3 Ways to Teach your Child about Dental Hygiene

February is a month of celebration for many. It's a month to celebrate Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day. But it is also the month to celebrate Bird-Feeding Month and National Children's Dental Health Month. As parents, caregivers, and educators, dental hygiene = salud bucodental should be part of the education process as well as promoting eating well and exercise. How to properly take care of young teeth = dientes can be learned as early as 3 years of age. But it does not have to be a dreadful task. Make it fun with games, fun videos, crafts, songs, and, of course, great books to read. Discuss with your child beforehand about the topics of good dental care, brushing, and the reasons to take care of your teeth. Yes, although those baby teeth may fall at around 6 years of age, children should still take good care of their teeth and start to learn about proper dental hygiene. Here, there are 3 ways parents and caregivers can teach children how to better care for their teeth.

1. Start with simple terms:

Designate one day of the week to explain and show how brushing your teeth can be a fun way to take care of them. Shop together for a toothbrush = cepillo de dientes and toothpaste = pasta dental or pasta para dientes. With so many different characters and colors, there is one that is appealing. Besides, the American Dental Association (ADA) has the ADA seal of approval of more than 300 products. Look for this seal when selecting proper dental tools which also includes mouthwash and chewing gum. Flossing and mouthwash for younger children should be considered with care with your dental professional. 

Demonstrate how to put a small pea size amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush. And follow by actually brushing your teeth. Show the proper technique of brushing your back teeth and gums in circular, gentle motion. Then, we spit or use a cup to rinse our teeth. The ADA recommends toothbrushes should be replaced every 3 months. Many packages now have toothbrushes with date indicators so you can keep track to when to change brushes. 

2. Eat a balance diet: 

Cooking good healthy meals together not only promotes bonding between family members but also provides a great opportunity to discuss healthy choices. By eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and drinking water, this type of eating habit establishes good health and healthy teeth. Sometimes it is okay to have a cookie, birthday cake, or other treats, but these types of refined sugars should be kept at a minimum. The ADA even recommends to brush immediately after eating sugar rich foods. Although at times it may be impossible to brush immediately, it is best to limit its consumption to prevent tooth decay. Cavities = caries can be formed when bacteria in your mouth interacts with sugars from food, leaving behind acid that can cause cavities and eventually tooth decay. Drinking water can minimize the amount of sugars in the mouth but it does not eliminate the bacteria. But water should be a part of any healthy diet. Brushing is still the best solution. 

3. Visit the family dentist:

Schedule a regular visit with the dentist. It is always best to explain the reasons to visit a dentist: to clean teeth, make sure there are no cavities, teach about flossing and proper care, and good overall dental hygiene. There are plenty of literature and books for children to explain the many different dental professions. A dental hygienist is the person that cleans the teeth. The dentist = dentista ensures that cavities or other dental issues are addressed. Orthodontics and dental specialists study teeth reconstructing like teeth braces or mouth guards. Visit your dentist often to provide the best type of dental hygiene for your family. 

Dental hygiene is an important part of any child's education. But it does not have to be a boring and tedious experience. The ADA and other organizations provide plenty of information to help families and children to better care for their teeth. The ADA Español also has some wonderful literature, videos, and resources in Spanish.

How to Make Bird Feeders from Pine Cones

Red Cardinal birds like to eat the crunchy seeds. Finches like to nimble on those seeds. And Woodpeckers like to peck away at the nearest branches. But in winter, there's little or no food sources for some of these amazing birds = pájaros. Many of them depend on the countless backyard feeders placed by humans. Or they may not have enough food to eat or to share with their young. As the winter progresses, the natural resources for some of these birds begin to disappear. So to encourage and promote bird-feeding = alimentar pájaros for North American birds, the National Bird-Feeding Society proclaimed in 1994, February, as the National Bird-Feeding Month. For the past decades, bird enthusiasts across the nation set different types of feeders for these birds. There's more you can do. You can make a simple bird feeder = comedero para pájaros from the natural resources already in your backyard. Here, I present how to make a very easy and simple bird feeder from pine cones (Figure 1). This project is simple and safe to make with the kids. 

Figure 1

Cost: $0.35

Skill Level: Easy

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Material needed for this craft are: 

• pine cones, 
• yarn, 
• cornmeal, 
• creamy peanut butter, 
• bird seeds, 
• plastic spoons, and 
• safety scissors. 

Warning: For peanut butter allergies, use the alternative method.

Instructions:

• Place some of newspaper over the working surface. 
• Inspect the pine cone for bugs and spiders. Invert the pine cone and gently shake any excess debris that might adhere to the crevices. 
• Place a couple of tablespoons of  creamy peanut butter on a small bowl. Try to avoid crunchy peanut butter since it can pose a choking hazard. Use plastic spoons to slowly insert the peanut butter within the crevices of the pine cone as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

• Place about a cup of cornmeal in a small bowl. Roll the peanut butter pine cone in the cornmeal to ensure that the pieces adhere (Figure 3). 
• Alternative: For children with peanut butter allergies, use a paste of a cup of cornmeal with a few teaspoons of water. 

Figure 3

• Place some bird seeds on a shallow paper plate or bowl. Roll the pine cone in the seeds. Or let the children use their fingers to insert the seeds throughout the crevices of the pine cone (Figure 4). 

Figure 4

• Cut about a 12 inch piece of yarn. Tie it around the top of the pine cone. Make another knot at the end of the yarn. You can do this step at any time. 
• Repeat the process if necessary, depending on the number of children. 
• Select a proper place to hang the bird feeder in your backyard or school yard (Figure 1). This should be done by an adult. 

If you see any type of birds, can you name them. Here's a list of some common backyard birds that you might encounter: American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Purple Finch,  Northern Cardinal, House Finch, Blue Jay, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, or Chipping Sparrow.

This great project was adapted from A Year of Hands-on Science: 100+ Standards-Based Activities (Teaching Resources)by Lynne Kepler; Age group: 5-7; ISBN: 9780545074759. 

To practice some new Spanish words, check out the Free Worksheet section and select the Alphabet Soup - P, Q, R crossword puzzle. 

5 Steps to Organize a School Book Report

For many students, whether bilingual or not, book report writing often seems like a dreaded task. The unforeseen homework that has to be done in a limited amount of time is a daunting thought. The deadline alone can be a stressful reminder of the book report yet undone. Although it may seem like a never ending assignment to write book reports, organization is key to a great book report. When writing the next book report, try to follow these 5 steps to an excellent composition. 

1. Brainstorming

Ideas can be formed best when brainstorming. In this case, writing down several ideas randomly can help in figuring out the topic of interest or subject. It can also help to establish the type of book report to write. To help initiate some creative ideas, use the local or school library to browse the books, periodicals, or Internet. Ideas may be produced best if they are organized in different sections. By making different diagrams or grids on a sheet of paper or electronic device, many different ideas can be categorized according to the type of information being shown. For instance, dates and locations can be categorized in events while quotes, articles or books published, or photographs can be categorized in works. 

2. Introduction

Whether the book report is about a biography or a description about an event, the introduction should be as descriptive as possible. In this part of the book report, 3 to 5 sentences should be able to establish the type of book report, the name of the person or place, and the tone of the paper. Some examples of the type of book reports are biographies, historical events, chronological order of science events, or anecdote of a personal event. Examples of tone of writing could be compare and contrast, list of sequential events, or simply a factual narration of a personal experience. This section of the book report should be kept short, concise, and precise. Good choice of words are action verbs and specific nouns. Be aware not to shift verb tenses from past to present tenses. 

3. Main Idea

The main idea of any paragraph should specifically state the topic of interest and its purpose. The subject matter should clearly be stated with specific nouns and action verbs. This part of the book report should be a short complete sentence. It is possible that the main idea can be in a couple of sentences but in rare cases. It is best to keep the focus of the topic in one sentence. It is always best to address the purpose of the writing about the topic. This should lead to the next section of the book report. 

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4. Key Points

The supporting points in any book report should range between 3 to 5 key points, if possible. If it is necessary, expand the supporting points in more detail. This section should be the body of the book report. It should be relevant and concise. A good way to organize this section could be using an outline form. Many word processing programs can now aid in organizing book reports. But book report writing and outline writing should be kept as different documents to avoid any confusion. The supporting points should come from the research on the subject. It is possible to include photographs, diagrams, or sketches within this section. However, these illustrations should be relevant to the subject. Other good examples of supporting evidence could be quotes from the subject or about the topic of interest. Proper reference technique should always be followed according to official academic citation formats like Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA). A reference list should be compiled at the end of the book report. 

5. References

Many achievements such as art works, photographs, historic dates and events, quotes, Internet sites, and articles that are used within the book report as supporting evidence should be clearly cited. There are many ways to cite a reference. The best format to follow for a book report is the MLA or APA. These guidelines have very simple steps to follow to cite specific works. It is also very widely used in the academic arena. Many of these guidelines now have adaptations to better reference Internet and social media sites. 

Even though students are solely responsible for writing book reports, parents and caregivers should encourage students to complete the assignments in a timely manner. Adults should motivate the students to finish and help with any questions or concerns they may have when writing book reports or homework. To help parents and caregivers in the quest of book writing or homework, visit KidsHealth and their homework tips, which is accessible in English and Spanish.