October Community Activities

This is my favorite time of year!  I love the cooler weather, the beautiful colors on the trees, the smell of spices and pumpkin and, of course, chocolate baking, and the idea of curling up with a blanket and a good book!  There are also a lot of community activities at this time of year, so look at the list below and get some of these fun events in your calendar for you and your family to enjoy.  All events listed are free, unless a fee is indicated (I try to stay away from those, but still give you an idea of activities in your community).  Also, I am going to try listing activities in chronological order.

Wednesday, October 2 - Layton Fire Department Open House  5:00 - 8:00 pm at 530 North 2200 West.  Many activities for the whole family to participate.  Free rides on one of the fire engines.  The Fire Department welcomes conned food items to be brought to the event to support the local Family Connections Center food bank in Layton.  Activities are free and dinner is available to purchase.

Monday, October 7 - Ezekiel R. Dumke Free Day at Red Butte Gardens.

Monday, October 7 - Final Family First Monday in the Village at Farmington Station.  5:30 - 7:00 pm.  Activities and games provided by Family Connection Center, Boondocks, Lil' Flippers Gym and more.  

Tuesday, October 8 - MOMS Club of Weber County is hosting a free Halloween Celebration at Newgate Mall (3651 Wall Ave., Ogden) 10:00 am by the play area near Sears.  Halloween crafts and treats.  MOMS Club is a support group for stay at home moms that want to get out and socialize.

Tuesday, October 8 - Storytelling Night at the Museum at Whitaker Museum in Centerville (168 North Main Street) from 6:30 - 8:00pm.

Saturday, October 12 - Syracuse Community Yard Sale on the corner of Antelope and 2000 West from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  You can bring stuff to sell or just go to grab a deal.

Saturday, October 12 - Monster Mash and Dash at Heritage Park in Kaysville (150 East 200 North).  Begins at 5:00 pm.  Fun Halloween activities for the family.

Monday, October 14 - Free admission to the Natural History Museum of Utah.  Make reservations to attend online beginning on October 8th at noon at nhmu.utah.edu.  If you don't have a reservation, you may still be able to attend as a limited number of drop-in tickets are available, but if you want to get right in with your little ones, the best option is to have a reservation.

Friday, October 18 - West Point Halloween Carnival at City Hall (3200 West 300 North) from 7:00 - 8:30 pm.

Saturday, October 19 - North Salt Lake City Halloween 3K.  See the website at nslcity.org for more information.

Thursday, October 24 - Go Cruisin' at Station Park in the southeast parking lot near Claire's, Johnny Rockets, and the Cinemark Theater.  Free classic car show from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.

Friday, October 25 - Layton Halloween Bash 2013 at Central Davis Jr. High Gym (663 North Church Street) from 5:30 - 8:00 pm.  Layton City Family Recreation presents the annual Halloween Bash with carnival style games, cake walk, costume contest, music and refreshments.

Saturday, October 26 - Clearfield Annual Boo-nanza Halloween Spooktacular inside the Clearfield Aquatic Center (825 South State) from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.  Lots of activities for all ages - even an area for age appropriate activities for little ones.  Food and drink booths.  Tickets are $0.50 each.  Most activities require one or more tickets.

Monday, October 28 - Bountiful Davis Arts Center Family Night at 28 East State Street (second floor) Farmington from 7:- 8:30 pm.

Thursday, October 31 - Bountiful Trick or Treat on Main Street from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.  Includes costume contests for kids, adults, and pets.

Remember the Storytime opportunities:

• Barnes and Noble Picture Book Wednesday on October 2 at 11:00 am at the Layton store.
• Three Little Monkeys Story and Activity time for children ages 2 - 5 at 10:30 or 11:30 am in Fruit Heights and Bountiful.
• Bountiful Library Story time for Preschool/Toddler age Wednesday or Thursday at 10:30 am
• Centerville Library Story time for Preschool/Toddler age Wednesday at 10:30 am
• Clearfield Library Story time for all ages Wednesday or Thursday at 10:30 am
• Farmington Library Story time for all ages on Thursday at 10:30 am
• Kaysville Library Story time for all ages on Tuesday or Wednesday at 10:30 am or Fridays at 11:30 am
• Layton Library Story time for all ages on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at 11:00 am
• Syracuse Library Story time for all ages on Tuesday or Wednesday at 10:30 am

Helping Curiosity Grow

I am sure you have heard the phrase "curiosity killed the cat".  Even though being curious can lead to trouble, it is important to allow your child to be curious.  It is one method of learning and is important for young children to feel free to explore.  Young children learn best when they direct their own learning, instead of when you try to force something on them.  Given freedom to explore, a child interested in the world around them will observe and learn.  Your child's first year is very important in laying a foundation for a lifetime of curiosity.  You can help by making your baby's world an interesting, stimulating place, and by joining in your baby's excitement.  

Here are some ideas:

Sight - Surround your baby with bright, moving colors in clothing, toys and room decor.

Hearing - Let your baby listen to music on the radio, CDs, or other sounds.  Make a chime mobile, or hang wind-chimes to catch a breeze.  Talk and sing to your baby.

Touch - Give your child textures to feel: soft, hard, smooth, and rough.  Make a toy, blanket, or ball from scraps of denim, corduroy, velvet, and satin.  Touch your baby and let them touch your skin, hair and clothes.

Taste - Let your child try new and different foods.

Smell - Give your child chances to smell safe things, such as soap, perfume, food, flowers, and dirt.

Try to see the world through your child's eyes and look for opportunities to explore and enjoy new experiences.

Inside Activities for Rainy Days

Have you been worried about the upcoming changes of seasons?  The chill in the air, the rain falling and before you know it the snow will be 4 feet high!  Well here are a few ideas to have fun with your children while staying warm.

From a previous nature walk, use the items collected to make a collage.  Your children may have gathered leaves, sticks and maybe even some weeds.  Be open to the idea of what your child is interested in and allow them to explore.  What else could you use for your collages?  Stickers, glitter, cut up pieces of paper.  Be creative and have fun!

Make play dough and have your children help you pour and stir the ingredients.  This is a great way to incorporate language and encourage more talking!  Kool-Aid Play Dough is a favorite among those in early intervention.  What else can you bake or cook with your children?  What about brownies, cookies, soup, pizza . . .?

Remember when you used to build forts with your siblings or maybe even your parents and friends?  Rekindle that memory with your kids!  How fun to gather your sheets, blankets and flashlights and build a fort.  Read books while snuggling in it!

For more ideas of activities to do with your child indoors, look at these websites.  They are filled with activities and ideas.

http://fun.familyeducation.com/hobbies-and-interests/games/33380.html

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/activities/indoor/

These are just a few of so many fun activities and ideas out there.  Be resourceful, have fun and enjoy your time spent with your children.  Follow your child's lead in finding new and exciting things to do.  





Kool-Aid Play Dough Recipe:                                   
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid
1 cup water

Mix dry ingredients.  Add oil and water.  Cook over medium heat until mixture forms a ball.  Pour onto waxed paper or bread board and knead.

Mixing with Kool-Aid gives the dough surprising scents: lemon, cherry, lime, orange, and will last for weeks in an airtight container.  

NOTE: If child eats this, it is non-toxic.

Putting FUN Back in Mealtime

How many of you feel like mealtime at your home is nothing short of a visit to the zoo?  Do your kids jump around like monkeys?  Stick their noses up at the food you serve?  Do they eat the same food for every meal?  If this describes your home, try some of the following tips to make mealtime less like the zoo and more like a walk in the park!

Give a warning prior to mealtime. Example: "Sam, we are going to have dinner in ten minutes."  By giving your child a pre-mealtime warning, you can help them prepare for the upcoming activity and you will notice less fighting when coming to the table.

Follow a routine for coming to the table.  For example, jump to the sink, wash hands with bubbles, jump to the table.  This will help prepare them from a physical and sensory standpoint. Make mealtime fun! Children have short attention spans and love to engage in fun activities. Cut food into fun shapes, use fun utensils like toothpicks, appetizer swords, corn on the cob holders, build object out of food and then eat it up!

Talk, talk, and talk about food!   Instead of asking your child, "do you want a bite?" or "will you eat this?" talk about the food.  Talk about the color, the shape, how it feels in your mouth when you chew it.  Let your child listen as you describe properties about the food.  Always offer at least one food that the child really enjoys at each meal.  A meal full of new foods can be overwhelming!

Start each meal with a preferred food, and then offer a new or maybe less preferred food, then end with a preferred food again.

At each meal and snack offer a protein, starch, and fruit or vegetable.  Children need variety in their diet and they need to get used to seeing food on their plate, even if they don't eat it all right away.

Have reasonable expectations about meal time!  Children need to be exposed to new foods often and may not engage in taking a bite of new food until it is presented multiple times.  Do not become frustrated! Just because they did not eat the new food does not mean that mealtime was a failure!

Remember to give praise when your child does something new with a food you presented! We all like to hear when we have done something good.  For example, "Sam, I though that it was great that you licked your broccoli tonight!  Doesn't if feel bumpy on your tongue?  It makes me laugh!" 

Say "good-bye" to your food at the end of a meal.  Have the child "kiss" the food good-bye as they throw it away.  Sometimes this is the closest they will bring that food to their mouths during the meal.

Good luck and happy eating!!
(Article adapted from Kids On The Move Fall/Winter 2012 Newsletter)