May 27th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

What a powerful video to remind you that seat belts save lives!

December 17th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

Name of Activity: Animal Actions

Purpose of Activity: To help students practice and master various locomotor or traveling patterns.

Prerequisites: How to take turns and if necessary momentarily wait a turn. How to belly crawl, dog crawl and jump, either two-foot to two-foot pattern or a leap, one foot to opposite foot pattern.

Suggested Grade Level: PRE-K

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Materials Needed: 8 Mini 6″ cones 8 Medium cones 10-12″ 8 larger cones 12-18″ 12 pool noodles 24 noodle connectors 4 XL 24″ cones

November 17th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

• Get vaccinated. Vaccination is the best protection we have against flu. Seasonal flu vaccine is available now and initial doses of 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine also are available, with additional doses available later this year.
• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
• Find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety.
• Stay informed. This website will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
• Call 1-800-CDC-INFO for more information.

November 5th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

Packing your kids’ lunches for school is a great way to monitor the nutritional content of their meals. Sometimes kids don’t want to bring their own lunch to school because their friends don’t bring theirs, or they would prefer to eat the lunch the school serves. One fun thing to do is to put a note in your child’s lunch. The note can be an encouragement for an upcoming test, congratulations for doing well on a project, a cute little drawing, or simply “I Love You.”

Another idea is to buy some plain bags, and use stamps, markers and crayons to have your kids decorate their own lunch bags, or they can personalize their siblings’ lunch bags.

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October 30th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

Give little ghouls a fun night without food worries

Halloween candy is downright scary for the nearly 25 million Americans avoiding gluten.

Gluten-free expert and author Carol Fenster details practical ways to maintain Halloween’s spooky-fun spirit without fear of hidden gluten.

Ideas include: Learn to read labels (looking for wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and oats); contact manufacturers to verify candy content; ask your natural market to create a dedicated gluten-free Halloween section; organize a home party that shifts the focus away from food and onto games, prizes, and costumes; and serve a gluten-free supper (try Applegate Farms’ new gluten-free chicken nuggets and Amy’s line of gluten- and dairy-free pizzas).

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October 6th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

The school year always brings new friends, new teachers, new assignments, and unfortunately some new germs. But not to worry, a new school year doesn’t have to mean new illnesses!

Follow these tips and you might score a perfect attendance record this year!

1. Wash your hands with soap and water after you sneeze, cough, or use the bathroom. Count to 20 or sing a couple of rounds of Row, Row, Row Your Boat while you scrub!  
2. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.

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October 2nd, 2009 by El Ed Mom

How Germs Spread

The main way that illnesses like colds and flu are spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. This is called “droplet spread.”

This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and are deposited on the mouth or nose of people nearby. Sometimes germs also can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk and then touches his or her own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands. We know that some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks.

How to Stop the Spread of Germs

In a nutshell: take care to

• Cover your mouth and nose
• Clean your hands often
• Remind your children to practice healthy habits, too

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September 24th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

The physical education games that are described in this article can be played at the beginning of gym class as part of a warm exercise, during the period wholly or partially devoted to games or physical education activities or at the end of class as part of cool down exercises.

In addition to the obvious benefits of providing good exercise, combating obesity and developing motor skills, the other skills that I wanted my students to demonstrate when they play these games are co-operation, sportsmanship and enjoyment.

Here are 6 examples of physical education games that my students and I enjoyed.

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September 22nd, 2009 by El Ed Mom

Eating right and exercising is about more than just looking good. Staying healthy can help you reduce the risk of serious dangers like heart disease, diabetes, strokes and cancer - not to mention give you more energy.

Not everyone is taking care of their bodies. According to the Mayo Clinic, the number of overweight children in America (ages 6 to 11) has doubled in the past two decades. Also, the number of overweight teens has tripled during that time. In total, about 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight.

In an attempt to reduce childhood obesity, new laws in California have banned soft drinks and fattening, sugary snacks. The legislation could go even beyond that; Congress may make a federal law restricting the sale of junk food in public schools across the nation.

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