Safe Babysitting Jobs

Supper at 10 pm?

2009-07-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

A lot of sitters this summer are picking up more summer babysitting hours for the fabulous hot weather fun with the kids and that extra money. Balancing it all can take A LOT of work, as a babysitter's "hours" flexes to the family's needs. Kids camp and sports activity schedules mean a less rigid and planned babysitter schedule than the school year so confirming with the families what times are definitely needed and communicating well is a necessity. Managing the babysitting jobs and the personal time can be a challenge so every sitter will track this in their own way with calendars or dayplanners. Babysitting through SeekingSitters makes it easier because you can see your schedule outlined online at anytime.

It looks great on paper to plan sitting from 9-1, summer school from 2-4 and all the errands in between but some nights you will inevitably realize at 10 pm that you haven't had supper yet. Making lists and going over them before leaving the house in the morning can mean less trips across town if you have everything you need for the day with you in the car. Of course there are errands that have to be finished during business hours but there are other items that can be moved around that inevitable hiccup in the day's schedule. Having a plan seems the best way to keep organized but being flexible may be a better way to get things done.

Summer Activity:
Fireworks in a Jar

Ingredients: 1 tbsp veggie oil
Food Coloring: blue, yellow, red
Clear Glass Container
Measuring Cup

Fill a clear glass container with water (a vase or jar works well).
In a separate measuring cup, combine 1 tablespoon of vegetable with 2 drops each of Blue, Yellow and Red Food Coloring.
Mix Oil and Food Coloring together as much as possible.
Pour Oil and Food Coloring mixture into water in glass container.

The Oil with collect on top of the water and the food coloring will slowly begin to separate and mix down into the water creating a colorful display!

Top Ten Reasons We LOVE Being Babysitters

2009-06-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

By Christina Oliver and Harmony DeRose

The Relationships: meeting new people and getting to connect with families.

Seeing the smile on the family's faces when they get home and everything is better than they ever expected: a picked up house and happy kids!

Being Requested By a Specific Family: knowing you mean as much to a family as they mean to you.

Creativity: getting to enjoy art projects, games, dress up, toys and crafts as a grown up.

Smiles: seeing a child's face light up from the little things.

The PERFECT job: we get paid to have fun!

Going New Places: having a great excuse to see the new kid attractions in town.

Introducing children to new experiences: seeing that look of discovery on their faces.

Holding a baby while he sleeps: experiencing all the great baby moments.

And of course, The Kids! Head to toe, they are the reason we do what we do.

Make a mess!!

2009-04-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Since it is National TV-Turn Off week, here are some GREAT fun and messy ideas. The kids will love these and mom and dad will be thrilled not to have been part of the clean up process.

Shaving Cream Tie Dye: (Courtesy of Tracey Barnes) Take foamy shaving cream and put dots of food coloring in it then let the kids use a popsicle stick to gently spread the color around (encourage the kids to slice lines through the colors and drag the color out into the shaving cream). Then take paper that you have cut into various shapes (flowers for spring, umbrellas, bunnies, eggs) and place the paper on top of the shaving cream. Let sit for maybe a minute, then (while wearing gloves) remove the paper from the shaving cream and wipe the excess cream off the paper... you now have a "tie-dyed" design! * Cardstock paper works best and you can reuse the shaving cream with dye several times. For younger kids, this can be modified into a squishy sensory activity by putting the shaving cream into a clear bag and letting them squish the bag to create swirls of color. (Of course extremely prudent supervision is required depending on the child's age.)

Giant Art: (Courtesy of Lacey Matney) Get giant pieces of poster paper or a roll of butcher paper and cover a surface carefully. (If you are inside, the tile of kitchen or bathroom floor usually works best. Outside, spreading out in the driveway or turning a fence into a well covered easel is fun.) Put the kids in clothes that can get super messy or let little ones strip down to their diapers. Give everyone their medium of choice: daubs of washable paint (tiny paper cups work well), paint markers, chalk sprayers.. anything fun and messy. :) Then let them create their supersized masterpiece! Encourage out of the ordinary creativity: footprints, handprints, body prints, splatter painting, all the messy stuff that usually can't be contained on a standard size piece of paper. For older kids, this might turn into a mural with hand and feet shaped flowers, trees, buildings or an entire cityscape. While the toddlers will love getting dirty and be great at diaper textured stamps and cute little footprints.

As babysitters, we are masters of organized chaos and there is no better time for kids to let loose and have some messy fun than with us. :)

Sitters: Unite for a Good Cause

2009-03-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Do you have canned food, books, and school supplies you would like to donate to a good cause?

ABC recently featured a story on the Children of the Mountains living in one of the most disadvantaged areas of the United States. This story sparked a desire in the heart of Tulsa sitter, Kerry Carment to reach out to these people. Kerry has partnered with the Appalachian Region Missions to collect supplies and donations to be distributed to these needy families. She will be making the trip from Tulsa to hand deliver these supplies to the organization. If you can help in any way, please do!

Item Donations:
School Supplies of all kinds
Clothing of all kinds
Toiletries
Canned Goods

You Can Also make a Cash Donation directly to the organization.

Items to be hand delivered to the region by Kerry can be dropped off at or mailed to:
Appalachian Donation
C/O SeekingSitters Tulsa
3411 E 21st Street
Tulsa, OK 74114

If you would like to be involved by partnering directly with Kerry, please contact her at kac82978@yahoo.com

Back to School and Winter Time Blues

2009-01-08T06:09:00.000-08:00

As kids go back to school from their holiday break, there will be an excitement for most kids to be with their friends and having fun at school again. The transition may trigger stress for some kids who are having to readjust to early morning wake ups and getting out the door in time for school. At the end of the day, it may be the after school babysitter who witnesses the meltdown from tiredness and stress. Being a babysitter during the school time transition can be a great bonding experience. The fun activities from the school day can continue after school with the sitter. Planning activities during these times means factoring flexibility and alternate projects depending on how the day at school went and the winter weather outside. Some children may be full of energy when they get home and ready for an active game and other kids may need an hour to just sit and relax with a quiet activity. Also, after interacting all day with other kids at school, siblings may need some independent time from each other. When there's a bigger potential for meltdowns due to a transition and routine change, here are some great activities for any winter day.

Model Making: Products like Model Magic or other air-dry clays can be a cool take on the typical Play-Doh. Kids can build and shape whatever they want (people, animals, trees, an entire city). Then paint or color their creations.

Indoor Baseball: Indoor versions of outdoor games can be a great way to get creative with kids who want to get up and have fun. They can implement their mom's indoor rules while still playing a sport they love. Indoor Baseball can use "rolling" instead of "throwing" and golf techniques to "bat." Designated seats in the living room can be "bases." Games like this can give the kids a chance to show their responsibility for following the rules while still being creative and having fun.

"Mini-Dinner:" When siblings can't agree on what to eat for dinner, a fun compromise could be letting everyone choose their own dish and having a group activity cooking session. Of course, the sitter should get final approval on what's going into their belly's but the kid's may love the chance to pick out their own foods. Build-your-own Mini Pizzas on crackers and Tiny Tacos on tortilla chips may be a great way to make everyone happy without spending a ton of prep time or wasting uneaten food. Foods like this where the kids add on their own ingredients can be a fun experience.

Tantrums

2008-12-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

They aren't always what they are cracked up to be.. Advice from Dr. Lawrence Cohen.

Before you can start to deal with your child's meltdowns, it helps to know a bit about the main causes of tantrums, some of which may be surprising.
Emotional Overload
Tantrums are the physical release of an overload of emotion--usually frustration, but also anger, grief, fear, or happiness. When kids just can't handle all that they are feeling, they let it out in tears or screams or in kicking and pounding on the floor.
Stress
Being in an adult environment is one of the most common stressful situations for kids. Some children have no trouble adapting to an adult environment and being on their best behavior, but other kids find it a strain not to be able to be loud or active or free.
Contagious Anxiety
Children are very emotionally perceptive and can "catch" our anxiety. If you are already on the edge, the child may pick up on these feelings and begin venting.
Lack of control
Sometimes a temper tantrum can seem like a child's only source of strength or the only way to protest the unfair imbalance of power. What looks to us like a child "trying to get their own way" is often really the child trying to have some say in their own lives.
A 5-Point Plan to freedom from tantrums
1. Change Your Goal. Our goal usually is to stop tantrums as soon as possible or prevent them from happening. These goals are bound to be a disappointment; encouraging the children to express their emotions a much better goal. That way, there won't be such a backlog of unexpressed feelings that come pouring out. To help kids express their emotions constructively, try pillow fights, drawing wildly on giant pieces of paper, and dressing up together and acting out different feelings.
2. Change Your Approach. Listen respectfully, even if your child isn't being respectful himself. Just calmly listen without arguing, bribing, or scolding. And listen for the deeper feelings underneath the words. Then, when they are really done, they can talk calmly about the little upset that triggered that outpouring of emotion. When the child realizes that you are willing to really listen to her feelings, it will forge a stronger connection between you. And once you decide to listen empathically to the upset child your own mood will shift from anger and frustration to calm confidence.
3. Learn to set limits without harshness and without waffling.Setting limits and saying "no" is often the trigger for a tantrum. But your mood and tone of voice when saying "no" can make a huge difference. Caregivers need to set limits, but we don't have to use an angry tone or be harsh about it, and we shouldn't back down as soon as the child makes a fuss. We can be matter-of-fact and firm, while recognizing that the limit may be very upsetting to our child.
4. Find out what's really going on.Ask yourself some questions: What was your own emotional state before the tantrum began? Did your anxiety or stress feed the child's frustration? Are there things that the child has been trying to communicate to you that they might think are not being recognized? If so, let your child know that you're willing to listen--and remember that for younger children, "listening" means getting down on the floor and playing.
5. Make a Lasting Connection. Any technique that stops a tantrum but also puts a big wedge between us and our children is no help at all. We need strategies that help kids learn to manage their feelings while maintaining a close and loving connection between guardian and child. Some kids love to thumb through magazines and tell you what each person is feeling, or make sad or smiley faces and then make up a story about these faces. Games in which kids get to be the boss, like Simon Says and Follow the Leader, help them have a sense of control, which helps prevent tantrums.

Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D., is licensed psychologist who specializes in children's play and play therapy. He is the author of Playful Parenting: A Bold New Way to Nurture Close Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Children's Confidence.

Fruity Oatmeal Smoothie

2008-12-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

Got the Munchies? Try This Healthy Recipe.

Super breakfast or afternoon snack attack. Loaded with tons of fiber and vitamins. Eating breakfast and healthy snacking are great ways to lose weight.
Servings per Recipe: 2
Calories: 214
Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 18 mg
Total Carbs: 39.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.7 g
Protein: 7.5 g

Ingredients:
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 banana
14 frozen strawberries
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp sugar
In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

-YMCA Nutrition

Children who happen to have Autism

2008-12-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

Insights into Autism- taken from a presentation by Jonni Segnar

-Use People First Language

Ask "does she have Autism" instead of "is she Autistic?"
"People First Language puts the person before the disability, and it describes what a person has, not who a person is." (http://www.kidstogether.org/pep-1st.htm) For example, instead of saying someone "has a problem with their legs and can't walk," one should say they "use or need a wheelchair;" instead of commenting someone "has behavior problems," one should say they "need behavioral support."

-Interacting with children who happen to have Autism

Ask specific questions: open ended questions are often difficult if the child needs help being verbally expressive. For example, the child may not verbalize the day's events very well when asked "what did you do today?" but he or she may be able to answer a more specific question about their day.

Break tasks into smaller steps: do not say a long list of steps as this may lead to them being overwhelmed. Instead, say one step at a time and praise and reward the child frequently. (Sometimes motivation is necessary and will come from knowing there are rewards when the task is complete.) Over time, work up to saying more steps at a time.

Do not take the child's actions as intentional: lack of social interaction is sometimes part of Autism and one should never take it personally if he or she does not seem interested in what you are doing.

Be very clear with your words: sarcasm and humor are sometimes confusing since he or she may take your words literally.

-Helpful Hints for Babysitting Events with Families with Special Needs

Routine: Cover the general daily routine and tasks to be accomplished with the parents but also go into specifics on how to handle situations like meltdowns, tantrums and transitions. Keeping these interactions specifically in line with how the parents handle things will especially help any children who have difficulty with change of any kind.

Development: Developmental disabilities make every little step and every new thing learned a giant leap forward. Just having a babysitter in their home means the children will be practicing their social interactions. Extra patience, helpful leading and comforting when children are trying new things is especially important for a child who has Autism.

Feedback: Any positive feedback means the world to parents, whether it is left in little notes or included in how the night went. To a sitter, a small step or something seemingly normal may not seem like a thing that needs to be mentioned but those little things symbolize leaps of progress to parents. Raising a child with Autism puts a lot of stress on a family. (There is an 80% to 90% divorce rate in families with children who have Autism.) Positive feedback of any kind, no matter how small, can be a huge encouragement to parents.

[Thank-you to Jonni for providing insights from the perspective of a parent of a child with Autism.]

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

One of the best times of year as a babysitter is the holiday season. Not only is there an influx of jobs due to holiday parties, but there are so many great activities to do with the kids. The teachable moments never stop between helping toddlers learn that shiny ornaments are just for eyes or helping school-agers understand their classmates varying holiday traditions. There are never ending projects with holiday themes.

Home Made Holiday cards

Glitter, construction paper, glue, crayons, markers, wrapping paper, scissors: all favorites for the craft loving child. These items can be incorporated into making holiday cards for loved ones and relatives. Another idea is to mail the cards to US Military personnel. There are mailing addresses below or http://www.letssaythanks.com/ let's you pick out and personalize postcards online. Then they will mail them overseas for free.

Holiday Mail for Heroes

PO Box 5456

Capitol Heights, MD 2079-5456

(Sponsored by Red Cross and accepting cards only)

Visit the link below if you have care packages and items other than cards that you would like to send out.

http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/AmericaSupportsYou/send_packages.html

Endless Winter Projects and Printables:

http://abcteach.com/directory/seasonalseasons/winter/

Fall Life Lessons

2008-10-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

There are teachable moments happening around you everyday.

Fall is a great time of year for themed lessons. These opportunities are great ways for the kids to bond with their babysitter and for you to bond with the little ones.

Election 2008

-Hold a mock election to pick out the activities you will do. Take votes to see who's suggestion "wins."

-Make "I voted!" stickers

-Print Election themed coloring pages.

Click on the Images for Printable Projects.

Fall Craft Ideas

FALL COLLAGE: Take a nature walk and let the kids find things that interest them (leaves, sticks, rocks). They can start a collection of "treasure" then glue the items to painted cardboard or construction paper for a fall mural.

LEAF RUBBINGS: Place leaves under a peice of paper then rub the top of the paper with the side of a crayon to copy the texture and image of the leaves below.

APPLE PRINTS: Cut an apple in half and let the kids eat one half of the apple. Save the other half to dip in paint and press to paper to create apple shapes.

Welcome

2008-10-09T08:20:00.001-07:00

Welcome