Outdoor Discovery Center Playgroup

Join us on Monday, May 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  for a playgroup at the Outdoor Discovery Center. There will be lots of Spring Activities including trails to walk, sandboxes to play in, animals, bubbles, crafts, a snack and much more!

The Outdoor Discovery Center is located at A-4214 56th Street, Holland, MI  49423. Feel free to check out their website for all the programs they offer:
www.outdoordiscoverycenter.org/

You are welcome to bring a picnic lunch for your children and stay after the group for lunch. There is a large shaded area with tables.

FREE Event and no need to register ahead. Weather permitting. In case of rain playgroup is canceled.

Day of the Young Child

Join us tomorrow for Day of the Young Child in Downtown Zeeland!

FREE Event!

Cityside Middle School/Downtown Zeeland 
Saturday, April 16th, 2011
10am-1:30pm

 Indoor Activites:
Bead Necklaces
Bucket Bonanza
Coffee Filter
Dot Art
Face Painting
Foam Visors
Playdough
Scratch Art
Stamp Bags

Outdoor Activities:
• Ambulance
• Boat
• Bucket Truck
• Dump truck
• Fire Truck
• Flat Bed Truck
• Golf Cart
• Hearse
• Military Vehicles
• Pulling Vehicles
• Race Cars
• Rescue Truck
• School Bus
• Z-Bus

Nurturing Empathy in Toddlers

Empathy is the ability to imagine how someone else is feeling in a particular situation and respond with care. This is a very complex skill to develop but it is an important building block in your child’s social development.
What you can do:

• Empathize with your child:  “Are you feeling scared of that dog? He is a nice dog but he is barking really loud. That can be scary.”
• Talk about others’ feelings. “Kayla is feeling sad because you took her toy car. Please give Kayla back her car and then you choose another.”
• Be a role model. When you have strong, respectful relationships and interact with others in a kind and
   caring way, your child learns from your example.
• Validate your child’s difficult emotions. Sometimes when our child is sad, angry, or disappointed, we rush to try and fix it right away, to make the feelings go away because we want to protect him from any pain. However, these feelings are part of life and ones that children need to learn to cope with. In fact, labeling and validating difficult feelings actually helps children learn to handle them.
• Think through the use of “I’m sorry.” We often insist that our toddlers say “I’m sorry” as a way for them to take responsibility for their actions. But many toddlers don’t fully understand what these words mean. While it may feel “right” for them to say “I’m sorry”, it doesn’t necessarily help toddlers learn empathy.  A more meaningful approach can be to help children focus on the other person’s feelings: “Chandra, look at Sierra—she’s very sad.  She’s crying.  She’s rubbing her arm where you pushed her. Let’s see if she is okay.” This helps children make the connection between the action (shoving) and the reaction (a friend who is sad and crying). 
• Be patient. Developing empathy takes time. Remember, empathy is a complex skill and will continue to develop across your child’s life.

*Article taken from  http://www.zerotothree.org/