Parents As Teachers will return in the fall
with new content.

Until then,
enjoy your children, make new memories
and have a great summer!
​

We look forward to hearing about all of your adventures in the fall!
​Take pictures!  We love to see pictures of you and your family enjoying one another.

If you had to make a bucket list of 25 things that every child should do before Kindergarten, what would you include?  Would "play in the mud" make your list?  

How about collect rocks, or leaves, or anything really? Check out this great list at Cafe Mom's website. 

Recite the ABCs, identify some shapes and maybe a color or two, hold up 4 fingers and say, "this many", when asked their age, count to 5, free from diapers... maybe these are a few of the things that you think about when you hear the words "Preschool Readiness".  In actuality, while great skills to have, there are many more things to think about while getting your child ready for preschool.  Check out the following article for 5 Key Things that Preschool Teachers Want Your Child to Know before starting Preschool. Is your child ready? 

Here at Grandview Parents as Teachers, we are always talking about the importance of reading to your children, early and often.  Click here to sign up for 28 days of FREE tips, activities and words of encouragement!  

In today's busy world, as parents we can get so caught up with ALL of the things that need to be DONE, that we may not talk or play with our children as much as we'd like.  Often times, our talk is limited to "business" talk, or instructions for our children, and not enough "extra" talk, where we'd describe and wonder with our children.  Check out this excellent article written by Cari Ebert (found at Cari Ebert Seminars - Blog that further defines both of these types of talking and helps you to improve the quality of communication with and for your children.  This article is also great in that it defines many aspects of speech, that you may not be familiar with, like "syntax" or "phonology" and how they work in communication. 

​If you aren't following Cari Ebert on Facebook, be sure to start.  She shares "Toys I Love Tuesday" posts where she recommends toys to help with communication and learning, "Books to Read Wednesday" where she shares book recomendations and "Therapy Tips Thursday", where she shares some "tips of her trade" as a Speech and Language Therapy provider.

Have you heard about the concerns regarding fruit juices? There is evidence that the fruit juices that you may be serving to your children, contain heavy metals and other toxins. The news segment was based on a report by Consumer Reports where they tested 45 juices and found elevated levels or heavy metals in at least half of their samples. The frequent use of juices and exposure to heavy metals can cause kidney disease and certain cancers.  After hearing some concerns about juice on the news, I started to wonder about another common children's food, cereal. ​What about the cereals your children are eating? Are there toxic ingredients in those, too? So, I decided to do some research about that, too.   I also found this article with information about toxic ingredients that may be found in some children’s breakfast cereals, along with the Top 10 Breakfast Cereals to Avoid Feeding to Your Children.

As with all things, the most important thing to do is to inform yourself and make educated decisions about what you feed your family. If you're concerned about juices, and looking for a safer alternative?  Why not consider feeding your child the actual fruit with some water instead?