The Penguin Pebble
April 2021 Newsletter
FCPS Preschool Programs
Email: wgcnews@cityschools.com
Website: https://wgeclc.fxbgschools.us/
Location: 210 Ferdinand Street, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Phone: 5403721065
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FCPSpreschoolprograms
Hybrid Learning
Happy Day!
Together We Can Weather Anything
Cooking Projects
PACT TIME PAINTING
Wednesday, Apr 14, 2021, 11:00 AM
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Making Bedtime More Restful
Does your child struggle with their bedtime routine? Is it hard for them to wake up in the morning? Having a good bedtime routine for your child can make evenings and mornings less stressful. Here are some tips to create and maintain a bedtime routine that does not keep you up all night.
- Be consistent – Keep the routine as much the same as possible. This includes keeping a similar bedtime even on weekends and making sure the steps are the same so the child knows what to expect.
- Offer choices when possible – allow your child to choose between two pairs of pajamas or choose the book they would like read before. Keep the choices limited to no more than three different options.
- Hygiene is important – make sure your child’s routine encourages your child to clean their teeth and use the bathroom one last time
- Keep the routine fairly short – Try and keep bedtime routine around 15 minutes or less not including a bath
- Turn screens and devices off – promote good sleep hygiene by keeping screens off and not a part of the bedtime routine.
- Security objects – children feel safer with a security object such as a stuffed animal or special blanket.
- It’s okay if there are tears – sticking to a routine may be difficult for you and your child at first, but it is okay if they cry when you set new boundaries. Stick to the routine and it will get better as your child begins to see that you are going to keep those boundaries.
- Ask for help if you need it – talk to your child’s teacher, your family service coordinator, other parents or trusted friends if you are having a hard time with bedtime. They may be able to offer new ideas and support you.
Cook's Corner
CHEESE QUESIDILLAS
Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat shredded cheese
½ cup fat-free refried beans (optional)
2 tortillas, made with either corn flour or wheat flour
Directions:
1. Put one tortilla on a large microwave-safe plate. Spread a layer of refried beans on the tortilla, and sprinkle shredded cheese over the beans. (Note: If the beans are not included, then sprinkle the cheese on the tortilla.)
2. Put the second tortilla on top of the cheese layer.
3. Cook in the microwave until the cheese is melted, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Before serving, check to make sure that the cheese is not too hot.
4. Cut quesadilla crosswise into pizza-shaped slices.
Safety tip: If children are too young to read or follow written directions, they are too young to use a microwave without supervision. An adult should slice the quesadilla.
Source: The National Center on Early childhood Health and Wellness
Tips for Families to Help Children Eat Healthy
- Eat breakfast every day. Skipping breakfast can leave your child hungry, tired, and looking for less healthy foods later in the day.
- Plan healthy meals and eat together as a family. Eating together at meal times helps children learn to enjoy a variety of foods.
- Buy and serve more fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned). Let your child choose them at the store.
- Buy fewer soft drinks and high fat/high calorie snack foods like chips, cookies, and candy. These snacks are OK once in a while, but keep healthy snack foods on hand too and offer them to your child more often.
- Start with small servings and let your child ask for more if he or she is still hungry. It is up to you to provide your child with healthy meals and snacks, but your child should be allowed to choose how much food he or she will eat. One tablespoon per year of age for each component of the meal is a great place to start when considering serving sizes for young children.
- Offer your child water or low-fat milk more often than fruit juice. Fruit juice is a healthy choice but is high in calories.
- Eat fast food less often. When you visit a fast food restaurant, try the healthful options offered.
- Do not get discouraged if your child will not eat a new food the first time it is served. Some kids will need to have a new food served to them 10 times or more before they will eat it.
- Try not to use food as a reward when encouraging kids to eat. Promising dessert to a child for eating vegetables, for example, sends the message that vegetables are less valuable than dessert.
- Make healthy choices easy by putting nutritious foods where they are easy to see and keep high-calorie foods out of sight.