1. February 2009 Newsletter—Rice County Parents as Teachers Tracy Suhler, Supervisor ext. 152 800 S. Workman Wendy Comley, Educator ext. 128 1-620-257-5293 Kari Troyer, Office Assist. ext. 142 1-877-808-9639 Jasmin Chacon, Educator ext. 169 PLAYGROUPS LyonsBrown Bag Play Day Wednesday, Feb. 4 th 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PAT Center Evening Playgroup NO Evening Playgroup See you at the Summit!! Daytime Playgroup Wednesday, Feb. 18 th 10:00-11:30 a.m. LRC Gym Spanish-speaking Playgroups Tuesday, Feb. 10 th and 24 th 1:00-2:30 p.m. LRC Gym SterlingWed. Feb. 11 th and 25 th 9:30-11:00 a.m. Sterling Library LittleWed. Feb. 11 th and 25 th River10:00-11:30 a.m. Congregational Church ACTIVITY GROUPS (Designed for ages 3 and 4) LyonsFriday, Feb. 13 th and 27 th 9:00-9:45 a.m. PAT Center Friday, Feb. 6 th and 20 th 10:30-11:15 a.m. Cornerstone Daycare SterlingFriday, Feb. 6 th and 20 th 9:00-9:45 a.m. Sterling Library DUDES TO DADS MEETING Thursday, February 12 th FEC Board Room 7:00 p.m. IT’S FINALLY HERE! Fathers to the Front Line Thursday, February 5 th 5:45 p.m.-7:30 p.m. LHS Cafeteria Guys, grab a friend, enjoy some awesome BBQ and collect helpful information on being a dad. IT TAKES A MAN TO BE A DAD!

2. A Valentine Tradition The original inspiration for this was a mom who wrote in to Family Fun magazine about a "kiss jar" she made for her son because his father was away so frequently. This is a GREAT Valentine's day gift for grandparents who don’t get to see their grandkids very often. 1.Decorate the outside of a jar or container with hearts and kisses. Also decorate the lid of the jar. 2.Create “kiss coupons” by hand or on the computer to put into the jar along with Hershey’s kisses. 3.Take a photo of your child kissing the coupons and attach it to the outside of the jar with red ribbon. This Kids Valentines Hat wiggles when you move your head! What you'll need: Red craft foam, red chenille stems, wire cutters, pen, scissors, hot glue gun (or glue dots), white poster board, ruler, stapler, tape, or glue (to fasten hat together) How to make it: Cut out 2 hearts (1 1/2" tall x 1 3/4" wide) out of red craft foam. Cut out 2 hearts (1" tall x 1" wide) out of red craft foam. Cut a strip of poster board to fit around a child's head and about 2" wide. Determine where the sides of a child's head is by trying the band on. Mark with pen. Cut red chenille stems in half using the wire cutters. Glue the stems on the outside of the poster board where marked. Glue a small heart over each of the chenille stems that are attached to the poster board. (See photo) Glue a large red heart at the other end of the chenille stem. Let the children decorate using lace, stickers, markers, and crayons. Tape, glue, or staple the hat to fit the child. (Paper clips also work) Valentine Fish Cut out one very large heart, one large heart, three middle sized hearts, and one little one. The very large heart becomes the body. The large heart becomes the tail. The middle sized hearts become the fins on top of the very large heart. The little heart becomes the lips of the fish.

3. Fostering KINDNESS in Young Children Children do not magically acquire kindness; it must be taught. The reputation that children have for occasional schoolyard cruelty is, unfortunately, deserved. Our children are not born with fully-developed people skills, such as compassion, kindness, tact, or diplomacy. Children arrive in our families as small bundles of intense needs and are by nature ego-centric or self-focused. They do have, however, the capacity to learn these things. It is the job of the parents, teachers, and other caregivers to foster these qualities. This isn’t a simple thing to teach, but it isn’t all that difficult, either. You, the adult, must identify kindness or compassion as a value you wish to pass on and then be aware of the way you can foster kind attitudes and behavior. Kindness really starts with an emphasis on respecting each other—which is the basis of morality. Parent Educator Elizabeth Crary, author or Feeling Elf Cards & Games, points out that if the children are skilled in identifying feelings, they are more likely to notice and react appropriately to the feelings and needs of others. Developmental Psychologist, Harriett Heath, Ph.D., author of Using Your Values to Raise Your Child to be an Adult You Admire, points out that caring behavior will develop in your child gradually and is dependant upon information (knowledge about feelings), skills (how to help someone), and thoughtful decision-making. Here are some of her thoughts on how to teach kindness to young children: Babies: Teach him to differentiate between living and non-living things. Help him interact with people (“touch gently”). Help him experience natural consequences safely—such as letting him touch a warm object while you say “hot”. Toddlers: Provide opportunities for her to be around other people, including babies and other toddlers. Help her learn that people must be touched differently than objects, that they cry and can be hurt, and that they are fun to be with. Preschoolers: Help him learn to take turns and then to share, and that others have feelings similar to his own. Continue to provide opportunities for him to interact with others. Give him a chance to entertain a younger child and to care for the environment (picking up trash while taking a walk, for example). It’s been said that you can set all the rules you want about interacting with others, but rules only hold as long as adults are there to enforce them. It’s ultimately better to help your child develop a good conscience which will govern her behavior toward others. Copyright Parenting Press, www.parentingpress.com, reprinted by permissionwww.parentingpress.com “Fostering Kindness in Young Children” by Shari Steelsmith

4. February 2009 SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday 12 Groundhog Day 34 Brown Bag Play Day 11:30-12:30 5 Fatherhood Summit 5:45-7:30 pm LHS 6 Sterling 3-5 9:00 a.m. Cornerstone 3-5 10:30 a.m. 7 8910 Spanish- speaking playgroup 1:00 p.m. 11 Sterling PG 9:30 a.m. Little River PG 10:00 a.m. 12 Dudes to Dads Meeting 7:00 p.m. 13 Lyons 3-5 9:00 a.m. 14 Valentine’s Day 1516 President’s Day 1718 Lyons Daytime playgroup 10:00 a.m. 1920Sterling 3- 5 9:00 a.m. Cornerstone 3-5 10:30 a.m. 21 222324 Spanish- speaking playgroup 1:00 p.m. 25 Sterling PG 9:30 a.m. Little River PG 10:00 a.m. 2627 Lyons 3-5 9:00 a.m. 28 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! Sarah M.February 1 st Jacob K.February 19 th Brianna J.February 20 th Kelsey W.February 24 th Bella B.February 26 th I'm a Little Groundhog (to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot") I'm a little groundhog short and stout, February second I will come out. If I see my shadow they will shout, "Six weeks more winter without doubt!"

5. DADS: Remember that you can earn gift cards from Wal-Mart by attending any of our “Dude to Dad” classes! Of course, you will also receive valuable information on being a great dad and earn LOTS of points with your child’s mother! IT TAKES A MAN TO BE A DAD! Contact Ken Troyer at 620-680-0544, 620-278-4327 or ketroyer@usd405.com to sign up for the next class. ketroyer@usd405.com Parents as Teachers 800 S. Workman Lyons, KS 67554