Parents are looking for ways to keep their kids busy. Toys”R”Us wants to help out by offering fun activities and projects to keep their children engaged and their imaginations active. Toys”R”Us just launched Play@Home Theater offering easy ways to have fun at home featuring partners such as: GoNoodle, BrainPOP and Hasbro.
Play@Home Theater Highlights & Projects include:
DIY: 30 videos and articles will get the inspiration flowing
Printables: Over 40 printables to get brains working with puzzles, word searches and more
BrainPOP: A leading educational platform, offers a video for kids to better understand COVID-19 and free access for families through the end of the school year
GoNoodle: Toys”R”Us will host 4 indoor activity videos from their partners at GoNoodle featuring movement & mindfulness activities to keep kids active
Hasbro: Play-Doh offers simple projects to mold, stretch and shape imaginations
Play@Home Theater will be updated with brand new activities and play ideas every week.
Have you ever wondered how a baby’s brain works in the first few days of life? Within hours of birth, a baby’s gaze is drawn to faces. Now a new study shows that the brains of babies as young as six days old appear to be hardwired for the specialized tasks of seeing faces and places.
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published the findings of psychologists at Emory University. Their work provides the earliest peek yet into the visual cortex of newborns, using harmless functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
“We’re investigating a fundamental question of where knowledge comes from by homing in on ‘nature versus nature,'” says Daniel Dilks, associate professor of psychology, and senior author of the study. “What do we come into the world with and what do we gain by experience?”
“We’ve shown that a baby’s brain is more adult-like than many people might assume,” adds Frederik Kamps, who led the study as a PhD candidate at Emory. “Much of the scaffolding for the human visual cortex is already in place, along with the patterns of brain activity, although the patterns are not as strong compared to those of adults.”
By understanding how a baby’s brain is organized may help answer questions when something goes wrong. Dilks says. “For example, if the face network in a newborn’s visual cortex was not well-connected, that might be a biomarker for disorders associated with an aversion to eye contact. By diagnosing the problem earlier, we could intervene earlier and take advantage of the incredible malleability of the infant brain.”
In previous studies, scientists have found that the visual cortex in adults is made up of two regions that work together to process faces along with another two that work to process places. More recent studies have shown that the visual cortex in children is differentiated into these face and place networks by as yound as four-months-old.
In this recent study, 30 infants, ranging in age from six days to 57 days, participated in the experiments while asleep. “We needed to get closer to the date of birth in order to better understand if we are born with this differentiation in our brains or if it’s molded by experience,” Dilks says.
“Getting fMRI data from a newborn is a new frontier in neuroimaging,” Kamps says. “The scanner is like a giant camera and you need the participant’s head to be still in order to get high quality images. A baby that is asleep is a baby that’s willing to lie still.” During scanning, the subjects were wrapped in an inflatable “super swaddler,” a papoose-like device that serves as a stabilizer while also making the baby feel secure.
To serve as controls, 24 adults were scanned in a resting state, awake but not stimulated by anything in particular. The scanner captured intrinsic fluctuations of the brain for both the infants and adults.
The results showed the two regions of the visual cortex associated with face processing fired in sync in the infants, as did the two networks associated with places. The infant patterns were similar to those of the adult participants, although not quite as strong. “That finding suggests that there is room for these networks to keep getting fine-tuned as infants mature into adulthood,” Kamps says.
“We can see that the face networks and the place networks of the brain are hooked up and talking to each other within days of birth,” Dilks says. “They are essentially awaiting the relevant information. The next questions to ask are how and when these two functions become fully developed.”
Can what your child watches on TV affect their food choices? According to recent research, if your child watches a cooking program that features healthy foods, the answer is yes.
Research published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found a connection between watching healthy cooking shows and children’s food choices. The study, which included 125 children ages 10 through 12, may have found a way to get your kiddo to choose healthy snacks over chips, dip and cookies.
To better understand the impact cooking shows have on children and their food choices, the researchers asked some of the participants to watch clips of a Dutch cooking show (for kids) featuring healthy foods. The rest of the participants were asked to watch a a video featuring less healthy or unhealthy foods.
So how did the clips influence the kids’ food choices? Forty-one percent of the children in the healthy food clip group chose healthy foods when given a selection of snacks—but only 20 percent of the children who watched the unhealthy food video chose healthy snacks.
How inclusive is your tot’s at-home library? If you’re looking for a way to broaden your kiddo’s horizons, Little Feminist has three brand-new board books to help.
Little Feminist is a children’s book subscription service that fills a serious void. With specially curated boxes (by your child’s age), this service focuses on issues such as diversity and gender equality.
The latest addition to Little Feminist’s library includes three boards books designed specifically for toddlers. The books feature real pics of children and their families in situations your child may or may not yet understand.
Each book includes topics ranging from race and ethnicity to gender and sexuality. The series also focuses on mobility, helping your toddler to better understand the wide world of abilities.
The books are available for pre-order starting in late January for $8 each. Little Feminist will start regular sales of the books on Mar. 8—International Women’s Day. Visit Little Feminist here for more information on ordering this new series.
It’s the perfect end to a long day—you let your children choose a book, you all snuggle up, and you read together. It’s more than just a bonding experience, though. Reading to your kids will shape their minds and behaviors in more ways than one. In fact, we have six more reasons why your family literature sessions should be a regular activity:
1. Reading Boosts Vocabulary. As an adult, you probably still come across words in books that you don’t know. You might look them up to learn the definition and add a few more words to your vocabulary. Your children experience this newness every time you read to them. They soak up information like sponges, too—the more you read, the more words they learn.
This effect can start at an early age. Nowadays, pediatricians recommend that you start reading to your little ones in infancy. Doctors even say that babies can understand the emotions behind the words you read to them. So, as they get older, comprehending the feeling turns into an understanding of what the word means.
You’ll also see this manifest as improved speech, too. Hearing you pronounce words properly will show your children how they should speak, too. This advantage extends beyond vocabulary—your children will learn correct sentence structure and improve their grammar as well.
2. Reading Increases Attention Spans. Little children aren’t known for their ability to pay attention for long stretches. However, reading helps them to hone this skill—they want to know how the story will end, after all. You’ll have to start small, as you can’t expect your little one to pay attention for hours right away. Instead, start with a short picture book, perhaps one that takes 10 minutes to read. Then, work your way up to longer stories—even the most energetic brood will sit and listen to a story that has captivated them. Clearly, this skill will come in handy down the line when your children go to school. Sitting and listening with interest will get them far academically, too.
3. Reading Will Foster a Lifelong Love of Books. You love nighttime reading and snuggles, and your children do, too. If you make it part of your daily routine, then they’ll always think of reading as something warm and positive. As they grow, they’ll only continue to crack open books and read on their own.
Just make sure that you’re choosing the right stories now to forge an enduring interest. You have plenty of resources to help you do so. For starters, award-winning children’s books tend to do the trick. Or, you can ask your kids while you’re reading. Do they like the story? If so, keep that book in rotation and maintain their interest in reading.
4. Reading Strengthens Imaginations. Children’s books typically come with gorgeous pictures, which allow your kids to see and understand the words that you’re reading. However, they will also begin to conjure images of the story in their minds. As you read to them more, their imaginations only continue to grow.
It’s vital that children hone their imaginations and imaginative play at an early age. Playing pretend gives children the opportunity to express emotions both positive and negative. Such a skill will serve them for the rest of their lives. It can all start with reading and helping them to explore the creative side of their minds.
5. Reading Boosts Children’s Comprehension. Books unlock a lot of learning potential. For instance, your story’s likely to introduce your child to a character who has a dilemma. As you read to your child, they’ll start to understand these problems. If you ask them, they might even come up with a solution to the issue on their own.
On top of problem-solving and plot, kids can also increase their comprehension of emotions and morality. Did that character do what’s right? How do you think he feels? They’ll start to put themselves in the story to better understand it, thus making them smarter and more emotionally adept.
6. Reading Provides Quality Time Together. We’ve already touched on this benefit, but it’s worth mentioning once more. When you read with your kids, you have their undivided attention for a sliver of time. There’s no toy or screen in the way of your bonding. Instead, you sit on the couch or snuggle in bed and read together. As your children grow up, you’ll find yourself wanting to press the pause button more than once. You can’t stop time, of course, but reading together gives you the chance to slow it down.
So, start to build a collection of kid-friendly books, or gather some from your local library. That’s all you need to start this daily ritual—one that will make both you and your children happy.
Jennifer Landis is a mom, wife, freelance writer, and blogger. She enjoys long naps on the couch, sneaking spoonfuls of peanut butter when her kid's not looking, and binge watching Doctor Who while her kid's asleep. She really does like her kid, though, she promises. Find her on Twitter @JenniferELandis.
Does gender play a role in how children develop math abilities? According to recent research from Carnegie Mellon University, the answer is no.
The study, published in the journal Science of Learning, used functional MRIs of 104 children ages 3 to 10 years to better understand the brain-math skill development connection.
Researchers gave the children educational videos focusing on early math concepts, such as counting and addition, to watch. They then compared the brain scans from the girls and the boys in the group.
Along with the functional MRI data, the researchers also compared the children’s brain scans to those of adult men and women who also watched the same educational videos and looked at results of the Test of Early Mathematics Ability from 97 children. The data analysis revealed no differences between the genders.
Postdoctoral scholar at the Department of Psychology, University of Chicago and first author on the paper, Alyssa Kersey, said in a press release, “It’s not just that boys and girls are using the math network in the same ways but that similarities were evident across the entire brain.” Kersey continued, “This is an important reminder that humans are more similar to each other than we are different.”
We all have that friend (maybe it’s you!) who has held on to their childhood plush or teddy bear throughout her life. It’s stuck around from infancy into teenage years and eventually ended up in her adult home, even if it’s tucked away. Whether it’s gifted from loving grandparents or from Mom or Dad, this beloved item become a symbol of comfort, a friend on adventures and a nostalgic reminder of childhood.
As a parent embarking on these years with your own children, you know the important bond between a child and their forever friend—and so does GUND. Backed by a 120-year-old legacy, GUND was the first ever company to produce a teddy bear in the early 1900s. The iconic brand known for creating premium plush for over a century receives thousands of messages each year from parents reaching out to reclaim lost plushies or to share the love their child has for their soft, cuddly friend. Who else could better understand the adoration and intense love between a child and their plush, which was shown in their recent commercial (cue the tears).
Now until Nov. 26, Red Tricycle readers can save 15% on orders from GUND by using the code REDTRI at checkout!
Classic characters like Snuffles, GUND’s signature teddy bear with a unique crescent design that lets him look into your eyes with every hug, continues to steal hearts and new additions like Rainbow Sparkles Unicorn and Baby Toothpick Sloth give endless lovable character options for every child. We’ve curated some real life mom hacks that illustrate the important role of your child’s first best friend and exactly why you #gottagettaGUND.
#1: THE BUDDY SYSTEM
Creator behind @VeronaBrit and PR Specialist at a children’s hospital, Veronika Javor has witnessed both personally and professionally how plush can calm and comfort a child, from her own home to the hallways of the hospital.
“Aside from their everyday appearances at the breakfast table, or being used as a pillow during story time, my children’s plush plays a significant role in their lives on the ‘bigger’ occasions. A cuddle before the first day of school, or after a scraped knee. If I know that tears may be coming—like when booster shots roll around—I’ll make sure to pack their favorite plush for them to hold onto. It helps them manage those moments when they need a little bit of extra courage and comfort.”
#2: AMPLE INVENTORY
Ali Budd, mom of two and the principal behind @AliBuddInteriors, a Toronto-based design studio, learned the hard way what happens when a favorite plush is lost. On a recent trip to England, her son’s beloved friend Gordon was misplaced somewhere between arriving at the airport and boarding the plane.
“Children become so attached to their plush that it literally becomes an extension of them. It’s a disaster if it falls apart or in our case, gets lost. The solve: buy multiples! When your child finds the plush they love, make sure to stock up. It’s also important that the item be high quality, so it lasts and can withstand some aggressive hugs.”
#3: HIGH STANDARDS
Once these plush make their appearance, they are here to stay, so it’s important to ensure they are top quality and, of course, cute! GUND’s high-quality materials, textiles and construction, paired with beautiful modern designs, provide longer lasting memories, while also being modern and trendy additions to nursery décor and beyond.
Having recently transformed a nursery into a big girl room for one of her clients, Ali (with her designer hat on) experienced how a beloved plush can be one of the only ‘little kid’ items that graduates to the big kid room. Growing up doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for their plush.
“GUND features modern designs, adorable characters in premium fabrics with incredible attention to detail, making them effortless to incorporate into a styled space. They should be where your child is, whether on their bed or a cozy reading nook.”
Now until Nov. 26, Red Tricycle readers can save 15% on orders from GUND by using the code REDTRI at checkout!
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced an expansion of a previous recall for 5 and 25-pound bags of Unbleached All -Purpose King Arthur Flour due to E. coli concerns.
If you have this flour in your kitchen, read on for more information about the recall.
Recalled Product: King Arthur Flour
The recall includes 5 and 25-pound bags of Unbleached All-Purpose Flour milled by ADM Milling Company and distributed by King Arthur Flour. The bags of flour were sold nationwide via the company’s website, catalog and at retail stores.
Why the Flour Was Recalled
The flour was recalled after the detection of E. coli bacteria during sampling. As of now there are no reported illnesses. This recall is an expansion of a previous one issued on Jun. 13, 2019.
According to a representative from King Arthur Flour, in an emailed statement, “Though there’s little that’s comforting about a recall, regardless of whether it’s voluntary, we hope that notices like this one help bakers better understand the importance of following safe handling practices for flour, including never eating raw dough.”
The rep added, “For over 225 years, King Arthur Flour has been committed to providing our community with superior flour and baking ingredients which embrace the utmost integrity. Though the safe handling of flour is a practice we stress that everyone should follow, we are always aggressively pursuing new options and emerging technologies to mitigate the inherent risk that comes with flour as a raw ingredient.”
Photos: Courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
How to Tell If Your Flour Was Recalled
This recall only includes specific lots of King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour produced before February 2019. Refer to the Lot Code and Best Used By dates to identify affected products. The full list of codes and dates is available from the FDA here or from King Arthur Flour here. The code and date are located on the bottom of the ingredient list on the package’s side panel of the bag.
What Consumers Should Do
Do not use or eat the flour. Throw the flour away and submit a claim for a replacement or refund through the King Arthur Flour website here. Consumers can also call the King Arthur Flour Consumer Hotline at 866-797-9178.
The value of money is a tough (but very important!) concept to teach kids. They see mom or dad swiping a little plastic card and magically all is paid for. OnPoint Community Credit Union is dedicated to supporting the next generation of savers with their OnPoint Savers account that’s just for kids. Read on for the full scoop on why it’s the perfect way to get your kids excited about saving.
Does your kid have tooth fairy or birthday cash burning a hole in their pocket? A savings account is the ideal way to get them to see how they can make their money grow instead of spending it on another LEGO set or doll outfit.
The OnPoint Savers account is just for kids 17 and under. When your child opens a new account and deposits their first $25, OnPoint will reward their efforts by depositing an additional $55. Talk about getting a bang for your buck! The rewards continue with a high interest rate of 5.00% APY for the first $500 deposited. By seeing their savings grow week after week, kids will be encouraged to keep their money in their account and save instead of spending when they receive money in the future.
By physically bringing their money into the credit union, kids will better understand the process of saving their money. OnPoint Community Credit Union offers convenient branches in Portland, Vancouver, Bend, Eugene, Beaverton and Redmond to make it easy for you to stop by. Friendly tellers will eagerly show kids their new account balance after they’ve made a deposit to further engage them in the process.
You can feel good about your kids saving their money with OnPoint Community Credit Union, a mainstay of the Portland community since 1932. By supporting local non-profits, OnPoint is a good example for kids of how businesses can be stewards in their community.
Ready to get the kids excited about saving? Bring them in to your local OnPoint Community Credit Union branch with their piggy bank in hand and have them join in the saving revolution! It’s never too early to start learning the value of money.
OnPoint Community Credit Union Online: onpointcu.com
—Kate Loweth
OnPoint Savers Account rate of 5.00% APY is subject to change. Stated APY is for balances up to $500; balances of $500.01 and higher earn posted Regular Savings Account rate. Account must be established for member age 17 or younger by parent or guardian with a minimum $25 deposit. Parent or legal guardian must be on the membership and present to open the OnPoint Savers Account. When primary member attains the age of 18, accounts will be converted to Regular Savings Account, earning that account’s published rate at that time. Fiduciary memberships, including UTTMA and Minor Settlement Accounts are not eligible for OnPoint Savers. One OnPoint Savers Account per member/TIN. One $55 bonus per tax ID for new members only. Cannot be combined with Refer a Friend bonus or other promotional offers. The full account balance APY is calculated by combining the 5.00% APY earnings on the first $500 with the standard APY on the remaining balance above $500. Federally insured by NCUA.
As the summer nights are getting shorter, and parents begin to buy rulers, pencils, and lunch boxes, children may have some jitters about their first day back at school. It’s all a very exciting time of the season, yet often stressful for both parents and children. At Stratford School, we encourage reading with children at every age and stage. Reading to and with young children helps to ease their anxiety and allows them to open up about their feelings. After reading to your child, take time to talk, ask questions, and make sure she knows that other children share the same concerns and uneasy feelings about the first day of school.
Here are some book recommendations that will help encourage children to feel positive about heading back to school in the fall.
David finds out what the consequences are to his many actions in this nearly wordless book that is perfect for any student who is wondering what kindergarten might be like. This book is a great way for parents to discuss rules, why teachers have them, and why it is important to follow them. Mr. Shannon has a whole series of colorful, silly books about David, and each of them has his West Highland terrier, Fergus, hidden somewhere on a page.
“Blue is a quiet color. Red’s a hothead who likes to pick on Blue. Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple don’t like what they see, but what can they do? When no one speaks up, things get out of hand—until One comes along and shows all the colors how to stand up, stand together, and count.” Powerful understated artwork teaches our young ones not only about colors and numbers but the importance of standing up for our friends against bullies. One contains important lessons about being yourself and making sure everyone counts. Check out the prequels and sequels to this book by this amazing award-winning author, Kathryn Otoshi.
1st and 2nd Grade
My Weird School (series) by Dan Gutman, illustrated by Jim Paillot
With titles like, “Miss Daisy is Crazy!”, and “Miss Hannah is Bananas!” students will have fun with these silly chapter books. The stories are about a second-grade boy named A.J., who might possibly be a bit nervous about school, so he pretends that he hates it. The humorous, simply written stories, get their zest largely from A.J.’s lively, first-person commentary on school life and legend. The chapters are short and have cute illustrations, which is perfect for reluctant readers.
Capricorn, 13, lives with his hippie grandmother on a farm commune. He’s never been to school, never watched TV, and doesn’t even own a cell phone. When his grandmother falls out of a tree while picking plums and is sent to rehab for several weeks, Cap stays with a social worker and is sent to the local middle school. There he is introduced to technology, spitballs, and harassment. The use of multiple perspectives allows the reader to visualize the plot, and more specifically the conflict, from several different angles—even allowing readers to better understand unlikeable characters. Each character adds a new depth and dimension to Cap’s situation, allowing the reader to feel as if they are apart of Cap’s middle school experience—as scary as that is!
Soccer, family, love, and friendship, take center stage as twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read. This story is perfect for every teenager trying to figure out how to adapt to the unexpected challenges of life at home and at school.
Happy reading and have a great first day back to school!
Keira Pride is the Head Librarian at Stratford School, the leading independent private school founded with a vision of creating a unique, multi-dimensional, educational foundation for children. As Stratford's Head Librarian, she manages the library services department across campuses throughout Northern and Southern California.
