Easy Craft Ideas for Your Kids!

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City

585 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530

516-222-5100

www.PediatricDentistryofGardenCity.com

With school ending and the summer approaching, you may need a couple of craft ideas to do with your children on a rainy day.  Here are a few easy and enjoyable crafts to share with your children!

Craft 1: Paper Family Tree

Make your child’s family tree from construction paper. Your child can make a simple but pretty family tree and learn about family’s heritage.

Supplies Needed:

• Sky blue and green construction paper
• Crayons, tempera paint or markers
• Scissors
• Glue Stick

Directions:

• Draw a large tree with many branches
• Cut out leaves from the green construction paper or use leaf rubbings that you cut out
• Each leaf will represent a person in the child’s family and should be big enough to write that person’s name    on the leaf. Cut enough leaves for each of the child’s siblings, parents, grandparents and more!
• Write the name of each person on their leaf. You might want to include the relative’s relationship to the child.
• Glue the leaves to the tree. Put the child’s generation at the top of the tree, the parents at the second level, and the grandparents at the bottom.

Craft 2: Family Collage

You can make a great family collage to hang up around the house or in your child’s room by cutting out pictures of family members and gluing them to poster boards!

Supplies Needed:

• Family photos
• Scissors
• Glue
• Thick paper or poster board
• Markers

Directions:

• Cut a variety of pictures of family members from photos into different shapes and sizes
• Glue the pictures, overlapping one another on poster board or construction paper
• Decorate the collage using markers, glitters, stickers or whatever else you wish! 

Common Everyday Baby Items Found To Be a Risk For Your Child's Health

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City

585 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530

516-222-5100

www.PediatricDentistryofGardenCity.com

There are many common everyday baby items such as baby bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups that have been found to be a risk for your child’s health. Researchers at the center for BiobehavioralHealth and the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have analyzed the number of child injuries related to these kinds of products and the numbers are extremely high.

Researchers collected data from from 100 hospitals, and found that between 1991 and 2010, over 45,398 children under the age of 3 were sent to the emergency room with an injury related to one of these everyday baby products.  That equals out to be one child every four hours! This doesn’t include the non-reported injuries.

71% of these injuries were linked to the mouth and 20% were around the head, face or neck. The biggest issue occurred with baby bottles, which accounted for two-thirds of the reported injuries. Pacifiers accounted for 20% of the injuries and sippy cups were responsible for 14% on these injuries.


The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) have listed some recommendations for the use of these everyday baby items for parents to follow closely. Some of these include helping children give up pacifiers after 6 months and when they start walking or giving children lidless cups when they are a year old and making sure they are sitting down when drinking to avoid falling and injuring themselves.

The Weight of the Nation: A 4-Part Documentary on the Obesity Epidemic

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City

585 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530

516-222-5100

www.PediatricDentistryofGardenCity.com

HBO is partnering with the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Medicine for a four-part series called “Weight of the Nation.” With more than a third of Americans being overweight or obese, the United States is certainly facing an epidemic.

The goal of this series is to inform individuals about all the health issues that pertain to them and the future of the United States. Weight of a Nation will focus on a couple of different issues/areas surrounding the epidemic including consequences, choices and children in crisis and challenges.

Here are a couple of interesting facts from the documentary:

• One out of 5 kids drinks three or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day,accounting for an extra meal. 
• Less than 1 percent of Americans meet the criteria for ideal cardiovascular health. 
• One in 4 adults gets no physical activity. 
• Obesity costs American businesses $70 billion in lost productivity. 
• Profit margin for soft drinks is 90 percent. Profit margin for produce is 10 percent.

Mother's Day Recipe for a Cool, Delicious Cake!

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City

585 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530

516-222-5100

www.PediatricDentistryofGardenCity.com

Sunday, May 13^th marks the official date of Mother’s Day! With this special day quickly approaching, many people are scrambling for the perfect gift idea. Here’s an easy recipe to show mom just how much you appreciate her!

Recipe for “Cool Cake for Mom”

Ingredients

• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) pound cake
• 1 (3 1/8-ounce) box of instant pudding
• 1 cup whipped topping

• Fruit (we used 2 bananas and 4 large strawberries)
• Mint sprigs (optional)
• Chilled chocolate syrup

Instructions

1. Slice the pound cake into several horizontal slices about an inch thick.
2. Prepare the pudding according to package directions. Mix the pudding with the whipped topping.
3. Chop up the fresh fruit you've chosen.
4. Layer the cake, fruit, and a little less than half of the pudding mixture in a loaf pan. Then top the cake with the remaining pudding.
5. Put the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours. When it's chilled, decorate it; we topped ours with trimmed strawberries and mint sprigs.
6. Squeeze on a greeting with chilled chocolate syrup. Then serve Mom a sweet treat on her special day.

Do Kids Need Dental Sealants?

 Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City 

585 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530

516-222-5100

www.PediatricDentistryofGardenCity.com

Many children across the nation choose sugary juice drink over water and rarely turn down a piece of candy. Dentists who see these children often times suggest giving them dental sealants to keep tooth decay to a minimum. It is an ongoing debate amongst dentists whether enough kids get the liquid plastic coverings that protect their teeth.

According to studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20% of children at poverty level and only 40% of kids from higher-income homes actually receive recommended sealants. Dental sealants are formed when dentists drip a plastic-like liquid onto the biting surface of the tooth, coating the pits and fissures that typically trap food and foster the growth of bacteria.

Dental sealants are applied to the permanent molars and set with ultraviolet light, usually between the ages of 5 and 7. The cost of this procedure is usually $30 to $40 per tooth and it is typically covered by most dental insurance policies.

AAPD Announces the Launch of Their New Customer-Based Website!

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City

585 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530

516-222-5100

www.PediatricDentistryofGardenCity.com

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) has announced the launch of their new customer-based website MyChildrensTeeth.org. 

AAPD is a recognized leader in children’s oral health. The website will aim to answer many frequently asked questions by parents including:

• When should I take my child to the dentist for the first check-up?

• What should I use to clean my baby's teeth?  

• Are baby teeth really that important to my child?  

• How do dental sealants work?  

• How safe are dental X-rays?

AAPD is also aiming to meet the growing need for high quality, evidence based dental information that is giving the most up to date information on children’s oral health directly to parents. 

What do you think of the new site? Let us know on the Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City's Facebook Wall, linked HERE!

What Do You Do With Your Children for Fun?

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City

585 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530

516-222-5100

www.PediatricDentistryofGardenCity.com

 

Are you looking for some fun activities to do with your children close by? Here is a list of some ideas in the area happening soon, provided by the New York Times. 

Visit the Roslyn Harbor Nassau County Museum of Art's “A Self Portrait on the Walls,” a documentary on the artist Jim Dine as he produced an exhibition in Germany. “All About Looking,” a film about Mr. Dine’s teaching his drawing methods. Tuesdays through Sundays at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 and 3 p.m., both through July 8. Free with museum admission, $4 to $10. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Drive. (516) 484-9337.

If you’re from the Garden City area come down to the Long Island Children’s Museum “The Mystery of the Mayan Medallion,” traveling exhibition, through May 6. “Catch-All Character Cups.” Visitors create a character cup to display and organize markers and crayons. May 1 through 4, 2:30 to 4 p.m. Free with museum admission, $10 and $11. “Cinco de Mayo!” Visitors learn about the history of the holiday and make a miniature sombrero. May 5, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Free with museum admission. Long Island Children’s Museum, 11 Davis Avenue. (516) 224-5800; licm.org.

What do you like to do with your kids on Long Island? Share your ideas with us on the Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City Facebook Wall, linked HERE.