Starting the Eligibility Process for Special Ed When you request that the school consider evaluating your child, this is called making a referral. Typically, it is best for you to send your request to the school administrator in writing. Your school will hold an IEP team meeting to discuss the referral, and you may be asked to help fill out the special education referral form. Special education referral forms can be confusing, especially when you’re in the middle of a meeting and trying to keep track of what is being said and written....

2 sets of measuring spoons Directions

“You will have to use their detective skills, asking lots of questions, and observing nonverbal reactions to assess if they are possibly holding things back,” says Ciandra St. Kitts, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in social anxiety, family issues, and parenting challenges. There are many reasons why kids keep quiet about bullying, one of which is that bullying is embarrassing and painful for kids. These emotions are compounded when they tell another person that they are being bullied....

Directions Put the paints in a muffin pan or paper cups. Take one sheet of paper and have your child dribble some paint onto it with the teaspoon. Cover this sheet with another sheet of paper. Use the rolling pin or wine bottle to squash the paint. Peel off the top sheet of paper and your child will have a double image of his or her artwork. Try this activity with several colors in different combinations....

Once your little one has taken their first steps, your best bet for baby shoes is to make sure they’re comfortable and provide some grip on slippery surfaces. This article explains how to measure your baby’s feet for shoes and choose the best shoes for them. It will also review shoes for pre-walkers and new walkers, as well as which ones to avoid. How to Measure Your Baby’s Feet for Shoes When determining what shoes to buy for your little one, size and comfort are the most important factors....

“I know I let my daughter get by with murder,” a widow with a six-year-old said, “but it was just the two of us. She was just four and was devastated, as I was, when Charles died. I couldn’t bear to be tough on her. I didn’t want to upset her more. Now that Terry and I are getting married, I hate to change the rules on her. He thinks she’s spoiled....

But do you really need dozens of different pills and powders to have a healthy pregnancy? After our research (and talking with top prenatal dietitians), we’re happy to report that a few well-selected prenatal supplements will meet your needs. The first place to start is a prenatal multivitamin, which is recommended by healthcare professionals for anyone who is pregnant or trying to conceive. Prenatal multivitamins can differ in their formulation but typically contain key nutrients including vitamin D, vitamins A and C, iodine, choline, and B vitamins, including folic acid to prevent fetal neural tube defects....

Here are some things you should stop doing if you are fertility challenged, so you can start living a better, fuller life. Or, perhaps you have no idea what could possibly have led to your current fertility woes. But you’re sure it’s something you could have stopped had you only known better. Plus, most cases of infertility are either not preventable or not predictable. You really can’t know if you had done something different whether you’d be a Fertile Myrtle or not....

But a new study finds that exclusive breastfeeding of children that are genetically susceptible to obesity may have a beneficial effect on their body mass index later in life. Study Findings The study, which was conducted on a group of 5,266 children, found that exclusively breastfeeding a baby for the first five months of life had a “substantial effect in decreasing BMI among children at higher genetic risks.” The bad news, however, is that babies who were exclusively breastfed for the first three months of life, or were mixed fed (fed a combination of formula and breastmilk) did not enjoy the same protective benefits....

Level: Moderately difficult Time involved: One to two hours Materials: Two pieces of 24 x 20 inch Christmas quilted material Ruler Scissors 24 inches of 5-inch-wide lace Straight pins Sewing machine Thread Iron and ironing board 30 inches of matching trim Glue gun Green fabric paint in a squeeze bottle Gold bell (optional) Needle and thread

Or, maybe your child was recently diagnosed with strep throat. Besides the antibiotics that were prescribed, you aren’t sure how else to soothe your child’s symptoms. You want to know if strep throat is contagious, and if so, how you can keep the rest of your family healthy. Strep throat is a bacterial infection that most parents deal with at one time or other when their kids are young. Although it’s not fun to manage and symptoms can make kids miserable, strep throat can be quickly diagnosed by a doctor....

An Imagination Station Activity Age: Upper elementary Time: An hour or moreType of Activity: Holiday arts-and-crafts This week, help your kids make a spooky centerpiece that’s truly in the spirit of Halloween! Materials Needed: · Newspaper to cover the work area· Old tee shirt for your child to wear· Cheesecloth (can be bought at a supermarket or craft store) · Tape· Two straws· Balloons· 2-liter soda bottle· Black felt· Diluted glue What to Do: Step One: Tape two straws horizontally on the neck of the soda bottle....

Perhaps due to our own fears, speaking to preschoolers about death is an even greater taboo today than talking about sex. Adults try to justify their reticence by arguing that because young children can’t possibly understand death, parents should spare their preschoolers the burden of thinking about it. But this excuse for avoiding an unpleasant subject consigns young children to the darkness. If you don’t discuss death at all with your child, she will be totally unprepared if someone close to her does die....

Establish a Routine The first step to teaching healthy hygiene habits is to establish a working routine. Your tween needs to bathe or shower every day, and shampoo at least twice a week. Some tweens may enjoy showering at the end of the day, in order to relax before bed. Other tweens may need to shower in the morning, in order to wake up and face the day. A child who is active, involved in sports, or prone to sweating will need to shower every day, and in some cases, more than once a day....

A check isn’t only a mark that’s made when an assignment has been handed in or a task completed—it’s also a piece of paper that represents money. A personal check works like cash. As you know, you give it to someone to whom you owe money. That person can turn your check into cash or use it just like money. A check is like a promise to the person you’re giving it to that the amount you’ve written on the check is backed up by money in a checking account....

On your next nature walk or trip to the park, take time to collect some twigs for this activity. In an afternoon your kids can turn an old empty jar into a beautiful vase! Materials Needed: Step One: While on a nature hike or playing in your backyard, gather a bunch of long, straight twigs. Step Two: Break your twigs so that they are an inch longer than the height of the jar....