Is the Bedtime Story a Dying Art

Storytelling used to be the only way families could pass on knowledge from generation to generation.  There were no books or computers to keep track of information.  Those born in 2012 are looking at the possible extinction of the paper book in their lifetime.  E-readers are so compact and can hold so much information that they are much easier and more convenient to hold and take along.  Will this change bring back the art of the bedtime story, or further help to get rid of it?

It’s not that children aren’t getting bedtime stories. They are, but they are stories read from a book.  With millions of books available it’s often easier to grab one of those than to come up with you own story.  According to Rick Polito, creator of Shake-N-tell, by reading books to our kids we are showing them how to be consumers and not creators.  Though reading books is very important in helping children learn to read, hearing original stories helps them learn to imagine.

Kids enjoy stories that are about things that have happened in their family.  You could call these stories non-fiction.  Tell your children about adventures you had when you were young.  Let them know how you spent your days.  In the days before computers and massively complicated video games kids actually played outside and made mud pies.  Use your stories as a jumping off point.  If you were once chased by a bumble bee, put yourself in the character of the bumble bee and tell the story from that perspective.

It seems that it’s easier and quicker to just grab a book at bedtime.  Parents are tired and want to sit down, put their feet up and relax a little before going to bed.  Keep in mind that your kids are only young once and if you make up stories for them at bedtime it is likely that they will do the same for their children.

Telling and sharing stories puts a personal spin on them.  There’s something about hearing stories that connects the teller and the listener.  Watch how differently your child looks at you when you read them a story versus when you tell them a story.  There are no pictures to look at because you are creating pictures with your words in their imaginations.  The stories are more interactive because the kids can ask questions about the characters.  When you read a book it’s not really possible to get into the author’s head.  Kids really like being able to find out the “back story” and will be that much more drawn in.  If you can help your kids use their imaginations they will be more prepared for all of the writing they will do in school.  Teachers ask the kids daily, to write a page about … fill in the blank.  If you have laid the ground work with your kids in story telling they will have no trouble writing these stories in school.

Then there are those people that say they can’t come up with their own stories.  They say that they are just not good at it.  You know the saying, “There’s an app for that!”  Well there is and it’s free.  It’s called Shake-N-Tell.  This application helps by providing the bones of a story and lets you use your imagination to embellish the details of the story.  The kids can help tell the story too.  Even if you don’t use it as a bedtime tool it would be a fun way to make a long car ride go by faster.

The creator of this application, Rick Polito, is a newspaper reporter turned stay-at-home dad and it occurred to him after talking with some of his friends that this application might help those people that are tired from a long day and are unable to come up with their own stories.  He wanted to give people the tools to create their own stories and possibly jump start their imaginations and get them to create their own after a while.

Give storytelling a try with your kids tonight and watch their imaginations grow.

 P.S. This post was  proposed to me for publication byCarol Watson. I'm therefore publishing it by her invitation and under her permission. See also the link below fore more information:

 http://www.nationalnannies.com/blog/is-the-bedtime-story-a-dying-art/

How to Childproof the Kitchen

Bringing a new baby home from the hospital is an eye-opening experience for first-time parents’, showing them a new world of lurking dangers that went entirely unseen while the house was inhabited solely by adults. Knowing that your tiny bundle of joy will be crawling, and then walking, is what makes the chore of childproofing seem like a fairly urgent one. The truth is, there’s no time too early to childproof, even if your newborn is still learning to focus their eyes; kids grow up quickly, and it’s better to be well-prepared in advance than have the need for childproofing measures present themselves after your pride and joy has already had a mishap.

• Place Safety Gates at Entrances – Whenever feasible, it’s best to keep babies out of the kitchen altogether. This holds especially true for times when you’re not in the kitchen to supervise, and placing baby safety gates at all entrances keeps a crawling baby or shambling toddler from slipping into this household danger zone without the knowledge of an adult.
• Install Cabinet Locks – Aside from the dangerous substances, utensils, and other items that are often stored in lower cabinets, there is also a very real risk of injured hands and fingers. Should tiny digits be smashed by a cabinet door they could very easily be injured more severely than you might imagine; to prevent this and accidental poisoning by household chemicals, install a set of cabinet locks on all lower cabinet doors.
• Consider a Drawer Guide System – Toddlers are usually just tall enough to open a drawer and close it again, though they may not have enough height to peek inside at the contents. Still, drawers can slam on small fingers too, inflicting painful damage to their fragile fingers. Installing a drawer guide system designed to insure that drawers close softly and smoothly every time might help to reduce this risk.
• Invest in Electrical Outlet Plates – The small, translucent plastic outlet covers that most adults remember from their own childhoods are still commercially available; they do, however, present a choking hazard and can also be quickly figured out by observant toddlers. Kids learn by mimicking adults, so it won’t take too many instances of watching you remove an outlet cover before using it for your child to grasp the concept. Since small outlet covers may not be ideal, it might be wise to consider full outlet plates that cover both sockets and immediately slide back into place after use.
• Install an Oven Lock – Ovens can be purchased with a factory installed lock, but if your oven doesn’t have one you can purchase after-market varieties that can be installed on your existing oven as well. This will prevent curious little hands from landing themselves in the emergency room with severe burns. They’re not always the most attractive feature in a kitchen, but sacrificing style in the interest of your baby’s safety is perennially en vogue.
• Move Cleaners and Other Chemicals to Higher Ground – Installing cabinet locks is a wise idea because they can keep kids from pinching their fingers or accessing dangerous items inside. However, parents can’t rely solely upon a cabinet lock to keep determined pint-sized investigators out, so it’s advised that all cleaning fluids and other potentially harmful chemicals be moved to upper cabinets, way out of kids’ reach
• Stow Away the Garbage Can – While a rational adult would assume that the off-putting odor of a garbage can would be repellent enough on its own, there’s something about the refuse heap that captures kids’ curiosity. To keep your baby or toddler out of the smelly, dirty, and bacteria-laden trash, move the can to a cabinet or invest in a model with a childproof lid.
• Train Yourself to Unplug Small Appliances – Unplugging a small appliance, like a blender, mixer, or toaster, can be a difficult thing for new parents to remember; after all, adults know the very real risk that dropping these items in a sink full of water presents. Small children may not be able to grasp this concept for a while, however, so it’s advised that new and even expecting parents get themselves accustomed to the idea of doing just that to prevent tragic accidents.

The earlier you install your cabinet locks and other security measures, the longer you’ll have to become accustomed to them before your child is actually in need of the safety they can help to provide. Frustration with the devices can cause parents to uninstall or disable them, leaving little ones open to danger; take the time to learn how they work and the best methods of boosting kitchen efficiency while leaving them in place to reduce the temptation of chucking them at the first sign of struggle.

 P.S. This post was  proposed to me for publication by Lynda Albertson.  I'm therefore publishing it by her invitation and under her permission. See also the link below fore more information:

 http://www.nannybabysitter.com/blog/how-to-childproof-the-kitchen/