The American Library Association recently released their list of the 10 Most Challenged Books of 2007. For the second straight year, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-winning children’s book about two male penguins who care for an orphaned egg–And Tango Makes Three–topped the list.

When schools or libraries receive formal, written complaints requesting that a certain book be removed because of content or appropriateness, the book is considered a “challenged book.” According to the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF), they received 420 reports from libraries and schools of efforts to have books removed last year.

However, they also note that the majority of challenges go unreported. 

How do you feel about it as a parent? Is it different than how you feel about it as a regular ol’ American citizen? When should people/children have access to information and the freedom to choose for themselves and when should it be denied or controlled? It appears that these questions present themselves over and over again each year when it comes to children’s literature.

Taken from the ALA website, here is the list of the “10 Most Challenged Books of 2007.” You’ll see that they reflect a range of themes and are challenged for a variety of reasons:

1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell 

Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Reasons:  Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes

Reasons:  Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language

4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Reasons:  Religious Viewpoint

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Reasons:  Racism

6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,

7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle

Reasons:  Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Reasons:  Sexually Explicit

9. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris

Reasons:  Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Reasons:  Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Yes, April showers bring May flowers. But May showers just bring you…indoors. If you find yourself and your kids stuck inside on a rainy day this May, a DIY project is just what you need.

Fitness magazine included directions for a simple how-to project in their last issue that you and the kids could enjoy. Make your own egg-carton herb graden and watch the good times grow.

What you’ll need:

• an empty egg carton with a few small drainage holes punched in the bottom of each well
• different herb packets like basil chives dill thyme oregano and sage
• potting soil
• popsicle sticks
• plastic wrap

What you’ll do:

1. Read instructions on packs-some seeds need to be soaked before planting.
2. Spoon potting mix into wells and plant seeds at depth required for each herb. Sprinkle with water.
3. Write the name of each herb on a popsicle stick and place in backs of wells.
4. Cover carton tightly with plastic wrap and set on a warm sunny windowsill.
5. When herbs sprout, remove plastic wrap, and water every few days. Move to larger pots as necessary.

Are you looking for ways to help your child with her reading? Maybe she’s a bit slower than other peers her age. Maybe she gets frustrated easily when sounding out words. Or, maybe your child is showing a strong interest in reading even before she’s been to school. Wherever your child is on his or her reading journey, there are ways you can help.

The following are a few tips, provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), to keep in mind as your child learns to read:

• Set aside time every day to read together. Many children like to have stories read to them at bedtime. This is a great way to wind down after a busy day and get ready for sleep.
• Leave books in your child’s room for her to enjoy on her own. Make sure her room is reading-friendly with a comfortable bed or chair, bookshelf, and reading lamp.
• Read books that your child enjoys. After a while, your child may learn the words to her favorite book. When this happens, let your child complete the sentences or take turns reciting the words.
• Do not drill your child on letters, numbers, colors, shapes, or words. Instead, make a game out of it and find ways to encourage your child’s curiosity and interests.

Ignore your teeth and they’ll go away. Harsh words, but oh, so true. So, how early and how often and how best should you take care of your children’s teeth? According to the AAP, dental and oral diseases continue to plague kids even with all the advances that have taken place with oral health.

Follow these tips to help your kids develop good dental habits and take a real bite out of dental diseases:

• Schedule regular check-ups with a dental professional (every 6  months)
• Get enough flouride (it can be found in or added to water and toothpaste)
• Brush and floss regularly( twice a day is ideal)
• Eat a well-balanced diet and drink lots of water

Dental cleaning should begin as soon as your baby gets his first tooth. Simply using a damp cloth or piece of gauze to wipe the first few teeth will do wonders as far as prevention of dental disease goes. The AAP recommends that all infants receive an oral health risk assessment by 6 months of age. And all kids should have a comprehensive dental exam by a dentist in their early toddler years. Hopefully, these guidelines will bring a smile to your child’s face for years to come.  And note to moms and dads: these tips for kids apply to you too!

Did you know there were safety guidelines regarding your children’s sleepwear? Did you know that they recently changed? The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently released their new requirements for kid’s pajamas to help give parents safe and broader choices when it comes to sleepwear.

• Infant sizes up to 9 months may be made from flame resistant or non-flame resistant fabrics
• Infant sizes above 9 months must either be flame resistant or worn snug-fitting

Children should not sleep in oversized or loose-fitting clothing like t-shirts or sweatshirts or other garments made from non-flame resistant fabrics. It’s important to keep 2 “f” words in mind when you’re buying your children’s sleepwear:  fabric and fit!

American Girls and Build-A-Bear have nothing on Ridemakerz. Just ask the boys who shop there.

Ridemakerz is a toy car shop; seven of them are currently in business across the country. Of course, they’re popular with boys. But dads and moms and even sisters are finding Ridemakerz a pretty fun place to be. 

Ridemakerz market to the preteens with their “rimz” and “decalz” and “enginez” and “ridez” and prices too. Accessories for the cars and trucks start at $2.50 while the toy cars themselves start at just $15.00. Ridemakerz is targeted for the beginner who wants to make the toy car of his or her dreams out of 600 million possible combinations.

If the sound of Ridemakerz revs your child’s engine, check out their website. Your child can start picking parts and comparing cars or even planning a Ridemakerz party. Hold on tight; it’s a fun ride!

In the last post, I wrote about recommended vaccines for children between the ages of 0 and 6 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a schedule of recommended vaccines for people aged 7 - 18 years as well. Their recommendations are as follows:

7-10 years

• Meningococcal (MCV4)*
• Pneumococcal (PPV)*
• Influenza*
• Hepatitis A Series (HepA)*

11-12 years

• Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP)
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• MCV4
• PPV*
• Influenza*
• HepA Series*

13-18 years

• PPV*
• Influenza*
• HepA Series*

*These are applicable to certain high-risk groups only. Check with your doctor for more information.

While this schedule of recommended vaccines is approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, you may still have your own questions and concerns. You should always feel comfortable consulting your child’s doctor; there are no dumb questions when it comes to your child’s health.

What do you do when your six-year-old says he wants to join the local hockey club or your seven-year-old insists that she wants to enroll in Tae-Kwan-Do? Joining teams and clubs can be expensive and let’s not forget-kids’ interests can be fleeting. Many of us grew up learning to stop-drop-and-roll when it came to fire; my advice is to stop-drop-and-roll when it comes to your kids’ activities so do you don’t get burned as well.

STOP
Stop by a team practice or local game a few times to make sure your children can see what all is involved in their new favorite sport. Sometimes, they’ve just heard a friend talk about it or seen a glimpse on TV. Experiencing it up close and personal can ensure that they’re ready to give the activity a try.

DROP
Dropping a few bucks is most likely necessary when your child joins a team. However, it’s probably not necessary to drop a few hundred on the newest skates or shoes or helmets or bats or gloves or any other piece of equipment/uniform when your child is just starting out-especially if you or your child isn’t completely sold on the sport just yet. If and when your child show a true interest and sustained desire to participate, then you can decide how much-and if it’s worth it-to invest in the sport.

ROLL
Roll with the punches…or surprises that are bound to appear the first few times your child tries a new activity or sport. She might not be good right away. He might get hurt. She might lose interest. Decide ahead of time how you’re going to handle the bumps in the road or on the field and court. If your child has committed to the team, is it important that she sticks it out even if she doesn’t like it? If he throws a fit because he missed a fly ball, how will you deal with it?

Kids won’t know if they like something until they try it so it’s great to encourage that adventurous spirit. However, don’t get swept away by every little thing they show interest in. Try to stop-drop-and-roll the next time your kids decide they want to become ultimate fighters or perform on Broadway; a little restraint can go a long way.

I’m not sure exactly how I learned to ride a bike, but I do remember my dad running alongside me, holding on until I was kind of balancing and then letting go to see how far I could make it. I think that was the extent of how to ride a bike.

The experts today have different ideas. Mainly, they suggest that parents break down the skills into riding a bike into separate lessons. That why, children don’t have to try and concentrate on all of it at once. The International Bicycle Fund (IBF) has come up with the following sequence and the steps within each part of the sequence to make teaching a child to ride a bike seem like child’s play:

Feeling the balance:

• Select a bike where the seat can be lowered enough so the child can be seated and have both feet flat on the ground. Lower the seat to the point that the learner can put there feet on the ground. Remove the training wheels. You can also remove the pedals, but most students seem to be able to go through the first exercises without any problems with the pedals attached.
• Find a grassy field with a gentle downhill of 30 yards or so, that then flattens out or goes uphill slightly. Ideally the grass is short enough that it doesn’t create too much drag on the wheels, but still can provide a soft landing in case of a fall.
• Strap a helmet on the child’s head. Tuck in shoelaces. Long pants (rubber banded, strapped or tucked into the socks) and gloves can add additional protection if it is warranted.
• Go about 15 yards up the hill and hold the bike while the child gets on. Have him or her put both feet on the ground, then you should be able to let go of the bike and nothing should happen.
• Tell your child to lift his or her feet about an inch off the ground and coast down the hill or scoot along. The objective here is to get a feel for balancing on the bike. Try to resist holding the bike to steady the learner. Because the bike will coast slowly, the cyclists can put his or her feet down if they get scared. He or she might want you to run beside the bike the first few times; do so, but don’t hold the bike. Let the child feel the balance. Give a lot of praise for every improvement. Help count the seconds that they balance and make a game of it. Hopefully, they improve on almost every pass.
• Repeat until your child feels comfortable coasting and doesn’t put his or her feet down to stop. Throughout the progression there is no need to rush moving on to the next step.

Add pedaling:

• Re-attach the pedals, if they were removed. Now have your child put his or her feet on the pedals and coast down. After several runs, have him or her begin pedaling as he or she is rolling.
• Repeat coasting/pedaling until your child feels comfortable, then move up the hill. When the child is comfortable coasting/pedaling at this level, raise the saddle in small increments and do a few more coast/pedaling runs. You can add some exercises where they stop by braking sooner than they would just from friction with the ground.

Riding in a straight line:

• Go to a flat part of the field, cul-de-sac, empty unused parking lot, etc., and practice starting from a standstill, riding in a straight line, stopping, and turning.
• Starting from a standstill - Start with one pedal pointed at the handlebars (2 o’clock). This gives the rider a solid pedal stroke to power the bike and keep it steady until the other foot finds the pedal. Kids tend to want to rush and take short cuts on this and get off to very wobbly starts. Work to have them develop habits so that they consistently get smooth steady starts.
• Riding straight - Look straight ahead. Keep the elbows and knees loose and pedal smooth circles. When a novice rider turns his or her head, their arms and shoulders follow, causing the bike to swerve.
• Stopping - Apply both brakes at the same time (if the bike has both front and rear brakes). Using just the front brake can launch the rider over the handlebars. Using just the rear brake limits the rider to just 20 or 30 percent of braking power and the bike is more likely skid.

Add turning:

• Initially, slow down before entering a corner. Turning is a combination of a little leaning and a very little steering. Keep the inside pedal up and look through the turn. As confidence grows, let the speed gradually increase.

When little Lulu wakes up in the morning and says, “I don’t feel good,” how do you decide if she should go to school or stay home? When to keep kids home from school can be confusing for parents, especially when they’re not sure if their child is faking it or is really feeling awful.

Dr. Lori Walsh, a pediatrician in the suburbs of Chicago, offers 3 bits of advice in the Sunday Chicago Tribune for parents who need to know when a sick child is too sick for school. Keep your child home if any of the following conditions apply:

1. Your child has a 101-degree temperature or more
2. Your child’s stomach pain moves from the middle of the belly to the lower right quadrant-a sign of illness more than anxiety
3. Your child has a combination of sore throat, headache, and stomachache-that’s the trifecta when it comes to strep throat.