Parenting Archives - Patchogue-Medford Library

Children will Have a Successful School Year with Routines

September 8, 2017 By Elaine Perez

The yellow and orange leaves are gliding slowly to the ground and the evenings have become cooler and crisp. Yet the most noticeable change is that sunsets are coming earlier. Boys with new haircuts and girls with braided hairdos are looking happy. Before you know it, fall is coming. With that comes the return of school and establishing new daily routines for families and children. Students undergo a tremendous amount of stress in starting a new school year. They are apprehensive about what the school year will bring, such as a new teacher, new friendships and the stress of learning new skills.

There are several positive and influential ways of how we can improve old habits and instill new habits to assist our children.

Benefits of Routines

Routines “eliminate power struggles.” If children are told what they are expected to do on a daily basis, such as bathing and brushing their teeth every night, they will know what is expected to do each night without being told constantly.
Children learn how to cooperate and may assist the younger children to complete their day and evening activities. Parents may take turns reading to their children before wishing them good night. The children will sleep better and be prepared for the next morning’s activities.
Children become independent when they learn that they are responsible to take care of themselves with the help of their families.
Please keep in mind that sometimes routines have to be broken. A family may be celebrating a holiday or relatives could be visiting. Time must be made to enjoy those precious memories.

Wishing everyone a great school year! Have fun!

College and Career Counselor at the Carnegie Library

February 16, 2017 By Colleen

Attention High Schoolers and Parents:

Need help with college planning? Or do you need career counseling on what to do after high school? Planning for your future after high school can be a difficult and confusing process for many. Thinking about what college you’d like to apply to or what career field you should choose can be overwhelming, but we have some relief for you! Come meet with our College and Career Counselor at the Carnegie Library to help answer any questions you may have. The purpose of a college and career counselor is to help students make more informed decisions to better their futures in both educational and career choices. This can include guidance on choosing courses in high school to prepare for college or advice on occupational training opportunities.

College Access and Career Counselors are also a great resource who can help you with:

Finding the best-fit school for you
With personalized admission strategies
Applying for financial aid
Filling out college applications
Choosing high school courses that will work towards your intended major
Career training
And much more!

This service is geared towards students in grades 8-12, who want to know the necessary steps to take in each grade to be fully prepared for their college or career training. The earlier you make these decisions, the more prepared you’ll be for your future.

To make an appointment you can register online, by calling the Carnegie library at 631-438-3290 (2:30-8:30pm), or you can drop in to ask questions.

Upcoming dates include Tuesdays, February 28, March 7, and 21 from 6-8pm. Check our upcoming newsletter for more dates.

Holiday Season Toy Safety

December 13, 2016 By Jessica Oelcher

Did you know that injury is the leading cause of death for children in New York State? While preventable injury is not the most cheerful holiday subject, toy safety is an important consideration when thinking about children’s gifts.

Here are some important tips on toy safety from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

Select toys to suit the age, abilities, skills and interest level of the intended child. Toys too advanced may pose safety hazards for younger children.
Before buying a toy or allowing your child to play with a toy that he has received as a gift, read the instructions carefully.
To prevent both burns and electrical shocks, do not give young children (under age 10) a toy that must be plugged into an electrical outlet. Instead, buy toys that are battery-operated.
Young children can choke on small parts contained in toys or games. Government regulations specify that toys for children under age three cannot have parts less than 1 1/4 inches in diameter and 2 1/4 inches long.
Children can have serious stomach and intestinal problems – including death – after swallowing button batteries or magnets. In addition to toys, button batteries are often found in musical greeting cards, remote controls, hearing aids, and other small electronics. Small, powerful magnets are present in many homes as part of building toy sets. Keep button batteries and magnets away from young children and call your health care provider immediately if your child swallows one.
Children can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons; do not allow children under age 8 to play with them.
Remove tags, strings, and ribbons from toys before giving them to young children.
Watch for pull toys with strings that are more than 12 inches in length. They could be a strangulation hazard for babies.
Parents should store toys in a designated location, such as on a shelf or in a toy box, and keep older kids’ toys away from young children. Use a toy box with no lid or a lightweight, non-locking lid and ventilation holes.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission maintains a Recall Listing where you can search by keyword, specific hazard, or specific manufacturer. This is tool can help you ensure a product you have received or are considering purchasing is safe.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also has a great article about Holiday Safety Tips and Mental Health Tips which covers everything from food safety to holiday visiting to trees, lights, and decorations. These tips can help keep everyone in the whole family happy and healthy this holiday season.

Of course, as a librarian, I recommend purchasing great age appropriate books for everyone on your shopping list. Need a suggestion on what to buy? Librarians are knowledgeable about current trends in books, are trained to match readers with books, and love talking about books. Ask a librarian!

Knowledge is Power

November 2, 2016 By Elaine Perez

Reading to children at an early age provides the foundation for reading at grade level, obtaining higher reading scores, and achieving academic success.

Patchogue-Medford Library's newest reading program is designed to give kids a jump-start into books. Photo courtesy of Kim Morales.

Patchogue-Medford Library’s newest reading program, Read Me In To Kindergarten is designed to give kids a jump-start into books. Photo courtesy of Kim Morales.

It’s important for children to see that their parents enjoy reading.
Reading to children daily is important for their emotional and intellectual development and can help them become good readers and prepare them to learn in school.

Father reading to baby on sofa Photo Credit: http://huffingtonpost.com

There are many effective ways a parent can read to a child. For example, if you are tired reading the same story, try reading two stories: your child’s favorite story and a new one. You could also read poems to a child. Children enjoy repetition. Another suggestion is to find a place that is comfortable to read, where the television is turned off and full attention can be focused on the book. Finally, HAVE FUN! When reading is animated and interactive, a child will be more engaged.

Photo Credit: http://mytoddlerisreading.com

Don’t forget a child’s age and state of development when selecting books to read to him or her. There are different types of books available according to the age and maturity of a child. If you need help in selecting the right book, consult your librarian.

The above information is part of the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors, Session 5 entitled, “Let’s Continue Opening Doors – “Knowledge is Power.”

The Development of Language – The Beginning Stages

October 10, 2016 By Elaine Perez

“In order for a child to be successful in school, they must have a rich language (vocabulary), where adults communicate well, listen, and read out loud everyday.” Ernest L. Boyer, 1991

The Patchogue-Medford Library offers the following

programs for young children in the Children’s

and Parents’ Department:

Bilingual Rhyme Time – for children ages 2- 35 months

Games for Ones – for children ages 12 – 23 months

Games for Twos – for children ages 24-35 months

Baby Games – for children ages 3 – 11 months

Parachute Play – for children ages 18 – 35 months

Babies’ introduction to language is initially made by parents/caregivers. They should hear a language consistently in order to learn vocabulary. By hearing the words made daily by all the members of a household as well as others, they learn how to communicate. In this process, children will learn how to use sounds, words and sentences to inform their emotions to their family members as well as others. A child’s vocabulary will increase at an amazing speed especially in the beginning first year of physical development.

[Read more…]

Consejos de Lectura de Verano para sus Hijos

June 29, 2016 By Elaine Perez

Translated by Gilda Ramos, Patchogue-Medford Library

El verano nos brinda la oportunidad de leer formatos que usualmente no experimentamos durante el año escolar. Preste revistas de su biblioteca local y descubra títulos atractivos para los niños.

Lea el periódico con sus hijos. Muéstrele a su niño las diferentes secciones: internacional, nacional, deportes, etc. Léale el párrafo inicial y déjele saber lo que está pasando en el mundo. Muchos periódicos tienen una sección de ciencia y de historia que les puede interesar a todos. Tenga un mapa a la mano y enséñele donde están los países. Venga a la biblioteca y preste libros sobre un país en particular y aprenda sus costumbres, idioma y comida.

Siga una receta simple y disfrute de una nueva delicia culinaria. Regístrense para el club de lectura de verano. Rete a su niño para ver cuántos libros puede leer este verano. Los adultos también pueden participar en los programas de lectura de verano y hacer que todos se reúnan a final del día, después de la cena, para leer. Tomen turnos leyendo en voz alta desde los más pequeños hasta los mayores. Cambie su voz para reflejar los diferentes personajes de la historia. Ríase y diviértase. ¡Es momentos como este, que se hacen memorables!

Organice intercambio de libros en el verano. ¿Tiene algún libro usado que le gustaría intercambiar con algún amigo? ¡Puede disfrutar de una discusión sobre algún libro maravilloso en la casa de alguien o en el parque! Yo sé que libro me gustaría discutir. Lo vemos pronto en la biblioteca.

Summer Reading Tips for Your Children

June 4, 2016 By Elaine Perez

The summer is a great opportunity to read formats that we normally do not have the time to read throughout the school year. Check out the magazines at our library and discover titles that will appeal to children of all ages. Look at National Geographic Kids, Highlights, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and American Girls.

Read the newspaper together. Show your child the different categories in the paper: international, national, city and sports. Read to them the opening paragraph and let them know what is happening around the world. Many newspapers have a science and a historical section that may be of interest to everybody. Keep a map nearby and show them where the countries are located. Come to the library and take out books about a particular country and learn their customs, language and food. Follow a simple recipe together and discover a new culinary delight.

The paperback section at our library has several paperback series for younger and older children. Many children like reading a series because they can follow the same characters on their adventures in different stories. They are located downstairs where children have easy access to the collection and have a chance to sit in comfy chairs. You can share the readings together at the beach or at the pool especially after lunch when you have wait several minutes before going back into the water. Some series include: Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, Go Girl series and Goosebumps.

Register for your library’s summer reading challenge. Have your child challenge themselves to see how many books they can read this summer. Adults can also join the summer reading programs and have everyone gather together especially at the end of the day after dinner to read. Take turns reading out loud from the youngest to the oldest. Change your voice to reflect the different characters in the story. Laugh, giggle and have lots of fun. It is this time together that will become memorable!

Have a book swap party any time during the summer. Do you have a gently used book that you are willing to swap with one of your friends? You could have a wonderful book discussion party at someone’s home or at the park! I know which book I want to discuss. See you soon at the library!

Image : http://www.cobbk12.org/sites/literacy/centers/1centersbooks.htm

Ways to Travel Responsibly

May 24, 2016 By Elaine Perez

We have all heard about ways to go green; turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth, recycling plastic bottles and newspapers, composting, and numerous other ways. One way of helping the environment to stay green is by taking a look at some of the things we do when we travel. Instead of having clean towels every day, use the same towels throughout your stay at the hotel. If you take the amount of water and electricity it takes to rewash those towels, it would amount to tons of water and thousands of watts of electricity. Take a look at some of ideas and see what changes you can make to help our planet be healthy for us and for the next generation.

[Read more…]

Cómo Enseñar a Niños Pre-Escolares a Comprar Alimentos

April 6, 2016 By Elaine Perez

“How to Teach Grocery Literacy for Preschoolers” translated by Gilda Ramos.

La próxima vez que este en el supermercado no deje pasar la oportunidad de enseñarle a su niño pre-escolar a comprar víveres. Es una excelente manera de construir sus habilidades para las matemáticas y alfabetismo. (foto de www.pbs.org)

1. Enfóquese en habilidades para prepararlo para la lectura.

Empiece con cualquier letra y haga un juego localizar artículos en la tienda.

Por ejemplo, empiece con la letra B. Puede señalar bananas, brócoli, berenjenas, berros, etc. Repita la palabra enfatizando la letra que desea practicar y haga que su niño la repita varias veces con usted.

Puede que localice la palabra impresa: bananas, brócoli o cualquier letra ó palabra que está usando en el supermercado y/o en casa. La repetición del sonido y la visualización de la impresión constituirán los primeros pasos para aprender a leer.

[Read more…]

APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

April 6, 2016 By Joyce Thompson-Haas

Did you know that 1 in 68 American children are diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum? Studies also show that it is four to five times more common among boys than girls. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism can be characterized by having difficulties in social interactions, verbal and non-verbal communications and repetitive behaviors. Unfortunately at this time there is no one cause of autism and no specific cure. Scientists have been working diligently in trying to figure out what factors can cause autism, including specific genes and environmental factors.

At the Patchogue-Medford Library, we are starting a new initiative called “A3”. In our newsletter, look for the symbol on your right.
We’ve designated a few programs as “Awesome Autism-Friendly Activities” which are specifically designed for children with autism, but are open to any child within the age parameters. Some programs will include art therapy, creativity, socialization and are sensory friendly.