Tag Archives: California

Apr 4 2012

Ouch That Hurts!

Bumps, minor cuts, and bruises are an everyday occurence in my house.  I wish I could say otherwise, but throwing a four-year old, a three-year old, a two-year old and a three-month old into a 12 foot by 12 foot space day after day just begs for an injury.  Especially if the two-year old is a holy terror stunt devil. 

Somedays I think I can see him jumping the Grand Canyon on a motorcycle, then I realize in his mind, he actually is.  It’s at that point I try to figure out how I am going to catch him while he sails off his scooter with one hand before he slams his face into something hard, like the edge of the coffee table.  My daughter is not much help, she unwittingly encourages him as she laughs at his antics, and it is difficult to blame her. I am pleased he can do so much, he has faced many developmental delays including overcoming most of his partial right side paralysis and we are all amazed at his tricks.

With kids like mine, who have now created grandchildren like them, I have had many opportunities to try out inexpensive home remedies for common “Ouch! that hurts” moments that I have used for years, and hopefully they can save you some cents, since like me, you probably have them right in your kitchen pantry and therefore they are easy to reach as you are trying to prevent the next minor catastrophe from occurring.

Minor Cuts

Use:  Honey

How it Works: Most of us have tried honey in tea to soothe a scratchy throat, but it’s also been used to treat wounds for thousands of years. Last year, a review of research found that honey is helpful in healing minor to moderate burns, and a recent Dutch study identified a protein called defensin-1 that gives the goo its antibacterial action.

Try this: Apply raw warm honey to a minor cut (one without a lot of bleeding) or mild burn, then put a gauze bandage on top; change the dressing daily. However, if you have a burn or wound that’s accompanied by swelling, fever, or pain, or if the wound is deep, check with a doctor instead; it may require oral antibiotics.

Nick yourself a lot? Pick up raw manuka honey at the health-food store. Research shows this type has particularly potent antibacterial properties, says Robin Schaffran, M.D., a dermatologist in Beverly Hills, California.

Bruising

Use: Ice and Heinz (or any white) Vinegar

How it Works: Most of us know that bruising is caused by a “cut” under your skin. Ice keeps the swelling down and helps the blood vessels under the skin to close up, preventing continued bleeding. The vinegar acts as a healing agent to speed up the clearing of any color that does arise.

Try This: Apply ice quickly, but not directly to the skin for about twenty minutes.  Then soak a cotton ball in vinegar and wipe it across the area.  Repeat the vinegar step three times daily.  Bruises usually clear up in about three days. 

Bee Stings, Mosquito Bites, and Non-Poisonous Spider Bites

Use: Meat Tenderizer

How it Works:Meat tenderizer contains papain, an enzyme that breaks down proteins (like the ones in your T-bone steak). But papain can also break down toxins from bug bites and cut back on itching, Schaffran says.

Note: Use tenderizer only on mosquito bites, bee stings, and nonpoisonous spider bites. If you experience symptoms such as nausea, difficulty breathing, or cramping in your abs or lower back, seek medical help immediately.

Try this: Mix a small amount of meat tenderizer with water to make a paste and apply to the bite. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Sunburns (also good for hives, eczema, or itching)

Use: Oatmeal

How it works: Oats pack phytochemicals with anti-inflammatory properties that soothe itchy and inflamed skin, a study in the Archives of Dermatological Research shows. Most M.D.’s recommend using the finely ground colloidal type sold in drugstores, but any unflavored oatmeal will help.

Try this: If you’re using regular oatmeal, grind it into a fine powder, Schaffran says. Put a cup of oats through a food processor until they dissolve easily into a glass of water. Pour the solution into a bathtub full of warm water and soak for 15 minutes. Using colloidal oats? Just sprinkle them right into the tub.

Heartburn (my grandson has terrible GERD, and Ouch, It hurts!)

Use: Cinnamon

How it Works: Long used in Korea, cinnamon reduces stomach acid, and has antibiotic and antifungal properties which facilitate digestion.

Try This: A pinch in ginger tea will help calm the stomach acid and relax the muscles of the esophagus.  Alternatively, a pinch sprinkled onto a slice of bread with dinner is a sweet way to ease the benefits of cinnamon into your diet.

 

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Mar 13 2012

Selecting a School for Kindergarten

Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony 2011

Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony 2011 (Photo credit: SFA Union City)

Today I read an article on parents camping out, in tents, to register their children for a top kindergarten in California.  Besides the obvious question: what makes this school is so much better than other surrounding schools, and how can this be addressed, it also raises the question: how do I know which kindergarten is right for my four-soon-to-be-five year old?

I have placed four children in primary through secondary school, as well as into college; and I have assisted in the selection of preschools, elementary schools, and middle schools for my grandchildren.  I have been on dozens of tours of schools and spoken with superintendents, teachers, principals, duty aids, and other parents.  There are some critical items to keep an eye out for when selecting a school for your kindergartener, but with the medias hyper-focus on reading and test scores you may be surprised how simple the most important features can be:

Children and adults feel welcomed in the class.

On the tour, does everyone you meet, from the principal to the teacher, to the duty aid make eye contact with you? This should speak volumes about the openness of the environment your child will be spending his time in.  If you do not get to at least wave to the principal, be concerned.  All the best schools my family has been to the principal took a minute to pop by.

Children have a program that is appropriate. This means teaching and materials make sense for the age and needs of all children.

My oldest grandson sat down on his first day of kindergarten and was instructed to: cut, color, reorder a letter train into the alphabet and then glue it to a trip.  Really?  That child was lucky to remember to keep his hands to himself in the car that morning… turns out upon further inquiry his teacher just moved to kindergarten after nine years teaching sixth grade. We found a class better suited for him.

Children have both quiet and active times in the program.

Wasn’t it just yesterday your little one was taking naps?  No really, yesterday.  If so, make sure that the structure of the program gives your child an appropriate amount of active and down time.  If you are faced with the half day versus full day choice, ask for a schedule of a typical day for each.  You might be surprised to see reading/rest time in a full day schedule, but maybe that’s just what your child needs.

Children have plenty of supplies and materials. There are enough available for the number of children in the class.

On your tour, when you see the classroom, is it well supplied? At the beginning of the year where we live, teachers and parents alike contribute to classroom supplies, but if those supplies are too lean in the spring and not replenished (and your tour is the perfect time for a little private-eye work), you may have a problem with parent involvement or teacher communication.  On the other hand, if the coffer runneth over, your school probably has great parents who care about the environment you child will be learning in and a teacher who speaks to them regularly about the classroom needs.

Children have a class program that supports the needs and abilities for all children.

One of my grandchildren had a hearing impaired child in his class starting in kindergarten.  Everytime they learned a vocabulary word, they also learned the accompanying sign.  By the end of the year, there were some very fluent ASL five and six-year olds in Peoria.  This continued for every year, and children rotated through, so this little girl had a very healthy and talkative friend set by the time she hit second grade.  You never saw so much  silence as at the first grade Thanksgiving picnic.  But it was wonderful!  How does the school you are considering create a supportive learning environment for all the children?

The teacher manages regular childhood behaviors, like sharing and taking turns, so children feel safe and included.

It is very important that social graces extend from your house to school and back again. In my opinion, school is as much for learning social skills as it is for learning math.  But you cannot enforce good manners when you are not present.  Does the teacher have similar values that you have and is she willing to gently enforce them?  Is social development a part of her lesson plan?

The teacher supports parent involvement in the class.

The teacher shares with parents what is happening at school. The teacher and family work together to solve problems.  Communication is key!  A great way to tell if the teacher welcome parent involvement is to ask about how she uses volunteers.  You do not need to sign up for every class party, field trip, art project, or bulletin board design, but knowing that you would be welcomed to do so lets you know the teacher is open about what happens in the room.

In school house rock fashion, if you find yourself taking the conjunction junction to a tent on the grass in a parent-parody of the Occupy Kindergarten Movement, best of luck to selecting the best program for your child.  And if you  have a tip I’ve left off the list, add it below for others to see! 

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