Sweet Development: Holiday Baking With Toddlers and Preschoolers
During the holiday season, as parents we want to make special rituals with our children. One of those rituals may include baking cookies or the infamous gingerbread house with our toddler or preschooler. Parents will all agree that this is a difficult challenge, but the benefits are so important for their development.
Baking Builds Math Skills
Kids learn all kinds of mathematical concepts while baking. When they are helping to dump 3 cups of flour into a bowl, they are counting.
Baking Enriches Oral Vocabulary and Reading Skills
Explanation and reasoning is an excellent way to build vocabulary while reading a recipe. Learning to follow the steps of a recipe is an important reading skill that will translate later into your child being able to understand how to read directions of any kind.
Baking Introduces Life Skills
It builds self-esteem by giving kids the skills they need to feed and look after themselves as they grow.
Baking Develops Fine-Motor Skills
For young children, baking provides fun fine-motor practice. When holding a spoon, kids are developing and strengthening their pincer grasp (needed for writing). Also, when they are stirring, they are building hand-eye coordination.
Baking Promotes Social Skills
"Who is going to do what?" and "Whose turn is it?" are both critical social lessons that apply to all sorts of situations. You are still modelling turn-taking and waiting skills.
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As your child heads back to school this fall, you’ve made sure they have all the supplies, clothes, technology, and other items they need to be successful in the classroom. There’s just one thing missing from this list: Sleep. Consistent, quality sleep is just as important to a successful academic year as anything you can purchase.
Summertime is here. School is out and children are spending more time at home. Do you know what potential poisons are in your household? Could you, your children, or your babysitter mistake a harmful product for a safe product? You may be surprised by how often these close calls happen!
You probably know how dangerous lead is, especially for children. Even low levels can have long term effects on a child’s development. The most important thing you can do is lessen your exposure or avoid lead exposure altogether.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service has been awarded $5 million to directly impact early-childhood education in the state by developing a new curriculum for children from birth through age 5. The funds will be used to develop “My Mississippi Adventures,” a developmentally appropriate, integrated curriculum to be used in licensed child care facilities.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service Head Start program is hiring for various positions in Harrison County. Head Start needs qualified candidates to fill positions including lead teachers, assistant teachers, a project coordinator, an educational leader, a floater, an administrative assistant, an office associate, an assistant cook and a custodian.
Success Stories
The Pearl River County 4-H Junior Master Gardeners have made some special additions to Poplarville City Park. A new pollinator garden planted in raised beds features a wildflower area, a native plant area, and an herb area.
The 2022 Sale of Champions generated a preliminary total of $448,500, approximately $40,000 more than last year and the highest ever.
At least half the childcare providers in Pike County, from Summit to the state line, are participating in free trainings scheduled and delivered by Don Smith, the Mississippi State University Extension Service agent in Pike County.
Waynesboro pre-K educator earns accreditation through Early Years Network program, opens new center
LaTonya Hill dedicated herself to early childhood education as a college student, but an odd turn of events convinced her to open her own childcare center.
Head Start staff completes training to ensure safe, healthy foods
Washington County Opportunities Inc. Head Start/Early Head Start was forced to stop in-person services for much of 2020 because of the pandemic, but that did not stop its staff from feeding the children who are registered in the program.
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