How to Prepare for Youth Football

As my husband and I are watching the Chiefs/Ravens game today something made me think about my younger brother playing football when he was a little guy. That got me thinking, "What's a good way for a parent to prepare their child for football." So if your son or daugther.....yes daughter comes to you with a flier from school or like me has been watching football with the family this season and now wants to play football themselves, read this article for a glimse a starting point. Getting prepared now for next season is just makes it that much easier on you and your child! :)

 

 

Prepare for Youth Football

SStarting your child in youth or pee wee football is a very exciting time for the child and

 

 

As a parent you want to allow your child freedom and choice, but you will want to prepare your child for the bumpy games or scrimmages that you never anticipated or prepared yourself or your child for. The following are easy to follow steps to help you with how to prepare for youth football.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Football Equipment
• Sign Up Sheet

1.  
   
   Don't Miss Sign Ups!
   Enroll your child in youth football as early as possible. You will want to make sure not to miss out on getting into the program. The sign up is usually in the summer and can be easily overlooked when you have so much going on with the summer break from school. You will not want to explain to your child that they can not play with all their friends this season because you missed the sign ups.
2.  
   
   Look Early for Used Football Equipment
   Buy football equipment for your child. Start looking very early, since this is the best way to save a lot of money. Remember that there is plenty of kids in your area that have outgrown their gear, so garage sales are a great place to grab great equipment at low prices. Be sure to also check resale or consignment shops, they usually will carry a supply of football helmets and pads too.
3.  
   
   Talk About Winning & Losing
   Talk to your child about winning and losing, this will only help your child prepare for the downfalls of not always winning or not winning a single game in a season. It is always a great idea to promote the love of the game, not just making it about the winning.
4.  
   
   Be a Supportive Parent
   Prepare your child for the possibility of playing very little in some seasons. The reality is that every child that wants to join the team will be able to, and every dad that wants to coach will be usually allowed to (qualified or not). This is definitely something most new youth football parents do not know, it is best to understand the politics of the game ahead of time. The fact is that if little Johnny's dad is coaching, then little Johnny will more than likely play the whole game and every game too. Now multiply that by all the assistant coaches and add the coach. This can be very frustrating considering your child has the drive and the natural ability, but no talent Johnny gets to play so much more because of who his dad is. It is best to deal with this scenario upfront rather than be mad at every game, especially since little Johnny is probably friends with your child at school.
5.  
   
   Remain Calm During Rough Times
   Attend games with a positive attitude and remember to keep your cool, even if the coach is screaming at your child. This can be extremely difficult to handle, but you will not want to make the situation worse by yelling at the coach in front of the team. There will be the occasional parent that goes way too far and belittles their child in front of everyone. It is always best to take up any concern you have with the coach in private or by phone. You will have no control of how other parents parent their child, and you will find a few dad's who try to relive their dreams through their child (best to ignore this craziness).
6.  
   
   Cheer On Your Youth Football Player!
   Focus on the love of the game, rather than focusing on the negatives of youth football. There will be many highs and lows if your child plays all the way from pee wee to high school. Each new year will bring new triumphs and pit falls. Most importantly now that you and your child have mentally prepared for the game, grab some popcorn and a soda and enjoy the games!!!

By snakesmom, "eHow Member"

 

Science Center: Super Kids Save the World Runs until 1/22/11

 

Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you have to suffer from the winter blahs. Take a trip to the Science Center!!

Super Kids Save the World is a hands-on traveling exhibit, created with green materials, which helps children focus ways to go green and train in the four R's: Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle. The exhibit is based on the British children's book George Saves the World by Lunchtime by Jo Readman and illustrated by Ley Honor Roberts.

Runs Daily 04/22/10 - 01/22/11

 The Magic House

            516 South Kirkwood Road                

Saint Louis, MO

314.822.8900

http://www.magichouse.org

Ages: All Ages  

Time: During museum hours Cost: Free with paid admission

                                                           

Chocolate-Applesauce Bread

Applesauce adds moisture to this chocolate quick bread studded with peanuts. The batter comes together quickly and the bread bakes for about an hour -- while everyone sits around the tree. Round out breakfast with mugs of coffee and cocoa.

Makes: 16 servings

Prep: 15 minutesBake: 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes

 

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1-1/3  cups  granulated sugar
• 2    eggs
• 1-1/2  cups  unsweetened applesauce
• 3  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1/4  cup  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-3/4  teaspoons  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 2/3  cup  milk chocolate chips
• 1/2  cup  dry-roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
•   Garnish:
• 1  teaspoon  confectioners' sugar
• 1  teaspoon  unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Coat nonstick loaf pan (11-1/2 x 5-1/2 x 3 inches) or 2 loaf pans (8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-3/8 inches) with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.
2. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed in large bowl until smooth and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add eggs; beat 1 minute. Beat in applesauce (mixture will look curdled).
3. Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl. Make well in center. Add applesauce mixture, chocolate chips and peanuts to well; stir into flour mixture until just combined and flour mixture is evenly moistened. Spoon mixture into prepared pan(s).
4. Bake in 350°F oven 60 to 65 minutes, until toothpick tests clean. Let cool in pan(s) 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack; let cool completely.
5. Garnish: Dust with sugar, cocoa.

Nutrition Facts

• Servings Per Recipe 16 servings
• Calories287,
• Total Fat (g)11,
• Saturated Fat (g)6,
• Cholesterol (mg)44,
• Sodium (mg)226,
• Carbohydrate (g)43,
• Fiber (g)2,
• Protein (g)5,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

---

From  Magazine

Catch a Snowflake

Catch a Snowflake

[15 Minutes]

The beauty of a snowfall is made even more special when you and your child can see the uniqueness of individual flakes. Try these ways of catching snowflakes!

You'll need:

• black or blue construction paper • magnifying glass (optional) • falling snow

What to do:

1. When it is snowing, invite your child to watch the falling flakes with you. Help him notice where the snow is falling and if it is sticking to the ground, tree branches, and sidewalks.
2. Suggest that you try to catch some snowflakes so you can see them up close.
3. Have him place a piece of dark construction paper in the freezer for a few minutes.
4. While the paper is getting cold, dress warmly and talk about why these snow clothes are needed.
5. Take the cold paper outside and catch some snowflakes. Stand under some light and look at them quickly before they disappear.
6. Encourage your child to look through a magnifying glass to see the unique shape of each snowflake.
7. When your child is no longer interested, try catching snowflakes on your tongues. (This works best if the snow falling is made up of really big flakes.)
8. You'll be laughing and giggling as you move and run to catch the snowflakes.

Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.

• What do snowflakes look like up close? Would you be able to draw some of the shapes we saw on paper?
• Could you taste the snowflakes? What does it taste like?

Useful information:

While you are having fun together, your child is developing observational skills and an understanding of nature.

Cagey Conifer "Holiday Card Holder"

'Tis no longer the season for growing veggies, so go ahead and transform a tomato cage from your garden into this clever evergreen look-alike.

Total Time Needed: 1-2 Hours

Materials

• Tomato cage
• Duct tape
• Wrapping paper
• Tape
• Scissors
• 3/4-inch binder clips

Instructions

1. First clean the cage's prongs and wrap them together with duct tape to form a point.
2. Roll a sheet of wrapping paper into a cone, tape it to secure it, and trim the bottom edge. Slip the cone over the cage's point.
3. Put a second sheet of wrapping paper under the cage, trace around the cage, and trim the circle so that it's just wider than the base.
4. Use binder clips to attach cards to the rings.

by JoEllen Mitchell 

Thanksgiving Hat craft

Step-by-Step Thanksgiving Hat Instructions

What You’ll Need

 • White paper plate
• Scissors
• Assorted paint colors
• Cotton swabs
• Paper: dark brown, light brown, black, orange, red
• Glue stick
• Brown crafts foam
• Stapler

 1. Cut a white paper plate in half. You will need one half of the plate per hat.

2. Paint each groove on the plate edge with assorted paint colors using a separate cotton swab for each color.

3. Cut a 6-inch-diameter circle from brown paper and cut it in half. Glue one of the halves to the plate. Cut out a 3-inch-diameter circle from light brown paper for the turkey’s head, two small circles from black paper for the eyes, a small diamond from orange paper for the beak and fold in half. , and a comma shape from red paper for the wattle. Glue all the pieces to the plate as shown.

4. When the paint is dry, punch a hole on each end of the brim. Tie a piece of raffia through the holes for a chin strap.

5. Cut two 2x11-inch strips from brown crafts foam for the headband. Staple one end of each piece together. Glue the stapled seam to the center back of the turkey with the staple ends facing the turkey; let dry. Complete the hat by fitting the bands around the child’s head and stapling it closed to fit.

A great Thanksgiving book to pair with the Thanksgiving Hat activity is, "Franklin's Thanksgiving." For ages 2.5-6

From Parents Magazine, adapted by Amber Thomas
 

Family Sunday Fundays: Turn Leftover Halloween Candy into Thanksgiving Treats

Now that your little ones have brought home all their hard-earned Halloween candy, you may be curious to know how you will get rid of all the Halloween candy without your or your child gaining ten pounds. Instead of nursing tummy aches this holiday season, you could be extending the life of your Halloween candy by incorporating it into the Thanksgiving celebration.


Bake It
The most obvious solution to getting rid of Halloween candy is to bake it. Candy likely won't go bad in the time between Halloween and Thanksgiving, but you can always freeze Halloween candy to keep it as fresh as possible. Baking Halloween candy into your Thanksgiving desserts is a simple and effective way to get smiles this Thanksgiving, whether you hide them in the middle of cookies or cupcakes, or melt them entirely and use in cake frosting or as part of the cake batter.

The internet is a treasure trove of Halloween candy recipe ideas. Try Cooks Candy Recipes, CDKitchen's Halloween Candy Recipes, or Recipezaar's Candy Recipes. You could also just use Google to find a great Thanksgiving dessert recipe using Halloween candy. If you have a particular brand name you have a surplus on, like Reese's Pieces or Nestle Crunch, plug those terms into the search engine.

Craft ItThere are many was to go when crafting Halloween candy. Have the kids take a variation on the classic drawing-a-turkey-with-your-hand, and with scissors and glue, make a festive collage with used Halloween candy wrappers. For example, they can use the Thanksgiving appropriate Reese's Pieces orange and Snickers brown to make a flashy hand turkey. Don't forget most candy bar wrappers have a glossy silver inside kids can use to make an eye-catching turkey or papercraft pilgrim's hat.

Google "Thanksgiving printables" for a wide variety of templates for your kids to decorate with Halloween candy wrappers. Let their imagination run wild.

Piñata ItIf your Thanksgiving celebration is rife with children, your best bet for getting rid of excess Halloween candy is by making them take some home with them, much to the chagrin of their parents. You can usually get a cheap piñata (maybe even a turkey piñata) at the dollar store, and it'll be a fun diversion for your children, so they won't stop asking you every ten minutes if the turkey is ready to eat.

Donate It
It is Thanksgiving, after all, and it's a good way to teach your child how fortunate they really are by teaching them to donate Halloween candy for people who really need it. Non-profit organizations like UNICEF and Ronald McDonald House will gladly accept your Halloween candy donations.

And Beyond...
If you can't get rid of all your Halloween candy by Thanksgiving, you could always give it another go for the Christmas season. Leftover Halloween candy can be used to make gingerbread houses and hard candy can be fashioned into Christmas ornaments.

Published by Ana Ng