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Wake Up Tall No wonder: Kids grow in their sleep Every morning, does your child seem an inch taller? Measure him; he may be. Based on the study of leg bones of lambs, scientists surmise that most growth in children occur during sleep. Why? Growth plates consist of soft cartilage at the ends of bones that may become compressed when walking or standing. When lying down, the pressure is eased and bones elongate, says Norman Wilsman, study author at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Veterinary Medicine. The study was recently published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics. Parents and doctors have long speculated that growth occurs at night, but little data has backed that up. Often children complain of “growth pains,” most often from ages 4-12. This pain seems to occur during late evening, when the day’s activities have slowed up, or at night, awakening the child. By studying lambs, scientists could study growth as it occurred. Their studies indicated that 90% of growth occurs during sleep. SAY ‘MAMA’ Children’s book promotes creativity It’s one thing to write a book that stimulates a child’s imagination and encourages them to read more. It’s another to create a book that inspires the child to actually go out and create something of his own. That’s exactly what the new book “Mama” does. Written by longtime journalist and mother Kelly Jones, with colorful, almost three-dimensional collages by Ken Kewley, the book follows a little boy who knows just one word, “Mama,” throughout his day. The story is delivered through the voice of the boy’s big sister, who seems to understand that “Mama” is a word for just about everything in a toddler’s life. Toddlers will enjoy following the boy through the familiar daily schedule of waking, breakfast, a trip to the park even bath time. Older children, even adults, will find the detailed collages fascinating. Jones has taken her show on the road, reading in elementary school classrooms, then unpacking a suitcase full of colorful tissue paper strips and glue sticks so that students can create their own collages. So impressive is the collaboration between Jones and Kewley, “Mama” is now distributed not only at bookstores, but also at the Museum of Modern Art, the Chicago Institute of Art and the Chrysler Museum. SCHOOL’S RUSH How to end the morning madness Getting the kids ready for school, while preparing to head off to work, can mean morning chaos. Fighting over which clothes to wear, what to eat for breakfast, and who fed the dog yesterday can darken even the sunniest of mornings. According to Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman, authors of “The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose,” the solution to ending the madness is a solid night-before planning and a strategy of personal responsibility, even for the youngest child. Establish a routine. The idea is to provide a structural guide to keep the child moving through the morning. The routine should include what time to get up, a set amount of bathroom time and dressing time, and any chores the children should tend to. Include the children in creating this structured routine to help build ownership. If the routine needs adjusting, involve the children in the evaluation. Teach children to set their own alarm clocks. The sooner you involve them in waking themselves, the better. Make decisions on what to wear, the night before. Better yet, lay out an entire week’s worth of clothing on Sunday. Use the evening to pack up backpacks and collect school books. Eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day and gives the body the energy it needs to meet the demands of the morning. Keep the television off and the video games put away. They will only serve as distractions when everyone needs to remain focused. WHO’S LISTENING? Younger kids listen; older ones don’t When it comes to health, older children are less likely to follow nutritional advice than the younger ones, a new survey indicates. Key to the results in this nugget: 64% of 9-year-olds surveyed say they are “very interested” in learning about health versus 19% of 13-year-olds, according to a KidsHealth KidsPoll. In addition, 77% of 9-year-olds say they follow what they’re taught “all the time” or “most of the time” versus 43% for 13-year-olds. A child’s declining interest in learning about health comes at a time when most are going through puberty and experiencing major changes in their bodies. The key learning tool from this survey is that children should be engaged in learning about age-appropriate health issues throughout the school years. In addition, educational programs need to include ways to motivate children to adopt healthy behaviors. From this survey, 40% of respondents say they get most of their health information from school; 29% from a doctor or nurse; and 12% from parents. However, parents are the first choice for most children when they have an important health question. Information: nahec.org/KidsPoll. ATHLETIC SKILLS Inland Empire facility builds strong bodies Young athletes in the Inland Empire have a new resource available to them, The Sports Zone, to learn and enhance their skills under the direction of a skilled and dedicated staff. The Sports Zone is the latest endeavor of Intelligent Sports, Inc. In 1996, Thomas Hobson and Dennis Mears drew on their extensive backgrounds in coaching and administering youth sports to develop the Nothin’ But Net (NBN) program. NBN provided young basketball players in the Inland Empire with a program to develop and improve their game skills during the off-season. Soon, NBN was running leagues and tournaments with more than 80 teams made up of both boys and girls. Nothin’ But Net’s success brought about the founding of Intelligent Sports and, now, The Sports Zone. The Sports Zone encompasses a 10,000-square foot facility within the Upland Sports Arena that features two basketball courts and caters to court sports such as basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, and wrestling. The facility is also able to host soccer, football and other field-based athletics. The membership-based, after-school programs at The Sports Zone are open to all youth in the area and are designed to promote the concepts of teamwork, discipline, and love of the game as well as teaching individual skills. Among the programs being offered at The Sports Zone is a basketball clinic for youth ages 7 to 12 designed and hosted by Fred Williams, former basketball coach at the University of Southern California and for the Utah Starzz of the WNBA. The Upland Sports Arena is located at 1721 W. 11th Street in Upland. For more information about The Sports Zone or Nothin’ But Net: 909.373.0240. By Michael J. Medley FAMILY NEWSBITES HELP FOR AT-RISK YOUTH The David & Margaret Home in La Verne is offering a class for at-risk youth, addressing alcohol and drug intervention and anger management. This is a 10-week course offered on an open enrollment basis. The course provides intervention for youth, ages 12-18, and is taught by facilitators who specialize in teen issues. Classes are held from 3:30-5 p.m. at two locations, on Tuesdays at the agency campus at 1350 Third St. in La Verne and on Thursdays at Claremont’s Youth Activity Center, 1717 N. Indian Hill Blvd. in Claremont. The cost for the 10-week course is $80. Call 909.593.0089 for information or to enroll. MOMS CLUB A new club for and about stay-at-home moms is up and running in the Loma Linda area. The Loma Linda MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support) also covers the communities of Grand Terrace and Colton. The club meets in the day when moms need the support the most and offers park days, monthly crafts, and a monthly Mom’s Night Out. For information on joining or to receive one of the club’s calendars, call founder Robin Krolczyk at 909.796.3120. LUCKY SEVEN Luck actually had less to do with it than a lot of hard work and dedication as the Hemet High School Academic Decathlon team won its seventh straight Riverside County Academic Decathlon at Arlington High School this past February. Hemet West Valley High School finished second and Corona High School’s gold team took third place in the competition with teams from 14 Riverside County high schools participating. BEAUTIFYING WINE COUNTRY The Riverside County Board of Supervisors recently awarded the construction contract for the Temecula Wine Country Beautification Project to Tony’s Landscaping Inc. The project, designed to encourage tourism and enhance the vitality of the area, will include the installation of entry monuments, directional way-finders, and decorative fencing and landscaping along portions of Rancho California Road, Butterfield Stage Road, De Portola Road, Glen Oaks and Anza Road. STATE OF THE SCHOOLS San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Herbert Fischer recently delivered his sixth State of Education Address. With state Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell in attendance, Fischer called on the educational community to rally against Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts for public education. Fischer also noted that statewide test scores had risen for San Bernardino County students for the fifth consecutive year. “This is a long-term undertaking and it requires long-term commitment,” Fischer said, urging public educators to remain “steadfast” in their commitment to boost student achievement. WHAT WORRIES YOU? Concern over the war in Iraq was the issue more Americans report worrying about (24%), while the high cost of living was the least-cited concern (2%), according to a recent Gallup Poll that queried how Americans feel about economic issues compared to non-economic problems. Interestingly, terrorism was a reported concern of 9% of respondents but national security concerned just 4%. Social security (13%) and the high cost of health care (10%) bother more of us than the decline in morals, ethics and family values (6%). Reported and compiled by Inland Empire Family Magazine staff |
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