Summer is upon us and we’re always looking for ways to keep the littles busy and interested. Why not teach them something that will not only occupy their time but teach them about their natural world at the same time? Here are a few ideas for how to garden with children:
- 12 Tips for Gardening with Kids — Sun Hats & Wellie Boots
- The Benefits of Gardening — Kindergarten & Preschool for Parents and Teachers
- Easy Planting with Kids — Kitchen Counter Chronicles
- Looking for something fun to grow? Try this adorable Little Pizza Garden Kit
which gives you all the seeds you’ll need to make your own pizza once grown!
- 5 Tips for Gardening with Preschoolers – Projects for Preschoolers
- Let Kids Design a Garden — Tinkerlab
- This Little Tikes Garden Table
is perfect for indoor garden play or as a wonderful outdoor mini-garden area for young kids!
- Creating a Kids Picking Garden — Curly Birds
- How to Make a Wormery — Nurture Store
- And try some of these 23 FREE Printable Garden Activities too!
- For more ideas on gardening with children, check out the source material for this article at: 30 Garden & Plant Activities for Preschool & Elementary – Edventures with Kids (kcedventures.com)
WEBSITE RELOCATIONS AT INCCRRA
Please be aware that INCCRRA closed two websites at the end of April. Take a moment to check your local website connections to ensure you are being directed to the correct site. All current information has been relocated. Here are two of the most common sites you may be using and the new locations to link to moving forward.
For online child care search:
- ExcelerateIllinois is now known as IllinoisCaresforKids and is now live at: https://www.illinoiscaresforkids.org/provider-search/?zip=.
- QRS quality add-on for license-exempt home providers will now be found at the Gateways website at: https://www.ilgateways.com/credentials/gateways-training-tiers.
If you have saved these sites on your “favorites bar,” please be sure to update the location information for future use.
POISON CONTROL MATERIALS NOW AVAILABLE
Thanks to the Illinois Poison Control Center, the following materials are available to everyone interested in helping parents and caregivers be more poison aware:
Materials (most available in English & Spanish):
- Children’s Activity Sheet
- Complimentary Safety Packet
- Poison Purse (poster)
- Mistaken Identity (poster)
- Candy or Medicine (poster)
- IPC Helpline (poster)
- Stickers
- Magnets
To order, login here (and choose “Order Form”). Note: For anyone who hasn’t already done so, they’ll first need to complete IPC’s free, quick and easy Poison Prevention Education Course.
ZOOM TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILD CARE PROVIDERS
Below are the trainings that we are offering through Zoom in May and June.
ECE Credential Level 1 Module 8b: Preschool Physical Development
Thursday, May 26, from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm, 3.0 Training Hours FREE
Presenter: Vicky Foster, ITN Trainer
As toddlers mature, their minds are not the only things growing at an incredible rate. You will understand the special areas of physical development in preschool-aged children. You also will learn about fine motor activities that will help preschoolers grow into their bodies while developing proper coordination and movement.
Understanding ACES: Why the Body Doesn’t Forget
Wednesday, June 1, from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, 1.5 Training Hours FREE
Presenter: Jill Duden, Prevention Specialist, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois
This training introduces attendees to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study that was done in the late 1990’s. Attendees will learn about how two doctors came to the findings of the study, and what they were able to conclude due to the study. This training will explore a deeper understanding of brain development, and what types of stress impact healthy brain development. Attendees will learn how adverse childhood experiences impact lifelong physical and mental health. The conclusion of this training will focus on resilience, and how building resilience can negate the negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences.
ECE Credential Level 1 Module 8c: Preschool Language Development
Thursday, June 9, from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm, 3.0 Training Hours FREE
Presenter: Vicky Foster, ITN Trainer
Appropriate speech patterns and language skills are crucial to nurturing effective communications by preschoolers. In this third class on preschool development, you will explore how to use a picture and storybooks to lay the foundation for good reading and proper language use. This class comes complete with discussion on how to help children with special needs.
ECE Credential Level 1 Module 8d: Preschool Cognitive Development
Thursday, June 23, from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm, 3.0 Training Hours FREE
Presenter: Vicky Foster, ITN Trainer
In this final session on preschool development, you will dive deeper into how preschoolers learn and identify tips for making learning fun. With suggestions for activities that encourage your preschoolers to explore numbers, shapes, colors, and science, this class gives all the information you need to grow and stretch the ability of children to think and understand.
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Please install the Zoom app on your device (cell phone, tablet, laptop, desktop) before the day of the training. Go to https://zoom.us/ to sign up. Prior to the meeting date, you will be emailed a link to join the meeting along with a Meeting ID and password. We do encourage you to join the meeting early so the facilitator can help you if you have any technical difficulties. You can also head to the Zoom website at support.zoom.us and watch video tutorials on how the app works.
Contact Jenny Garinger at garinger@illinois.edu or 217-333-7816 to register.
If you prefer to do trainings on your own schedule, remember the Gateways i-learning website is always available: https://courses.inccrra.org. These trainings are Gateways Registry-approved and cover a variety of child development and early childhood education topics. Trainings automatically appear on your Gateways Registry Professional Development Record (PDR), and they are FREE. Be sure to have your Gateways Registry online username and password to login.
THE LITTLEBEATS PROJECT
What is LittleBeats?
- Developed at the University of Illinois, LittleBeats™ is a wearable device that records motion, heart rate, and audio for children as young as one month.
- LittleBeats™ is attached by placing three gel stickers on your child’s skin, and the device fits inside of a specially designed shirt pocket.
- LittleBeats™ is very safe, does not interfere with movement, and does not require any invasive procedures beyond the gel stickers being stuck to the skin.
- From LittleBeats™ recordings, we will use a computer program to automatically detect your infant’s vocalizations, heart rhythms and physical movements.
- In the future, we hope to use LittleBeats to detect developmental delays in children before they become clinically significant.
What does this project involve?
- 60-minute Zoom visit with you and your child.
- 3 days of LittleBeats™ recordings in your home, without researchers present.
- Recordings can be made on days most convenient for your family and can be completed over the course of two weeks.
- 30-minute parent questionnaire completed online.
- In appreciation of your time, your family will receive an Amazon gift card!
How can I learn more?
Please fill out the form below and our Project Coordinator will reach out to you. You can also find out more at our LittleBeats website.
OUR OFFICE IS STILL CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
Please note, the CCRS OFFICE IS STILL CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. At this time, only University students and staff are permitted in the building. Please, do not attempt to enter the building with the expectation of being able to enter our office. This will not happen. We are trying to determine how to open within University guidelines while keeping our visitors and staff safe. We appreciate your continued patience.
To drop off forms, use the CCRS Drop Box located on the front door of Bevier Hall on Goodwin Avenue. The drop box inside Bevier Hall is closed; only staff and students are allowed inside buildings.
To contact staff, please call 217-333-3252 or 800-325-5516 or submit questions or forms through email at ccrs@illinois.edu or fax at 217-333-2147