Posts tagged ‘child development’
Chipper Tips: Music for Connection and Communication
Chipper Tips: Prescription of Play to Give Kids their Daily Dose of Nature!
Chipper is celebrating Take It Outside Week, are you? Making a trip to your local play ground or park, taking a walk around your neighborhood, or just exploring your back yard are simple ways you can make sure you and the kids get their daily dose of nature! Unstructured, unscheduled play is very important too though, as explained by the video below.
Dr. Ken Ginsburg, pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings, and Dr. Marilyn Benoit, Chief Clinical Officer at Devereux Behavioral Health and former president of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, address critical issues facing children and families today — rising levels of stress and anxiety, obesity-related health problems, dramatically reduced time for free play and play outdoors, hectic and over-scheduled family life — and offer a solution to address these problems: a prescription of play!
Let them jump in puddles!
Preventing your child’s free play because of fears of physical harm, stranger danger, or getting dirty is harming more than it’s helping. Let them skin their knees and get a little muddy! It’s GOOD for them! This may seem obvious to some but our society doesn’t value our children’s connection to nature as much as it should. These days your child is more likely to be treated for ADHD or some other emotional disorder than to break a bone falling out of a tree (which actually happens less than you think!). Pediatricians nowadays see fewer kids with broken bones from climbing trees and more children with longer-lasting repetitive-stress injuries, which are related to playing video games and typing at keyboards (Read more).
Let them climb trees!
There are a lot of things that could happen, and if we all lived in fear of them, we would never get out or move! You would see kids in a bubble trying to have fun but still not be touched by anything. Every sport is dangerous, yet kids play them all the time. There are risks no matter what so don’t let those risks and fears prevent your child from fully experiencing our amazing natural world!
Let’s Go Chipper’s Eco-educational Apps are perfect for fun nature-inspired, play-based learning that’s on-the-go! Click here to learn more.
Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves. Climbing a tree is about learning how to take responsibility for yourself, and how – crucially – to measure risk for yourself. Falling out of a tree is a very good lesson in risk and reward. Let your little one have fun and be a kid. A very overly protective parent is harming their child and not properly preparing them for the real world, where there are dangerous things and place he can get hurt. He has to learn how to be safe on his own, and to know his own boundaries and limits!
Obesity is perhaps the most visible symptom of the lack of such play, but literally dozens of studies from around the world show regular time outdoors produces significant improvements in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning ability, creativity and mental, psychological and emotional well being. Just five minutes of outdoor play can produce rapid improvements in mental well being and self-esteem, with the greatest benefits experienced by the young, according to a study this year at the University of Essex.
Free and unstructured play in the outdoors boosts problem-solving skills, focus and self-discipline. Socially, it improves cooperation, flexibility, and self-awareness. Emotional benefits include reduced aggression and increased happiness. “Children will be smarter, better able to get along with others, healthier and happier when they have regular opportunities for free and unstructured play in the out-of-doors,” concluded one authoritative study published by the American Medical Association in 2005.
Playfully learn how you can help!
Getting your daily dose of nature has been made easy with Chipper! His prescription of outdoor play and nature-inspired fun will help children of all ages, cultures and abilities! The latest edition in our book series is called Helping Hands. Join Chipper and friends on a playful journey that will teach kids the importance of using our hands in helpful ways. By positively reinforcing the good that comes when we all work together children will be ready to lend their hands and hearts around the home, school, and community. Read a mom’s review!
Resources/Additional Reading:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/16/childre-nature-outside-play-health
http://www.straight.com/article-787901/vancouver/david-suzuki-helping-kids-reconnect-nature
http://www.mamamia.com.au/health-wellbeing/survey-shows-kids-dont-climb-trees-like-their-parents/
21st Century Learning with Chipper!
Education and learning, either at school or at home, should be fun and Chipper’s Eco-educational series is all about nature-inspired, play-based learning! With books, music, and DVDs, Chipper entertains while also inspiring social responsibility. Every child born in the twenty-first century will experience a bombardment of information and new technologies as they are developing and it’s important to harness these influences in ways that will impact your child positively! Since you can’t shield them from the world, as much as you’d like to sometimes, it’s never too early to start preparing their minds and bodies to become responsible, considerate human-beings.
According to research conducted by Jill Stamm, Ph.D, Co-founder of New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development, “attention is the very foundation of learning” (Bright from the Start: The Simple, Science-based way to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3). With the huge increase of doctors diagnosing ADHD and what award-winning author of Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louve, calls “Nature Deficit Disorder,” kids attention seems harder and harder to focus in order to learn. That’s why teachers and parents need to update and evolve old practices of learning and teaching to keep up with the future generations extremely short and divided attention spans! We can do this with interactive learning that takes kids outdoors to explore and also brings nature inside, with crafts, activities and digital media provided by Chipper!
Research suggests that exposure to the natural world – including nearby nature in cities – helps improve human health, well-being, and intellectual capacity in ways that science is only recently beginning to understand. Chipper’s interactive mobile Apps are inspired by nature and help your children become confident, independent learners who will develop a strong sense of self worth, enabling them to make positive life choices. They will also learn to cherish our planet and protect its environment, something we desperately need for a brighter future.
Each app correlates to the various books in our series, with coloring pages, fun videos to watch, sing-a-long songs, and matching-memory games! Learn about Bruce the Banana Slug and his work decomposing plant waste in order to help plants grow or Sally the Salmon that travels up-stream to provide us with a food source and keep the rivers fragile ecosystems in balance. Great for all-ages and fulfilling various classroom curriculum, the Let’s Go Chipper series connects to the real world in a virtual age and connect kids and their families with environment. Give your child or the children you teach a jump-start for the future and Go Chipper into the Great Outdoors today!
Chipper Recycle Crafts: From Old CD to Rainbow Fish!
With the 21st century mp3 player revolution, most of us have plenty of old CD’s lying around the house, either outdated or scratched and eroded. Keep these toxic disc’s out of our landfills by recycling them. They are perfect for making crafts! One idea is to stick your old J-Lo CD in the microwave for about 5 seconds. There will be some crackling but it’s quite safe. DO NOT put it in longer than a few second though! When you take it out, the silver film will have spider webbed out. Get some string and hang them up in a window for a gorgeous stain glass-like ornament! You can even use paint of markers to color them. Or, make this cute and easy fish craft from a used CD! If your kids like the Rainbow Fish book, they’ll love this simple craft!
Materials needed:
1 CD
Construction Paper
Craft glue or hot glue
Sequins
Instructions:
Cut the fin shapes out of construction paper. Glue the fins to the back of the CD (except for the front fin) so you wouldn’t see the cut edge. Cut the eyes out of construction paper, or you could use a purchased googly eye instead. Place dots of craft glue around the CD and place sequins onto the glue. Now you have your very own Rainbow Fish! Read them this classic story or check out this video of it before or after making this craft to teach them all about sharing and caring for one another. Chipper’s Helping Hands book is another great resource for teaching your little one’s about helping out where they can and sharing with their family and peers. Get Chipper and creative with some crafts today!
Chipper Tips: Ramp Up for Back to School
It’s just about time when the kids are going back to school at last! According to the National Association of School Psychologists, getting a new school year off to a good start can influence children’s attitude, confidence, and performance both socially and academically. The transition from August to September can be difficult for both children and parents after a long summer of broken routines and various trips. Even children who are eager to return to class must adjust to the greater levels of activity, structure, and, for some, pressures associated with school life.
The degree of adjustment depends on the child, but parents and family can help their children manage the increased pace of life by starting early, being realistic, and staying Chipper! Re-establish your regular bedtime and eating schedules early so it won’t be as hard to set once school actually starts. Have your children do some scholastic activities to prepare them mentally to start stuffing their little brains! Restart their memorization skills with Chipper’s fun Matching Game App.
Your child will benefit most from one or two activities that are fun, reinforce social development, and teach new skills! Chipper’s coloring pages App are easy, no-mess activities for your kids to play while on-the-go, shopping for back-to-school. For those of you with preschoolers, Chipper’s Pillow Backpack is the perfect item for your little one’s to hold a few necessities while having something to rest their little heads on during nap time! Sing-a-long songs with all of Chipper’s friends are a fun way for them to shape up their reading skills and dance moves. Check out Chipper’s brand new Amazon Webstore to see all our great school items, including reusable totes, fun backpacks with matching lunch bags, and much more! Get Chipper with your kids this school year!
Chipper Tips: Stretching, a Healthy Habit
One of the best things you and your kids can do for your body is stretch! Before and after any physical activities, stretching will give you more energy before that next soccer game and give you a second wind to make it home afterwards. Stretching helps to avoid soreness and pulled muscles–and it can be a lot of fun! As you start to develop, your muscles tighten and become sore, and then as you age, range of motion in the joints can be minimized. This can put a damper on active lifestyles and even hinder day-to-day, normal motions. Tasks that used to be simple, such as zipping up a dress or reaching for a can off of the top shelf, now become extremely difficult. A regular stretching program can help lengthen your muscles and make daily living activities easier!
Everyone can learn to stretch, regardless of age or flexibility. Stretching should be a part of your daily routine, whether you exercise or not. There are simple stretches you can do while watching TV, on the computer, or getting ready for bed. Stretching when you first wake up is also a great habit and will help you wake up for the day. If you are doing strength training exercises, stretch in between sets. It feels good and saves time from stretching at the end of the workout!
Stretching is important for people of all ages! It does not have to involve a huge time commitment, but stretching can end up giving you huge results! You don’t even need to remember a special routine–just stretch and move your body in ways that feel good to YOU. Stretching comes naturally to all of us. You might notice that if you have been sitting in a particular position for a long time, you stretch unconsciously. It feels good! Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect from a regular stretching program:
- Reduced muscle tension and stress (We all could use LESS stress!)
- Increased range of movement in the joints
- Enhanced muscular coordination
- Increased circulation of the blood to various parts of the body
- Increased energy levels (resulting from increased circulation)
Be kind to your muscles and they will be kind to you! Stretch daily with your family to connect, have fun, and stay fit! Let’s get Chipper with these stretches when your at work: 
Chipper Tips/Crafts: Let Your Child Lead
When was the last time you let your child lead? Giving them the initiative when planning activities or coming up with ideas helps children develop their independence and creative skills! Today, we had the kids come up with crafts of their own and let them lose on the craft box. Not only did they have a blast cutting and gluing to their little hearts desires, they worked together to improve and perfect their ideas.
All you need is some paper, glue, markers or crayons, scissors, and some recycled materials! Have your child come up with their very own craft idea and then make an instructions list. It will be a great way to spend the day while also increasing their creative juice and improving their writing skills. We let our girls use recycled paper towel rolls, Popsicle sticks, and some fun colored pipe cleaners and this is what they came up with:
HOW TO MAKE A PEACOCK TREE:
First clip pipe cleaner to popsicle stick with tape and glue on some googly eyes. Then cut out feathers/leaves from paper. Twist some different colored pipe cleaners together and attach to popsicle stick. Tape some green paper around your paper towel roll as well. Then you have your Peacock tree!
HOW TO MAKE A COCONUT “LOCONUT” TREE:
First, cut out some leaves or branches (about 10-18) from green paper and circles from cardboard or a brown paper bag for your coconuts. Then glue them onto your paper towel roll. Now you have your Coconut Loconut tree!
What cute, Chipper ideas they came up with all by themselves! Please share some crafts your kids come up with us!
Chipper Tips: Learning, Educating, and Entertaining with Apps
Some parents and educators lament that technology is taking away from their kid’s natural and organic childhoods. Yes, hours upon hours of watching TV or playing video games is not a good thing for young, developing minds but various studies have shown that interactive games or apps and sing along DVDs and music are excellent educational tools. One study, organized by the Education Development Center, Center for Children and Technology in 2001 for the Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee (United States Senate), found that using educational technology improved test scores and early literary skills.
Chipper entertains while playfully educating children about nature and the great outdoors. Click here to download award winning movies, books, music, games, and more easily for everyday fun on-the-go!
Not only are apps a great way to excite kids to learn and immerse themselves in various subjects, apps can be specially designed to different kinds of children with different learning needs. Whether they are dyslexic, autistic, or need more help with their math, there are apps that were specifically innovated to benefits various individuals! More and more, educators and parents are turning to iPads and apps to help inform and prepare our future generations. What better way to prepare your kids or students for the newest technology in the workplace, than by giving it to them as a part of their education? Apps are inexpensive, easy to use, and your kids/students will love you!
On the go fun that is educational and entertaining. Camping, hiking, or outdoor fun Chipper playfully teaches good character and a love for the environment. Click here to download now!
Chipper’s iPhone app was created to excite kids of all ages and needs to get outdoors and teach them about our diverse environment. Help your child develop their analytical skills and have some fun on your next road trip or flight! Apps are great for on-the-go entertainment and are also a wonderful tool to avoid the summer learning slump. Check out this article about Chipper’s app to learn more and see a user review!
Please enter COUPON CODE “40ipads” and 50% of your purchase will go to purchasing iPads for Children with Special Needs through the non-profit Growing Up For Good, and in support of A4CWSN, Apps for Children with Special Needs. Shop now through August 15, 2012. Each purchase includes a special Chipper For Parks badge. Download Chipper’s iPhone app for on-the-go fun! Like Chipper’s Facebook Page for special deals and free downloads!
No mess, no fuss with Chipper’s coloring pages that are playful and easy-to-follow. Select, swipe on the color, and save or start all over again. Click here to download now!
Chipper Tips: Little Helping Hands
“Giving is the secret of abundance.” — Sivananda
All of us want our children to grow up to be responsible and generous. Giving them the opportunities to help out around the house with chores or simple tasks, such as cooking dinner or folding laundry, plants these seeds of independence and reliability. Making opportunities for your kids to play and interact with their peers and siblings help them learn to communicate and hone their interpersonal skills for years to come, important skills for whatever they do in life.
Helping Hands is a fun book for your little ones to learn more ways to help out! Click here to purchase.
Let’s Go Chipper is an Eco-educational series of apps, books, and community programs that encourage your little one’s to get outside and play, learning about the environment and growing in nature! Our newest book, “Helping Hands,” is a great way to inspire your little one’s to help out their family, friends, and community! A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book support programs that benefit the positive physical and emotional well being of underserved children. To learn more, please visit www.letsgochipper.com. Bellow are 5 ways to encourage habits of kindness and service in your children on a daily basis.
Chipper for Parks Badge! Click here to purchase and start helping our parks!
1. Make service to others a family affair
You hear it time and again: Parents are the most influential role models and the best teachers for children. Children watch what adults do. Preaching to them to volunteer/feed others/help out at the local food pantry will likely fall on deaf ears if they don’t see the moms and dads doing it, too. Get involved in a local community service project at your local park! There are tons of opportunities and if you share your park service story with us on our Facebook page here, we will send you a FREE Chipper for Parks badge! Or purchase your own badge here and we will donate a portion of the proceeds in YOUR name to a park of YOUR choice!
2. Talk about it
Emphasize that not everyone has hot meals to eat and lots of clothes to wear. Children don’t typically recognize this, and it’s up to parents to teach them. Let them know about the project, and how they can offer a helping hand to those in need. Have them go through their clothes that no longer fit them and take a little trip together to drop off old clothes and toys at your nearest Good Will.
3. Involve children in a regular or semi-regular basis
When participating in community volunteer work, find something that can be done at least a few times each year. This doesn’t mean you have to fill backpacks with school supplies at the local community center or serve meals at the local food pantry every week. A consistent volunteer activity will stick in a child’s mind if they participate once a month, or even once every few months.
Compassionate Kids, an organization that encourages volunteerism by children, has this advice when considering how often to participate:
“It’s important to consider the basic logistics of any volunteer opportunity. If the opportunity is close by, a commitment to help out on a weekly basis may be fine. If it’s farther away, you may need to commit to helping on a monthly basis instead.”
4. Make sure your child can be actively involved in the service or project
Don’t expect to take children — especially young ones — to an activity where they have to sit and watch. They won’t want to keep going, and it entirely misses the point of including them in the first place. Compassionate Kids also advises parents to consider both their abilities and their children’s abilities when deciding on the kinds of community projects to participate in. Don’t overwhelm you or your kids–helping out should be a fun learning experience.
This mom has two little helpers! How do your kids help you out around the house?
5. Use everyday opportunities to teach kindness
Teach children that some of the best ways to volunteer and help others is to simply do it as opportunities are available. In other words, kindness to others doesn’t have to be a structured event or community-planned charity work. The whole family can get involved in:
- Giving water to and offering help to a family whose car is broken-down on the road.
- Donating money, clothing, or toys to a family in need of assistance.
- Preparing and taking meals to those who have recently lost loved ones, had babies, or have family members in the hospital.
If showing kindness to others is a part of their upbringing, it’s easier for children to make it a consistent habit in adulthood. Make it the norm, not the exception, for you and your family. Get Chipper and get helping today!
Here are more community service ideas for children and resources for parents:
- Raising Children Who Care: Volunteering Ideas for Kids by Silvana Clark
- Community Service: A Family’s Guide to Getting Involved by KidsHealth.org
Chipper Tips: 5 Reasons to Have a Kid’s Garden
Late spring and early summer means it’s gardening season! While gardener parents are probably already allowing their children to help out with the tasks, many don’t consider giving their child his own personal garden area to maintain. However, if your child is old enough and the space is available, Chipper suggests setting up a personal garden for your little one. Below are five reasons why giving your child a garden is beneficial.
1. Encourages responsibility without extreme losses:
Every parent wants to raise a responsible child with the skills to care for another living being. However, it isn’t always easy to assess your child’s capabilities if she has never been given such a task before. Instead of using small animals like goldfish or gerbils as “starter pets,” let your child manage a garden first. Plants require just enough care to teach important lessons about meeting the needs of another creature; but if something goes wrong, and they die, it’s not as devastating.
2. Teaches planning and organizational skills:
Maintaining a garden isn’t as easy as putting plants in the ground at random. A knowledgeable gardener considers the conditions wherein the chosen plants will thrive. Your child will have to plan his garden while thinking about which plants grow best in direct sunlight versus partial shade, how far apart each plant should be from the others, whether or not certain plants affect the health of others, and other concerns. Although he doesn’t have to get everything perfect the first time, introducing such ideas early on will encourage him to improve his garden every year. Making labels for each plant is another great activity they can do!
3. Gives your child a sense of independence this Independence Day:
Now is the best time to encourage independence with 4th of July tomorrow! Most kids love the feeling of control they get when working on something of their own–like a garden. They gets to pick out the plants, decide when to water and weed the beds, and after all the flowers have bloomed and the veggies have grown, they decide what to do with them. This means that, instead of asking us to buy gifts for your kids to give to friends and family, they have something to give them that is more meaningful since they grew it through her own hard work with her own two hands. Or, if your chooses, they may simply keep everything to herself for a tasty dinner or snack. That kind of freedom is something children don’t enjoy too often!
4. Emphasizes the importance of plants in everyday life:
Many people and their kids these days don’t know where their food comes from!Sustainable, local food sources are becoming more popular, according to this New York Time article. You’ll know for sure that your child knows what farming entails if you let him try his hand at gardening. Not only will he know that carrots grow underground and tomatoes bush up, but he’ll have a deep understanding of the life cycle plants and how a seed, if given enough love and care, can grow into something that can nourish his body. This cycle and understanding is not only educational, it is a deeper knowledge of life that will benefit your child for the rest of their life.
Put a little sunshine into your child’s day by inviting them into the garden to help plant the summer flowers, fruits, and veggies. Perfect for little hands, the tote is complete with shovel, little trowel, spritzer, and the Blossom Bright watering can allows for just enough water to feel like an expert gardener.
5. It’s a chance to get messy and have fun:
Gardening is a chance for digging in dirt, playing with worms, picking ripe veggies, and cooling down with the hose. If that doesn’t sound like an exciting day for a child, then Chipper isn’t a squirrel! Getting outdoors is vital to children’s health and
development and caring for a garden will get them out that door more often! If you are lacking space in your backyard, check out this short video on easy indoor gardens here. Need some kids sized gardening gear? Check out this Junior Gardening Set from Let’s Go Chipper!
