August Activities

As summer winds down there are still plenty of community events to entertain children of all ages.  Most of the activities posted are free for families.  Community events are a great place for kiddos to enjoy new language experiences, increase vocabulary, work on gross or fine motor skills, or participate in a social event.  Whatever your early intervention goals are, there is something for you!

Bountiful:

• Monday, August 26th, 7:00 - 8:30 pm Bountiful Davis Arts Center Family Night - 28 East State Street (Second Floor) Farmington

West Bountiful:

• Friday, August 9th 7:30 pm Pre-show entertainment at City Park with a Movie at the Park beginning at 9:00 pm

Layton:

• Free Sunday Concerts at Ed Kenley Amphitheater at Layton City Park every Sunday evening from 7:00 - 9:00 pm

South Weber:

• Country Fair Days from Saturday, August 3rd to Saturday, August 10th.  Activities include a Baby Contest and a Little Miss Pageant on August 3rd; Let's Make a Deal Game on Monday, August 5th; Movie in the Park (Central Park - 7355 South 1375 East) Rise of the Guardians on Wednesday, August 7th at 9:15 pm; Parade on South Weber Drive on Saturday, August 10th with Fireworks at Dusk.  Go to southwebercity.com for more information

Davis County Fair - August 14th - 17th.  Activities this year include:

• Elephant Encounter
• Diving Dogs
• Flag Retirement and Military Tribute on Thursday, August 15th at 8:30 pm
• Creature Encounters
• Horizon Credit Union Creative Corner
• Mountain America Credit Union Free Pony Rides
• Free Petting Zoo
• On Wednesday, August 14th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm join Macaroni Kid at a Masquerade Party with free games, free face painting and more
• More information at davisfair.org

Station Park: 

• Monday, August 5th 5:30 - 7:00pm - Family First at Station Park (320 North Station Parkway).  The Theme for August is Airplanes.
• Thursday, August 22nd from 6:00 - 9:00 pm Car Show

Tracy Aviary has $5 after 5 pm Adult Admission on Monday Nights through August.  They are open until 8:00 pm.

Free Root Beer Float Day at A&W Restaurants on Tuesday, August 6th from 2:00 pm to close.

A Couple of Things

This was received from the Utah Dept of Health...

The Autism Treatment Account Advisory Committee, authorized by Utah law, developed a rule to govern administration of the Autism Treatment Account monies. This rule has been amended to modify the age of qualification for services from “younger than six” to “younger than seven”. This change, therefore, extends eligibility for services through six years of age. The Autism Treatment Account Advisory Committee was appointed by the Governor and consists of parents, providers and specialists who work with persons with autism.

Because this rule clarifies how funds will be distributed, the advisory committee invites public review and comment on the proposed amendment. Notice of the rule amendment appears in the Utah State Bulletin in Vol. 2013, No 14 (7/15/2013) edition. Written public comments are accepted from July 15, 2013 until 5:00 PM on August 14, 2013. Instructions for submitting comments are included in the bulletin. The committee appreciates your feedback and will carefully review all public comments.

The direct link is: http://www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/bull_pdf/2013/b20130715.pdf  Go to page 70.

 Thanks!

Cheryl Smith - President

The second item is a follow up from the last post.  I wanted to share some websites that might help with filling the long summer days.  These websites provide ideas of activities, games, and fun for the little ones.

www.parents.com - includes information on everything from pregnancy, babies, toddlers, preschoolers, big kids, teens, family life, fun, food and recipes, etc.

www.starfall.com - online games for kids targeting speech sounds and associating sounds with letters.  (May be better for kids over three, but some of the games would be fun for the little ones.)

hummingbirded.com - has a catalog you can purchase preschool activities from, but I just head to the free downloads and find things like the Tickle Monkey story.

babybumblebee.com - another site with items for purchase or you can check out the Free Flashcards, Apps, & More.

www.thestay-at-home-momsurvivalguide.com - this is a blog which includes activities to do with your kids or to set your kids loose on.  This mom even divides the activities by age ranges so you can target the activities appropriate for your kids.

turtlemag.org - this is a website that goes with the Turtle Magazine for kids.  There are stories that can be read to your child and activities for them to do.

What is your go-to website for ideas to entertain the little ones?

Some Simple, Homemade Fun

Sometimes it is just too hot and the days are just too long in the summer!  Here are some ideas to add to your list of fun family activities to try in the summertime, besides laying on the grass and looking for shapes in the clouds while sipping lemonade (which is hard to do while you are lying down!)

Homemade Giant Bubbles
6 cups water
1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups Joy dishwashing soap (If using an ultra concentrated dishwashing liquid, use only 1 1/3 cups)


Directions:
1 In a large bowl (at least 3 quarts) stir water and corn syrup until combined.
2 Add dishwashing liquid and stir very gently until well mixed.
3 (Try not to make any bubbles.) Dip (don't stir) bubble wands into bubble liquid and blow bubbles.  You can use hangers, hula hoops, etc. to make bigger bubbles.
Recipe from food.com

Giant Stringing Beads
Pool Noodles
Rope

Cut pool noodles into 1" to 1 1/2" rings.  Tie a big knot in one end of the rope.  You may want to singe the ends of the rope so it doesn't unravel.  String the pool noodle beads onto the rope!

Flubber
2 cups all-purpose white glue
2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons borax
1/3 cup warm water
liquid watercolor, do not use food coloring


Directions:
1 In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup of warm water and 3 TBSP of Borax.
2 Stir until dissolved.
3 In a large bowl, mix together the glue, 2 cups of warm water, and a few drops of liquid watercolor (until desired color is reached).
4 Slowly pour the Borax mixture into the glue mixture, stirring with your hand.
5 Lift and stretch the combined mixture until all or most of the liquid is absorbed.
6 Flubber can be used to make Windbreakers by forcing air pockets out of small round containers (yogurt containers work very well).
7 Store in an airtight container.
8 Important: Flubber will wash out of clothes, but it will not come out of carpet or upholstry.
Recipe from food.com

Kids Bathtub Paints
1/3 cup mild clear Joy dishwashing soap
1 tablespoon cornstarch
food coloring

Directions:
1 Mix cornstarch and liquid soap in bowl.
2 Pour into ice cube tray, filling about 1/2 full.
3 Put 4-8 drops of different food coloring colors into each section and mix till blended.
4 I usually use toothpicks to mix when in the ice cube tray.
5 Give to the kids and let them at it!  They can use it to color themselves or each other, the sidewalk, anything you can then hose off!
6 This washes your child, and will wash off the walls too!
Recipe from food.com

Is It a Cold or Allergies?

"The law of heredity is that all undesirable traits come from the other parent."  Anonymous

That is how it is with allergies!  Isn't it?  Here is some information about allergies that may be helpful with your little ones (maybe even with your big ones!)  All this information is taken from Toddler 411 by Denise Fields and Ari Brown, MD.

Allergic disorders are the body's hypersensitivity after being exposed to certain foreign substances.  The body's response can be localized to one body part or generalized to more body parts.  Allergies may be hereditary.  Often a person is not allergic to just one thing.  A baby with eczema has a 30% chance of developing asthma or other allergies.  However, hereditary patterns of allergies do not apply to drug allergies.  If you are allergic to penicillin does not mean your child will be.

If your child has a constant runny nose, that is not an indication of allergies.  Usually the cause of a toddler's runny nose is a viral infection.  Toddlers will have about 60 to 80 days of runny noses a year due to viruses.  However, some children do have chronic runny noses for reasons besides infection.  Allergic rhinitis is the fancy term for runny nose due to allergies.  Allergies to certain particles in the air can irritate the nose and lungs of some children.  These irritants can be in the air year round (dust, mold, pet dander) or just seasonally.  The peak age for seasonal allergies is school-age and and young adulthood.  A two year old is less likely than an eight year old to have a runny nose caused by seasonal allergies.

Here is a table comparing symptoms of a cold and allergies:

                              Common Cold                                     Allergies
Snot                      thick, clear, white or discolored         watery, clear
Cough                   dry or wet                                             dry
Eyes                      no problem                                          can be itchy, watery
Nose                     snotty                                                    itchy
Throat                   sore                                                      scratchy
Fever                    some or none                                      none

Doctors have some additional strategies to identify allergies in children:

• The allergic salute is a horizontal line along the nose due to a child constantly pushing the tip of his nose upwards to wipe the snot
• Allergic shiners are dark, puffy circles under the eyes due to chronically irritated and swollen blood vessels
• Cobblestoning, a bumpy appearance at the back of the throat, is from chronic postnasal drip 
• Occasionally the nostrils will have a bluish, boggy appearance but this is not as common as the other identifying cues.

Allergies can be a trigger for asthma, so if your child experiences asthma, you may want to see an allergist.  Also, allergies can lead to a sinus infection.  If your child's chronically clear runny nose has changed, or he has a fever or headache, see your doctor.

July Activity Post

July is a busy month for family activities!  There are lots of calendar events to choose from to fill up this summer month!

North Salt Lake:

• Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks Show - Wednesday, June 3rd from 6:00 - 10:00 pm at the Eaglewood Golf Course

Bountiful:

• Children's Parade on Main Street - Saturday, July 13th at 9:00 am.  Decorate your bikes, wagons and scooters and join the fun.  Children receive free popsicles at the end.  The parade starts at Hess parking lot (100 North 100 East)
• Bountiful Davis Arts Center Family Art Night - Monday, July 22nd from 7:00 - 8:30 pm at 28 East State Street 2nd Floor, Farmington.
• Bountiful Handcart Days - Tuesday, July 23rd and Wednesday, July 24th                  Parade on July 23rd on Main Street from 1500 South to 400 North at 6:00 pm                                                          Park Activities on Tuesday and Wednesday  (watch for my kids clogging with Rhythm 'N Motion Cloggers!)                                                                                                                  Fireworks Show on Tuesday, July 23rd at Dusk at Mueller Park Jr. High

West Bountiful:

• Fireworks on Wednesday, July 3rd at 10:00 pm in City Park
• Parade on Thursday, July 4th at 10:30 am

Centerville:

• Independence Day Celebration at Founder's Park on Wednesday, July 3rd.        Children's Parade at 6:30 pm from the church at 160 South 200 East to Founder's Park.  Children will receive a Pace bar at the end of the parade.  Dress up and decorate your bikes, strollers, and wagons.                                                                                                       Chalk Art Exhibit at Centerville Elementary                                                                              Fireworks at 9:45 pm
• Continue the Celebration on Thursday, July 4th                                                                     Main Street Parade at 9:00 am from Chase Lane to Pages Lane.  (Watch for the Rhythm 'N Motion Cloggers - that's my kids!)                                                                                       Outdoor Festival at Founder's Park from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm

Farmington:

• Farmington Festival Days Monday, July 8th through Saturday, July 13th at Forbush Park

Fruit Heights/Kaysville:

• Parade Thursday, July 4th from 11:00 - 12:30 from the DATC to Main Street (Dry Zone) and along Main Street to 100 North (Soak Zone).
• Family Festival from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm at the DATC Park/Basin
• Fireworks at 10:00 pm at Davis High

Layton:

• Free Sunday Concerts continue throughout the summer at Ed Kenley Amphitheater at Layton Commons Park
• Liberty Days Celebration on Thursday, July 4th.  Activities and events all day at the Layton  Commons Park.                                                                                                                        Parade at 10:30 am from Fairfield Rd west on Gentile to Fort Lane and around Layton High back to Gentile.                                                                                                                  Fireworks at 10:00 pm

Clearfield:

• 4th of July Celebration begins on Thursday, July 4th at 9:30 am with the Hometown Parade.                                                                                                                                 Fisher Park Festival from 4:00 to 10:30 pm.  Fun! Food! Games! Crafts and More! Pie Eating Contest! Diaper Derby! Live Entertainment!  Fireworks at 10:00 pm!  (I really want to see the Diaper Derby - I don't know what that is!)

Sunset:

• Sunset City Fun Days Friday, July 26th and Saturday, July 27th                                       Friday, July 26th the Carnival opens in Central Park (85 West 1800 North) at 6:00 pm.  Also at that time and place, a Baby Contest.                                                                           At 10:00 pm - Movie in the Park: Despicable Me                                                               Saturday, July 27th at 10:00 am the Parade begins at 250 West.                                        The Carnival and Car Show will be open in Central Park with Fireworks beginning at 10:00 pm.

Tonight is Family First Monday sponsored by Radio Disney and Macaroni Kid.  Free Family Fun in the Village at Station Park.  The theme for July 1 is Beach Party Bash.

I also found out about a great resource for keeping your kids healthy all year.  A mom shared the website with me to track common illnesses that are being reported by doctors in the area.  The website is https://intermountainphysician.org/gw/Pages/default.aspx . This website will take you to a page called GermWatch and you can look for specific illnesses or look at a map of the area to see what to watch out for.  Thanks Holly!

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.