A Mid-week Bonus Post

I love to find opportunities for families with young children to enjoy!  I just heard about two events that were not included in my monthly activity post.

Saturday Afternoon Storytime at Layton Market Center (1780 No. Woodland Park Dr.)  On Saturday, June 29th at 1:00 the story "Chu's Day" will be read.  Chu is a little panda with a big sneeze.  Will Chu sneeze on Saturday?  Come and find out!  Event is free.

I don't usually post activities that require admission fees, but this is a nice opportunity to celebrate young children and their families.

Sunday, June 30 through Saturday, July 6 - Week of the Young Child

For the past five years Discovery Gateway has celebrated the national event, Week of the Young Child. In partnership with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), this event recognizes and celebrates the importance of early childhood education. The Museum features a week of special programming and events for parents, children, and community leaders.

Where: Discovery Gateway
444 West 100 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84101

When: 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Who: children

How: (801) 456-5437

Cost: $8.50/General Admission, $6/Seniors (65+), Free/Members and Children under 1.

Sunscreen Tips

My son and daughter-in-law went to Seven Peaks a week ago with their little 6 month old cutie.  They applied sunscreen but the two adults ended up with bad sunburns.  Luckily, little miss stayed mostly covered up and was fine.  I received this information from Macaroni Kid and want to pass it on.

• SPF refers to "Sun Protection Factor" and until recently, mainly indicated how well a sunscreen would protect you against the sun's UVB rays - meaning the rays that cause sunburn.  The problem is that it's the UVA rays that contribute most to skin cancers.  So slathering yourself or your kids with a high SPF UVB protectant may just give you a false sense of security.  Since you're not getting burned, you assume the sun is doing no damage, and you don't limit the amount of time in the sun.  This means you are actually increasing the level of cancer-causing UVA rays reaching the skin.  New FDA regulations require that sunscreen companies list the amount of UVA protection somewhere on the bottle, but until folks understand what all the initials mean, the skin cancer danger persists.  Look for labels that list "Broad Spectrum" sun protections and an SPF between 15 - 50.

• Use enough (usually at least a golf-ball sized blob), read the directions, and reapply the sunscreen at least every two hours and after being in the water, no matter how tedious it seems.

• The FDA has now banned sunscreen powders, which can be aspirated into the lungs, but they may still be on store shelves, so avoid them.

• Stay away from sunscreen sprays!  They can be inhaled, then absorbed into the lungs and bloodstream.  They're also inefficient against UVA rays and end up in the air instead of on the skin.

• Steer clear from sunscreen products that contain Vitamin A, retinyl palmitate or retinol.  Studies since 2010 have linked these ingredients to tumor development and sores on sun-exposed skin, but the FDA has not yet required companies to remove the potentially harmful chemicals from their sun products.

• About half of all U.S. marketed sunscreens, including those considered "kid-friendly," contain Oxybenzone - a potential hormone disruptor and allergen.  You'll have to work harder to find sunscreens without this chemical, but it's worth the trouble to ensure your child's safety.

• Look for zinc oxide sunscreens that have no nano-particles (the kind that turn the skin another color). If it goes on clear or almost clear, stay away from it.  The nano-particles may make the sunscreen less visible on the skin, but they do not adequately protect against cancerous UVA rays, though they improve UVB ray effectiveness.  Though nano-particles are not usually absorbed through the skin, they can damage the lungs and other organs, or may end up in the bloodstream, if they are inhaled.  If ingested, they could damage the intestinal tract.

• Keep infants under 6 months-old out of the sun completely.  Keep older children out of the sun as much as possible during the peak sunlight hours (10 - 2) and be sure to provide them with a hat and broad spectrum protection sunglasses and clothing when they are exposed to sunlight.

Another Mid-Week Update!

I just received an email that reminded me about the Summer Movie Clubhouse for kids.  Cinemark Movie Theathers in Farmington, Layton and West Bountiful are participating.  Unfortunately, the 10 shows started June 11th, but there are still several to see if you need a cool place to enjoy a movie in the middle of the day!  Movies are $1.00 each per person and all shows start at 10:00 am.  

June 25 - 26 - The Smurfs (PG)

July 2 - 3 - Ice Age: Continental Drift (PG)

July 9 - 10 - Dolphin Tale (PG)

July 16 - 17 - Happy Feet (PG)

July 23 - 24 - Oceans (G)

July 30 - 31 - Rio (G)

August 6 - 7 - Chimpanzee (G)

August 13 - 14 - Alvin and The Chipmunks (PG)

Participating Theaters:

900 West Clark Ln.                          720 W. 1500 N.                     206 S. 625 W. Suite 1230
Farmington, UT                                Layton, UT                              West Bountiful, UT
801 447-8561                                 1 800 326-3264                       801 298-0326
                                                          Exp Code 1170#

The Cinemark  Summer Movie Clubhouse is sponsored by Charlie Joe Jackson's Bookshelf.

How To Really Love a Child

I have this hanging on the wall of my office to remind me how precious and amazing all children are.  I want to share it with everyone I know!

How To Really Love a Child

Be there. Say yes as often as you can.  Let them bang on pots and pans.  If they're crabby, put them in water.  Read books out loud with joy.  Go find elephants and kiss them.  Encourage silly.  Giggle a lot.  Remember how really small they are.  Search out the positive.  Keep the gleam in your eye.  Go see a movie in your pyjamas.  Teach feelings.  Realize how important it is to be a child.  Plan to build a rocketship.  Stop yelling.  Invent pleasures together.  Surprise them.  Express your love.  A lot.  Children are Miraculous.

- Sark

If we do it right, we can all grow up to be big kids and enjoy all these things with the little humans in our lives.  Thank you, Kathy, for sharing this with me!

Self Worth

I have been hearing and reading a lot about building the self-esteem of children.  This quote by Alvin Price really caught my attention:

"Parents need to fill a child's bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can't poke enough holes to drain it dry."

Denise Fields and Ari Brown, MD, in the book Toddler 411, point out that building self-esteem is an important part of discipline.  They say "It's our job as parents to TEACH our children social skills and self-discipline while preserving self-esteem."

Our staff recently had the opportunity to receive a training regarding families in conflict and the take away message was that we need to help children build resilience - strengthen the human spirit.  Some suggestions to build resilience during the first years of life included:

• provide unconditional love and express love both physically and verbally by holding, rocking, and stroking and by using soothing words to calm, comfort, and encourage the child to calm himself or herself
• enforce rules for children ages 2 and 3, and use removal of privileges and other forms of discipline that do not belittle, harm or reject the child
• model behavior that communicates confidence, optimism, and good results for children 2 and 3 years old
• praise the 2 and 3 year old child for accomplishments such as toilet training, calming self, talking or making something
• encourage the 2 or 3 year old child to try things and do things on his or her own with minimal adult help
• when language is developing, acknowledge and label the child's feelings and so encourage the child to recognize and express his or her own feelings and to recognize some feelings in others
• also use developing language to reinforce aspects of resilience to help the child face adversity: for example, "I know you can do it" encourages autonomy and reinforces a child's faith in his or her own problem-solving skills
• at around 3 years of age, prepare the child for unpleasant or adverse situations (gradually if possible) by talking about them, reading books, play acting, etc.

Build self-esteem by letting the child know his or her opinion counts.  Listening doesn't mean doing what the child suggests or desires every time, but let them know you hear and understand what they are saying.  For example, "We can't eat ice cream for breakfast, but, do you want yogurt or bananas?"

Keep in mind that some day that independence can come in handy for your toddler turned teenager.  Building self-esteem now will reap benefits in the future.

June Community Activities

Time for everyone to fill up their June Calendars!  Here is a list of activities in your community for family fun at a great price (Free!).

Bountiful:

• Friday, June 14th from 6:00 - 10:00 pm the Bountiful Rotary Club sponsors the Coats for Kids Car Parade down Historic Main Street in Bountiful to be followed by a Car Show and activities at Bountiful City Park that evening and Saturday, June 15th.  The car show is open to the public.  Families can also purchase food at the Food Court on Friday or Lunch in the Park on Saturday.  Kids Bucks will also be available for purchase to participate in games and activities.

• Friday, June 21st - Concert in the Park from 7:00 - 9:00 pm enjoy Bountiful's Got Talent and on Friday, June 28 - Concert in the Park from 7:00 - 9:00 pm Kurt Bestor will be performing.

• Monday, June 24th from 7:00 - 8:30 pm enjoy Bountiful Davis Arts Center Family Arts Night at 28 East State Street (Second Floor) Farmington.

Kaysville:

• Saturday, June 15th from 6:00 am throughout the day and evening - Art and Music in the Park at Heritage Park in Kaysville.  Zumba starts at 6:00 am.  Arts, crafts, music and entertainment will be available all day and a movie will begin at dusk.

• Sunday, June 30th at 7:00 pm at Davis High is the Patriotic Devotional

Layton:

• Free Sunday Concert Series at Ed Kenley Amphitheater from 7:00 to 8:30 pm each Sunday.

• Saturday, June 8th is Free Fish Day in Utah.  Take your kiddos fishing at Andy Adams Community Fishery (1800 E. Gordon Ave. Layton) from 10:00 am to noon.  Fishermen do not need a license to fish on Free Fish Day, but possession limit is still 2 fish.

• Saturday, June 8th is also the Sounds of Freedom Classic Car Show at Layton Commons Park from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm.  Admission is free.  Enjoy the Car Show, food, drinks, raffle, games and vendors, DJ, demonstrations and dignitaries.

• Monday, June 10th the Layton First National Bank presents Imagine, a fabulous Beatles Band at Ed Kenley Amphitheater.  Show begins at 8:00 pm.  Tickets are free at Layton First National Bank.

• Sunday, June 30th from 7:00 - 9:00 pm as part of the Free Sunday Concert Series at Ed Kenley Amphitheater, enjoy Voices of Liberty and Celebrate Home Town Heroes.

Syracuse:

• June 24th through June 29th Syracuse Heritage Days Celebration

Farmington Station Park:

• Monday, June 3rd from 5:30 - 7:00 pm enjoy Family First Mondays in the Village, sponsored by Radio Disney and Macaroni Kid.  Monster University Mash Up

KSL Family Book Festival on Saturday, June 15th from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm at the Gateway Mall in SLC.  Meet authors and characters, enjoy a variety of activities.  Free and open to the public.

EI in the Park on Thursday, June 27th from 9:30 - 11:00 am.  Come to Barnes Park and enjoy activities provided by our Davis Early Intervention Staff.  We will be at the Bowery by the play ground.  Drinks will be provided.  All Early Intervention families are invited!

Last, but not least, Friday, June 7th is National Doughnut Day - celebrate by getting a free doughnut for everyone at Krispy Kreme!