 Our theme this month is Mother Goose Goes to the Circus!Our Focus in May will be:
Mothers Day
Fairy Tales
Nursery Rhymes
The Circus
• Character Education: Sharing
• We're going to plant our garden this month!
May has arrived with an abundance of sunshine. Its going to be a great month to learn all about rhyming and fairy tales. We will still stick to our character education of sharing this month and we have some great new books to explore about how wonderful our Mother's, Grandmother's, and Aunties are!
We are hoping the sunshine holds so we can plant our garden this month. All of our sprouts from April's celebration of Earth Day are popping out of the indoor planters. Its going to be a wonderful Month of fresh and new. We can hardly wait to get started!
I want to wish all of the Mom's a great big Happy Mother's Day. Put your feet up and relax, you deserve every minute!
The May long weekend is right around the corner and that is the deadline for our planting so lets keep our fingers crossed and get our yard gear on. Its going to be a great month!
Spring has sprung and summer is almost here!
~Kathy
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Parent Tip 
What should I do if a bee or wasp stings my child?
A bee's stinger works like an automatic pump — the longer it stays in, the more venom it releases — so get it out as quickly as you can. Look for a little black dot in the center of a reddened area and scrape it off with a fingernail or credit card. Try not to squeeze the stinger with your fingers or tweezers, because that could release more venom.
Once you've removed the stinger, wash the area with soap and water. Then apply an ice pack for 15 minutes or so to minimize swelling and relieve pain. (If you don't have an ice pack, grab a package of frozen vegetables or drop a few ice cubes in a plastic bag. Wrap whatever you're going to use in a washcloth so it doesn't touch your child's skin directly.)
You may want to apply a paste of baking soda and water to the area, to soothe it and draw out some of the venom. (Simply dab it on, let it dry, and rinse it off.)
Luckily, the pain usually begins to go away after a few hours, although the swelling may increase for another day or two. In the meantime, you may want to give your child the appropriate dose of
acetaminophen to ease his discomfort. Continue to apply icepacks, and, if your child is still really uncomfortable, you can try an over-the-counter children's antihistamine to help relieve any itching and swelling.
On rare occasions, a child will have a severe allergic reaction to an insect sting. This is called anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock, and it can be deadly. If your child is having this kind of a reaction, you may notice the following symptoms within a few minutes or hours of the sting:
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Rash over many parts of his body
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Shortness of breath and tightness in his chest
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Wheezing
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Dizziness
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Swollen tongue, hands, or face
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Weakness
- Unconsciousness
If you notice any of these symptoms in your child, call 911 immediately for emergency medical care
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What to Do About Lying
A primary rule for parents when dealing with lying is don't badger or corner children! Imagine you give a child the third degree about whether or not he has homework. He denies it six times and finally, after your seventh question, he admits that he has some. What has happened? By this time, of course, you are furious. More important, however, you also have given your child six times to practice lying! You may think to yourself, "Sooner or later he'll realize he can't fool me and he'll give up." Wrong. Many
children will continue to take the easy way out: they will simply attempt to become better liars.
Either You Know the Truth or You Don’t
Look at it this way: you either know the truth or you don't. If you don't know what is going on, ask once and don't badger. It's a good idea here not to ask "impulsively”. Many kids simply respond back impulsively. They lie, but their real desire is just to end the conversation, get rid of you, and stay out of trouble.
If you are going to ask, you might say something like, "I want you to tell me the story of what happened, but not right now. Think about it a while and we'll talk in fifteen minutes." If he tells you the story and you find out later that the child lied, punish him for whatever the offense was as well as for the lie. No lectures or tantrums. Deal with the problem and try to fix things— as much as you can—so that lying does not seem necessary to the child.
If you do know what has happened, tell him what you know and deal with it. If he has done something wrong that you know about, simply punish him reasonably for that and end the conversation with, "I'm sure you'll do better next time."
Keep Your Perspective
Some parents still prefer to ask a child what happened—even when they already know what it was. This is OK if you do it right. You should say something like, "I got a call from the school today about an incident at lunch. I'm going to ask you to tell me the story, but not right now. I want you to think about it for a while, and then when you're ready you can tell me, but remember I already pretty much know what happened."
Lying is not good, but it certainly isn't the end of the world either. It happens from time to time. It doesn't mean that your kids don't love you or that they are bound to grow up to become professional criminals. Over the years, however, frequent emotional overreactions on your part—combined with badgering and cornering—can produce an Accomplished Liar.
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