Did this sign show up in your social media feed this week? Spring sports are in full swing - are our sportsmanship manners? "Good sportsmanship is about playing by the rules, discipline, respect, and self control. A good sport has fun because they enjoy playing the game more than the final outcome." (fpsports.org)

As we enjoy cheering for our favorite student athletes from the stands, let's encourage them to not only be good at their sport(s), but good sports as well. In encouraging your student athlete this week, share these

Five Tips for Being a Good Sport

1. Respect not only your teammates, but also your opponents. They worked hard to earn spots on their teams and are working hard on the field.
2. Respect your coaches and the officials of the game. They are present to guide you to becoming a better player.
3. Accept the judgment calls of the coaches and the officials without argument. While they can't see everything that takes place on the field, they are being as fair as possible...and most of them are unpaid volunteers who are present because they love the game as much as you do.
4. Offer encouragement to teammates, especially when they make mistakes. The best way to become better is to know that it's OK to make mistakes.
5. Lose without pouting and win without gloating. 

Enjoy the game this week!

 

Are your children using Yik Yak? 

“The Yik Yak app is the most dangerous form of social media I've ever seen,” says psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow. Commentators are divided as to the true danger of Yik Yak for children, but there are 

Five Things Parents Need to Know about the app:

1. Created for adults by fraternity brothers Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington, Yik Yak is essentially a location-based, anonymous chat room app that does not require a login or registration. 
2. "Some of the comments left on Yik Yak are harmless and silly adolescent fun. But, just as we've witnessed on social media sites, a few could be hateful, harassing, sexually explicit and harmful," says Dale Archer of Psychology Today. 
3. "The nature of anonymity emboldens the user to post words and photos they would not say or show someone in person and it's much easier to insult another when you don't have to do it to their face. Social media allows hurtful words and unflattering photos to be posted without a moment's thought. Now it's even easier," says Archer.
4. Users themselves can control what's hot and what's not. If a post is good, users can up vote it—the equivalent of LIKE on Facebook or "favorite" on Twitter. If something is repulsive, mean or juvenile, then users down vote it. With 5 down votes, the comments are removed forever. In this way, the community of participants police themselves.
5. Parents need to monitor their children's social media interactions. According to Justin Patching of the Cyberbullying Research Center, "Cyberbullying is already a huge problem today and the last thing we need is an anonymous app that allows one to do that. Soon Facebook, Twitter and other social medias will be the least of our worries when it comes to cyberbullying and suicide." 

Break out the Bongos!

March 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of Music in Our Schools month. While there will be celebrations and recognition in schools this month, what are we doing to foster an appreciation for music at home? Just like reading together encourages our children to love reading and the art of storytelling, sharing music encourages a love for the art.

We don't mean you have to take up an instrument together or hold "family jam sessions." Sometimes singing along with the radio is all you need. We don't always recognize this as therapeutic, but the fun associated with music is often beneficial to all members of the family. According to Jennifer Cerbasi, "Music therapy has proven to have some success among children with disabilities, as well. Children are drawn to the rhythm of the instruments and many find a way to communicate and open themselves up by singing or playing an instrument."So how do we incorporate music into our children's daily lives?

Five Ways to Share Music Fun with Kids

1. Talk with your child about how sound is made and make instruments that demonstrate the concept. Need some inspiration? Check out this comprehensive list of DIY instrument instructions.
2. Have a more tech savvy child? Put his/her iPad to use and create music using some of these apps for learning music.
3. Want to teach them some of the fundamentals of music? Start with symbols, notes, and sounds. Use these flash cards to help them internalize the meaning.
4. Incorporate your child's love of math and science with this music/math experiment or these multiplication songs.
5. Have an old-fashioned sing along/dance party with your child's favorite movie or album. The fact is, once you've danced and sang together, you'll all have fun and end up happy.

Treat Allergies with the Allergen?

One of the scariest things a parent or caregiver can experience is a child's severe allergic reaction. In the March 9 edition of Time Magazine, Alice Park discusses the New England Journal of Medicine study that found that "both allergic and nonallergic infants who ate small amounts of peanuts had a much lower rate of allergy than those who avoided nuts altogether for five years."

Many medical groups no longer instruct parents to avoid giving babies nuts...but is it really possible to prevent the allergy? Park suggests that "the best medicine for peanut allergies may, in fact, be nuts themselves."

Five Things You Need to Know About This Study
1. The average age of allergy onset is 18 months.
2. There are currently three times more peanut allergies than there were in 1997.
3. Researchers assert that there is an 86% lower allergy risk when infants ate peanuts.
4. Park shares the researchers' assertion that exposing kids to possible trigger foods may be wiser than avoidance.
5. The key is to start early. There have been no conclusive trials with older children or adults.

The same issue of Time also alludes to another allergy-based study: "Washing Dishes by Hand Leads to Fewer Allergies." "Evidence is mounting that getting a little dirty does the body good. This study suggests it's possible that eating off hand-washed dishes means kids get more bacteria exposure and build stronger immune systems, leading to fewer allergies."

Is this a potentially revolutionary protocol shift for families dealing with allergies or a risky chance parents aren't willing to take? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic.