The Growing Years is a free publication for parents of children 0-5, check out the link and download as many issues as you would like.

You can also get a similar publication delivered to your email in box!  It is called  Just in Time Parenting and it’s in partnership with eXtension.org, which is a website with information from Cooperative Extensions around the country.  Just in Time Parenting has child develop and parenting information in English or Spanish.

If you have questions, send us an email.

Also:

• OUR WEBSITE – http://extension.umaine.edu/parenting
• VIDEOS – (topics include “Parenting From Away,” “Gift Giving and Overindulgence,” “Talking to Kids When Bad Things Happen”) and coming soon: “Brain Development” and “Screen Time.”
• Twitter.com – for parents of young children (updated daily) our name is @thegrowingyears

Program sessions, each limited to 24 participants, costs $2 per child and will be held at the Cumberland County Extension office, 75 Clearwater Drive, Ste 104, in Falmouth. Students will learn about food preservation science with pickles. In the process, they’ll dissect a pickle, identify pickle flavors through smell and taste, play pickle Jeopardy and sample different pickled products.

Sessions are scheduled Feb. 22 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.; Feb. 23 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.; April 17, 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.; and April 19, 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.

To register, call (207) 781-6099 or 1-800-287-1471 in Maine. UMaine Extension programs are open and accessible to all in accordance with program goals. Participants with special needs are asked to contact the office at least 10 days prior to the desired sessions to allow accommodations to be arranged.

With the holiday peak still a few days away, retailers are reporting record merchandise returns by gift-givers who have changed their minds. Buyer’s remorse over excessive impulse buying can be mitigated, however, says Cooperative Extension family budgeting expert Jane Conroy.

Before returning purchased gifts that consumers decide not to give, after all, Conroy says shoppers should be aware of store return policies, keep a list of purchases and hold onto a gift receipt for each. When returning an item, understand the reasonable expectations. “Do I want another item, do I want my money back, or a gift card?” she adds.

Another way to avoid overspending next year is to assess what was purchased that may not have been necessary. On other words, Conroy says, “How can I learn from what I did wrong this year? What can be changed in the future?”

For those looking at swollen credit card debt, Conroy advises that solid home budgeting and thinking about the difference between “need” and “want” can help consumers with hard decisions when it’s time to trim spending all the way around following the holiday season.

Conroy can be reached in the Piscataquis County Extension office in Dover-Foxcroft at (207) 564-3301, toll-free in Maine at 1-800-287-1491, or by e-mail: jconroy@maine.edu, to discuss what to get back on track with basic budgeting principles.

An Extension “Experts on Demand” YouTube video on gift giving and overindulgence featuring Extension child and family development specialist Leslie Forstadt also offers ideas for alternative gifts to and from the whole family.

Forstadt was also honored at the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences 2011 Annual Session, as a member of the team that received 2nd place for the Regional Television/Video Communications Award at the conference held September 25-28 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In receiving her award, Forstadt was recognized for her video “Gift Giving and Overindulgence,” a 3 minute video created for University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s YouTube.edu site and gives a brief discussion of the negative implications of giving too many gifts to children. The video discusses “wants” versus “needs” and provides suggestions for affordable gifts or gift alternatives so that viewers can try to create more meaningful gift giving experiences and save money. The Television/Video Communications Award recognizes excellence in an educational or promotional feature in a regular broadcast or a special program. American Income Life Insurance Company sponsors the award. Forstadt’s team, which included UMaine Extension staff Jennifer O’Leary and Aileen Fortune, demonstrated exemplary commitment to meeting the needs of individuals, families and communities.

Who taught you the meaning of words?  Who helped you learn to read?  Did your parents or an older sibling read to you when you were younger? 

What is Family literacy?

Within the family system, parents are a child’s first and most important teachers. Even before a child is born, she will begin to respond to sounds. Making sense of sounds, where they come from and recognition of the tone of a voice are the most basic building blocks to literacy. How speech and sounds connect to printed words and comprehension (making meaning), and understanding printed words is what being literate means. Whether unprompted or promoted by formal programs, family literacy is the process of incorporating spoken and written word into meaningful activities within the family unit. According to the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), literacy is the root of a person’s ability to succeed and family is at the heart.

Think about all you learn in the first years of your life. Education begins at home in the first years of a child’s life. Being interested and involved in your child’s development is one key way to ensure that you are preparing your child to enter school ready to learn. Our attitude towards reading as parents has a profound impact on our children. Children who have a lot of exposure to books and many experiences being read to from infancy develop the important basic skills to support learning.

Have you noticed how intently a baby stares at light and dark patterns with high contrast? By looking around and staring at interesting things, a baby is completing the connections in the vision centers of his brain necessary for good visual discrimination. When a toddler turns the pages of a board book, or a preschooler recognizes the first letter of his name on a cereal box, each is demonstrating emerging literacy skills. Reading to your child from birth is the best way to make him/her a successful reader. Researchers say that a child must have thousands of experiences with print and listening to words being read to prepare them to read themselves.

Family literacy is based upon the simple, but powerful premise that parents and children learn best when learning together. Research shows that young children’s experience with emergent literacy generally occurs within normal daily routines. Unlike learning to talk, children are not born with the instinct to read. Reading must be intentionally learned. Share lots of conversations and read to your child each day. When your child begins to read, listen to them read to you everyday.

Dr. James E. Van Horn, professor of rural sociology at Penn State University, observed, “Spending time and doing things together with your children doesn’t just happen. Parents must design their life so that time will be available.”

A recent study by James P. Robinson, sociology professor at the University of Maryland, concluded that Americans actually have more time today than they had thirty years ago—but that today’s free time comes in smaller amounts more frequently throughout the day, as opposed to the larger blocks of time people had thirty years ago. And much of the time today’s families spend together takes place while waiting for appointments, traveling, or shopping; at a restaurant; or at the supermarket. These times are usually short, unplanned, and can be stressful, with bored, restless children.

Be prepared, and you can take advantage of these times to have some family fun—and avoid difficult and sometimes embarrassing situations.

Family fun in the car:

• Develop an emergency bag of fun things to do in the car.
• Read license plates.
• Play twenty questions about one another’s fantasy trips.

Family fun at the supermarket:

• Play the alphabet game: a – apple, b – banana, c – corn, etc.
• Have older children find items that you have coupons for.
• Have kids find the cheapest and the most expensive juices and figure the price difference.

Family fun while waiting for appointments:

• Carry flash cards and quiz one another.
• Pose questions pulled from a board or trivia game.
• Pass a pad and pencil around and create a group story.

Family fun at restaurants:

• Play connect-the-dots on the back of a paper placemat.
• Play ”Concentration” by hiding a coin under sugar packets.
• Have your children fold their paper placemats in thirds; have each draw an animal’s head, trunk, or feet. Connect them for some funny results!

By capturing opportunities, you’ll discover that you have more family fun time than ever.

Adapted with permission from James E. Van Horn, “Design Time Together,” Better Kid Care, The Pennsylvania State University, betterkidcare.psu.edu.

New technology is being created every minute and the Internet is now widely available. Youth in today’s world are exposed to technology— each and every day. While new technology is exciting, a form of bullying behavior is becoming more prevalent in our society: Cyber Bullying. During a recent 4-H event in Maine, 56% of youth reported that they or a close friend have been the target of cyber bullying in the past year.

What is Cyber Bullying?

Cyber bullying, also known as electronic bullying or online social cruelty, is defined as bullying

• through e-mail;
• through instant messaging;
• in a chat room;
• on a Web site or gaming site; and
• through digital messages, text message or images sent to a cellular phone.

Cyber bullying not only looks and feels a bit different than traditional bullying, but presents some unique challenges in dealing with it. (Kowalski, Limber and Agatston, 2007)

Young people spend a good portion of their day in school, but the most influential people in their lives are their caregivers; peers are a very close second, but caregivers are still first. Here are some tips of how to stay connected with your child in this ever changing world filled with technology.

1. Talk to your child. One bullying prevention expert insightfully described the challenge facing adults who are trying to communicate with young people about technology: “The problem is that adults view the internet as a mechanism to find information. Young people view the Internet as a place. Caregivers are encouraged to ask their children where they are going and who they are going with whenever they leave the house. They should take the same approach when their child goes on the Internet—where are they going and who are they with?” Young people are sometimes reluctant to disclose victimization for fear of having their Internet and cellular phone privileges revoked. Parents/ caregivers should talk with their teens to come up with a solution to prevent or address victimization that does not punish the teen for his or her victimization.

2. Develop rules. Together with your child, develop rules about acceptable and safe behavior for all the electronic media they use and what they should do if they become a victim of cyber bullying (electronic aggression) or they witness or know about another teen being victimized.

3. Explore the Internet. Once you have talked to your child and discovered which Web sites he/she frequents, visit them yourself. This will help you understand where your child has “been” when he/she visits the website and will help you understand the pros and cons of the various Web sites. Remember that most Web sites and online activities are beneficial. They help young people learn new information, interact with and learn about people from diverse backgrounds, and express themselves to others who may have similar thoughts and experiences. Technology is not going away, so forbidding young people to access electronic media may not be a good long-term solution. Together, parents and youth can come up with ways to maximize the benefits of technology and decrease its risks.

4. Talk with other parents/caregivers. Talk to others about how they have discussed technology use with their teens, the rules they have developed, and how they stay informed about their child’s technology use. Others can comment on strategies they used effectively and those that did not work very well.

5. Encourage your school or school district to conduct a class for caregivers about Cyber Bullying. The class should include a review of school or district policies on the topic, recent incidents in the community, and resources available to caregivers who have concerns.

6. Keep current. Technology changes rapidly, and so it is important to keep current on what new devices and features your child is using, and in what ways. Many developers of new products offer information and classes to keep people aware of advances. Additionally, existing Web sites change, and new Web sites develop all the time, so continually talk with your teen about “where they are going” and explore these Web sites yourself. Your adolescent may also be an important resource for information, and having your teen educate you may help strengthen parent-child communication and bonding, which is important for other adolescent health issues as well.

Adapted From: Hertz MF, David-Ferdon C. Electronic Media and Youth Violence: A CDC Issue Brief for Educators and Caregivers. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control; 2008.

There are many wonderful resources available to youth and caregivers regarding cyber bullying. One resource is www.cyberbullyinghelp.com. There you will find resources to help keep your family current and up to date with the latest trends and technologies. Remember, technology is not going away but together, parents and youth can come up with ways to maximize the benefits of technology and decrease its risks.

Photo by Edwin Remsberg, USDA

4-H is a learning-by-doing program for kids. If your child is between the ages of 5-18, there are several ways they can participate in 4-H:

• in school,
• after-school,
• clubs,
• camps, and
• Operation Military Kids.

Through 4-H, youth can develop leadership, citizenship, and life skills to help reach their full potential. 4-H in Maine is growing every day. Currently there are clubs, community groups, after-school programs and school enrichment programs in every county in our state.

So you may be wondering: “How do I get my child enrolled in 4-H?”

The first step is to figure out what type of 4-H program best fits the needs of your family. First, visit the Maine 4-H website at http://extension.umaine.edu/4h/. There you will find information on the different types of 4-H programs, types of projects and other interesting information about 4-H programs offered in Maine.

Once you have explored all that 4-H in Maine has to offer, connect with your local county Extension office. The 4-H staff will be able to provide you with information about clubs, groups and events happening locally in your area. They will give you the information needed on how to join.

This is the perfect time to think about joining 4-H!