I hear a burst of giggles and then see water droplets fly as the group of busy two-year-olds make the biggest splash they can. The morning sun is beating down and the children are having a great time playing in the water. Bright beams of late spring sun shine from above the children and reflect off the water below the children, setting the perfect stage for sunburn, but I know they are safe from sunburn because they all have a generous coating of sunblock on. Do you know ex

Bright, bold, colorful posters, signs, decorations, and artwork adorning the walls of daycare centers and home daycares alike are often thought of as a hallmark of fun, engaging programs, but what if all that screaming color comes at the price of your child's focused attention? My experience in daycare has shown me that there's something to be said for keeping the children's learning areas visually calm. Natural light, soothing colors, natural materials, and largely unadorne

In the wake of the No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top policies, the push to increase direct teaching of academics to ever-younger children is a topic on many parent's minds. While it can be a point of pride for children and parents when preschool children learn their alphabet and numbers, an academically rigorous curriculum can miss out on something that is of equal importance in determining Kindergarten readiness for children- learning how to interpret and address emo

It's that time of year again... all of us who spend lots of time outside keep feeling little tickles and wondering if it's a tick crawling on us. There's a lot of information circulating on the web about ticks and the dangerous diseases they can carry. It's also fairly easy to find information about keeping ticks off and what to do when you do find a tick on your body. Since the children and I do spend as much time outdoors as we can, you can rest assured I keep up to date

Over the years, I've had several parents come to me with concerns about "W-sitting." What is W-sitting, you ask? It's when the child sits on his or her bottom with knees bent backward and outward. It seems harmless. Shouldn't a child be able to sit whichever way is the most comfortable? Does it make that much of a difference? Why does my doctor tell me to avoid W-sitting anyway? The truth is that it can make a big difference and can delay normal development in some chil