Goo Gone Removes Crayon, Stickers and Gum

Products Nannies Love

Last week the teen I care for left some gum in his pants pocket before putting the pants in his hamper. Unintentionally I washed the pants with the gum in the pocket and then dried his clothes with the gum in the dryer. The gum melted and stuck to a shirt in the dryer. The mother pulled out of the pantry a plastic bottle of Goo Gone liquid adhesive that removes grease, gum, stickers, crayon, and tape. It worked easily and am happy to recommend this product with others today.

It was so easy to remove the gum. I simply squirted a little bit of Goo Gone to the gum. I allowed it to sit for just a few minutes and then used a paper towel to rub off the gum. It came right off. Then I washed it with soap and water and the shirt is ready to wear again.

Goo Gone makes other products that I haven't tried yet such as the Goo Gone Painter's Pal that removes dried paint, caulk, tape residue, ink, oil, sealants, and varnish and the Goo Gone Goo Gone Multi-Purpose Cleanerto remove the greasiest, grimiest problems without resorting to toxic chemicals such as garage floors, range hoods, and lawn mowers.

I highly recommend Goo Goneto parents and caregivers to remove grease, gum, stickers, crayons, ink, and tape from walls, furniture, and clothing.

1,400 Things for Kids to Be Happy About

Weekly Trip to the Library

What makes for a happy childhood? The little things, just like at any other time of life. Kids are happy when they read books with their mother and father. They like little things like smelling a Christmas tree or building a fort with a friend.

1,400 Things for Kids to Be Happy Aboutby Barbara Ann Kipferis not only a celebration of all the little things that make kids happy, it’s also a workbook of happiness.

Each picture is labeled with ten blank lines for kids to fill in with their own favorite things. There are no right or wrong answers since the kids just fill in what they like.

 In a friendly, spread-by-spread format, it covers all the important things that make up a child's world – their parents, neighbors, the zoo, friends, the playground, pets, the classroom, movies, and summer vacation.

10 Benefits of Reading-Aloud to Babies

Without the Motivation to Read, Children Don't Read

It is vital that nannies and au pairs read to children of every age to help kids develop the love of reading. In the book,Baby Read-Aloud Basics,Caroline J. Blackmore and Barbara Weston Ramirez they explain that without the motivation to read, children don’t read.

In Baby Read-Aloud Basicsthe authors describe ways babies benefit from a daily read-aloud routine. They explain that the emotional, mental, physical, and sensory benefits of daily reading to a baby are to great to
ignore!

Since the baby’s brain is equipped to absorb enormous amounts of information evidence shares that seemingly passive babies are, in terms of brain activity, more active than adults. They share that not only the time from birth to two-years-old critical for language development, but the foundation of learning development and future academic success.

Here are 10 benefits of reading-aloud to babies:

1. Reading-Aloud Promotes Listening Skills
When a child has the ability to listen attentively, he can easily absorb the thousands of words of the vocabulary, sounds, and structure of language. By listening, he will eventually understand the meaning of what is being said. Soon he will begin speaking all those words he has heard from birth.

2. Reading-Aloud Increases the Number of Vocabulary Words Babies Hear
Research shows that the number of words babies hear each day is the single most
important predictor of future intelligence, school success, and social skills. Providing quality and quantity of language is necessary for a child’s academic success.

3. Reading-Aloud Develops Attention Span and Memory
Children who are read to on a daily basis are known to have long attention spans.

4. Reading-Aloud Helps Babies Learn Uncommon Words
When you read to a baby, he hears your words from the book. Words from children’s books are different and more unusual than everyday conversational words.

5. Reading-Aloud Help Babies Learn to Understand the Meanings of Words
Children learn vocabulary in the home from birth to five from hearing their parents, caregivers, and other adults talk and read to them.

6. Reading-Aloud Help Babies Learn Concepts About Print
In Kindergarten and even first grade, some children can’t distinguish between a word, letter, or number. These concepts along with other knowledge about books such as recognizing the front cover with the title, are tested in kindergarten with the CAP (Concepts About Print) test. Children who have been read to since birth will easily know these concepts.

7. Reading-Aloud Helps Babies Learn to Get Information from Illustrations
Illustrations are almost as important as the text in baby books when it comes to generating and inspiring imagination.

8. Reading-Aloud Promotes Bonding and Calmness for Both Baby and Caregiver
Reading aloud is one of the easiest and least complicated of all the daily tasks that you do to bond with the baby.

9. Reading-Aloud Stimulates the Imagination and All the Senses
Teachers notice that children who watched several hours of television a day when they were
babies and preschoolers show less creativity and imagination. Listening to a storyteller or a story from a book helps children learn to form images in their heads using sensual memories like how things feel, taste, smell, sound, or look.

10. Reading-Aloud Instills the Love of Books and Learning
When a nine– or 10-month-old independently goes to pull out his books from her bookshelf, she does so because she has experienced that books gives pleasure even when she just sits for a short time by herself and looks at them.

How Often Do You Clean Baby Toys?

How to Wash and Sanitize Toys

Babies put everything in their mouths, including their toys. That's why nannies and au pairs ought to quickly clean toys that the kids put in their mouths each day with a baby wipe or dish soap and water and caregivers need to sanitize all the children's toys weekly. Don't forget to remove batteries from toys before putting them in water.

To Disinfect Plastic Toys:
Disinfect washable colorfast plastic toys with a solution of ½ cup bleach per gallon of water. Soak for five- to 20-minutes, rinse, and air dry.

To Clean Teething Toys:
According to modernmom.com caregivers should clean teething toys and other toys which babies put in their mouths using hot water and dish detergent daily. Hand wash the toys in the sink and allow to air dry. Disinfect the teething toys weekly making sure to rinse off the bleach well before allowing the teething toys to air dry.

To Clean Tub Toys:
Let tub toys dry in a net or basket after the bath. Toys that trap water need to be cleaned regularly with a diluted bleach solution, then rinsed well, and left to dry. Disinfect them weekly following the directions on how to disinfect plastic toys above.

To Clean Stuffed Animals:
Most stuffed animals can be laundered in the washing machine with a mild detergent and placed in the dryer. It's important to clean children's favorite stuffed animals once a week, especially after the child has been sick or other kids have played with their plush toys. To freshen stuffed animals between washings just sprinkle baking soda on the toys and let sit for 15-minutes. Dust off baking soda over the sink.

To Clean Play Areas:
I like to clean tables, large toys, or play areas with Clorox wipes or Lysol wipes. But caregivers can simply use a mild bleach solution by mixing one tablespoon bleach with one gallon of water. Spray the solution on the tables and large toys and rinse with a sponge and clean water and let air dry.

What Does it Feel Like to You?

Wednesdays With Whitney: Creating Texture With Kids

Texture is smoothness, roughness, softness, or slickness of an object. By the time kids are six-months-old they are naturally attracted to texture. Texture of a favorite blanket or stuffed animal can provide comfort to children. Teach the kids you care for about texture with the simple projects below.

Tissue Paper Rubbings:

Use tissue paper or thin tracing paper to make rubbings on items with texture such as the bark on a tree, a brick, stone, leaves, coins, combs, or stencils. Have the kids place the paper on top of the selected item and then firmly rub a crayon back and forth across the paper until an image appears. We used coins above.

Sand Paintings:

1. You will need sand you can purchase at a craft store or make colored sand by mixing powdered tempera paint with sand. You will also need some white glue, poster board, paint brushes, and shaker bottles with big holes.

2. Pour the colored sand into shaker bottles with large holes.

3. Mix school glue with a little water. Have the children brush the glue onto poster board.

4. Shake the sand onto the sticky surface.

5. Gently shake off the excess sand into the garbage and allow to dry before hanging.

Reference: Projects from Art for the Very Youngby Elizabeth McConville and photos by Stephanie Felzenberg