Section 5: Physical Fitness

Section 5: Physical Fitness

Megan Swenson

Educ 1005

October 6, 2013

Section 5: Physical Fitness

As you have been learning, your knowledge about the nutritional and fitness needs of children will have the greatest impact when you can share this knowledge in order to help children and their families grow in awareness of and commitment to healthy behaviors and lifestyles. For your blog section this week, prepare a 2-page fact sheet to inform both early childhood professionals and families about the essential aspects of physical fitness for preschool-age children. Use the following guidelines:

Write an introductory paragraph or at least five bullet points that explain why physical fitness is so important for young children. Include at least three developmental skills that children are learning at this age, and describe how physical activities can help children toward mastery of these skills. Be sure to cite evidence from the learning resources or, if desired, use other resources to support your claims.

·         Explain what can happen when children do not engage in healthy fitness activities. Be sure to consider the impact on children of being overweight or obese, including implications for health and self-esteem.

·         Indicate how adults can help children develop good fitness habits. Describe at least two activities, such as specific games or movements, which are appropriate and enjoyable for children of this age. At least one of the activities should involve gross-motor (locomotor) skills, and another should involve fine-motor (manipulative) skills. Remember, the activities you recommend should be developmentally appropriate, which includes noncompetitive.

·         Based on your readings, include at least one inspirational, thought-provoking quote that captures your attitude and/or philosophy about fostering children's healthy growth and development.

·         For your fact sheet, draw on the information in the fitness articles from this week's Required Resources and your own research to provide evidence about the positive impact that physical activity has on children's health, both now and in the future. Be sure to cite your sources.

Assignment length: 2 pages

            There are many different reasons why physical fitness is so important for young children the first reason that physical fitness is so important is because it keeps children from becoming obese. This is something that is a huge problem due to the fact that there are more and more indoor activities coming along that keep children on their bottoms doing nothing. The next reason why physical fitness is so important is because it helps children to learn motor skills. This is something we learn about when my son was little because he was delayed in walking and it put his fine motor skills behind as well. Physical fitness is also very important in order to help to strengthen the child’s bones (Robertson, 2013). The next two reasons why physical fitness is so important are to strengthen muscles and to help to strengthen lungs.

Children at this age learn many different skills from physical activity. One of the skills that they learn is to run. This is something my two year old has learned to do and now he wants to run everywhere. The next developmental skill that the child learns is balance. Then the third of the skills that I will address that they learn is hand eye coordination through playing ball (Robertson, 2013). If a child is not given the opportunity to engage in healthy fitness then they can become overweight and in some cases obese and this can lead to a low self esteem. If they are not involved in healthy fitness activities then they can tend to be behind in different types of development. Also not having healthy fitness can lead to the child having bad help and heart problems and blood pressure problems if not while they are young when they are older.

Adults play a major role in having the children engage in healthy fitness. I would have to say that adults can help with good fitness habits by doing the activities with the child.  The first activity that I have done with mmy sone is jumping. He loves to jump and we will jump together and sing different songs while doing so. The next activity that can be done is running and this is something that I do with my son as well. He loves to run while playing with his ball. We just started working on dribbling the ball by running, but he is still young and working super hard at learning to do so. I would have to say that the only that that relates to my thinking is “Preschool and school-aged children are active on a daily basis” (Robertson, 2013, pp.274). this is something that shows the attitude I have and that if you keep your child active you and your child can strive to be healthier. This is why I support adults that get out and are active with their children. My son is only two and is already athletic and loves to be active.

As you can see physical fitness goes beyond just keeping away obesity and being overweight and that changing a diet is not all the child needs that they need to be outside to learn as well as get the appropriate exercise that they need. Children need to be active for more just their physical being but also for their different motor skills.  Adults also need to be active so being active with the young children and running and jumping and playing ball is good for them as much as it is you. This is why we need to encourage children to be active for the physical, mental, and emotional health and to keep their health under control. Many adults do not realize that children need to be active for more than just their weight but for the other aspects of health in which we can not see. I urge the adults to be active with their children not just for the child, but for themselves as well because it is good for everyone who is involved.
Reference

Robertson, C. (2013). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Section 4: Healthy Food and Nutrition

Section 4: Healthy Food and Nutrition

Megan Swenson

Educ 1005

September 29, 2013

Section 4: Healthy Food and Nutrition

Based on current trends and realities, it is clear that adults committed to children's healthy growth and development must advocate for high-quality nutrition, which begins with a strong foundational knowledge of children's nutritional needs, developmental stages, and dietary guidelines.

For your course project this week, you will create a fourth section that provides important information on nutrition and age-appropriate foods for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and that will serve as an educational tool for adults who work with young children and their family members.

Use the following guidelines:

·         Summarize why good nutrition and eating habits are so important to children in each age group. Cite evidence from Chapter 6 in your text and/or other resources to support your claims.

·         Refer to Chapter 8 in your course text and explain why adults should actively help children develop healthy eating habits and at least two ways this can be accomplished.

·         Provide three nutritious recipes that family members can prepare with preschoolers and explain the nutritional value of each. (To locate recipes, look through the various suggested Web sites or do research as needed.) Offer strategies and suggestions to make cooking together an enjoyable learning experience for children.

There are a number of reasons why good nutrition and eating habits are so important to a child in whatever age group that they are in. the first of the reasons why good nutrition and eating habits are so important is to keep away diseases such as scurvy and Rickets disease (Robertson, 2013). The next reason that good nutrition is so important for children of all age groups is because it keeps strong bones and immune system healthy to keep away illnesses. This shows that you need to take in the right nutrition so that you can have healthy children to have a healthy future.

This is where adults come into play because if the children do not learn to eat properly from the adults then they do not know any better. I would have to say that adults should help children develop healthy eating habits by offering children a variety of foods in different shapes as well as different colors. This would also include the offering the child foods in which are easy to eat (Robertson, 2013). My son never wants to eat anything that is not bright in color and something they he can not pick up. Since he has not mastered using a spoon he wants something that he can eat by the handful and is very colorful because something he loves is something that is bright in color, basically if it catches his eye he will eat it. The next way in which adults can help a child to eat with good food habits is by making sure that the food is served at room temperature because children tend to shy away from food in which is too hot or too cold (Robertson, 2013). This is something that I have experienced firsthand because my son has learned that if food is too hot he can not eat it without waiting for it to cool and then you are more than likely going to lose his attention to eating and he will just play with it once it cools.

            There are many different recipes out there for preschoolers that is healthy food as well.  One of the recipes that I have used is for a grilled pita and it is very nutritious. It is made with a half of cup of low fat cream cheese, a teaspoon of chives, a teaspoon of parsley, three to four cups of veggies, and four whole wheat pitas (Nemours, 2013). There are many nutritious values in this and they are Vitamin A, Iron, Vitamin C, and Calcium. The next recipe that I suggest for preschoolers is Lucky Lettuce Cups. Lucky Lettuce Cups are many of 2 tablespoons of safflower oil, three-fourths cup of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into one inch cubes, four scallions slice thin, one piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated, two large cloves of garlic minced, cup of zucchini cut into one inch cubes, cup of red bell peppers in one inch cubes, cup of yellow bell pepper in one inch cubes, cup of lightly salted roasted peanuts, cup of brown rice, tablespoon of brown sugar, tablespoon of soy sauce, one and a half teaspoons of rice wine vinegar, half teaspoon of salt, fourth teaspoon of chile sauce, and a head of butter lettuce washed and separated (Nemours, 2013). The nutritious values that are in this are Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron. The third recipe that I have chosen is Fun Fruit Kabobs and they have one apple, one banana, third of a cup of red seedless grapes, third of a cup of green seedless grapes, two-thirds cup of pineapple chunks, cup of nonfat yogurt, and a fourth cup of dried and shredded coconut (Nemours, 2013). In this recipe you have Protein, Vitamin C, and many more because fruit is so good for you. The one thing that you can do in all of these is to have your preschooler combine the ingredients and in cases put the fruit on the stick or whatever you choose to use.

References

Nemours. (2013). Fun Fruit Kabobs. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/recipes/fruit_kabobs.html#cat20229

Nemours. (2013). Gilled Veggie Pita. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/recipes/veggie_pita.html

Nemours. (2013). Lucky Lettuce Cups. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/recipes/lettuce-cups.html

Robertson, C. (2013). Safety, Nutrition, & Health in Early Education (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Section 3: CPR and Choking Emergencies

Section 3: CPR and Choking Emergencies

Megan Swenson

Educ 1005

September 22, 2013

When a child has been burned, has ingested poison, or is choking on a piece of food, you may be the person who can save that child's life. The plans and preparation you and your colleagues have in place can make all the difference in a life-or-death situation. In fact, anyone who is licensed or trained to work with young children should have the knowledge and capabilities for providing emergency care at a moment's notice.

For this section of your course project:

·         Create two scenarios: one in which a child is choking and another in which a child needs CPR. In each of your scenarios, include who is involved and where it is occurring (for example, a 5-year-old in a preschool setting has stopped breathing and is apparently choking on a piece of food). Then outline the proper emergency procedures for dealing with each situation (see pages 179–180 in your text).

·         Next, summarize why advance planning is often the best way to respond to or prevent an emergency situation and the kinds of training (e.g., CPR or first aid training) you believe are needed in order to prevent or positively resolve such emergencies.

·         Finally, describe any other steps adults must take to ensure they are prepared to handle these kinds of crises, including such information as first aid supplies, family emergency contact information, and so on.

Note: To help determine your approach and procedures for dealing with personal emergencies, review the following Web sites for information about what is included in various training courses:

o    American Red Cross: Prepare for Emergencies with American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Courses
    http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/aed.html
    (Includes descriptions of training in American Red Cross First Aid and CPR)

o    American Heart Association: CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care
    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/CPR_UCM_001118_SubHomePage.jsp 
    (Includes listings for courses on CPR and emergency cardiovascular care, including Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid, which was designed specifically to meet the needs of childcare workers)

Assignment length: Approximately 2 pages

This week, you will submit the third section of your course project for your Instructor to review.

Submit this assignment by Day 7 of this week.

Scenario 1:

There are many things in which can take place in care facility for early childhood children. I was in a situation not so long ago when my infant son was choking. He had been sitting in his highchair eating and just started to choke I followed the procedures that was lined out that we learned when we were in discharge class when my oldest was in the Neonatal Intensive Care. He started to choke and I took him out of the highchair and was calm about it all. I tired him upside down with his head in my hand and gave him thrusts on the back until the object came up. I was able to get it up, but the set after this that I would have taken if I was unsuccessful would have been to have my husband call the emergency response team. If this had been someone else’s child I would have had the emergency response team called the minute that the child passed out and then the parents would have been called (Robertson, 2013).

There are many different reasons why advanced planning is so important as well as why it is the best way to avoid emergency situations. In the case that a child is choking it is important to know what you need to do to get the piece of food out of the child’s airway. Also having a planning in advance is good because then the adults know what to do and may not get in a hurry and freak out and make the wrong move of not know what to do. I would have to say that the only other step that the adults must make to be prepared to handle knows the emergency plans and what to do in each of the emergency situations. This means have meetings to ensure that the adults know what to do in each of the situations that can arise.

Scenario 2:

            A two year old child is playing and all of a sudden stops and just drops and is lethargic and starts to turn blue. You go over to the child and you stay calm and tell someone else to go call the emergency response team and you check to see if the child is breathing and if the child has a pulse. It is now that you realize that the child is not breathing and has no pulse and this is when you start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (Robertson, 2013). Then when the response team takes over you call the parents and tell them to meet or have someone meet the team at the emergency room. After everything is over you should write up a report on what exactly happened and what took place and tell how this could have been avoided if better safety precautions had been put in place (Robertson, 2013).

            I would have to say that there are many reasons why advanced planning is could have helped in this situation. I would have to say that the first is because the adults would have known what to do and how to handle the situation. Also having advance planning would have helped because the adult would have been trained and know what to do to avoid having issues with anxiety. I would have to say that the only step the adults must take to make sure that they are able to handle these situations would be making sure that they keep up to date with the plans of the Red Cross and other organizations like this so that they know what they are suppose to do and stay up with the organizations so that their knowledge is up to date and current.  

Reference

Robertson, C. (2013). Safety, Nutrition, & Health in Early Education (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Section 2: Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters

Section 2: Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters

Megan Swenson

Educ 1005

September 15, 2013

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Section 2: Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters

Crisis situations can take many forms and occur at any time. A disaster, whether human-generated or natural, may threaten a facility where young children are present. Depending on where the facility is located, natural disasters range from fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, to floods. Unfortunately, these are not the only kinds of emergencies adults who work with young children must plan for. The terrorist attack of 9/11 and news of various school shootings have underscored the critical importance of emergency preparedness of all kinds. Although years may go by without a crisis, when a critical situation presents itself, adults must be able to respond quickly and effectively. Advance planning is essential.

Early childhood professionals should prepare for large-scale dangers, such as ecological disasters or terrorist attacks, the same way they prepare for emergencies involving individuals: by first identifying the kind of crisis that may occur, analyzing the risks it poses, and determining steps to prevent and cope with the dangerous situation. This week, you will continue to work on your course project by creating Section 2, "Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters." You will select and investigate a crisis situation caused by two different disasters and draft a plan for dealing with each one.

·         Think of two specific dangers or disaster scenarios that could threaten an early childhood environment in the area where you live. Review and/or familiarize yourself with relevant information and guidelines using the following resources:

·          

o    Read through relevant sections of the American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org/) and FEMA (http://www.fema.gov/) Web sites.

o    Consult the "Day Care Facilities Emergency Planning Guide."

o    Refer to the "Reality Check" sections on pages 199–201 ("Creating an Emergency Natural Disaster Plan for Your Early Childhood Education Environment") and pages 203–204 ("Human-Generated Disasters") of your course text, and identify the appropriate planning steps for the disasters you selected.

For this section of your course project, complete the following:

·         Describe each of the disaster scenarios you have chosen (such as a hurricane that has quickly developed in your area) and a real or hypothetical early childhood setting (such as a Head Start program housed on a university campus near the coast). What are the main dangers posed by these situations? Who is at risk?

·         Explain why you and your colleagues should be prepared. What are the consequences of not being prepared?

·         Summarize the appropriate steps you would take to develop a plan in advance for this disaster and how you would deal with it if it occurs.

Be sure to:

·         Explain how you would assess the risks.

·         Identify potential complications created by this disaster besides the main disaster/danger itself.

·         Describe any other steps you and/or your early childhood program should take to be prepared to handle this kind of crisis. What kinds of materials or documentation (e.g., first aid supplies, family emergency contact information, and so on) would be necessary and/or helpful?

·         Explain how you might involve the families of the children in your care.

This week, you will submit the second section of your course project for your Instructor to review.

Submit this assignment by Day 7 of this week.

In the area that I live in we typically always have a tornado warning or it has touched down nearby. I would have to say that one of the top things that I do to assess it is which way is it going and is it headed right for me. This is something that is a given because back in the day we were in a bowl and tornados literally skips over us and hits the other side. Everyone who is in the path of this storm is whom is at risk. The main complication that arises with this one is the fact that objects fly and the debris and the fact that buildings get torn apart and mangled. I would have to say that as a early childhood program should have a basement with water bottles and snacks as well as flashlights and a first aid kit. This is the way in which you would be prepared and when it actually happens you would go to that safe place and stay there until they give the all clear. The only way in which you can involve the families is having them provide the supplies and when the all clear is given then you can take the children to their parents or whoever cares from them. If you are not prepared for the tornado then you could have to go days without water because the tornado does so much damage.

The next disaster that we have in this area is fires that burn uncontrolled. The main danger of a fire like this is that grass and buildings catch fire. I know for a fact that anyone in the path of this fire is at risk then there is a huge risk that if you are not prepared for it then there is a risk of injury and death. I would assess the risks by how fast is the fire going and what are the chances it will hit me and what do I take to keep myself safe and my belongings safe. There are complications that the disaster gives to itself and that is becoming so large that the firefighters can not get it put out. I would have to say that as a child care giver I should be alert of what is going on around me. The only material I think you can have is an extinguisher. I think that families of the children in my care can make sure that when they are burning  that they have checked with the city and that the weather conditions are okay to burn as well as making sure that they are safe when they burn their brush or whatever else that they may need to burn.

These two disasters are very hard to prepare for because there is so much that can happen when it comes to the storm and tornados develop out of nowhere. Joplin, Missouri is about an hour south of here and I asked someone there what it was like to be there when the storm came through and they responded and said that there was no time to do anything. They said the storm went from just a thunderstorm to a tornado is a short amount of time. Fires are pretty unpredictable as well because you never know when someone is going to set a fire and it be too windy for it or when someone is going to do the wrong thing. Just make sure that you have fire detectors in your house and have a tornado prepared basement to go to with bottled water and blankets because people can get trapped for days in the building they are in or basement they are in. Just be aware of what is going on and keep yourself and family safe.

Section 1: Safety Practices and Policies

Section 1: Safety Practices and Policies

Megan Swenson

Educ 1005

September 8, 2013

            Infants and toddlers can have a lot of scary things because they are young and do not know any better and learning. The first of the things that are hazardous for this age is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This can be decreased simply by putting baby to bed on the back and not having soft bedding and stuff animals in the sleeping area. The next of the hazards for babies this age is that they roll and if the stairs and other higher objects are not protected the child could fall off and get hurt. They next thing that becomes an issue is light sockets and this is a big thing because toddlers tend to as well as babies stick their fingers inside of it (Robertson, 2013). This is why the need for plug protectors are needed so that the babies and the toddlers can not stick their fingers in it. The net thing that happens at this age is that children get into the cabinets and they get into cleaners and in some cases the children will drink them not knowing any better. This is why they have made special locks for all of the cabinets of all kinds to keep babies and toddlers out of them and safe (Robertson, 2013). The final of the risks that hit me is small objects. The small objects are the problem because the infants and toddlers are able to easily choke on them. This is why you should keep age appropriate toys only out for baby to play with.

As you have seen above as a parent there are a number of things that you can do to ensure your child’s safety. The step that you can take as a parent is to put all small objects up out of reach and vacuum floors. The next one is to use safety gates and to baby proof your house with supplies. These are things that are very important. A lot of the things that happen to infants and toddlers that can be avoided simply by making sure you secure your home and keep it clean. These things are typically sold in all stores and they are there for a reason. As I have always been told when it comes to my kids it is better to be safe than to be sorry because something has happened that could have been easily avoided just by making sure that your home is safe for children.

Reference

Robertson, C. (2013). Safety, Nutrition, & Health (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.