Sticky Situation #5

By Scholastic News
August 6, 2009

Nicholas is at his friend Robert’s house. Robert’s mother offers Nicholas soda. Nicholas’s parents don’t allow him to drink soda. But he really wants the soda because he never gets to have one.

What should Nicholas do?

Click on “Comments” to write a paragraph explaining what you think Nicholas should do. Other Scholastic News readers will be posting their thoughts about this week’s ethical dilemma, too. So come back to the Sticky Situation blog to discuss their solutions!

 

Source: Scholastic News

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

International Coastal Cleanup

By HG Kids
August 5, 2009

Editor’s Note: This article was first Published Oct 5, 2007. We think it is worth repeating. About 150 volunteers came out in Washington, D.C. for the International Coastal Cleanup. Photo Courtesy Ocean Conservancy

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Eleven-year-old Cammy Holmes tramped along the shores of Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia River with her big sister and a friend. Wearing gloves to protect their hands, they filled a garbage bag with everything from fishing line and dirty plastic bottles to old grocery bags.

The girls, and about 150 others volunteered in the International Coastal Cleanup, an annual event that raises awareness of the importance of keeping the world’s waterways and oceans clean.

The cleanup was sponsored by an organization called the Ocean Conservancy that works to protect ocean animals and their homes. Unfortunately, a lot of trash never makes it into a trash can. It blows on the wind, and travels down streams and rivers to the sea.

Trash isn’t just ugly—it can be dangerous for creatures that live in the water. Every year, plastic trash like old fishing gear, shopping bags, and food wrappers kills one million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles.

Sometimes these animals get tangled up in garbage and die. Sometimes they eat trash that chokes or poisons them. Sea turtles, for example, mistake plastic bags for the jellyfish they love to eat.

At the Anacostia River, Cammy helped the volunteers pick up 2,380 pounds (1079.5 kilograms) of trash in just a few hours along three miles (4.83 kilometers) of shoreline.

“When you hear about a coastal cleanup you think, gross, you have to pick up trash,” says Cammy. “But then you get there and find out it is actually fun! I liked meeting all the other people and helping out the environment.”

This one-day event has an important message 365 days of the year: “We are all connected to the ocean. You can help keep the ocean clean by putting trash in the right place. Take the extra time to put your snack wrapper in the garbage can instead of throwing it on the ground, and recycle everything you can,” says Sonia Besteiro of the Ocean Conservancy.

Fast Facts:

• In the past 21 years, volunteers with the International Coastal Cleanup have cleared millions of pounds of litter from 211,460 miles (340,312 kilometers) of coastline worldwide. That distance is the equivalent of going around the Earth eight times!
• In 2006, 358,617 volunteers cleaned 34,560 miles (55,619 kilometers) of shoreline, collecting 7 million tons of trash!
• In the 2007 cleanup, nearly half a million people in 70 countries pitched in.

Text by Catherine Clarke Fox

Editor’s Note: Here is a game for kids called “Water Life. Help Valerie and her otter pal Oscar save Oscar’s estuary home, and find out why estuaries and all waterways are important. Play Waterlife, a new game from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration game.

Play WaterLife on the NOAA website

Source: Kids National Geographic

Sign of Sleeping Problems

By: Suzanne Dixon,
M.D., M.P.H.
Augus 6, 2009

Every parent has some degree of trouble getting a child to go to bed and stay in bed. Struggles over sleep are the most common concerns we hear about on the Web site and the ones I’m asked about most frequently in the clinic. Here we look at sleep from the child’s perspective and then explore some sleep problems and solutions for parents.

Routine Is Everything

Children behave the best around any issue when they see a pattern they can rely on. A regular bedtime and a standard routine for settling down for the night help kids understand what’s expected. If the time, the place, or the routine changes all the time, then anxiety, confusion, and room for negotiation may creep in. Although some kids rely on regularity more than others do, all children benefit from a bedtime routine.

A good bedtime routine for just about any young child lasts about 30 minutes. It can include a bath, a snuggle, a story, or a song. If the routine lasts longer than that or becomes too elaborate, kids wind up rather than settle down. But a routine under 30 minutes makes most young kids feel pushed to bed.

If weekend and weekday bedtimes vary by more than an hour, expect trouble on Monday. For best results, try to stick to a single schedule all week. This plan is tough for families who like to sleep in on the weekends, but my experience suggests that having at least one parent get up with the kids on Saturday and Sunday morning will make life go more smoothly overall.

Children should sleep in the same place every night if possible. Switching locations — sleeping in different beds, on the floor, on the couch — makes it difficult for kids to get into a good pattern. If kids are in a joint physical custody situation (which I don’t recommend for young children), do your best to be sure the routine and some of the physical features, such as the pillow or blanket, are the same in each place. Parents in different households need to coordinate bedtime routines so that they are providing pretty much the same structure.

From a child’s perspective, going to sleep is a separation: from parents, from siblings, from toys, from the exciting events of the day, and from whatever is continuing to go on in the household. Why would he readily give all this up — especially when it means going into a dark room where monsters may lie under the bed, ghosts could float outside the window, or snakes might slither under the sheets? No child goes to bed without some struggle and adjustment. And no child sleeps in his own bed by himself without a lot of prompts, learning, and firm rules that don’t change.

Sleep Is Separation

For parents, too, this is a separation. Although most parents say that they are ready to let go of their child at the end of a long day, many really struggle with this. They give their child mixed messages, only partially enforce the routine, and can’t handle the discipline needed to enable their child to sleep on his own. As parents, we have to recognize and deal with our own tough issues about separating and being apart before we can solve any of our children’s concerns.

Many cultures allow young children to always sleep with an adult next to them, and there is no harm in that. In fact, many families swear by the concept of the family bed. However, co-sleeping works only if everybody really agrees to the concept and everyone’s needs for some independence and privacy are met in other ways. Most families in Western societies think that children should sleep in their own bed from infancy onward. Either way, it’s best to discuss this issue openly with your partner. Most parents bring their kids into bed with them sometimes, when the kids are sick, scared, or under pressure. That’s fine, of course, but remember that your child won’t gladly go back to his own bed without clear direction and support from you, his parents.

Head Banging and Body Rocking

Many children will use these rhythmic, repetitive behaviors to settle themselves to sleep at bedtime or during the night to get back to sleep. This is most common in the first year of life and usually disappears before age 2. They hit hard, from a few minutes to half an hour or more, but they are extremely unlikely to hurt themselves. You can’t stop this behavior, but you can make things more quiet and comfortable:

• Move the crib away from the wall.
• Put rubber carpet protectors under the crib’s legs to cut down movement and noise. Put the crib on a thick carpet, too.
• Pad the crib up over the top. Secure the padding very well so it won’t slip and trap your child underneath or serve as a step stool out of the crib. Keep the ties less than six inches.
• Don’t go into your child’s room to check if you know she’s developed this habit. Your presence may reinforce this behavior as an attention-getter rather than a self-comforting habit.

Endless Drinks of Water

The toddler who bounces up like a ball after going to bed needs to be put back to bed with, at most, a single sentence of explanation. No discussions or negotiations, no more time watching TV. Silently put him back in bed, tuck him in, and leave. At first, you may repeat this process a hundred times before he stays put, especially if you’ve been loose about enforcing bedtime guidelines in the past. Be prepared for a struggle to establish this new routine. One drink of water is okay. One trip to the potty is enough.

Getting Into Parents’ Bed

If you really don’t want your child to share your bed, silently put him back into his own bed, a hundred times if necessary, with no talking and no discussion. If you let him climb into your bed in the morning and go back to sleep, he won’t understand what’s different about doing the same thing in the middle of the night. For a child who is stressed by separation or has been co-sleeping with his parents for a long time, I recommend placing a sleeping bag on the floor of your room and giving him rewards for moving closer and closer to his own room. This staged approach helps with the separation, which is hard for everyone.

Nightmares

Nightmares, or bad dreams, are a sign of an active mind putting life’s experiences in order. Although children can have a nightmare any time during the night, as a child gets older, he will dream toward morning, as adults do. We all use dreams and nightmares to handle stress, adjustments, and pressures. Children have the capacity to dream as soon as they learn to talk. Young children usually can’t remember their dreams, even the ones that awaken them. And since dream content isn’t that important, don’t push to get it. If a child is stuck with the same dream over and over for weeks, however, ask a health professional to help figure out the source of stress. Don’t go after the monsters in the closet; just provide simple reassurance. If you take the monsters too seriously, it’s hard for a kid to be sure they aren’t there, under the bed.

Night Terrors

These are abrupt partial awakenings that generally occur before midnight in children ages 2 to 6 years. Children are flushed, sweaty, and unresponsive to comfort. Night terrors are scary to parents because their child looks so wild-eyed and thrashes around. But they don’t mean anything, and a child will have no memory of the event in the morning. He won’t respond to your comfort measures, either. Keep him safe from injury as he moves around his bed and room. He’ll grow out of this. You or your spouse may have had night terrors when you were youngsters, as they run in families.

Dealing With Night Terrors

• Make the environment safe. Remove hazardous or breakable items around your child’s bed. Cover the floor with something soft — a rug or blanket if there isn’t any carpeting.
• Keep the atmosphere calm. Keep the light down, and turn off any radio or TV in the area.
• Don’t try to calm or soothe your child with words or hugs. She won’t respond, and restraining some children will only make it worse. Don’t shake or slap her.
• Wait until your child falls back asleep before you leave the area.
• Avoid overtiredness. Your child may need an earlier bedtime or even a brief afternoon nap.

Sleepwalking and Sleep Talking

Both of these conditions are partial awakenings and run in families, increase in frequency and degree during times of stress and overtiredness, and are more common in boys. Young children particularly may also have these when no special stress is present. Most kids outgrow these conditions by adolescence. Don’t take the nighttime talk too seriously, as the content won’t make much sense. And don’t tease a sleepwalker or talker too much, as self-conscious kids may worry that they are revealing secrets or be reluctant to stay over at another child’s house. Reassure your child that he’s normal and that his sharp mind and lively imagination are just keeping him going at night. He won’t remember a thing in the morning.

Dealing With Sleepwalking

• Clear the floor of all objects, including throw rugs, and remove breakables from the bedroom.
• Install a bell on the bedroom door so you know when your child leaves her room.
• Install gates at stair entrances.
• Move your child off the top bunk, if that’s where she sleeps. Consider a first-floor bedroom if she doesn’t already have one.
• Lock or block off the kitchen or other areas that have hazardous items available.
• Be sure all glass in windows, cabinets, and shower doors is shatterproof.

Source: Pampers

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Fading Fireflies Fewer Glowing Bugs

By Laura Leigh Davidson
August 4, 2009

Fireflies. Lightning bugs. Glow worms. These are all names for the tiny flying insects that light up lawns from Asia to the United States. For as long as anyone can remember, kids around the world have spent warm summer evenings catching and admiring fireflies.

But your backyard may not be as bright with lightning-bug light as it used to be. Scientists believe the firefly population is dwindling, and they want to know why. The trouble is, the twinkling bugs are somewhat of a mystery.

“There’s not a lot known about fireflies,” Don Salvatore, a science educator at the Boston Museum of Science told The Washington Post recently. He said that to really understand the things that affect firefly populations, scientists need to track firefly levels in many areas over several years.

To get the most information possible, Salvatore and scientists from Tufts University near Boston, Massachusetts, organized a citizen-science project called Firefly Watch. In a citizen-science project, volunteers team up with professional researchers to answer questions about real-world science.

The project is simple. Researchers are asking people to count, in a given time period, the fireflies that they see in their backyards or in a nearby field once a week. Participants then send their findings to scientists through the Firefly Watch Web site. Experts will use the information that volunteers collect to track firefly population and health.

 

Why Is Firefly Flicker Fading?

Scientists believe that firefly numbers are falling because the bugs are sensitive to changes in their environment. Buildings and parking lots have taken over the open fields where fireflies like to live.

They also think that lots of artificial light from street lamps and houses could be driving fireflies away. The research gathered by Firefly Watch will help experts find out for sure what is causing the apparent drop in the population.

You Can Be a Citizen-Scientist!

People who work at the National Children’s Museum in Maryland thought kids would love to participate in Firefly Watch. So they created www.readysetglow.org, a Web site that is just for kid citizen-scientists. The site explains how to join Firefly Watch, and is packed with firefly facts and games.

Scholastic Kid Reporter Caitlin Wardlow is participating in the firefly count. “It was cool to sit outside and watch the fireflies light up the night,” said the 10-year-old from Connecticut. “[On my first try], I counted 20 fireflies in 10 seconds.”

To participate, you have to register online (with an adult) on the Firefly Watch Web site. Then you’ll need to answer basic questions about where you will be observing fireflies. Then you will spend a few minutes once a week recording the number of fireflies that you observe.

Caitlin has already discovered new things about these insects of summer. “I learned that fireflies are actually a type of beetle,” she reports. “Also, I found out that I am no longer grossed out by them!”

Fireflies continue to glow in many places through mid-September. So you still have time to get outside and watch the firefly action!

Source: Scholastic News Online

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Enric Sala, Marine Ecologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer

<>By NGK
August 3, 2009
Editor’s Note: Dr. Enric Sala is a marine ecologist who studies everything from microbes to sharks. Find out what he daydreams about, what he was like as a kid, and how you can save the coral reefs!

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Q: What were you like as a kid?
Sala: Restless! In the summer, I could not wait to wake up and go out and explore the little forest nearby, the meadow, and the coves on the Spanish Mediterranean coast.

Q: Do you have a hero?
Sala: When I was a kid Jacques Cousteau was my hero, and the person who inspired me to become an underwater explorer. I have many other people who inspired me after him, but he is still my all-time hero.

Q: What do you daydream about?
Sala: About being underwater, diving among sharks and beautiful corals in crystal clear tropical waters.

Q: How did you get into your field of work?
Sala: When I was a kid I spent my summer on the Spanish Mediterranean coast and had a chance to spend a lot of time swimming in the shallows and looking at marine life through my mask. Also, watching Jacques Cousteau’s movies truly inspired me to become an underwater explorer. My dream was to dive with my heroes in the Seven Seas and discover new wonders.

 

Q: Explain what a marine ecologist is.
Sala: A marine ecologist is a scientist who studies the many species that live underwater and how they interact with each other, and with humans.

Q: What’s a normal day like for you?
Sala: When I am at sea, I wake up early, have a quick breakfast and jump in the sea as soon as I can! I dive and collect data underwater three or four times every day, and after the dives I prepare the gear for the next dive, enter the data I collected in the laptop computer, and try to not forget to eat something! After dinner, I am so exhausted that I collapse in bed until the next morning.

Q: What do you do for fun or to be silly?
Sala: My job is fun all the time! We try to joke and laugh as much as we can, even underwater! Sometimes I think I don’t need a vacation because I do what I like to do. I am very fortunate!

 

 

Q: What’s the best place you’ve ever traveled to?
Sala: Kingman Reef, a virgin coral reef in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that is full of sharks and beautiful corals… and no people!

Q: What’s the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you that you can share with others?
Sala: Follow your heart!

Q: Have you ever touched coral? What does it feel like?
Sala: I have touched coral, and it feels hard like a rock, with a little slimy thing on top of it. But it is better to not touch coral, to prevent damaging it.

Q: What would you suggest we do to help save coral?
Sala: There are so many things kids can do, as well as adults! Keep trying to help preserve the environment in general. Ask your parents what they are doing to save energy and recycle. Also, make sure that the seafood you eat is sustainable, and you will start a chain reaction.

 

Q: What’s the one thing you can’t travel without? (Or what’s the most important item you take on your explorations?)
Sala: My fins, mask, and snorkel.

Q: What’s your favorite sea creature and why?
Sala: The sharks, because they are the top predators, the tigers of the sea, and they make sure that the reefs are clean and healthy.

 

 Q: What’s the one thing you can’t travel without? (Or what’s the most important item you take on your explorations?)
Sala: My fins, mask, and snorkel.

Q: What’s your favorite sea creature and why?
Sala: The sharks, because they are the top predators, the tigers of the sea, and they make sure that the reefs are clean and healthy.

 Source: Kids National Geographic

Who Were Our Presidents? Part 2

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
August 4, 2009

 

Editor’s Note: How many of us along with our children? KNow who our Presidents were and what they have done in Office.

Each week we will pick a President and tell you about them and their accomplishes.

We hope that you will enjoy this series. And let us know what you think? dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

 

2. JOHN ADAMS 1797-1801

  

Learned and thoughtful, John Adams was more remarkable as a political philosopher than as a politician. “People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity,” he said, doubtless thinking of his own as well as the American experience.

Adams was born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1735. A Harvard-educated lawyer, he early became identified with the patriot cause; a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses, he led in the movement for independence.

During the Revolutionary War he served in France and Holland in diplomatic roles, and helped negotiate the treaty of peace. From 1785 to 1788 he was minister to the Court of St. James’s, returning to be elected Vice President under George Washington.

Adams’ two terms as Vice President were frustrating experiences for a man of his vigor, intellect, and vanity. He complained to his wife Abigail, “My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”

When Adams became President, the war between the French and British was causing great difficulties for the United States on the high seas and intense partisanship among contending factions within the Nation.

His administration focused on France, where the Directory, the ruling group, had refused to receive the American envoy and had suspended commercial relations.

Adams sent three commissioners to France, but in the spring of 1798 word arrived that the French Foreign Minister Talleyrand and the Directory had refused to negotiate with them unless they would first pay a substantial bribe. Adams reported the insult to Congress, and the Senate printed the correspondence, in which the Frenchmen were referred to only as “X, Y, and Z.”

The Nation broke out into what Jefferson called “the X. Y. Z. fever,” increased in intensity by Adams’s exhortations. The populace cheered itself hoarse wherever the President appeared. Never had the Federalists been so popular.

Congress appropriated money to complete three new frigates and to build additional ships, and authorized the raising of a provisional army. It also passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, intended to frighten foreign agents out of the country and to stifle the attacks of Republican editors.

President Adams did not call for a declaration of war, but hostilities began at sea. At first, American shipping was almost defenseless against French privateers, but by 1800 armed merchantmen and U.S. warships were clearing the sea-lanes.

Despite several brilliant naval victories, war fever subsided. Word came to Adams that France also had no stomach for war and would receive an envoy with respect. Long negotiations ended the quasi war.

Sending a peace mission to France brought the full fury of the Hamiltonians against Adams. In the campaign of 1800 the Republicans were united and effective, the Federalists badly divided. Nevertheless, Adams polled only a few less electoral votes than Jefferson, who became President.

On November 1, 1800, just before the election, Adams arrived in the new Capital City to take up his residence in the White House. On his second evening in its damp, unfinished rooms, he wrote his wife, “Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.”

Adams retired to his farm in Quincy. Here he penned his elaborate letters to Thomas Jefferson. Here on July 4, 1826, he whispered his last words: “Thomas Jefferson survives.” But Jefferson had died at Monticello a few hours earlier.

 

Editor’s Note: President John Adams accomplished very little in his presidency:

-supported clay’s American system and wanted the federal government to play a lager role in supporting the American economy.

– proposed a national program to build roads and canals and a high tariff to protect industry.

-also planned to set up a national university and an observatory for astronomers in Washington, D.C.

lacked the political skill to push his programs through congress.

 

He also killed himself while in office.

 Source: White House

Reading To your Children Very Important

By Creative Years News

August 3, 2009

Has anyone ever stopped to ask, “Why are those early childhood teachers always gathering the children in a group to read?” In most early childhood classrooms at any given time of day an observer will notice a group of children quietly listening as the classroom teacher reads a book aloud. This is common practice in many pre-primary classrooms. The answer to the above question is not, “we don’t have anything else to do.” The answer is, “this is what we have to do.”

Reading aloud to children is so commonplace in the classroom that sometimes it can become an undervalued activity; however, when you stop to see the benefits you will wonder why the entire day isn’t devoted to such activity. When children are gathered together to listen to a story they know there are expectations: they need to listen, they need to wait their turn if the teacher asks questions and they need to respect their peer’s thoughts and ideas.

Children learn that reading can be a collaborative activity as well as an independent one. When read alouds are done properly, children gain much more than just the mere excitement of a new story. Children learn that an author writes the words and an illustrator draws the pictures. They come to understand that books convey meaning and words put together tell a story. Children learn that knowing how to read is important, but that getting there is half the fun.

A story can be told through pictures and knowing this allows children to gain confidence in the ability that, “yes, I can read too!”

While reading in the classroom is part of the everyday routine it is something that should also be continued at home. Studies show that when families place value on reading children also come to value this activity as opposed to those children who are only exposed to books at school. Reading in the home should begin during infancy. Using board books with young children is a great way to allow them to handle the books without worrying about ripped pages. As children get older consider incorporating the following into your reading routine:

 

• Introduce the author and illustrator. Getting in the habit of telling your child who wrote the book as well as drew the pictures provides the knowledge they need to specifically express the authors and illustrators they enjoy. I will never forget when my 16 month old grabbed a book from his shelf and said, “Look Mommy! Dr. Seuss!” At this moment he was so excited to be able to share his enthusiasm and I was so proud and amazed that he knew the author of the book!

 

• Take a picture walk. Before reading any words go through the pages and briefly examine the pictures. See if you can tell what the story might be about by simply looking at the illustrations. As your child gets older the picture walks can become more involved by looking for specific clues such as examining facial expressions or the placement of objects.

 

• Begin to read. Reading with younger children will require a quicker pace as their attention span is shorter. Gauge their interest and let that set the tone for how long you will spend on each page. As children get older more time can be spent examining the pictures and asking questions.

 

• Don’t confuse reading with comprehension! We sometimes assume that as we read the story our children understand the plot development. It is so important to ask your child questions throughout the book to gain a sense for how much they comprehend. Think ahead a few years to those wonderful standardized tests your child will take and you will immediately realize the importance and value for building strong comprehension skills now.

 

• Make mistakes! When reading, if you don’t make a mistake naturally, feel free to pronounce a word incorrectly or skip a word or two. Then simply say, “Oops, I made a mistake. Let me try again.” Children need to know that adults make mistakes too.

 

• Allow your child to choose books that are of interest to them. As parents we have our favorites and sometimes we try to impart those books onto our children. The problem with this is that if they are not interested they are not going to enjoy the experience. If your child wants to choose Margaret Brown’s, Goodnight Moon, for the millionth time, then so be it. Maybe you institute a rule where the reading adult chooses one book and the listening child chooses another. This allows for exposure to new books while still satisfying the craving for the old.

 

• Share reading responsibility among all the readers in the house. Read alouds should be done by everyone in the family. This is not a solely “mom” or “dad” activity. This is especially important for families who have boys. Studies show that boys who grow up having only been read to by the females in their lives are less likely to enjoy reading later on. It is important for children to experience reading by mom, dad and other readers (i.e. siblings, grandparents).

 

• Routine, routine, routine. When reading is part of your daily routine it naturally fits into your everyday life. Most often reading is done during the bedtime routine, but it can certainly be done at other times during the day. Reading can be a breakfast or dinner activity. The time of day does not matter as much as the making a time in the day.

 

• Parents should demonstrate their own interest in reading. It is important for children to see their parents or other family members reading for enjoyment. When we take time to read whether it be a novel or the daily newspaper children gain the perspective that everyone can enjoy reading.

 

• Have fun! Make reading time fun. It should never be viewed as a chore by either parent or child. Make this a special time valued by all.

Source: Creative Years

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Children Protection from the Sun

By Creative Years News
August 3, 2009

As a reminder, for sun protection we ask parents to apply sunscreen to their child before coming to school. We then reapply each time we go outdoors. We ask that parents provide their child with a bottle of sunscreen along with a hat.

Just a few serious sunburns can increase your child’s risk of skin cancer later in life. Kids don’t have to be at the pool, beach, or on vacation to get too much sun. Their skin needs protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays whenever they’re outdoors.

 

• Seek shade. UV rays are strongest and most harmful during midday, so it’s best to plan indoor activities then. If this is not possible, seek shade under a tree, an umbrella, or a pop-up tent. Use these options to prevent sunburn, not to seek relief after it’s happened.

 

• Cover up. Clothing that covers your child’s skin helps protect against UV rays. Although a long-sleeved shirt and long pants with a tight weave are best, they aren’t always practical. A T-shirt, long shorts, or a beach cover-up are good choices, too—but it’s wise to double up on protection by applying sunscreen or keeping your child in the shade when possible.

 

• Get a hat. Hats that shade the face, scalp, ears, and neck are easy to use and give great protection. Baseball caps are popular among kids, but they don’t protect their ears and neck. If your child chooses a cap, be sure to protect exposed areas with sunscreen.

 

• Wear sunglasses. They protect your child’s eyes from UV rays, which can lead to cataracts later in life. Look for sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.

 

• Apply sunscreen. Use sunscreen with at least SPF 15 and UVA and UVB protection every time your child goes outside. For the best protection, apply sunscreen generously 30 minutes before going outdoors. Don’t forget to protect ears, noses, lips, and the tops of feet.

 

Take sunscreen with you to reapply during the day, especially after your child swims or exercises. This applies to waterproof and water-resistant products as well.

Follow the directions on the package for using a sunscreen product on babies less than 6 months old. All products do not have the same ingredients; if your or your child’s skin reacts badly to one product, try another one or call a doctor. Your baby’s best defense against sunburn is avoiding the sun or staying in the shade.

Keep in mind, sunscreen is not meant to allow kids to spend more time in the sun than they would otherwise. Try combining sunscreen with other options to prevent UV damage.

Too Much Sun Hurts

Warning: Even a few serious sunburns can increase your child’s risk of getting skin cancer.

Turning pink? Unprotected skin can be damaged by the sun’s UV rays in as little as 15 minutes. Yet it can take up to 12 hours for skin to show the full effect of sun exposure. So, if your child’s skin looks “a little pink” today, it may be burned tomorrow morning. To prevent further burning, get your child out of the sun.

Tan? There’s no other way to say it—tanned skin is damaged skin. Any change in the color of your child’s skin after time outside—whether sunburn or suntan—indicates damage from UV rays.

Cool and cloudy? Children still need protection. UV rays, not the temperature, do the damage. Clouds do not block UV rays, they filter them—and sometimes only slightly.

Oops! Kids often get sunburned when they are outdoors unprotected for longer than expected. Remember to plan ahead, and keep sun protection handy—in your car, bag, or child’s backpack.

 

Source: Creative Years

 Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchtonicle.com

Wish of the Week – Victoria

By MWF/PIO
July 27, 2009

Although she is only eight years old, Victoria has had a passion for the kitchen for five years. Whenever she visits her grandparents, she can often be found right alongside her grandfather, who is a whiz in the kitchen. Her all-time favorite chef is Rachael Ray. Victoria talks about her constantly and loves to watch her on television. She hopes to one day cook like Rachael and maybe have her own cooking show.

Victoria’s wish took her and her family to New York City to see Rachael Ray in action. With a limo ride to the airport and the royal treatment in the air, she felt like a VIP. Once in the Big Apple, it really sank in that she was about to meet the celebrity chef. Victoria sat in the VIP balcony and watched two tapings of “Rachael Ray.” She was blown away when Rachael came out between segments, made eye contact and waved to her.

In a moment of utter shock, Victoria became very shy as she got face-to-face with her culinary idol. She was delighted to discover that Rachael was just as sweet in person as she appears on television. After they shared a hug, Victoria said she would never wash her hands again, and Rachael joked, “You better wash your hands if you’re going to be handling food!” Rachael signed her newest cookbook for Victoria and the pair took pictures together. As the two said goodbye, Rachael told Victoria, “This is your home. You come back anytime.” It was a moment that the aspiring chef won’t soon forget.

Wish Granters: Maria Bracamonte & Melissa Sackman
Referred by: her mother
Adopted by: Mr. & Mrs. Malcolm Glazer

Source: S.Fla Make a Wish

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you thnk? And is there a child that you would like to have MAW help? Contact us at dan@youngchronicle.com

Patient of the Week – Adrianna Scott

By CDH/PIO
July 30, 2009

 

Adrianna Scott

As an infant, Adrianna Scott of Xenia struggled to eat and cried more often than other babies. Heather, Adrianna’s mother, knew something was wrong with her baby when the crying did not stop and feeding time became a hassle. Heather realized that she needed to find out why Adrianna was not feeling well, so she went to The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton.

After numerous tests came back negative, the doctors at Dayton Children’s had one more test that they could do for Adrianna. This final test came back positive and Adrianna, just 6 months old, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis is a chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. The disease produces thick mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections and obstructs the pancreas from breaking down and digesting food.

Adrianna does breathing treatments twice a day to help loosen the thick mucus from her lungs. Along with the breathing treatments, Adrianna also takes up to eight different medications a day to help her live with cystic fibrosis. The medications help her digest food properly and stay healthy when even a cold can be life-threatening to her body. Adrianna also wears a special vest that helps to shake the mucus from her lungs so she can breathe better.

“Daily breathing treatments, multiple medications, and being cautious of any common cold has just become a part of our everyday routine,” says Heather.
When Adrianna was just 2 years old, her baby twin sisters were also diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. The twins were cared for in the Regional Level III Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Dayton Children’s.

“The nurses in the NICU were very nice and comforting during this tough time in our lives.”

All three girls are under the care of Robert Fink, MD, director of pulmonary medicine at Dayton Children’s.

“Dr. Fink accommodates our challenging family health situation by spending time with us and answering our questions,” says Heather.

Today, Adrianna is a busy 12-year-old and will not let cystic fibrosis prevent her from accomplishing her goals. She balances going to school at Warner Middle School and competitive cheerleading practices every week. She also has a great love for animals and her two favorite animals are polar bears and penguins. Adrianna dreams of becoming a zoologist one day so she can work with the animals she loves.

“I have really enjoyed getting to know the nurses at Dayton Children’s. They are always really nice and make me feel at home when I am in the hospital, it’s too hard to pick one favorite nurse because they are all great,” says Adrianna.

Source: Children Dayton Hospital

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

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