My One Minute Rant on Crib Bumpers...

I was browsing the web this morning, innocently looking for ideas for a baby shower that I will be hosting...and I was surprised (and kinda' irritated) that one site which included a list of gift ideas recommended crib bumpers as a possible gift idea for the mom-to-be.

HUH? {scratching my head}

Crib bumpers? Really? Even after  the Academy of Pediatrics, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, First Candle/National SIDS Alliance, and the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development all recommend AGAINST using them? Now, perhaps the writer on this particular website didn't know about this. Or perhaps she was referring to the newer "breathable" bumpers (but based on the context, I doubt it). In either case, I am surprised that bumpers were recommended as a baby gift. I was even more surprised to see how many retailers are still selling those thick, fluffy bumpers.

I hope that hospitals, birthing instructors, social service agencies, child care centers, and other agencies working with parents are informed about crib safety and that they are more importantly, educating parents! Hopefully agencies that work with minority populations are also committed to educating others on crib safety because there is some racial disparity when it comes to infant mortality rates.

Also read: Crib Bumper Pads: Are They Safe?

Ok... I'm off of my soap box now. What's the point of having a blog if you can't rant once in a while ;-)?

Be safe people...and protect our little ones who are too young to protect themselves!

Back To School Book of the Day: The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn: "In this contemporary classic Chester Raccoon seeks love and reassurance from his mother as he ventures out into the world to attend his very first day of school."

The first day of school is often challenging for children, but more often for parents! Parents and teachers working together can help ease some of the anxiety related to the first day of school. Here are some tips:

1. Have time for parents and children to visit the classroom together before the first day.
2. Remind parents to ALWAYS tell their child before they are leaving and to NEVER sneak out of the classroom. Sneaking away may be an "easy out" for the parent; but the next day, it is likely that the child will just cling closer because they are unsure when/if their parent will "disappear!"
3. Help parents to create a routine for drop-off time and stick to it.
4. Encourage parents to bring in family pictures BUT instead of posting these pictures on a bulletin board, place them where children can reach them whenever they want. For example, ask parents to bring in a small photo album (dollar stores are wonderful for goodies like this) filled with pictures of family, friends, pets. Or, teachers can laminate the photos and put them on a loose leaf ring. Place photos booklets in a wicker basket on a shelf of the classroom so children can have access whenever they need to see their family.
5. Make a class book to send home with each child. Using a digital camera, take photos of each child and teacher and write a sentence about each person. Print the pictures (laminate them if you can) and bind them. Send them home with each child so that parents can read them to their children!

Click here for more First Day of School books and activities.

Special Discount for Room to Grow Readers

Little Bunny Press creates personalized children's books with your child's photographs!

"Each Little Bunny book contains characters you create - either your child alone or with family members or friends, depending on the storyline. All books are 8" x 8" square and available in durable Softcover or beautiful Hardcover formats. As part of our commitment to environmentally responsible practices, we use only all partially or fully recycled papers manufactured with earth-friendly sustainable wind energy."

Room to Grow Readers get a 15% discount* on all orders by entering ROOMTOGROW when asked for the coupon code. Some available titles are:

Other Titles are available at Little Bunny Press.

*This offer is good until August24, 2011.

Congratulations to the Randomly Selected Winners...

So today is a good day, as most days are, and I reached 70 Blog Followers today. And as promised, I've randomly selected two followers to receive a Sid the Science Kid DVD.

How did I select the winners?

1. I made a list of all 70 followers and assigned a number like this:

2. I used Random.Org to randomly select two winners...and the winners are:

Congratulations to the winners and thanks for following me!

And the Award Goes To....

Room To Grow has won it's first award! Deboarh Stewart planted a little sunshine and sent an award my way.

I've won a Versatile Blogger Award!

So the rules for accepting this award starts here..

#1 Thank the blogger who gave it to you…

Thank You to Deborah Stewart (@Teach_Preschool) for giving this award to me. Deborah was one of the first tweeps I met on Twitter!

#2 Share 7 things about yourself…

1. In the On line world we only see headshots and avatars, so you might not know that I’m just under 5 feet tall! 
2. My dream job would involve writing or creating a preschool and/or kindergarten curriculum. 
3. I’ve started to write at least 4 different books… none of them are completed but I have a vision. 
4. I’ve known my two best friends for over 30 years and we still talk almost every day! I met one when I was 4 and the other when I was 7. 
5. I’m learning to use my Cannon Rebel and I’m signing up for a photography class soon. 
6. I’m an 80s girl – I love Fame, Flashdance, Sixteen Candles, Madonna, New Edition, Culture Club, Tears for Fears, etc!!! 
7. I can’t sleep if my closet door is open :-)!

#3 Pass the award to 15 bloggers you’ve recently discovered and think are FABULOUS!!

It’s going to be hard to limit myself to 15 but here we go! These 15 bloggers (in no particular order) have an impact on early childhood through their passion for literacy, education, teaching, and their desire to share their knowledge with others.

1. What Am I Going To Do With Them All Day?

2. Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books

3. Brimful Curiosities

4. My Brown Baby

5. Bakers and Astronauts

6. Waddlee-Ah-Chaa

7. Mila's Daydreams

8. No Time for Flashcards

9. Play-Activities

10. Mommy Teacher 123

11. Play 2 Grow

12. Let's Promote Play!

13. Books Heal Kids

14. Sneaker Teacher

15. Counting Coconuts

Musical Books: Guest Post by Marcia Maynard

Young children who like music and books, will enjoy these sing-along-books with cds.

The Journey Home From Grandpa's, by Jemima Lumley, Sophie Fatus and sung by Fred Penner.
A family drives down a bouncy, bumpy road as they travel home from Grandpa's house. They pass a variety of vehicles such as train, a tractor and even a barge along their fun journey.

Whole World, by Christopher Corr and Fred Penner, is a book with vibrant illustrations and a cd of cheerful music. Facts about different creatures and environments are in the back of the book, as well as the musical notes to this well known song.

Animal Boogie is and award winning book by Debbie Harter. Come stomp with an elephant and flap with a bird, as jungle animals boogie, woogie, oogie. Children, teachers and parents will have fun dancing and singing along with the story. Animal Boogie has catchy song and is easy to learn.


All the books come in paperback with cd and can be seen at Barefoot Books.


Marcia Maynard is a former kindergarten teacher and reading specialist. She currently blogs about preschool activities at www.readandrise.com.

If you would like to write a guest post, please contact me!

Growing Tree Toys

Last July when I began this blog journey, I wasn't sure where it would lead me. All I knew for sure is that I had information that I wanted to share, and writing the blog gave me the opportunity to share my ideas and passion for early childhood education.

Since that day in July, I've connected with so many other people who have a similar desire to celebrate early childhood.This process has been exciting and I'm anxious to see  I'm excited to share a new adventure that I hope my readers will enjoy. I've partnered with Growing Tree Toys, a great company dedicated to providing a thoughtful selection of educational toys for children of all ages! Growing Tree Toys also has a great blog filled with more ideas and activities that parents and teachers will find useful!

I will soon be able to offer give aways and discounts through my blog so come back and visit soon! I'm excited about this new partnership and I hope that you are too! In the meantime, visit Growing Tree Toys and check out their wonderful selection!

My Desert Island Book Collection

Cathy of Reflect and Refine poses this question: If you were stranded on an island and had to teach, what 10 picture books would you hope to have in your bag?

I've been thinking about this question for a little over a week now...and I've come up with at least 850 books that I would want NEED to bring with me. So, how do I whittle this list of mine down to 10? I think,with a LOT of  thought (thanks Cathy!!!), I've come up with a list. But I must warn you...I am hurriedly writing this blog because by the time I finish typing, my 10 chosen books will have changed at least 12 times. So here we go. But first, let's set the scene: I'm stranded on a desert island with my little kindergartners. Luxury accommodations and a cook are assumed to be awaiting us on this island :-). So, now, what lessons will I teach and what books will I use to teach those lessons? Here we go:

• Lesson #1 - Share with others. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
• Lesson #2 - Remember to laugh often. Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch
• Lesson #3 - We need to learn the basics like ABCs: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault
• Lesson #4 - Numbers are all around us: City by Numbers
• Lesson #5 - Everything is not always what it seems: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf (and Jon Scieszka)
• Lesson #6 - Everybody is special: Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
• Lesson #7 - It's better to give than receive: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Lesson #8 - You can do anything you put your mind to: Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
• Lesson #9 - We must take care of our world: S is for Save the Planet: A How-To-Be Green Alphabet by Brad Herzog
• Lesson #10 - Books are fun: The Wide-Mouthed Frog: A Pop-Up Book by Keith Faulkner, Jonathan Lambert

What are your must-have books?