Your community needs you! Schools can't do it alone. Promote learning by supporting your neighborhood children's museum. 
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Have you ever made or invented something that you thought of? I imagine that you have. Everything from making sandwiches to space travel happens because of inventiveness.
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Like dust bunnies under the couch, the evidence in favor of dirt is piling up! This once loathed enemy of the homemaker is now being embraced as a simple preventative for allergies, type 1 diabetes,  and other immune diseases. Check out this article from The New York Times for just one of many arguments for bringing more dirt into our lives.
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It seems like everyone’s schedules are so full these days, and I am guilty of this as much as anyone else!  While it may be hard to set aside the never ending to-do list, taking a weekend every few months to do just that can leave the whole family more relaxed and ready to take on life.
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Join Eastside Heritage Center on Thursday, April 18th from 5pm-8pm for more hands-on history fun! We will be featuring our brand new chicken coop complete with look-alike chickens and eggs.  There also will be the corn shelling machine with grinders to make chicken feed. 
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Engaging children in inquiry and nature play allows them to make early connections to the world around them and to help instill a sense of curiosity and wonder.1 Families play an important role in science education outside the learning in the classroom where only 5% of people’s science learning comes.2 Research has found that children, with the help of an adult, can make observations that are equal to and often be even better than scientists because of lack of assumptions and prior knowledge.3
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Thumb-sucking is a pasttime that can start in the womb. Babies suck on their thumbs because it soothes them and helps them to relax, especially before bed or when they’re upset. While this behavior is completely acceptable for babies and toddlers, it’s important that parents help wean their child off of their thumbs by the time they reach 4 or 5 years old.

There can be dental issues that arise from thumb-sucking beyond 5 years old, including:

• Development of a lisp
• Improperly aligned teeth
• Teeth pushing forward or buck teeth

All of these dental risks can be prevented with early intervention by parents who can help their child slowly stop depending on their thumbs for comfort. If your child is vigorously still sucking on their thumb by 3 years old, some things you may want to try to encourage them to slow down the habit are:


1. Rewards

I don’t think I’ve met one child yet who doesn’t get excited about the possibility of a reward. Use a calendar to track the amount of days your child doesn’t suck on their thumb, or only limits the habit to bedtime. At the end of a week take them someplace special, like the playground or park (or KidsQuest!). Once they get to two weeks, three weeks and a whole month, increase the rewards. Parents can help their children track their success by letting them put up a sticker at the end of every day they go thumb-free. Just remember, once they start sucking on their thumb again they start fresh and new. Place the rewards at the end of every week so that they know what they’re working toward to help entice them!


2. Introduce Them To A New Comfort

Introduce your child to a new comfort toy, like a stuffed animal or a blanket. Some children may already have such an item that brings comfort to them, so encourage them to concentrate more on hugging their stuffed animal or cuddling with their blanket rather than sucking on their thumbs for bedtime or when they’re sad or anxious.


What Not To Do:

Putting band-aids, mittens or yucky-tasting ingredients on your child’s fingers may seem like the only route to go, but this may upset your child more than help them. You should be encouraging them to stop, not punishing them.

If your child still proceeds to suck on their thumb beyond 5 years old, then you may want to consult your doctor or dentist to see if there is anything they can do to help. Most children will stop the habit on their own by this age. Once they are around children their age and in school a majority of the time, they will have far more things to think of than their thumbs.

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Guest Post provided by Rory Mycek, a contributor for TopDentists.com, the dental resource site of Everyday Health and partner parenting site, WhatToExpect.com.

Reading is an integral part of a child’s development. It improves a child’s vocabulary, helps develop their imagination, and teaches children about the world around them. Reading is not only enriching to child development, it is also fun! Children go on adventures when reading about an inspiring train engine or their favorite family of bears. As fun and education books may be, every child has their favorite book. Below are a few children’s books that are the favorites of some KidsQuest staff members. 
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Quiz time!

Question: Which of the following people is most likely to conduct scientific experiments?
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Bubbles, inventing, and forces….oh my! What do all of these exciting science concepts have in common? They’re all themes from QuestClub at KidsQuest Children’s Museum?
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