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Archive for August, 2006
Parenting Regulations
(08-25) 04:00 PDT Sacramento — Parents will have to strap their kids into backseat car booster seats until they are 8 years old or reach a certain height if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a bill the Legislature sent to him Thursday.
Another bill that appears headed to the governor’s desk attempts to protect children’s health by making it illegal for adults to smoke in a car with young passengers.
California law now requires children younger than 6 or weighing less than 60 pounds to use booster seats — and sit in the backseat.
“Traffic accidents are the highest cause of fatality for children ages 6 and 7,” said the bill’s author, Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa. “This is a serious, serious issue.
Toys Vs. Love
According to this very scientific article, the kids really need none of it. What they do need is the time and love you put in to participate in activities with them. Really does make sense. But I’m sure this won’t slow down the toymakers any, they’re raking it in!
When it comes to toys vs. love, love wins every time.
Forget the latest toys — All kids really need is love
Authors say public policy should focus on helping children have good experiences in their earliest years
BY AMY ADAMSProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
With flashy toys, expensive classes and music compilations all promising to make your child smarter, it’s hard to sort out the best way to help your child’s brain thrive. A new policy paper helps put those worries to rest. The gist of the paper is this: What kids need is a secure relationship with adults who adore them.
“It’s all about playing with your child,” said Eric Knudsen, PhD, the Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in the School of Medicine, succinctly summing up a paper in the June 27 advance online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A child’s eventual ability to learn calculus or a second language, he explained, starts with the neurons that are shaped by positive interactions with nurturing adults.
Storytime in Starr King Openspace
Stars, Sky, and the Setting Sun
NEW DATE!!!
— A storytime outdoors in Potrero Hill’s natural area openspace.
Readings of stories about Native Americans by Jensa Woo, SFPL Children’s Librarian at the Potrero Branch
Artifacts and coyote pelt petting shared by Margaret Goodale, Randall Children’s Museum
Native drum and flute music.
Please join us for an unusual evening that we would like to make an annual event!
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DATE: Wednesday evening September 27
TIME: 6:30 pm.
Starr King Openspace is located on the 1200 block of Carolina St south of 23rd across from Starr King School. Please call for info. 415 810-4900, ask for Susanne
Parents should dress kids warmly, bring insect repellent, and blankets to sit on. Sippy cups and snacks are ok but will have to be packed out.
Kids and their Parents Diets
Announcements, Food, Children's Health, Parenting • 
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I will have to admit here that I think this had some effect on me as a kid, well, more like as a teenager. I remember wanting to try all of my moms diets, and even participating sometimes. Needless to say, I was always a pretty scrawny kid, that didn’t last and I think the whole body image thing can start affecting us at a very young age.
Not that I would ever blame my mother, I’m sure she was doing what she thought was best for me at the time, as always.
ALBANY, N.Y. - Mom’s dieting habits can have a bad influence on the children. Some research indicates youngsters learn attitudes about dieting through observation. For some youngsters, that might mean an unhealthy fixation on body image, experts warn.
“It’s like trying on Mom’s high heels. They’re trying on their diets, too,” said Carolyn Costin, spokeswoman for the National Eating Disorder Association.
As obesity rates climb among children, health officials are warning parents about the dangers of junk food and lack of exercise. Yet few speak about parents who meticulously count every calorie that crosses their lips.
Potrero Hill Library: August News
Potrero Branch
San Francisco Public Library
1616 – 20th Street (near Connecticut)
(415) 355-2822
www.sfpl.org
Hours: Tue 10-8, Wed 12-8, Thu 10-6, Fri & Sat 1-6, closed Sun & Mon.
LIBRARY NEWS
August 2006
THAT’S QUITE A STORY…
Judy Stone, local author and former film critic for the S.F. Chronicle, will talk about her latest book, Not Quite a Memoir: Of Films, Books, the World, which features interviews with international filmmakers and authors. Please join us for this special event on Saturday, August 5, 3:00 p.m.
BRANCH RENOVATION UPDATE
At the June 28 hearing before the San Francisco Planning Department’s Zoning Administrator, consent was given on the library’s variance application to enlarge the branch by extending the second floor over the library’s existing first floor. Plans continue to move forward as we look towards a Spring 2007 closure for branch renovation. If you haven’t seen the latest design yet, stop by the library today to get a close-up look. You can also check the library’s website at http://sfpl.org/news/blip/potrerosurvey.htm and click on “Design Plans”. For further information about the Branch Library Improvement Program, please call 415/557-4354.
SUMMER READING CLUB FOR CHILDREN
For children up through age 13, there’s still time: this year’s “Don’t Bug Me…I’m Reading” Summer Reading Club runs through August 12. For those who signed up already, please bring in your reading logs to claim your reading prizes. Stop by the library for more details.
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN IN AUGUST
In addition to the reading club, we have special programs for children throughout the month, thanks to funding from the Friends of the Library:
Thursday, August 3 at 10:30 a.m. Join us as we welcome Singer Bonnie Lockhart, who returns to Potrero Library with songs and music games from around the world. For children of all ages.
Wednesday, August 16 at 2:00 p.m. “California Wild, Up Close and Personal,” presented by Wildlife Associates. Scheduled to come to the library are a grey fox, porcupine, possum, and hawk. For children ages 5 and older.
There are also other programs for children throughout the month:
Infant/toddler lapsit, featuring stories, songs, and rhymes on Thursdays, August 17, 24, and 31. For children newborn through age 3.
Evening storytime on Tuesdays, August 1, 22 and 29 at 7 P.M. For ages 3 to 7 years old.
Evening films on Tuesday, August 15 at 7 P.M.: “Madeline”, “Wings”, and “Goodnight, Gorilla”. For ages 3 and older.
Please note: All library programs are free. Meeting room is not accessible by elevator. Groups, please call in advance for reservations.
Jensa Woo
Potrero Branch Library Manager
You try shopping without putting the kid in the cart
You may have seen this in today’s Chronicle. I personally have never witnessed a child falling out of a shopping cart or tipping one over. Of course I probably didn’t pay too much attention to such things before becoming a parent.
I’m sure it does happen, and kids get hurt, but honestly, the other option is pretty much hiring a sitter while you go grocery shopping!
Janine DeFao, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, August 7, 2006
The nation’s pediatricians are warning parents today against putting children in shopping carts.
“Parents are strongly encouraged to seek alternatives,” says the American Academy of Pediatrics, which reports that shopping carts were involved in injuries to more than 24,000 children last year, mostly when a child fell out or a cart tipped over.
But parents who have tried to pick up a couple things at the store while keeping their children from toppling the displays or playing hide-and-seek in the clothing racks may find the warning hard to accommodate.
Is this for real, responsible TV?
I’m sure there’s got to be a catch somewhere, but what a great idea! The kids station, Nickelodeon is actually incouraging kids to turn off the TV and go outside and play - really.
Now, if we could only get the other hundreds of stations to do the same 
By JOHN ROGERS, Associated Press Writer Sun Jul 30, 6:28 AM ET
LOS ANGELES - It’s the heart of the summer, a time when a kid’s thoughts may well turn to watching television — lots of television. But one television network is telling kids to turn off their sets, put aside their remotes and go outside and play.
“Our whole mantra is about a balanced lifestyle,” said Marva Smalls, an executive vice president with the Nickelodeon cable channel, whose summer promotion this year is a series of specials called “Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge.”
“Part of a balanced lifestyle,” Smalls added, “is not to spend all of your waking hours watching TV.”