teenage topics.

In summary, establishing a connection with your child's physician will be an invaluable asset as your child passes through years of physical and emotional development. Finding the time for balancing school life with social activities, extracurricular pursuits, and home life can be quite a challenge for kids. All the more reason to set aside time every year for your child to foster a relationship to see the pediatrician. 

Here's to your child's full potential!

Gingerbread House Daycare

Setting a Good Example for Your Child

Over the past 40 years that Gingerbread House Day Care has been taking care of the children in our community, we've talked to thousands of parents about what it's like for them to raise a healthy child. Our parents have shared with us their burning questions, greatest challenges, and successes! Of course Razia, our Day Care supervisor who's been there from the start and raised 3 successful children of her own, has taught us all plenty as well.

As parents, we know how important it is to give our kids a healthy start and the first several years of their lives is the most important. We also understand how hard a job parenting is! So we're using this platform to help share tips on raising a healthy preschooler. Please visit frequently and keep reading as we'll continue to share the latest information on a variety of topics to help our kids reach their fullest potential!

How Can I Set A Good Example for My Child?

Remember parents, you are your child's best role model. For this reason, try to make the best choices health wise for yourself and you'll be helping your child to do the same. She/he will learn healthy habits from you first and will want to imitate everything you say and do.

Clinical trials have confirmed that the person or persons a child spends most of his/her time with - parents, guardians, grandparents - will have the greatest influence on their behaviors like eating healthy, turning the TV off, and engaging in physical activity. Teachers and caregivers are not as influential. 

And parents, the great bonus of taking accountability for the health of your life and setting an example for your kids is more energy! More energy to be the best version of yourself so you can fulfill your life purpose:) 

How about trying these tips for involving your whole family to adopt healthier habits:

• A great way to start the day off right with your child is to eat breakfast with them. Try a whole grain cereal with sliced fruit or sprouted toast with almond butter and a banana. 
• Let your child help with healthy meal preparation. Children are more likely to try healthy foods if she’s involved in preparing them.
• Get active together. Go to the park on the weekends, take walks together, or kick a ball around in your backyard. This will get you both moving!

Best,

Gingerbread House Day Care Staff

Keeping Kids Healthy During the Cold and Flu Season

Cold weather doesn't cause colds or flu, but the viruses that do tend to be more common in the winter. Help keep your children healthy by teaching them to wash their hands frequently and sneeze or cough into the bend of an elbow. 

Here's some valuable tips to help you know when to keep your kids home from day care.

Cold and flu viruses are the most common cause of illness in day care facilities. Even if your child has had his/her immunizations, viruses can still effect their immune system and cause colds, sore throats, coughs, vomiting and diarrhea. 

It's not uncommon for children at any age in their first year of group care to experience more infections - possibly 8-12 colds more than if the child was cared for at home (without exposure to siblings or other kids). 

With consecutive years in day care, the frequency of cold and flu illness decreases because children develop immunity from virus exposure. Diarrhea typically occurs once or twice a year in a typical child. 

Child care recommendations for staying at home when a child comes down with a respiratory illness is as follows:

• Prevents the child from participating comfortably in activities

• Results in a need for care that is greater than staff members can provide without compromising the health and safety of other children

• Poses a risk of spread of harmful disease to others 

If a child is suffering with a respiratory illness (cough, runny nose, or sore throat) and fever, he/she should be excluded from their day care program. It's fine for the child to return after the fever associated with the respiratory symptoms has resolved (assuming no fever-reducing medicine is used to control the fever).

Day care staff are E.C.E certified and since Gingerbread House Day Care is a licensed facility, we make certain that all our teachers receive the recommended immunizations, including the flu vaccine. We require all our children that we care for to also receive the recommended immunizations set forth by their pediatrician or medical practitioner. 

The single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year and to practice good hygiene...wash your hands and rub them dry. This is a fundamental and it puts the health and safety of everyone in the day care facility first. 

To your child's health! 

Happy Holidays

As we reflect upon the year gone by, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to you, our parents. Wishing you all the joys of the season and happiness throughout the coming year!

 - From all of us at Gingerbread House DayCare

Holiday hours: We will be closed from Dec 25th through till Jan 1st. 

Letting Your Kids be Kids and Have Fun: Holiday Parties and More

Dear parents, the shot above has gone viral on social media and I'm sharing it here as to simply remind you that when it comes to the holidays, it’s okay to let your kids (and yourself for that matter) relax and have a little fun. There’s plenty of time for rules and routines during the rest of the year!

As with our diets, it’s easy as parents to let ourselves veer off the routine over the holidays when we don’t have to get up early for work or our kids don’t have school. It's not uncommon to have parents let their younger kids skip their naps in exchange for important time with relatives and friends they haven't seen for awhile.

It's all about finding the balance and knowing your child's temperament: is she/he easy going or easily over-stimulated? Does your child need a lot of activity? These are the things to know and respect about our kids. This will help us plan their schedules and holiday parties, but also make us better parents the rest of the time.

Best wishes for a joyful holiday season!

Wondering How to Teach Kids to Eat Better? Especially During the Holidays?

Wondering how to teach kids to eat better, especially during the holidays? Here are 25 books that will nourish creativity, teach about healthy eating, and inspire a generation of activists! https://foodtank.com/news/2017/12/childrens-books-growing-minds/

Can you imagine if every school in this world had a garden? Whether a raised bed, vertical, hydro, or container garden, it would inspire a new generation of healthy eaters and lovers of local food! 

We need to teach our kids where the food they eat comes from. We also need to encourage them to try growing food, harvesting food, and preparing food. This will get them thinking about access to healthy food and health holistically. Because when everyone in a community has easy access to healthy food, this not only helps to reduce health inequities but also can strengthen a community’s economy and foster a healthier environment.

Eating locally produced foods, shopping at the farmers or local market is important for our children's health, the economy and climate change. By supporting local foods you are enabling farmers to keep more money in their pocket with every purchase you make & in turn they reinvest your contribution into the shared economy. This empowers and builds a foundation of health, connection & community resiliency!

I especially love this! This new children's book teaches children how to love imperfect produce while helping to reduce food waste through education: https://foodtank.com/news/2017/12/the-perfectly-wonky-carrot/

Best wishes for the holidays, see you all in 2018!

Gingerbread House DayCare teachers

Farro with Confetti Vegetables - Video

Source: Harvard Public Health

Needing some inspiration for your kids' school lunches? Well this colorful combination of vegetables with whole-grain farro should fit the bill! It's adaptable for all seasons and substituting olive oil for canola oil is the only edit I suggest. 

The instructions and nutritional information follow, or click on the link to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=38&v=m5bIPn8H1nY

Serves 8, as a side

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup farro, uncooked
• Seasonal vegetables, diced (4 vegetables make about 8-10 cups)
  • (Summer: zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, eggplant)
  • (Winter: root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, beets; and winter squashes: butternut, acorn)
• ¼ cup canola, olive, or other healthy oil
• ¾ tablespoon pepper
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Fresh herbs as available, chopped

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Dice all vegetables into even pieces and set aside.
3. Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, then stir in the farro. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the farro is tender (Approximately 40 minutes. Check package for cooking instructions).
4. Meanwhile, toss the diced vegetables in canola oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on a baking pan, and roast until browned in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Check every 10 minutes, and toss the vegetables so that they brown evenly.
5. Once the vegetables are fully roasted, fold them into the farro. Add the lemon juice and taste to adjust for seasoning. Add additional salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, to taste.

Nutrition information per serving (1/8 of recipe):

Using summer vegetables and canola oil:

181 calories, 8 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 4 g sugar**, 0 g added sugar, 52 mg sodium, 365 mg potassium, 8 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono, 3 g poly, 0 g trans), 0 g cholesterol

Using winter vegetables and canola oil:

225 calories, 6 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 7 g sugar**, 0 g added sugar, 128 mg sodium, 298 mg potassium, 7 g fat (0 g sat, 4 g mono, 3 g poly, 0 g trans), 0 mg cholesterol

** Naturally occurring sugar

Sugary Drinks

Our kids drink too much sugar, with the school year starting, let's rethink their drinks! 

Are you aware that fruit drinks, sport drinks, sweetened waters and teas, energy drinks, and sodas are the primary source of added sugars in Canadian diets. In fact, sugary drinks are a huge contributing factor to the rise of childhood obesity in Canada. 

Fortunately, health groups and physicians across North America are working with policy makers to encourage educational campaigns and other initiatives to help parents make informed decisions about their kids' diets. 

The World Health Organization is urging all nations to implement a sugar tax. Many countries and US states have already begun to do so. The result has been very impressive with sugar consumption precipitously decline. 

Additionally, there's been a concerted effort to use money generated from the sugar tax to fund public health campaigns encouraging children and adults to choose healthier drink alternatives, like water, milk, plant and nut milks, and 100% juice with no added sugars or artificial sweeteners. 

Through sugar taxes, cities and states across North America and other parts of the world are working to decrease diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. The revenue used from the sugar tax can also be used to support clean drinking water programs in schools, walking trails and bike paths, and many other health-promoting initiatives. 

Access to healthy drinks is crucial to helping kids grow up at a healthy weight and avoid diabetes and heart disease. Who doesn’t want that? 

The staff at Gingerbread House Daycare are committed to supporting parents and the government with initiatives that improve the health and welfare of children everywhere!

"How Was Your Day?"

Questions to ask your kid instead of "How was your day?"

When you pick your kids up from school, is your first question, "How was your day?" Here's the thing about this question, it's uninspiring and will likely yield an indifferent answer. So how can we engage better with our kids that will yield more of a conversation and engage those cerebral cells! 

So here's a list compiled by Sara Goldstein that is guaranteed to be met with more than an indifferently delivered, "fine." Have fun with them!

Questions a kid will answer at the end of a long school day:

1. What did you eat for lunch?
2. Did you catch anyone picking their nose?
3. What games did you play at recess?
4. What was the funniest thing that happened today?
5. Did anyone do anything super nice for you?
6. What was the nicest thing you did for someone else?
7. Who made you smile today?
8. Which one of your teachers would survive a zombie apocalypse? Why?
9. What new fact did you learn today?
10. Who brought the best food in their lunch today? What was it?
11. What challenged you today?
12. If school were a ride at the fair, which ride would it be? Why?
13. What would you rate your day on a scale of 1 to 10? Why?
14. If one of your classmates could be the teacher for the day who would you want it to be? Why?
15. If you had the chance to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you teach the class?
16. Did anyone push your buttons today?
17. Who do you want to make friends with but haven’t yet? Why not?
18. What is your teacher’s most important rule?
19. What is the most popular thing to do at recess?
20. Does your teacher remind you of anyone else you know? How?
21. Tell me something you learned about a friend today.
22. If aliens came to school and beamed up 3 kids, who do you wish they would take? Why?
23. What is one thing you did today that was helpful?
24. When did you feel most proud of yourself today?
25. What rule was the hardest to follow today?
26. What is one thing you hope to learn before the school year is over?
27. Which person in your class is your exact opposite?
28. Which area of your school is the most fun?
29. Which playground skill do you plan to master this year?
30. Does anyone in your class have a hard time following the rules?

Summer Events: Maple Ridge Farms and Cultus Lake

Hello Parents!

It's unimaginable how fast this summer has been, it's literally August and the kids return to school in a matter of weeks!

It has been an amazing summer however and our summer field trips have been off the hook awesome. If you haven't snagged a look at the pictures from our trip to Maple Ridge Farms and Cultus Lake, please do! It was such a good time for the kids to be out and adventuring. 

As much as we would like summer to last forever, with Fall around the corner, it's a good time to start planning for it. But for now, let's really, really enjoy August shall we? Here's to the last month's worth of lemonade stands and sidewalk chalk.