Weekly Trip to the Library The winter Olympics have started in Sochi and I recommend reading books on the topic to the children in your care. Then, be sure to have your own pint-sized Olympic games in the house you work in. When you are finished, hand out medals and serve up dishes from around […]
Cooking With Kids: Valentine’s Day When I think of Valentine’s Day I always think of chocolate covered strawberries. There are few treats as delicious as chocolate covered fruits. I found Dolci Frutta Hard Chocolate Shell at the grocery store in the produce aisle and the kids and I made these chocolate covered strawberries in less than […]
Parent-Teen Driving Contract Kids are Less Likely to Drink if They Believe Their Parents and Communities disapprove of Underage Drinking I prefer to stay at my nanny jobs long-term and have cared for teens in the past and my oldest charge is currently a teenager. One of the biggest challenges caring for teens is worrying […]
Teaching Classifying, Comparing and Patterns Children benefit from having lots of experiences sorting, comparing, and classifying objects before participating in patterning activities. Provide opportunities for children to sort or group things by shape, number, color, or texture. As children play sorting games, vocabulary such as classifying, groups, sets, categories, same, different, fewer, longer, heavier, lighter […]
NJ Court Finds Leaving a Child Alone in a Car is Abuse While working as a nanny I often see parents, nannies, and au pairs leaving sleeping kids in a warm car while running an older sibling into school. But, a NJ court found this to be criminal. Therefore, even when parents tell their nannies or […]
Weekly Trip to the Library Nothing is sadder for my four-year-old charge then when her snowman starts to melt after a fun day of playing in the snow. Luckily we found a great children’s book discussing the same feelings. One of my favorite children’s books authors is Lauren Child. This week while at the library […]
Cooking with Kids The kids I care for love cranberry sauce and it’s very easy to make. The most basic cranberry sauce simply consists of cranberries boiled in sugar water until the berries pop and the mixture thickens. But we have included a tart recipe that uses orange juice instead of water and a sugar-free […]
Creative Projects to Do With Kids The teen I care for made this pencil topper for his little sister using a hot glue gun. I don’t recommend young children using hot glue guns. But, you can easily and safely use white glue instead if you are making simple pencil toppers. Hot glue works better than […]
Respecting Professional Boundaries One of the most complicated aspect of the nanny and parent relationship is jealousy. In the book Touchpoints The Essential Reference: Your Child’s Emotional And Behavioral Development, T. Berry Brazelton, M. D. discusses the common jealousy parents feel when they go to work leaving their child in the care of another person. […]
photo by vimeo.com The Training Wheels of the Utensil World The first dipper of its kind, Num Num Baby Dips is a baby’s first step to self-feeding. Num Num Baby Dips helps promote self-feeding without the mess. The innovative design makes it easier to use than a spoon because there’s no right or wrong way to hold […]
