Infant Grooming . . . So Sweet

One of the most loving acts each day in our infant room is the gentle grooming of the children in our infant room. The children in our infant program currently range in age from 8 to 18 months. When the children wake from their afternoon naps, our infant teacher Jennifer mists their hair with lavender essential oil spray, then brushes their locks with their own dedicated combs. The children feel very special and their eyes brighten with the display of attention!

Combs . . .

Combs kept in cubbies . . .
Misting Porter's hair . . .

Porter smiling after his locks were "fluffed".

Gage getting a part . . .

Handsome Gage . . .

Emma freshly groomed . . .

Monday, January 11, 2010

Happy Monday! This week we will spend our time talking about animals in the winter and deep rest. Our story this week is about a baby hare who doesn't want to stay in the rabbit den with his mother. He ventures out to visit a beaver family who is constructing their dam, and soon learns that rabbits have it quite easy! Beavers are very busy creatures, indeed.

Today we painted bear tracks and/or painted a bear's den. Our imaginations really took off! The children in PreK were very interested in hibernation--be sure and ask them to name a few animals that hibernate during the winter.

We were so grateful for the warmer weather today after several school days last week where the temperatures (thought timely for our curriculum studies of winter) prevented us from enjoying the outdoors we love so much.

Menu for 1/11 - 1/15

Monday
AM Snack: Kashi wholegrain blueberry waffles, water bottles
Lunch: Veggie burgers with savory cream cheese on whole wheat bread, organic red delicious apple slices, organic whole milk
PM Snack: Organic hummus with organic tortilla chips, water bottles

Tuesday
AM Snack: Organic raisin bran, water bottles
Lunch: Organic spaghetti with grass-fed beef and marinara, organic steamed green beans, organic whole milk
PM Snack: Organic blueberry smoothie with greek yogurt, all natural pretzels, water bottles

Wednesday
AM Snack: Bananas, water bottles
Lunch: Vegetarian black bean chili, fresh baked organic bread with organic butter, all natural Colby Jack cheese sticks, organic whole milk
PM Snack: All natural veggie stick and organic raisins, water bottles

Thursday
AM Snack: Organic red delicious apples, water bottles
Lunch: Organic egg salad, organic sunflower/flax bread, organic baby spinach with homemade vinaigrette, organic whole milk
PM Snack: Organic Z-bars, water bottles

Friday
AM Snack: Oranges, water bottles
Lunch: Deli platter: nitrate/nitrite free ham slices, whole grain crackers, organic mixed veggies, organic whole milk
PM Snack: Air-popped organic popcorn, dried banana chips/organic raisins, water bottles

Dio Miranda, Guest Wellness Blogger!

Dio Miranda and his lovely wife Nicole are parents at our school. Dio is a transformational wellness coach and an exercise kinesiologist. He is a former college athlete and baseball player, a massage therapist, and a C.H.E.K. practioner, Level III. He travels across the country to work with clients, and works locally as well. We have always been impressed by his knowledge and the personal health practices of his family, and we can attest to the fact that Dio's son is one healthy guy! In fact, it is hard to recall a time that his son has missed school due to illness. That's an impressive record!

We have asked Dio to write a series of wellness articles over the course of this year, and he has agreed. Watch each month for an article on the topics that follow! Enjoy!

~Leslie and Janie

Food- JANUARY- the beginning of a new year.

Water- FEBRUARY- to support our beginning. The love month.

Sleep Cycles- MARCH -This is our month. We can call it, our “project name month”

"Work-in"( slow exercise to replenish energy)- APRIL - This is tax month and stress is high. Easter!

Have Fun and Laugh- MAY -Memorial day- Lets remember where we were as non exercisers!

Breathing- JUNE Summer

Relax-Meditate- JULY- Summer and Independence day. We depend on ourselves!

Exposure to the Sun- AUGUST -Back to School with the mind of a contributor. What can we do for our enevironment.

Eat fat for a healthy sex life!- SEPTEMBER- Labor day. Keep working on us, so we have something to give.

Stretching- OCTOBER- Columbus Day. Lets discover a little more about us!

Find a form of artistic expression- NOVEMBER -Thanksgiving

Active Lifestyle(movements)- DECEMBER- Christmas

"Food, the Fuel of Life?" by Migdoel "Dio" Miranda

I have heard people refer to food as the fuel that keeps us going throughout the day. I listen, and as always I think, analyze, and say this statement back to myself “Is food really fuel to my body?”. I have come to the conclusion that it is not. Food is the eye toward tomorrow, the muscles and brain, the other organs of my body—all that makes my experiences as a human being. Food is much more than fuel.

After years experimenting, working, lecturing, and writing to people like you, I can tell you with surety that our bodies and our food have been bombarded with chemical additives, chemicals from dangerous packaging, and even radiation. We are betrayed by the people that are supposed to be playing on our team and keeping us healthy. I keep finding out that this journey toward health and vitality is as personal as our own personal relationships and trips to the bathroom! Only a few people help from the heart and feel for us, society. Most are simply out to make money. We spend time, then, fighting imaginary lines. We also take shortcuts and strive for money and wealth when dollars are worthless if we are sick. Don’t get me wrong—I, like the rest of us, enjoy the things money can buy, but it has its place. It is a servant, not a master!

The human genome only changes 1/10 of 1% every hundred thousand years. We are the same human beings as our ancestors, only with an Ipod in our hands. We have the same physiology and the same nutritional needs. Our food and our lifestyles, though, have changed dramatically.

Enriched, fortified, genetically engineered, and genetically modified foods and organisms are reaching our tables on a daily basis. I apologize if this sentence sounds like a chemistry class, but that is exactly the point. The people that manufacture food play with it like our children play with Diego and Dora, meanwhile munching on Pop Tarts to focus. They encourage us to do the same! Their food studies are usually performed on sick people when, of course, it is healthy people we should be studying! Food scientists must believe that nature makes mistakes when it comes to food. I say support local farmers and growers who respect the physiology of the animals and the plants they grow.

There shouldn’t be a battle between eating junk and eating healthily. It should be a universal goal to eat well because it helps us accomplish our dreams and enjoy life, all the while feeling vital. Good food helps us be better students and better citizens, which has been proven in Barbara Stitt’s Food and Behavior. Barbara, a former probation officer, witnessed first-hand the negative behavioral effects of poor food on probationers, then the amazing effects of improved food consumption by these same people. She says in her book that, “The American way of eating is precisely the sort of diet which will cause brain malfunction.”

Do we really know where our food comes from? To ensure food quality, we must establish relationships with our local farmers. Above all, we must establish healthy relationships with food itself. I always say to my clients that if we can’t fish it, pick it, hunt it, or kill it, then we should not eat it! I also share that if we can not pronounce something on a label, we should not eat it!
Our body searches for nutrients, and when they are not present, we keep eating trying to find them—“can’t eat one syndrome” I call it. In Beating the Food Giants by Paul Stitt, this is described in depth. Children can devour a whole box of manufactured food while their brain looks for nutrients. Food with poor quality leaves you wanting more, and even worse, makes you sick!

It’s not just what isn’t in manufactured food that is harmful, it is what is added to it that does damage, too. Artificial food dyes like red 40 and yellow 5 as well as dangerous plastics leached from storage containers common in sports drinks and other processed foods are not meant to be used by the body. They contribute to a lack of energy, ADD/ADHD behaviors, mental fogginess, and cravings—especially for sugar to balance the brain.

Perhaps children sometimes reject fruits, vegetables and meats because they can sense that they are overly processed and unhealthy. Let us as parents investigate how to be healthy and be enthusiastic about our role as parents. After all, we cannot give what we don’t have.
In conclusion, I hope that you know now that food is your life—it is what makes you “you”. It contributes to your personality, behavior, cognitive processes, and it goes hand in hand with your presence.

Here are some helpful tips:

1. Make sure that as much of your food is certified organic! Organic foods may cost a little more, but they are worth it for your health in the long run.
Certified organic foods have been grown in a soil that has been free of toxicity for 3 years’ gestation. It is grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or chemical fertilizers. Organic meat and eggs can only come from animals that have been fed organic feeds or grass. Be aware that today some “big box” stores have come up with their own certification programs without going through the certified organic process, and they use the term “organic” as a deceiving marketing tool. It is safer to support your local farmers!

2. Foods labeled “organic” can be misleading. They can contain up to 50% non-organic ingredients and may include any number of toxic chemicals, additives, preservatives, and colorings. Look for labels that say “100% Organic” or “Certified Organic”.

3. Many crops today are from genetically modified seeds. These include: canola oil, corn, cottonseed oil, dairy products, papaya, potatoes, soybeans, soybean oil, squash, and tomatoes.

4. The term “natural” does not mean “healthy”. Mercury and alcohol and natural, yet toxic. Be alert!

5. Avoid soda, which is just sugar water. It has been shown that 1 spoon of granulated processed sugar will suppress the immune system for 4 hours.

6. Avoid processed juices, which are liquid foods. Think how many oranges it would take to make one glass of juice—way too much sugar in one serving. Protect the pancreas of your little one by squeezing your own juice and serving it immediately to your child if you find they benefit from it.
7. Look for BPA and odor free bottles. These containers protect your food and drinks from xenoestrogens (melted plastics) , which can be released into your food and cause hormonal disruption. Stainless steel bottles are a good choice, too.

8. Choose free-range, grass-fed organic meats. There are good suppliers of meat at the farmer’s market in Austin and now at Sassy Pea Market.

9. Support local organic or biodynamic farmers by buying their produce.

10. Don’t wait until you are sick to switch to organic foods. Look after your body by eating the best quality foods possible, and your body will look after you.

11. Look carefully at the funding and validity of research studies. Ask yourself who benefits from the study or if it is conducted by impartial parties.

My intentions are that YOU become and expert on yourself. Have a great month!

Migdoel “Dio” Miranda
Wellness Coach
Advanced Exercise Kinesiologist
http://www.diofitness.com/
512.820.9112

References:
Chek, Paul. “You Are What You Eat” Audio Series, 2003.
Stitt, Paul. Beating the Food Giants, 1982—also available as an ebook.
Stitt, Barbara. Food and Behavior: A Natural Connection.

Jungle Java

Jungle Java (located in Round Rock) is a great way to way to get some exercise on chilly days (or hot days, or any day!).

http://www.junglejavaplay.com/

Winter Hours are:

Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.- 8 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Jungle Java is offering a "Recession Buster" deal until May--admission for all children all day Thursday is just $3.

Olivia is on the zip line, Iris waiting for her turn!

Super slides!
Jungle Java has a special area for young children like Emma!

Woof--the swinging punching bags can bowl you over Asa!

Olivia, Iris, and Isaac in the treehouse!

Sheep

Each week a drawing is done on the classroom chalkboard, then revealed to the children in conjunction with our story for the week. The children have come to love this surprise!

Kari's chalkboard drawing this week. . .