Kids' Triathatlon Fundraiser

Look for a flyer coming home next week about the Tuscaloosa Kids' Triathalon, a fun event supporting a great cause.

The triathalon is a fundraiser for the "Secret Meals for Hungry Children" program. This is a really awesome partnership between Alabama Credit Union and West Alabama Food Bank. The program provides little packages of "weekend meals" for children who may not have enough to eat between school lunch on Friday and school breakfast on Monday. The food items are always thoughtfully chosen; they're generally things kids can fix themselves without adult help, and they are nutritious, balanced combinations.

The triathalon is Saturday, May 18 at the University of Alabama Recreation Center. Kids ages 5 - 16 of ALL athletic abilities are welcome to participate. Every athlete receives a medallion, water bottle, and t-shirt. The swimming, running, and biking distances vary based on children's ages, but no one runs more than 1 mile, bikes more than 4 miles, or swims more than 150 yards. The event meets the safety standards of USA Triathalon (USAT).

You can find more information at www.secretmeals.org or by emailing Tuscaloosakidstriathalon@gmail.com.

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Children, Stress, and Exercise

I came across this interesting article about children, stress, and exercise. In short, it suggests that children who are more active throughout the day are less prone to anxiety in difficult situations. Children who are less active appear to be less able to cope with stressful life events. You can read more at the link below!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/exercise-may-help-protect-children-from-stress/

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Attention Problems Could Be Sleep Related

I saw this article yesterday and thought it was very interesting. The basic idea is that issues like sleep apnea, sleep deprivation, snoring, and mouth breathing could be causing children to be mistakenly diagnosed with ADHD.


I have learned from ADHD conferences in the past that difficulty sleeping soundly for the full night can be a part of ADHD, so that connection is already one piece of the puzzle. But, this article brings up the additional possibility that some children who look like they have ADHD (lack of focus, emotional instability, trouble getting along with peers, difficulty sitting still, being "wired" or obstinate, etc.) may really and truly just have a sleep issue, not ADHD at all.


Of course, I am not a medical doctor or expert in sleep or ADHD so I can't add much more to the discussion. But, from what I see, I certainly think sleep is a worthwhile concern to investigate for most all children. And, I am always interested in factors that may be part of what looks to me like an increase in behaviors resembling ADHD here at school.


If you are interested in reading more about sleep, I really enjoyed the book Sleepless in America by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. One surprising idea in there is that kids ages 5-12 on average need 10-11 hours of sleep in every 24 hour period. Kids who resist bed and act the most wired may actually be the most overtired, too! How confusing! It is a great family-friendly book and I think you'll like it if you are looking for help with family sleep.


If you want to read the whole article about ADHD and sleep issues, it is at this website: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/attention-problems-may-be-sleep-related/


If you are interested in health news, you may want to follow the link above and consider subscribing to that NY Times Well blog where I found this article. It usually posts a few headlines a day about various medical, health, fitness, and wellness-related topics.


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Kids' Sleep Requirements

A study about how much sleep children need came out recently in the news, and apparently sparked a controversy among sleep researchers! The science still seems to indicate that children ages 5-12 should get 10-11 hours of sleep every 24 hours, and that getting less than that can have a wide range of consequences, including negative effects on learning, attention, mood, and behavior.


Here is a link to an interview with a an expert about the study that came out a few days ago and started the debates. She offers several websites and books for more information. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/02/14/146881838/how-much-sleep-do-kids-need-not-such-a-mystery-after-all


Here is a detailed page on children's sleep requirements: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/children-and-sleep


Here is a Harvard Medical School website on sleep: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/portal/


If you want to read more, a great book on this subject is Sleepless in America by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. I really enjoyed it and learned alot. The author does a great job of  offering suggestions that can fit different families and different schedules.

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ADHD Expert Panel at UA

For a few years now, the University of Alabama has hosted a great annual conference on ADHD here in Tuscaloosa. One part of the event is an hour-long question-and-answer session with a panel of experts. I've been to this twice before, and it has been interesting and informative to hear "experts" from different professions talk about many aspects of raising, educating, and treating children and teens who have ADHD. Even if you don't have any questions, you can just listen!

In the past the panel has included researchers, medical doctors, advocates for children with disabilities, parents of children with ADHD, counselors, and educators. This year it looks like there will definitely be a researcher and a medical doctor who specializes in ADHD, and I'm not sure if there will be other panel members as well.

If you would like to mark your calendar, the panel is scheduled for Thursday, January 26, from 7:00 to 8:00pm, at the Bryant Conference Center on the UA campus. If you'd like more information about the conference and the panel, you can go to http://training.ua.edu//adhd/.

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Kids and Video Games

I know, I know, you are all going to hate me for posting this! It is almost Christmas! And kids love video games! But, I got this from that Love and Logic listserve I am on, and I thought I'd share it as a perspective to consider for those who are interested.

"My typically nice and responsible kid turns into a monster after he plays his computer games."

If you've noticed this same thing with your kids, you're not alone. Listed below are some thoughts about why this is so common, as well as actions we can take to protect our kids:

Understand that Electronic Games can be Extremely Addictive
Since most of these games operate according to variable schedules of reinforcement (the user cannot entirely predict when something exciting will happen) our kids get hooked into thinking that they have to play "just a little bit longer" each time.

Even educational games present these risks. To grab the attention of the learner, our kids' favorite games are highly entertaining…and stimulating. Is it any wonder that kids who spend too much time glued to these games find everything else boring? Real life is always a downer when you're hooked on electronic uppers.

The symptoms of withdrawal also indicate the addictive nature of these games: Irritability, extreme moodiness, and attempts to get a "fix" even if it requires manipulating and mistreating those who love you the most.

Set Enforceable Limits
Children under 5 should spend almost no time playing video games, computer games, or watching television. Again, this also applies to educational games and shows. Older children shouldn't spend more that 15-30 minutes per day engaged in these activities. Wise parents set the following limit:

"I allow video games, computer games, or TV in our home only when they are causing no problems."

Wise parents don't hesitate to remove these items from the home when "problems" begin. For more tips, listen to our MP3 download, Taming the Technology Monster in Your Home (at Love and Logic's website).

Replace Electronic Screens with Loving Relationships
Kids don't miss their computers and TVs near as much when they have parents who spend plenty of time with them playing catch, riding bikes, sledding, and doing other sorts of good old-fashioned things that build relationships.

Dr. Charles Fay

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Back-to-School Health Tips

Usually I focus on kids' emotional, academic, and social needs, but today I have some ideas to protect their physical health. You know though, I suppose that does relate to their academic success, because if they are not here, they cannot learn!

First, back-to-school can mean back to germs. But, the other day I heard something very encouraging on the radio: "A few years ago, [researchers] tested how effective hand sanitizers were in reducing absenteeism in third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms. They found that when bottles of sanitizer — and wipes — were kept around, and students were cued to use them, they ended up missing significantly fewer days due to stomach bugs."

I think we can all agree that fewer stomach bugs would be a great thing in all our homes. :) Our teachers here at TPS seem very enthusiastic about hand sanitizer, and even our kindergarteners look like they know how to use it already. If you want to add another layer of protection for your child though, the article also offered the idea of giving him or her a pocket-sized bottle for their lunch box or backpack, and helping them identify any times during the day when they might want to use it.

Secondly, I know many of our students enjoy our cafeteria food, but those of you who pack lunches may be interested in this article about making sure that food stays safe until it is eaten.

Smart Choices to Ensure Safety at Lunch (article from the NY Times)

The same story that included the hand sanitizer information above also had these three suggestions for packing lunches or snacks:

1) Put your insulated lunch bags in the freezer overnight so that they're starting out much cooler in the morning.

2) When using ice packs, use two of them and bookend them on both sides of the perishable foods.

3) Wash hands and counters before making lunches. This is probably the most important tip... this is basic but people often forget it — especially if they're rushing around in the morning.

You can read the whole article here: Simple Things to Do to Lessen Back-to-School Stomach Bugs

Here's to good health for our students (and parents and teachers!) this year!

Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!

Teeth-Brushing Tips!

Just in time for the Halloween sweets frenzy, I received the following from the Love and Logic email list and thought I'd pass it on in case anyone out there finds it challenging to get their children to brush their teeth properly! It is a just a few ideas- hopefully one of them will work for you or spark your creativity in thinking of another loving and logical solution!

Have you ever been amazed at how tightly children can clench their teeth together when you try to "help" them brush their teeth? I have! And, yes, I admit it, I've tried to brush a strong-willed child's teeth, for them. Fortunately, I came to my senses before I lost a finger.

While we can't make spirited children take care of their teeth, we can apply the three E's of Love and Logic.

The first "E" stands for example. The next time your child needs to brush, experiment with saying, "Well, I'm going to go brush my teeth! I like the way they feel nice and clean after I brush, and how nice my breath smells." or "I like to take good care of my teeth so that I can have treats now and then."

The second "E" stands for empathy. When we can be sad, rather than angry or sarcastic, our kids are forced to realize that their poor decisions decrease the quality of their lives.
A very creative mother said this to her 13-year-old daughter, "Honey, I'm no longer going to nag you about brushing. When I see that you aren't, I'll deposit your allowance into a special bank account I've named 'dentures for my daughter.'"

The third "E" stands for experience. Many children need to experience some logical consequences associated with failing to take care of their mouths. Just the other day I drove through McDonald’s and ordered a child-size chocolate shake for myself. Three-year-old Cody sat in the backseat whining about the fact that I didn't get one for him. I felt horrible, but I knew that this little learning experience was far more affordable than having a mouth full of cavities as he grew older.

Dr. Charles Fay, Love and Logic

One other idea on the teeth-brushing subject- I heard on the radio the other day a parent who has instituted a "candy tax" on his children. The idea is that they are allowed to spend their allowance on candy or treats, but when they do, they have to pay their parents a 100% "candy tax" to make up for the health and dental issues they expect in the future! I thought it was pretty clever, and it fits right in with some of the Love and Logic strategies. The parent on the radio said the tax was working well- his children rarely choose to spend their allowance on candy, but do still get treats from their grandmother here and there. :)

Better behavior may be as easy as more SLEEP!

Did you know that an average child ages 6-12 needs 10-11 hours of sleep in each 24-hour period, and those ages 3-5 need 12 hours of sleep in every 24 hours? I did not, until I recently read Sleepless in America by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. It was an incredibly interesting book about children's sleep needs and the connection between challenging behavior and lack of sleep. The most surprising part of the book for me was that we often do not realize children are overtired because they fight bedtimes and naps, though they are desperate for sleep!

According to the book, running on a sleep deficit can contribute to numerous challenging behaviors for children, including "losing it" over little things, hyperactivity, wildness at bedtime, separation anxiety, losing focus, wandering between activities, not being open to your guidance, being bossy or demanding, hitting, throwing things, shouting, rule-breaking, becoming easily frustrated, seeking stimulation to keep going (teasing and fighting with siblings, wanting to watch TV, etc.), anxiety, frequent stomach or headaches, complaining that nothing is right no matter what you offer, clumsiness, craving carbohydrates or sugar, talking excessively, not listening, forgetfulness, disrupting others, feelings being easily hurt, struggling to make decisions, and not being patient. 

Whew! I know, it seems like a huge list of average childhood issues, not just the effects of missing sleep! But, the author presented both research and the personal experiences of many families to make the case that even if sleep is not the sole cause of such concerns, it certainly can play a major role in them.

Basically, the idea is that our children are often in the "red zone," a state of "tense energy." This means that the child is tired but full of tension- thoughts swirling, heart racing, and stress hormones fighting to keep the body alert and awake. A child in the red zone may eventually crash into poor-quality sleep, but that usually still leaves him or her overtired with many of the issues listed above. We want our kids to be in the "green zone" of "calm energy," where they are energized, engaged, and active, get tired in a calm and peaceful way, and ease into sleep when we time their bedtimes with their natural "windows" for sleeping so they can get the correct amount of high-quality restorative sleep. Interestingly, if we miss our children's natural 10-15 minute "window" for falling asleep, they can zoom into a state of alert for 45-90 more minutes before they'll hit another "window" where they can fall asleep again! I had no idea, but doesn't that make perfect sense when you think of kids running wild and melting down at bedtime and fighting to stay away from their beds at all costs?!

There are many triggers that can send kids into the red zone, but the most common are the Three T's:

• Tension generated by emotions (especially distress and excitement) related to changes, separations, overscheduling, overstimulation, life events, and even natural changes and milestones in your child's growth and development.
• Time: your child's "body clock" may be upset by the daily routine (or lack of routine) including exercise, mealtimes, caffeine and chocolate, time restrained in car seats or high chairs, TV and computer "screen time," etc.
• Temperament: your child's individual genetic "wiring" that may make him or her a more sensitive sleeper

One of the main things that helps calm kids is connection and bonding with parents and caregivers, which releases hormones to counter stress. The book gives a wealth of other suggestions for avoiding the triggers that can interfere with sleep, analyzing how much sleep your children need, taming children's tension, creating a convenient sleep routine, and finding workable ways to meet your children's (and your own!) sleep needs throughout the day, not just at night. It stresses that there is no one "right way" and that different families can meet their sleep needs differently. 

Unfortunately our public library does not have a copy of Sleepless in America, but it is available on amazon.com for about $10. Or, let me know if you'd like to borrow my copy for a week or so.