RockIt Times AmuseLetter
St. Patrick's Day Fun!
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 Keep the good times rolling for your preschooler!
Contents
Quote Of The Month If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in. ~Rachel Carson Editorial Hello and welcome to another issue of the RockIt Times AmuseLetter! I'm so excited to welcome March and the inevitable onset of spring. If you've been a reader for a while, you know that I'm not a "winter girl". Spring means cuter clothes for me, the end of lost glove and hat worries for my children, fresh air and sunshine. I'm so happy I've managed to make it through the winter! This issue is dedicated to one of the fun spring holidays - St. Patrick's Day. Once a religious holiday created to celebrate the life of St. Patrick and his unbelievable conversion of Celtic pagans to Christianity, this holiday has turned into more of a secular holiday in recent years. According to legend, St. Patrick originally used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, showing how three separate entities could be a part of the same thing. But the green shamrock also represents the warmer weather ahead, welcoming the color green back into our lives. Whether you look at St. Patrick's Day as a time for spirituality or a chance for some fun and mischief, it offers a great chance to welcome in spring! A few years ago, I started hiding a leprechaun box for my sons. I take a regular box, cover it with green paper, and fill it with "gold" - small toys, goodies and treats. Before bed, I tell them a story about the leprechauns and how they are on the search for their treasure. The story goes that the leprechauns are sometimes drawn into our world by children who are wearing colorful jammies. The poor leprechauns think that the jammies are rainbows and come to find the treasure at the end! Once they discover that the colors aren't really a rainbow, they leave, but sometimes they leave behind a little something on accident. I leave a trail of shamrocks (I use shamrock confetti you can find at any craft or party store) from their beds to the middle of their rooms, so that they know the leprechaun has been there. Then I hide the leprechaun box somewhere in the house. We have a great time searching high and low to see if the leprechaun has left anything behind! However you decide to celebrate your holidays or just the days of the week, make sure that you are incorporating a sense of play, imagination, and adventure. The true gift is the time you spend with your child. Have a great spring! Reading Rocks! Recommendations
Kid Rock "Party In The Spotlight" Kid Rock 'n' Roll Time to get 'em moving! Our Kid Rock 'n' Roll party will get your children all warmed up as they shake, rattle and roll to some good old rock 'n' roll! This party theme may include the following songs or other rockin' tunes:
Reserve your party date today! Email to parties@rockitkids.com or call us at 847-961-6584. Craft Of The Month Pot of Gold
Instructions: Have children cut tissue paper into squares. Starting with small sections, apply glue mixture with paint brush or sponge applicator to jar. Stick tissue paper onto glue mixture and continue all the way around the jar. Apply glue mixture over the top of tissue paper layer. Apply a second layer of tissue paper, allow to dry completely. About the Author Having a party? Don't forget to invite Kid Rock! If you are in our neighborhood, we happily provide stress-free, interactive children's party entertainment for any function. Or, make it a Kid Rock day no matter where you live, with our perfectly assembled gift bags and party favors! Visit the official Kid Rock website at http://www.rockitkids.com/ for more information! Snack Of The Month Enjoy double fun making green snacks in honor of St. Patrick! Green Scones Ingredients:
Directions:
Shamrock Shakes Ingredients:
Directions:
Music Rocks! Recommendations
Motor Activity Of The Month The Leprechaun A leprechaun is small and green, (put hand to indicate a short leprechaun) Special Guest Article Understanding Preschool Child Development
"Children are our most valuable natural resource." What is a preschooler? Depending on how you look at him or her a preschooler can be defined or understood in many different ways. Here are some ways to help you relate to and improve your relationship with your preschool age child. Physical Development: The preschool child is a whirlwind of activity. They are active explorers of the world around them. In addition, they are more confident about using their bodies. They run smoothly, at moderate speeds, jump, climb and perform other "gross motor" activities fairly well. "Fine motor" skills, i.e., using scissors, drawing, painting, and pasting are coming along but have not yet reached the level of skill of an older 5 to 7 year old child. Cognitive Development: Preschoolers can be described, in terms of their cognition, as "little explorers." They are seeking to understand how the world operates and functions. They role-play mom and dad to determine gender differences and they take things apart to see how things work. Preschoolers can remember events from day to day; they can take what they have learned from yesterday and begin to see how it applies to today and even anticipate tomorrow. They still cannot separate fantasy from reality and still live in a fairy tale, pre-operational world. Attention span is approximately 8 to 15 minutes on a good day. Social Development: Preschool age children are beginning to learn how to interact with their peers. At 3 and 4 years of age they engage in parallel play. Parallel play consists of children, in a group, playing with the same toys, but not with each other. They play "side-by-side" versus cooperatively together. At 5 and 6 years of age children begin to play cooperative, e.g., throwing a ball to each other and rolling cars back and forth. At this age gender identity is also forming and children become curious about sexual differences. As friendships develop they become concerned with having "best" friends. Expressive arts, that develop gross and fine motor skills, are beneficial. Emotional/Self Development: At this age, preschoolers will be "like" all kinds of people from mom and dad, to the garbage man, to the policeman. The purpose behind this type of play is to understand the role of adults in their life. Preschoolers want to please adults. They need frequent approval and reassurance from primary caregivers. They like to be observed when playing and wants parent's full attention. They may become fearful when separated from parents or caregivers but are generally easily consoled and adjust to new environments within a few minutes. Language Development: Language development is tied into cognitive development but is such a major part of the preschool age child, that it is addressed as a separate category. Developmentally, three-year-old children can use complete sentences and is constantly asking questions. They can speak about 900 words and can communicate their basic needs, such as "I'm hungry" or "My foot hurts." Four-year-old children can use complete and compound sentences. They will speak approximately 1,500 words. They like to sing, tell tall tales, brag, and will often exaggerate and call other children names. Five-year-old children speak over 2,000 words and love to tell and listen to stories. They can focus for longer periods of time and often asks thoughtful questions. In addition, 3-5 year old children can only understand simple, clear commands and have difficulty following multi-step directives, such as: "Clean your room." Common Parenting Problems with Preschool Age Children
About the Author: Ron Huxley is the author of the book "Love & Limits: Achieving a Balance in Parenting." Visit his website at http://parentingtoolbox.com and get expert advice on anger management, mental health, and parenting issues. Ron Huxley may be contacted at http://parentingtoolbox.com or huxleyron@aol.com Subscriber Talk! Do you have comments or suggestions for us? We love to hear and share what our readers think! Please send your feedback to us at: Great Links and Freebies Check out these great links for parents and caregivers!
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This super easy project is a fun way to create a little package of goodies for friends, family, or best of all, Mommy or Daddy!