1. Parents as TeachersTracy Suhler, Supervisor ext. 152 tsuhler@usd405.com 800 S. Workman Leanne Hollinger, Educator ext. 128 lhollinger@usd405.com 1-620-257-5293Jasmin Chacon, Educator ext. 169 jchacon@usd405.com 1-877-808-9639Kari Troyer, Office Assist. ext. 142 ktroyer@usd405.com Ken Troyer, Fatherhood ext. 152 ketroyer@usd405.com Oscar Gomez, Fatherhood ext. 152ogcaminolyons@gmail.com MAY 2010 NEWSLETTER—RICE COUNTY PLAYGROUPS LyonsEvening Playgroup Thursday, May 6 th 6:30-7:30 p.m. LRC Gym Daytime Playgroup Tuesday, May 18 th 10:00-11:30 a.m. LRC Gym Spanish Playgroups Tuesday, May 4 th & 18 th 1:00-2:30 p.m. LRC Gym SterlingTuesday, May 11 th 9:00-10:30 a.m. Sterling Library LittleWednesday, May 12 th River10:00-11:30 a.m. Congregational Church Dudes to Dads Spanish and English: Thursday, May 13 th 7:00 p.m. @ FEC Receive a $25.00 gift card for attending! SUMMER IS COMING! May is the last month we will hold our regular playgroups. However, we will be having some special outdoor playgroups during the month of June. Look for details in your upcoming Summer Newsletter.

2. Terra-Cotta Birdbath Materials: 2 unglazed clay pot trays, one 8 ¼ inches in diameter and one 12 ¼ inches in diameter. Unglazed clay pot, 6 inches in diameter. Permanent enamel satin-finish paint. Paintbrushes. Clear satin-finish enamel glaze. Instructions: 1.Invert smaller tray and pot on newspaper covered surface so your child can paint a design on them. Allow to dry thoroughly. 2.Seal the paint with a coat of clear satin glaze. 3.Center the inverted pot on the tray base. 4.Set the larger tray right side up on top of the pot and fill it with no more than 3 inches of water. Tip: Don’t paint the larger tray, as the unpainted surface will provide a better grip for visiting birds. Butterfly Bounty Whether you’re packing a snack for a trip to the park or making a treat for your preschooler’s entire class, these fluttery friends are sure to charm. The bags can be filled with any snack, though a mix that offers a blend of colors and shapes makes for a more interesting butterfly. Materials: Clothespins, glitter glue, glue, googly eyes, snack items such as small crackers, trail mix, etc., snack-sized ziplock bags, pipe cleaners. Instructions: 1.For each bag, decorate one side of a clothespin (we used glitter glue). Glue two small googly eyes near the gripping end of the clothespin and let the glue dry. 2.Put snack into the ziplock bag until it’s about half full. Seal the bag, cinch the middle with your fingers, and clip it with the clothespin. 3.Fold down the tips of a 4 ½ inch length of pipe cleaner, then bend the entire piece in half. Clip the pipe cleaner in the clothespin. --www.familyfun.go.com

3. LYONS HEAD START We are a federally funded free preschool for those who qualify. Currently accepting applications for the 2010-2011 school year. Head Start Preschool offers: *Half-day sessions*Health services *Transportation (where available)*Inclusion for children *Individual programming with special needs. *Nutritious meals and snacks*Dental check-ups ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS YEAR ROUND FOR CHILDREN 3 TO 5 YEARS OLD. For more information, contact: Lyons Head Start 508 East Avenue South Lyons, KS 67554 620-257-2354 or 620-792-7400

4. The Public Temper Tantrum By Shari Steelsmith Tip: Ignore the people around you and focus on responding calmly to your child. Ah, the temper tantrum thrown in public—it’s a stage visited by nearly every family at some point. One factor that makes a public tantrum so excruciating is that it’s, well, so public. We may be reasonably calm when our children melt down at home or at Grandma’s house, but when it happens in the grocery store, we feel our own adrenaline begin to rise. We don’t always react calmly to these tantrums. The difference is that being in public puts parenting skills on display for everyone to see. Let’s say your little work-in-progress starts demanding Super Sugar Bomb cereal and then begins raging in the aisle because you said no. When you tell him to put the box back on the shelf, he instead tries to force it into the cart while screaming. You feel your temper rising as you intercept the box. He cries louder and grabs your arm as you put the box back on the shelf. You look up to see two adults staring at you. One man smirks. The lady behind him frowns and shakes her head. You feel frustrated and judged. You can’t go around explaining to everyone that your son missed his nap today because of a pediatrician appointment that went overlong. Recognize this scenerio? We’ve all been there! Tools: Parent educator Elizabeth Crary, author of 365 Wacky, Wonderful Ways to Get Your Children to Do What You Want, notes that almost all parents face this problem with preschoolers. It is short-lived with some children and much more challenging with others. “These kinds of public struggles are more embarrassing with intense, persistent children,” comments Crary. What can you do? She offers several ideas in her book including these: 1.Ignore the stares (or comments). People who have challenging children will understand. Those who have easy children probably won’t. Tune them out. They don’t really matter. Your response to your child is what matters. Focus on that. 2.Take a deep breath. People forget to breathe when they’re stressed. Oxygen to the brain is a good thing and you will make better decisions if you consciously breathe. 3.Respond calmly (even if you don’t feel calm). “I said no and I’m not going to change my mind. You can cry if you want to but you need to walk beside me or sit in the cart.” 4.Consider a brief time-out. I once gave my son a short time-out in the pickle section of the grocery store. I told him to stand there for a few minutes until he felt ready to control himself. He was familiar with time-out and cooperated by standing there, though crying angrily, with me nearby keeping an eye on him. If you can’t trust your child to stay in the designated spot, don’t use time-out. 5.If the tantrum is too noisy and out-of-control, quit. Leave the cart and take the screaming child to the car. Wait for him to calm down, or go home and do the shopping another time.

5. May 2010 SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday 1 234 Spanish PG 1:00 p.m. LRC 5 Cinco de Mayo 6 Evening Playgroup Lyons LRC 6:30 p.m. 78 9 Mother’s Day 1011 Sterling Playgroup 9:00 a.m. 12 Little River Playgroup 10:00 a.m. 13 Dudes to Dads 7:00 p.m. 1415 161718 Lyons PG 10:00 a.m. Spanish PG 1:00 p.m. 19202122 23242526 Last day of school for Lyons 272829 3031 Memorial Day HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! Devin P.May 3 rd Taela B.May 22 nd Dale L.May 24 th Logan S.May 29 th

6. Parents as Teachers 800 S. Workman Lyons, KS 67554 We’d like to say Thanks to everyone to helped us with this year’s Fatherhood Summit, “Be a Dad…Be a Hero” and thanks to everyone who attended. The food was great, the speakers were great and we hope you all enjoyed it! Also, Dads, it’s not too late to attend one of our Dudes to Dads meetings. They will continue to take place on the second Thursday of the month. If you would like to attend but that night doesn’t work for you, let us know. We can meet other nights, too.