Physical fitness is extremely important for young children because it is an outlet for them to become active in whatever they might do. Physical activity teaches young children motor and movement skills. In this paper, I am going to explain what would happen if children do not engage in healthy fitness activities. Then I am going to indicate how adults can help children develop good fitness habits. Third, I am going to include either an inspirational, thought-provoking quote from my readings that captures my attitude about fostering children’s healthy growth and development. Finally, I am going to draw from the fitness articles that I read this week to provide evidence about the positive impact that physical activity has on children’s health, both now and the future.
First, I am going to explain what would happen if children do not engage in healthy fitness activities. Children, who do not engage in healthy fitness activities, are more likely to become obese or overweight. Children who become obese or overweight are more likely to be teased by fellow their peers and they often feel alone. Children, who are obese or overweight, are at risk to encounter certain types of health problems. Those health problems according to “Childhood Overweight and Obesity” are cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes (CDC, 2009).
Second, I am going to indicate how adults can help children develop good fitness habits. A movement exercise that adults can use to help children develop good fitness habits is they can take the children outside and have them play something like Simon Says. For example, the adult can say, “Simon Says to run in place.” The second activity that adults can use on young children is to get a big bouncy ball and have them run after that ball trying to catch it.
The inspirational, though-provoking quote from this week’s reading that captured my attitude about fostering children’s healthy growth and development comes from the article “SKIPing toward an Active Start: Promoting Physical Activity in Preschoolers,” it says, “Its Active Start position statement recommends that preschoolers “should engage in daily physical activity that promotes health related fitness and movement skills” (Goodway and Robinson, 2006, p. 1).
The positive impact that physical activity have on children’s health now is that there are children who are now physically active and they want to participate in many areas in helping them not to be obese. The positive impact that physical activity have on children’s health in the future is that is going to continue on having more and more children who are physically involved in their daily lives.
Robertson, Cathie. (2007). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. 4thed. Cengage Learning.
Childhood Overweight and Obesity. (2009). Retrieved 3/6/2010. http://www.cdc.gov.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Section 4: Healthy Food and Nutrition
Good nutrition and eating habits are so important to infants in several ways. The first way is that infants value good nutrition for their growth and development (Robertson, 2007, p. 295). According to the course text, at the first four to six months of life, the only food an infant’s body can accommodate is breast milk or formula that provides with the nutrients (Robertson, 2007, p. 295). If an infant is breastfeed, the mother is allowed to give the baby its milk when they drop them off, and then come back at lunch. When infants are 4 to 6 months old, they are introduced to solid foods, such as cereal.
Good nutrition and eating habits are also important to toddlers in several ways. The first way is that good nutrition allows the child to grow, learn, and play (Robertson, 2007, p. 306). The second way for good nutrition and eating habits in toddlers is that they need to follow an eating pattern just like the infants. The third way for good nutrition and eating habits it teaches the toddler the importance of eating on a schedule.
Good nutrition and eating habits are important to preschoolers in several ways. Preschoolers are known as picky-eaters, which means that there are certain types of food that they will or will not eat. Another way is that preschoolers like to be around a positive environment when it is time for them to eat, support their growth and nourish their development (Robertson, 2007, p. 314). A third way for good nutrition is that teachers can encourage preschool children to help with the food preparation (Robertson, 2007, p. 314).
Adults should actively help children develop healthy eating habits by training the child to be on task in eating foods that are good for them and also by giving the that child a selection of well-prepared foods (Robertson, 2007, p. 307). Another way that adults can help children develop healthy eating habits is by being flexible of the feeding schedule and make sure they eat on time (Robertson, 2007, p. 308).
1) Strawberry Shortcake’s Fruit Pizza
• 1 English muffin
• 2 tablespoons whipped, fat-free strawberry cream cheese
• 1/3 cup strawberries, sliced
• ¼ cup red grapes, quartered
Preparation: Toast the English muffins until golden brown. Spread cream cheese on toasted muffin. Arrange sliced strawberries, grapes, and orange slices on top of the cream cheese. Slice into quarters and you’ll have “yummy fruit pizza”!
Here is the nutrition value of Strawberry Shortcake’s Fruit Pizza:
Calories: 228 Protein: 10g
Total Fat: 1.3g Carbohydrates: 46g
Saturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 5mg
% of Calories from Fat: 5% Dietary Fiber: 4g
% Calories from Saturated Fat: 0% Sodium: 374mg
2) Banana Milkshake
1 cup lowfat milk
1 large banana, sliced
Mix, milk, and banana together in a blender for a delicious milkshake.
Serves 2. Nutrition Information: 110 calories, 2.5 g fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate
3) Green Eggs and Ham
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon chopped green onions (optional)
1 Tablespoons chopped green peppers (optional)
¼ cup chopped ham
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon lowfat milk
¼ cup chopped spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a skillet. Add green onions, green peppers and ham, sauté. Beat eggs and milk together and add to the vegetables mixture. Stir in spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture constantly until eggs are set. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 120 calories, 9 g fat, 215 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate
There are couple suggestions that I would make to make cooking together is an enjoyable learning experience for children and their families. The first suggestion I would make is turning it into a game by having them figure out how many goes into what. Then, I would suggest that they put their hands in the mixture to see how ooey and gooey it is.
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org
Robertson, Cathie. Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. 4ed. Cengage Learning, 2007.
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/foodforthought
Good nutrition and eating habits are also important to toddlers in several ways. The first way is that good nutrition allows the child to grow, learn, and play (Robertson, 2007, p. 306). The second way for good nutrition and eating habits in toddlers is that they need to follow an eating pattern just like the infants. The third way for good nutrition and eating habits it teaches the toddler the importance of eating on a schedule.
Good nutrition and eating habits are important to preschoolers in several ways. Preschoolers are known as picky-eaters, which means that there are certain types of food that they will or will not eat. Another way is that preschoolers like to be around a positive environment when it is time for them to eat, support their growth and nourish their development (Robertson, 2007, p. 314). A third way for good nutrition is that teachers can encourage preschool children to help with the food preparation (Robertson, 2007, p. 314).
Adults should actively help children develop healthy eating habits by training the child to be on task in eating foods that are good for them and also by giving the that child a selection of well-prepared foods (Robertson, 2007, p. 307). Another way that adults can help children develop healthy eating habits is by being flexible of the feeding schedule and make sure they eat on time (Robertson, 2007, p. 308).
1) Strawberry Shortcake’s Fruit Pizza
• 1 English muffin
• 2 tablespoons whipped, fat-free strawberry cream cheese
• 1/3 cup strawberries, sliced
• ¼ cup red grapes, quartered
Preparation: Toast the English muffins until golden brown. Spread cream cheese on toasted muffin. Arrange sliced strawberries, grapes, and orange slices on top of the cream cheese. Slice into quarters and you’ll have “yummy fruit pizza”!
Here is the nutrition value of Strawberry Shortcake’s Fruit Pizza:
Calories: 228 Protein: 10g
Total Fat: 1.3g Carbohydrates: 46g
Saturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 5mg
% of Calories from Fat: 5% Dietary Fiber: 4g
% Calories from Saturated Fat: 0% Sodium: 374mg
2) Banana Milkshake
1 cup lowfat milk
1 large banana, sliced
Mix, milk, and banana together in a blender for a delicious milkshake.
Serves 2. Nutrition Information: 110 calories, 2.5 g fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate
3) Green Eggs and Ham
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon chopped green onions (optional)
1 Tablespoons chopped green peppers (optional)
¼ cup chopped ham
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon lowfat milk
¼ cup chopped spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a skillet. Add green onions, green peppers and ham, sauté. Beat eggs and milk together and add to the vegetables mixture. Stir in spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture constantly until eggs are set. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 120 calories, 9 g fat, 215 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate
There are couple suggestions that I would make to make cooking together is an enjoyable learning experience for children and their families. The first suggestion I would make is turning it into a game by having them figure out how many goes into what. Then, I would suggest that they put their hands in the mixture to see how ooey and gooey it is.
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org
Robertson, Cathie. Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. 4ed. Cengage Learning, 2007.
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/foodforthought
Section 3: CPR and Choking Emergencies
A four year old in a preschool setting has stopped breathing and is apparently choking on a piece of apple that has gotten stuck in her throat. I knew that I had to do something quick so I told my co-teacher to call 911 and to make sure that the other children in room are calm and sitting. I also told the co-teacher in the room to contact the little girl’s parents. I kept reminding the four year old that everything is alright and that I am here. Knowing that I took first aid and CPR training at our local fire department, I started doing the Heimlich remover on her. First, I wrapped my arm around her, and began to push up on her chest until the apple came flying out of her mouth. After her mom came to pick her up, I filled out an incident report and told what happened and what was done. Then I studied for a while to see what steps that my staff and I would need to follow to prevent any kind of incident from happening. A three year old in a preschool setting had just burned his arm in hot water and he has a first degree burn. I quickly began to compress the little boy’s arm with a cool towel to keep it from burning because it was already hurting him. Then I told another teacher to call his mom so she can come and pick him up and also try to make sure that the other children are calm and remain in their seats. I didn’t put a bandage on the child because I wanted it to air out and the child’s doctor to look at it. His mother came and picks him up and took him to the doctor so he can take a look at it. I started to fill out a report on the incident by telling what happened from beginning to end.
The reason why I feel that advance planning is often the best way to respond to an emergency situation it gives a teacher the understanding of remaining calm and to do what they have to do to prevent and injury. It also helps the educator to know what types of injuries or life-treating things to look for in order to prevent it from happening. I believe that educators need to know CPR and first-aid training as well because children as well as adults are prone to injury. It also helps them to know what to do when an emergency does occur.
The steps that adults would have to take to ensure they are prepared to handle these kinds of crisis, is to make sure that they have a first aid kit and everything that comes with it. They also need to make sure that they have the children care families/medical physicians information available when needed in case a situation does come up. The adult needs to make sure they have a folder of all the steps they need to perform first aid and CPR when ever needed.
The reason why I feel that advance planning is often the best way to respond to an emergency situation it gives a teacher the understanding of remaining calm and to do what they have to do to prevent and injury. It also helps the educator to know what types of injuries or life-treating things to look for in order to prevent it from happening. I believe that educators need to know CPR and first-aid training as well because children as well as adults are prone to injury. It also helps them to know what to do when an emergency does occur.
The steps that adults would have to take to ensure they are prepared to handle these kinds of crisis, is to make sure that they have a first aid kit and everything that comes with it. They also need to make sure that they have the children care families/medical physicians information available when needed in case a situation does come up. The adult needs to make sure they have a folder of all the steps they need to perform first aid and CPR when ever needed.
Section 2: Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters
At 9:30 am, a tornado had quickly developed in my area. My supervisor at the local head start program informed all the teachers about it so they can calm the children in their care, who were already crying and wanting to go home. The main dangers in a tornado are standing near a glass window and flying debris. We at the head start were all at risk because the tornado could blow our building down. The area where our head start is located is the center point in where a tornado will touch down so it would be wise for my staff and I along with the children at the head start to relocate to a safe place.
My colleagues and I should be prepared in a situation like this so we can be able to help the children in our care and other staff members if needed. I would make sure that my colleagues and I would also have something contact information of our students that we need to contact the parents and families to let them know. If we are not prepared, we pose a danger to ourselves and others and we are not able to have anything be smooth manner. Our plan is to get out of the building in a timely, calm manner.
The steps that I would take to develop a plan in advance for a tornado is that I would practice the tornado drill once a month with my students and colleagues to ensure their safety. I would make sure that the first aid kit is fully stocked with band-aids, a whistle, medical supplies, baby supplies, games and activities for children, water, non-perishable food, emergency contact numbers with the parents and families information on it (redcross.org). These items would be necessary for us to have because in case we are unable to get the children and ourselves home we have lots of supplies needed to take care of all of our needs.
The families of the children in my care would be notified of the tornado and informed that their children are okay. I would also let them know if we had to go to a shelter. I would talk to them about the possible dangers of a tornado and the techniques needed to help them and their children to feel safe in a tornado.
At 1:30 p.m., a fire has quickly developed at one of the plants in town and my local preschool was asked to evacuate the premises because of dangerous fumes and a possible explosion, and go to the local community center. As an early childhood professional who works with preschool aged children, I know that I needed to remove my students and colleagues from the premises without any danger and remind my colleagues to remain calm so they wouldn’t scare the children.
The main danger of the fire and possible explosion at the plant is the chemical fumes that were in the air. It meant that it posed a threat for those who inhaled the air especially the children who had asthma or any respiratory problems. To lower that risk, my colleagues and I put face masks over the children and ourselves and loaded the buses to head to the community center.
We should be prepared in any situation including a fire/explosion so we can know what to do in order to remain calm. We need to know that we need to inform the parents that in case of a chemical fire or explosion that we are have them meet us at the community center to come pick up their children. If we are not prepared, we are not able to move the children in a safe manner. We also won’t be able explain to the children in our care and the families the possible threat of chemical fires and explosions.
In order for us early childhood professionals to prepare for a fire, we had to learn and teach the proper way to evacuate the building and how far we need to go away from the school in a timely manner.
I would make sure that the first aid kit is fully stocked with band-aids, a whistle, medical supplies, baby supplies, games and activities for children, water, non-perishable food, emergency contact numbers with the parents and families information on it (redcross.org). These items would be necessary for us to have because in case we are unable to get the children and ourselves home we have lots of supplies needed to take care of all of our needs.
My colleagues and I should be prepared in a situation like this so we can be able to help the children in our care and other staff members if needed. I would make sure that my colleagues and I would also have something contact information of our students that we need to contact the parents and families to let them know. If we are not prepared, we pose a danger to ourselves and others and we are not able to have anything be smooth manner. Our plan is to get out of the building in a timely, calm manner.
The steps that I would take to develop a plan in advance for a tornado is that I would practice the tornado drill once a month with my students and colleagues to ensure their safety. I would make sure that the first aid kit is fully stocked with band-aids, a whistle, medical supplies, baby supplies, games and activities for children, water, non-perishable food, emergency contact numbers with the parents and families information on it (redcross.org). These items would be necessary for us to have because in case we are unable to get the children and ourselves home we have lots of supplies needed to take care of all of our needs.
The families of the children in my care would be notified of the tornado and informed that their children are okay. I would also let them know if we had to go to a shelter. I would talk to them about the possible dangers of a tornado and the techniques needed to help them and their children to feel safe in a tornado.
At 1:30 p.m., a fire has quickly developed at one of the plants in town and my local preschool was asked to evacuate the premises because of dangerous fumes and a possible explosion, and go to the local community center. As an early childhood professional who works with preschool aged children, I know that I needed to remove my students and colleagues from the premises without any danger and remind my colleagues to remain calm so they wouldn’t scare the children.
The main danger of the fire and possible explosion at the plant is the chemical fumes that were in the air. It meant that it posed a threat for those who inhaled the air especially the children who had asthma or any respiratory problems. To lower that risk, my colleagues and I put face masks over the children and ourselves and loaded the buses to head to the community center.
We should be prepared in any situation including a fire/explosion so we can know what to do in order to remain calm. We need to know that we need to inform the parents that in case of a chemical fire or explosion that we are have them meet us at the community center to come pick up their children. If we are not prepared, we are not able to move the children in a safe manner. We also won’t be able explain to the children in our care and the families the possible threat of chemical fires and explosions.
In order for us early childhood professionals to prepare for a fire, we had to learn and teach the proper way to evacuate the building and how far we need to go away from the school in a timely manner.
I would make sure that the first aid kit is fully stocked with band-aids, a whistle, medical supplies, baby supplies, games and activities for children, water, non-perishable food, emergency contact numbers with the parents and families information on it (redcross.org). These items would be necessary for us to have because in case we are unable to get the children and ourselves home we have lots of supplies needed to take care of all of our needs.
Section 1: Safety Policies and Practices
There are five potentially hazardous situations for preschoolers and they are violence, burns, toys, guns, and drowning.
In regard to water play, two-thirds of all drowning occur in the outdoor environment (Robertson, 2007, p96). A preschooler can drown in water that is standing still and it can happen very quickly and silently. Lastly, water poses a threat for caring bacteria and also they breed ground mosquitoes (Robertson, 2007). The policies that are involved in water play are that parents and early childhood professionals need to supervise and the proper training they need to go in the water.
The safety policy in regard to burns is that children should never be left unattended and all hot water heaters in the facility should be set at 120 degrees F. Children should be carefully monitored when they are around hot water heaters. Early childhood professionals and parents should make sure that the water is not too hot for these children. The safety policy in regard to guns is that children should not be allowed to play with any guns. They are prohibited from any facility and parents should be called in for a meeting. The safety policy in regard to toys is they should be age appropriate for preschoolers and not cause chocking. The safety policy in regard to violence is that we should tell our students to stay away from them and if they come in contact with someone who is violent they should tell an adult.
The measures that should be taken is that we as educators need to supervise the area and make sure that everything is age appropriate for our age group. We also need to make sure that the early childhood environment is safe and secure for our students.
Families can make sure that they child can come home to a safe and caring environment. They need to talk to their children to find out what is going on and find out what is going on. They need to attend weekly meetings and find ways that they need to make their children to feel protected.
In regard to water play, two-thirds of all drowning occur in the outdoor environment (Robertson, 2007, p96). A preschooler can drown in water that is standing still and it can happen very quickly and silently. Lastly, water poses a threat for caring bacteria and also they breed ground mosquitoes (Robertson, 2007). The policies that are involved in water play are that parents and early childhood professionals need to supervise and the proper training they need to go in the water.
The safety policy in regard to burns is that children should never be left unattended and all hot water heaters in the facility should be set at 120 degrees F. Children should be carefully monitored when they are around hot water heaters. Early childhood professionals and parents should make sure that the water is not too hot for these children. The safety policy in regard to guns is that children should not be allowed to play with any guns. They are prohibited from any facility and parents should be called in for a meeting. The safety policy in regard to toys is they should be age appropriate for preschoolers and not cause chocking. The safety policy in regard to violence is that we should tell our students to stay away from them and if they come in contact with someone who is violent they should tell an adult.
The measures that should be taken is that we as educators need to supervise the area and make sure that everything is age appropriate for our age group. We also need to make sure that the early childhood environment is safe and secure for our students.
Families can make sure that they child can come home to a safe and caring environment. They need to talk to their children to find out what is going on and find out what is going on. They need to attend weekly meetings and find ways that they need to make their children to feel protected.
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