Healthy Kansas Kids
A Program of Child Care Aware® of Kansas
Volume 3 Issue 4
“Happy hearts
and happy faces,
Keeping Playgrounds Safe & Fun
Parents and child devel-
Happy play in opment experts agree
grassy places— that play is an essential
part of childhood. Play-
grounds are spaces that
That was how, in promote fun, play and
ancient ages, exploration that supports
brain development in
young children. Play-
Children grew to grounds also encourage
physical, social and emo-
kings and sages. tional development all
young children need for
Robert Louis future success.
Stevenson Chances are, some of
your earliest memories in
life are times spent at the
For information,
park or local playground.
recipes and
Do you remember how
resources to keep
powerful you felt the first
your children
time you walked across
happy, healthy
the balance beam without
and safe, join the
falling off? Or how free
Healthy Kansas
you felt after you learned
Kids Group page
how to hop up into the
on Facebook.
seat of a swing, pumping
your legs to move higher?
Do you recall the imagi-
nary games with other
children or learning to
work with a partner on
the teeter-totter? What-
ever your memory, play-
In This Issue: grounds offer so many
wonderful experiences for
young children. As par-
ents, we want our chil-
Keeping 1 dren to experience those
Playgrounds same feelings of joy and
Safe & Fun accomplishment.
Nutrition & 2 play areas.
Playgrounds also provide
Oral Health children opportunities to
get the physical activity
they need each day. In
Fruit and 2 play, children often push
Veggie their bodies to extremes.
Faces This moderate to vigorous
physical activity is impor-
April 2011
tant, but it can also lead match their developmental
to injuries. According to level, the risk of injury in-
the United States Con- creases. This holds true for
sumer Product Safety young children playing on
Commission (CPSC) sta- equipment that is designed
tistics, over 200,000 for older children, as well
playground related inju- as older children playing on
ries requiring emergency equipment that is designed
room visits occur each for younger children. Pay
year. About 75% of attention to signage on the
these injuries occur on playground and guide chil-
public playgrounds. Most dren to equipment that is
injuries for children ages appropriate for their devel-
0-4 occur on slides opmental stage.
(51%), climbers (21%)
and swings (10%). According to the National
Program of Playground
The good news is that Safety, lack of supervision
parents do not need to is cited as a contributing
be trained playground factor in 40% of all play-
equipment inspectors to ground injuries. Good su-
keep children safe. How- pervision starts with a dis-
ever, knowing how to cussion of basic rules be-
visually inspect play sur- fore children play on any
faces and make better equipment. While children
choices about the type of play, parents should con-
equipment children use tinue to supervise. Remain
can help prevent serious close to see and anticipate
injuries. Look for dan- problems, provide guidance
gers like broken steps or on how to use equipment
missing parts, sharp and support appropriate
edges, exposed concrete risk-taking behavior.
around structure foot-
Now that the longer days
ings, and trash hazards
like glass, rusty nails, or and warmer temperatures
fallen branches. Know- of Spring are here, why not
ing which areas of the plan a visit to your child’s
playground contain haz- favorite playground and
ards will enable you to make some fun memories
prevent injuries and with your child?
guide children to safer
When it comes to play-
ground equipment, one
size does not fit all. All
children differ in size,
ability and development.
When children play on
equipment that does not
Page 2
Nutrition & Oral Health
Feeding young children teeth longer. You can so they need 3 meals
can feel like a round-the- teach this concept to chil- and 2 or 3 snacks per
clock task for parents. dren by using a mirror to day. Limit sweet and
As children grow, their look in their mouth 15 sticky foods to meal
feeding patterns and eat- minutes after eating some times, not between
ing habits change, mean- pretzels. Chances are, meals or as a snack.
ing that what children they’ll find evidence of the When you serve a
like and how much they pretzels packed in the tiny sweet treat at the end
eat can vary from day to crevices of their teeth. of a meal, your children
day. Providing children Drinks like pop, juice and are likely to eat less of
healthy meals, snacks juice drinks are also full of the sweet because they
and drinks is important sugars that can harm our have satisfied their
for optimal physical de- teeth. Limit serving juice hunger with the
velopment and early to mealtimes, and offer healthy foods provided
learning, but it is also more fruits than fruit juice. during the meal. Also,
important for oral health. the treat won’t prompt
Kansas Cavity Free Kids HOW OFTEN children a second acid attack in
shares helpful tips so eat makes a difference. the mouth.
parents can make a dif- Every time we eat, cavity
causing germs launch an Children who sleep with
ference in their children’s
oral health. “acid attack” in the mouth bottles filled with milk,
that lasts for about 20 juice or pop could be
WHAT children eat minutes. The acid attack getting too many calo-
makes a difference. weakens teeth, making ries and be at greater
Some foods like cheese, them more likely to decay. risk of getting cavities.
milk, beans, fruits and If children are snacking or During sleep, the
veggies help build strong sipping all day, their teeth mouth makes less sa-
teeth because they are don’t have time to recover liva to help clean the
low in sugar. Foods that and rebuild from the acid teeth. Parents can
contain sugar, honey, or attacks. Rinsing the help by teaching chil-
white flour (like cookies, mouth with water after dren to sleep without a
crackers, cereal) feed the eating helps stop an acid bottle. Instead, offer a
germs that cause cavi- attack. In addition, offer- healthy bedtime snack
ties. Many of the foods ing water to drink between like apple slices and
that contain sugar or meals cuts out extra calo- string cheese, then
flour are also sticky ries, helps children stay brush teeth before go-
foods, like crackers, gra- well-hydrated, and pre- ing to bed.
nola bars and fruit vents acid attacks.
snacks. Sticky foods For more information
pack a stronger punch WHEN children eat about children’s oral
makes a difference. health, visit: http://
because they feed the
germs that cause cavi- Children eat small portions www.oralhealthkansas.
ties. They also stay on and process food quickly, org/Birthtoage5.html

Fruit and Veggie Faces

These fun faces let kids Fresh veggies: cherry Instructions:
play with their food, get tomato halves, bell pep- Wash and prepare an
creative in the kitchen, per strips, squash, zuc- assortment of fruits and
and encourage healthy chini or cucumber slices, veggies, whatever you
snacking habits. shredded carrot, broccoli have on hand. Cut
florets, baby spinach cheese into various
Ingredients: leaves shapes or provide string
Low-fat cheese (choose cheese that can be
your child’s favorite or Fresh fruits: kiwi and pulled apart. Encourage
offer new flavors) banana slices, straw- kids to make a face
berry halves, orange complete with eyes,
8 thin wheat crackers segments, blueberries, nose, ears, mouth, and
(look for whole wheat watermelon, grapes, hair, then eat the face
options) cantaloupe with wheat crackers.