September 2008

This issue's newsletter sponsor:
www.rdschool.org

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

The September 13th Car Seat Check has been postponed.
Berkeley Police Department's technicians are now unavailable on this date. A new date will be announced soon!

September Events

Helmet Sales & Safety Day
Saturday, September 13; 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

• On sale today, CPSC/ASTM/ANSI approved helmets, sized especially for toddlers, only $8.
• "Decoration station" for helmets from 10 am-12 pm.

This 8th Annual Early Childhood Safety Campaign event is sponsored by State Farm Insurance Companies. Sponsored activities from May-September inform parents and caregivers about avoiding accidental injury to young children. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, preventable accidents are the #1 cause of injuries and loss of life in 0-6 year old children.

Full Moon Fun
Monday, September 15; 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Create a lunar mural in celebration of tonight's full moon. Enjoy stories about the moon and sample mooncake treats at 10 am and 11 am. Isabelle/Emperor Moon Cakes donated by a local merchant. Mooncake Festivals are traditionally celebrated on the day of the full moon in September. Habitot's 2008 Mooncake Festival will be celebrated on Saturday, September 27 - see below.

Mooncake Festival
Saturday, September 27; 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

Celebrate the popular East Asian harvest festival at our Mooncake Festival! The celebration of abundance and togetherness dates back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty. Children will enjoy fun activities such as designing Mooncake cards – traditionally given to friends and family when the moon is at its brightest - with calligraphy brushes and black ink and decorating Mooncake boxes using colorful moon- and harvest-themed materials.

Mooncake Storytelling at 10:00am, 11:00am and 12:00pm. At 3:30pm, sample delicious Isabelle/Emperor Moon Cakes donated by a local merchant – moon cakes are dense round pastries containing lotus seed paste traditionally eaten in small wedges accompanied by green tea during the autumn festival.

All Events

This Month's Storytimes

Enjoy storytelling every Friday from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm in the Multicultural Reading Tent.

• September 5 - The Big Autumn Moon
• September 12 - Baby Seeds and Plants
• September 19 - Falling Fall Leaves
• September 26 - Harvest Time

Singing Circles with Cindy

Join our drop-in singing circle with Cindy on the following Thursdays this month at 10:30 am or 10:50 am in the Multicultural Reading Tent.

• September 4, 11, 18, and 25

Fall Classes

Children's Classes Begin September 29

Ten-week series of Discovery Playgroups, Let's Do Lunch, Fairytales and Superheroes, Back to the Farm, and Move and Groove preschooler classes will begin this month. Parent participation is required for 2-3 year old classes and is optional for 3-4 year old classes. Lunchtime care - the hour following 3-4 year old classes - is available for an additional fee.

Fall Classes:
A minimum of 8 children are required to run the classes. Sign up early and tell your friends! To register, please call 510-647-1111 x17. Fall Class Information

Evening Parenting Classes Scheduled for October-November

Five parent classes will be offered this fall, on an income-based sliding scale from $15 -$30 per class. Topics covered will be:

• No More Diapers - October 16
• Choking & Obstructed Airways - October 22
• CPR for Infants and Children, 0-8 years - October 23
• Positive Discipline for Young Children - October 28, and
• Handling Parent Anger - November 18

Parent & Caregiver Classes:
A minimum of 10 participants are required to run each class. Sign up early and tell your friends! To register, please call 510-647-1111 x17. Parenting Classes

Parent & Caregiver Support Groups - FREE

Drop-In Parent-to-Parent Cafés
Meet other parents of young children and share challenges, creative solutions and support with one another. Habitot staff and guest experts will offer helpful parenting strategies. Supervised hands-on art activity and floor play time for children. $3 donation for refreshments appreciated.

Drop-in Caregiver Café - FREE!
Friday, September 2; 9:30 am - 10:15 am

Meet other caregivers of young children and share challenges, creative solutions and support with one another. Habitot staff and guest experts will offer helpful parenting strategies and skill building information. Hands-on art activity and floor play time for children. Refreshments included for adults and children. $3 donation appreciated. To receive email updates about future Caregiver Cafés, please contact Susana at parented@habitot.org

Other Happenings

Macy's "Shop For a Cause" to Support Habitot
Buy a $5 Pass for Great Savings on September 20

Habitot shoppers bearing a special $5 pass will be entitled to 20% off any Macy's store items (including sale items), plus special discounts, entertainment, exciting events, and prizes at any Macy's nationwide on September 20th. Macy's "Shop for a Cause Day" is designed to help non-profits across the country! Buy your $5 shopping pass at the front desk anytime this month - proceeds from shopping passes go directly to Habitot! We can also mail your pass with a credit card purchase over the phone; please call 510-647-1111 x10 during open hours, or x31 after hours.

Gift Store Discount of the Month

Through the end of September, all back to school art supplies in our Gift Store will be on sale for 20% off regular prices — paints, glitter glue, scented clay-doh, do-a-dot markers, sketchbooks and colored pencils — while supplies last.

Ask Ada

Ask Ada - Parenting Topic of the Month

Q:
I see a lot of news reports about school-age bullying. What can you tell me about bullying behavior in young children and in preschools?

A:
Most researchers agree that bullies are created not born. Quite a lot of data does exist about the precursors to school-age bullying which include language delays and the quality of parent-child interactions. During the first five years, many children are socially aggressive and all preschool-aged children are socially aggressive at times. This is normal! However, how parents, caregivers and teachers handle socially aggressive behavior (or not) can set the stage for bullying down the road.

There is a strong link between school-age bullying, aggression, and antisocial behavior and a lack of social and emotional awareness in early childhood. To have positive friendship and relationships skills necessary for school readiness, young children must learn to identify and understand their own feelings, and to 'read' and comprehend emotional states in others. Parents can help young children by taking every opportunity to state feelings they see: "I can see you are upset because we have to go now" gives children words for what they are feeling, and will help them identify the same feelings in the future. If a parent drags an upset child out the door, no learning occurs -- and a child may become even more upset. Similarly, a parent can develop a child's empathy by being empathic toward the child, and make consistent efforts to identify feelings in others.

Young children must also learn to manage their strong emotions and the way they express them. Language development is key, and many bullies were slow language learners. Parents can help develop communication skills by talking constantly to and with young children, narrating everyday life, reading aloud, speaking slowly, and speaking with normal adult words and tones.

Self regulation -- the ability to withstand impulses, maintain focus and relate to others -- takes time. Parents and caregivers are the cornerstone of a young child's success in this area. Commending a child who has waited patiently will accomplish more than complaining or punishing a child who demands your attention. Have realistic expectations of how much waiting your child can stand, so that he or she is successful.

Things you can do to foster this competency in your child include:

• Interact with your child affectionately
• Show consideration for their feelings, desires, and needs
• Express interest in their daily activities
• Respect their viewpoints
• Express pride in their accomplishments
• Provide support and encouragement during times of stress

Articles:

• Promoting Children's Social and Emotional Development Through Preschool Education. Boyd, Barnett, Bodrova, Leong & Gomby. Rutgers University (2005), New Brunswick, NJ., download pdf
• Eyes on Bullying, to read online click here

Books:

Oliver Button is a Sissy - dePaola, Tomie (1979), Harcourt Brace & Company

Do you have a question for Ada?
Email AskAda.Habitot@gmail.com

Contribute to "Ada's Families Fund!"
a special Habitot fund has been established in Ada's honor to purchase children's books for our Reading Tent and parenting references for our Family Resource Library. All donors will be recognized with a permanent book plate. Click here to donate now. Donate Now.

Habitot at Home

Art Activity - Friendship Bracelets (with homemade beads)

Materials:

• 4 cups baking soda
• 1 zip-loc freezer bag
• 1 large spoon
• 1 large saucepan or pot
• 2 cups powdered cornstarch
• washable tempera paints
• toothpicks
• yarn
• paint and glitter

1. Combine 4 cups baking soda, 2 cups powdered cornstarch and 4 cups of water in a large pot.
2. Turn the heat on high and stir continuously until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will slowly thicken as you stir.
3. When the mixture has reached a texture similar to mashed potatoes, turn off the heat and scoop the mixture into a large zip-loc freezer bag
   immediately.
4. Once the mixture has cooled to the touch, scoop out nickel-to-quarter sized amounts for each bead.
5. Demonstrate for your child how to roll the mixture into a ball with their hands or using the surface of the table.
6. Gently stick the toothpick through the ball and wiggle it to create a hole large enough for yarn to go through.
7. Remove the toothpick and allow the bead to dry over night. The beads will be very hard and sturdy enough to string into a friendship bracelet!
   8. Paints and glitter can be used either before or after drying to decorate the beads.

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