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Prepare & Promote Good Health

November 20, 2013 in Children's Health Education, Uncategorized

Squirrels prepare for winter!

Prepare & Promote Good Health?

Squirrels are known to gather acorns to get ready for the big wintry cold season ahead. They scamper around in the leaves and race up and down the trees to get prepared, it is just in them.

Well, like the squirrels, we want to get ready too; it is just in us to protect the health of our families. We would be honored to help prepare you and your children for the cold and flu season coming soon. Burr!  And, we’d love to partner together with you to promote healthy living to the public.

Go here to learn how The Singing Nurse can help prepare your family/students.

We’d love to hear your ideas. Please respond below in the comments box.

We all know the feeling when we are caught in a tight space and the gentleman next to us starts coughing, blowing his nose and yes, spreading those yucky germs around. People can be very inconsiderate by not protecting the public from their germs. So it is our job as conscientious parents and teachers to teach our children healthy consideration for the greater public health good and seize teachable moments as good public health ambassadors.

“Healthy”, what is it? The Merriam-webster.com dictionary meaning says:

1: enjoying health and vigor of body, mind, or spirit

2: revealing a state of health <a healthy complexion>

3: conducive to health

“Consideration”, what is it? The Merriam-webster.com dictionary meaning says:

1: continuous and careful thought <after long consideration he agreed to their  requests>

2 : a matter weighed or taken into account when formulating an opinion or plan <economic considerations forced her to leave college> b : a taking into account

3: thoughtful and sympathetic regard

4: an opinion obtained by reflection

“Healthy consideration”, what is it?

So, as we reflect on enjoying health, we make a continuous thoughtful regard and “do something”,  and take action on our reflection.

Some of our thoughts on Healthy Consideration and the actions to take:

Healthy consideration is:

Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue.

Sneezing or coughing into your elbow or shoulder.

Washing or sanitizing your hands if you coughed or sneezed into them.

Staying home from work away from others while you are sick.

Keeping your child home from school if they are ill.

Staying away from shopping or going to large gatherings such as kid activities or your house of worship when you are ill. 

Promoting healthy consideration and wellness to others:

We most likely will be in a position to encourage someone to stop spreading their germs around. We may have the opportunity for a teachable moment while handing someone hand sanitizer or a sanitizer wipe when you see they need to clean their hands.

Remember to do it as sweetly as possible with bushels of “consideration”, taking into account that they most likely are not feeling well.

Creative ways to promote healthy consideration:

Print up business cards(you can let your children create messages) or print on a sticker and stick it to a small bottle of hand sanitizer or pre-packaged handwipe with a healthy message like:

1. Please Cough & Sneeze in Your Shoulder “Don’t Spread Your Germs Around”.

2. Sorry you’re not feeling well, please cough or sneeze in your shoulder.

3. Sorry you’re not feeling well, please don’t spread your germs around.

4. Sorry you’re not feeling well, please accept this hand wipe to wipe the germs away.

5. Not near a sink, please accept this hand wipe to protect all of us from germs.

Some TSN ideas: Check out our Health Promotion pins 

New TSN Health Promo Pin

New TSN Health Promo Pin

 

We Living Healthy, please “Don’t Spread Your Germs Around”

Sing & Learn w Us, Hear the ♫ Song @ TheSingingNurse.com

 

We Living Healthy, Hand Washing is Important, ”Rubba Dub Dub”

Hear the ♫ Song @ TheSingingNurse.com

 

Here are some comments that others have said about promoting good public health.  Below are some #hashtag ideas for twitter searching. We’d love to hear yours too. To follow TSN on twitter click here.

A young family man/professional working in NYC suggests:

“How about something edgy like”
#keepyourgermstoyourself
#sharehealthnotgerms
#germspreaderssuck
#curbyourgerms

Check out TSN health lessons for kids, click here.

Have a happy healthy winter,

Ms. Dawn, The Singing Nurse

You may have some ideas to promote healthy consideration, what do you plan on doing to promote healthy living with your family this cold and flu season?

You may like these posts : reasons to wash hands…Check out these Hand Washing Videos, one by Miss Leslie too.

#1 H1N1

#2 Rhinovirus

#3 Strep Throat

#4 Influenza (flu)

Originally posted by Dawn Ginese Here @ The Singing Nurse

 

 

 

 

 

Singing Nurse, Singing Nurse, Where Did You Go?

April 2, 2013 in Creative Adventures, God - Faith - Hope - Love

Happy Spring to you all!

Singing Nurse, Singing Nurse, Where did you go?

Dawn Ginese, May 29, 2011

Singing nurse, singing nurse, where did you go?

I went for a walk, on a country road

So I threw on my sneakers, I had to get it moving

Gail said you go, I’ll go too, so I grabbed my camera, and off I flew

 Singing nurse, singing nurse, what did you see?

I saw an old brown bull, looking at me

His hair was really shaggy, he was quite cute

He really didn’t mind, my photo shoot

Singing nurse, singing nurse, what did you hear?

The birds were a chirping, the lambs were a baaing

The frogs were a croaking, the bees were a buzzing

The cows were a mooing, need I say more

I’d highly recommend it, going outdoors

             

Singing nurse, singing nurse, what did you feel?

The warmth on my face, blood moving through my veins

I was a bit distracted, by all created things

Cuz winged bugs in flowers, were looking up at me

On my way back, a little turtle seemed stuck

I gave a little nudge, so he wouldn’t be mush

Yes, all in all, my walk was a treat

With all the signs of spring, blooming at my feet


Gotcha!

Have a great Spring and Summer, remember to drink fluids, wear sunscreen(not too much sun) and check for ticks!

Ms. Dawn, The Singing Nurse

A few more signs of spring….


…………………………..My church in spring…                                                      Awesome flowers enjoying the bloom…


A view from my deck….zoomed of course…

To hear some songs about critters and being healthy click here.

The Singing Nurse on Curiosity, Creativity, and Expression

September 9, 2012 in Children's Health Education, Nurturing the Child

Curiosity, Creativity and Expression

Mike and Micael kiss

—-

Young children love to move about their world to learn, explore, create, make believe and trust, and that is what The Singing Nurse loves about babies, preschooler and older kids too.

Children are special creations, unique in all aspects and have been gifted in their own peculiar and extraordinary way.

 

Healthy Living

Christmas 2008 003Children will take our lead when it comes to life and healthy living. Give a child a choice between apple and orange slice and they will pick a healthy snack each time.

It is an awesome privilege to guide these little ones through the maze of  the “good and bad” things for us.  Kids are so very impressionable and eager to copy our actions.

Guiding children through good health habits like; hand washing, coughing or sneezing in our shoulder, not spreading our germs around, brushing our teeth, going to the dentist regularly, resting our bodies and the overall monitoring and care of our amazing bodies is a distinctive task of parenting. It is draining and demanding as well as an unexpected joy to be part of.

Music/Movement

Christmas 2008 004Young children blossom and thrive in the presence of melody, rhythms,  instruments and voice. Kids are just free to express what ever is in their being.

Who among us has not observed a small child bee bopping to the beat, and you yourself being ignited by this show of innocence and freedom. Here we can follow the children’s lead.

It plainly puts a smile on your face. “A merry heart does good like a medicine”.

Provide a child with simple percussion instruments, simple wind instruments and they will derive great pleasure in the music they make. Encourage this!

Art

ToothbrushGive a child paper and writing utensils from a colorful palette and they will express themselves with utter abandon.

Give them watercolors and they will paint to your amazement for long periods of time.

Give them clay and they will relish the opportunity to manipulate it by smooshing it, squeezing it and pounding it with delight to their own identifiable creation. You’ll say,”Tell me about what you have made”, and they will know and tell you exactly what it is.

We as the adults in our children’s world must provide the basic raw materials and tools to foster creativity, curiosity and expression. They will take our lead, what a privilege.

Posts you may like:   Sample of Posts  Germ posts  Hand washing lessons

 

 

Shoes and Handwashing

January 16, 2012 in Children's Health Education, News - Updates

I was sitting in the living room during our family Christmas vacation and my daughter was showing off her slip on shoes while bragging they were so very comfy. I noticed she handled them with ease and familiarity but to my chagrin she proceeded to touch her face.  “Ooo, wash your hands” I said, “where have your shoes been?”

She arrived on a flight from Tennessee and walked through the halls of one of our great NY airports.

Ooo, no matter how cute you think your shoes are and how often you put them on, please don’t forget where they have been. Wash your hands! Washing our hands is the most effective way to avoid germs and the illness they may carry. Please educate your children about proper hand washing. We can help….

Sign up with your name and email to make sure you don’t miss our updates and helpful resources:

Free PDF’s, Free activity pages for kids and Other creative educational resources, All created to help you educate your corner of the world for life and healthy living. We’d love to connect with you. > > > >

If you have any questions or information you would like to see here, please contact us.

Ms. Dawn, The Singing Nurse


 

 

Health Lessons for Kids

October 2, 2011 in Children's Health Education, News - Updates, Products, The Singing Nurse Music, Uncategorized

1st Picked Accidental Pumpkin

We had to pick our 1st Accident Pumpkin , you can read the poem here.

Pumpkins and apples always remind us of back to school and learning, classrooms, library books, playground adventures, the nurse’s office, field trips, meeting new and old friends, and promoting health and safety to our young children.

We wanted to introduce to you, “The Singing Nurse: Health Lessons for Kids”, our brand new nurse created health curriculum for curious preschoolers to early elementary aged children. Our music driven curriculum is a fun and a creative way to promote good health habits in your children.

We love living healthy and your quest for healthy living is probably why you stopped by to visit us today. We’d like to help you educate your kids in a way they will actively participate.

Each of our lessons are filled with kid appealing:

Games and crafts to reinforce each health concept

The Singing Nurse sing-a-long tunes with catchy melodies and lively beats

Creative suggestions for multimedia productions

Resources containing: graphics, letters to parents and helpful websites

Each of our health lessons are easy to follow and include learning about:

1. Hand washing

2. Dental Hygiene

3. Dentist Visit

4. Flu Prevention

5. Lyme Disease Prevention

6. Audiologist Visit

7. You are Special

8. Body Parts/Kindness

Interwoven within the lessons, kids will discover the working of germs, good health habits, the awesome animal kingdom, visiting health care workers and learning about themselves and their uniqueness. The Singing Nurse Health Lessons for Kids was lovingly created and tailored to the eager and curious minds of our greatest treasures, our kids.

To hear song samples click here and listen.

To see an overview of all the lessons click The Singing Nurse Overview PDF.

For more details click here.

Obtain your copy today by clicking on

 Digital Download -24.95    ORDER INFO

PayPal and all major credit cards accepted

Please share with your friends and professional contacts the exciting news of our brand new fun filled Nurse created Health Lessons for Kids by The Singing Nurse.

10/10/2010 What are you Doing?

October 7, 2010 in Creative Adventures, God - Faith - Hope - Love, Uncategorized

Oct 10 2010 what are you doing 02410/10/2010

What… are You Doing?

Just a quick post to remind you that this Sunday is 10/10/10.

What are you going to be doing on that day?  As a child, my daughter always thought it was cool when the time or date was duplicated, she would say, “make a wish” or “say a prayer” and always shouted it out when it was happening.

I guess this is my “shout out”.

Make October 10th 2010  a special day, seems like we should be shooting off fire-works or celebrating in some way.

I’ll start it off with 10 ideas, let’s hear yours…

1.      Call 10 friends

2.     Write down 10 things you are thankful for

3.     Take a picture holding 10/10/10

4.     Write out 10 with apples, pumpkins or some veggies-take a picture

5.     Spend 10 minutes or 10 hours of solitude with God

6.    Go on a special date with your spouse

7.     Celebrate with friends-take pictures

8.     Pick up 10 soda bottles off the road

9.     Climb 10 flights of stairs with your video camera running

10. Smile and say hello to 10 complete stranger

Let me know how it goes, send some pictures to: TheSingingNurse@gmail.com I’ll post the best ones.

For Healthy Kids and Families, Ms. Dawn, The Singing Nurse

Check out my happy health songs…


Meeting of the Two Year Old Mind

July 10, 2010 in God - Faith - Hope - Love, Nurturing the Child, Uncategorized

two year old mind

Meeting of the minds with a two year old can be challenging. They can be so very loving at one moment and in a total melt down the next. One thing for sure, they are so very alive and totally free to express all that comes with the package.

Below are amusing comments from Toddler’s Rules on Ownership that I like, and below it are some quotes from the great Biblical expositor, G. Campbell Morgan, from his booklet “The Music of Life”, worth finding and reading. My husband and I cried when we read it together, Morgan shares about the stages of life in musical terms, a beautiful parallel.

1. If I like it, it’s mine.
2. If it’s in my hand, it’s mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it’s mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
5. If it’s mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I’m doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks just like mine, it is mine.
8. If I saw it first, it’s mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it’s broken, it’s yours.
11. If it’s broken, but you are having fun playing with the pieces, it’s mine again.

12. If there is ANY doubt, it’s mine.

Dolce-softly and sweetly

“…I am dealing with ideal humanity; and I affirm in every child born–properly or improperly it matters nothing–between that little baby and Jesus there is perfect harmony…that tremendous phrase of His–“Of such is the Kingdom of God.”  “

…from the pen of Ian Maclaren…on King Baby;..in a magazine in England…If you are in a omnibus or a trolley car, and baby comes in in a woman’s arms, his in king.

“The baby is always making music. What are the notes? Four–Mystery, Innocence, Dependence and Promise…in the presence of the baby you know, you are in the presence of mystery…you know the lines.

“where did you come from, baby dear?

Out of the everywhere into the here.”

“Mystery! You stand in the presence of mystery; and that is the first and fundamental note in the music of infant life.”

“Then at once, Innocence.  No sin–I am talking of volitional wrong-doing–no sin, no sorrow, no shame.”

Mystery, and then the charm of its innocence.

What then?  Dependence. What a music that makes, that this little life is absolutely dependent upon you.  Neglect it, and it fades, passes out; it dies.  Oh, the tragedy that there are children who fade because neglected, because not wanted, all over our lands. That this little life is dependent, is making music in the heart of mother all the time.

What else? The last note is that of promise. Again, to quote Mark Twain. When General Grant was Commander-in-Chief of the army of the Tennessee, a dinner was given in his honour at which Mark Twain was present and spoke in his own inimitable way. He said things sparkling with humour and profound in philosophy. He said among other things this, “In the land to-day there are perhaps twenty-thousand cradles rocking; and among them such, did we but know which they are, we would preserve and hold sacred for all the coming years.”  He said, “In one of those cradles the future astronomer is blinking at the Milky Way, wondering what has become of that other milky way! In yet another of those cradles a future historian is lying, which he will probably continue to do to the end of his life. In yet another the future commader-in-chief of the army of the Tennessee is engaged in no greater piece of strategy than that of attempting to get his great toe into his mouth; and if the boy be father to the man, when General Grant attempted, he was pre-eminently successful! And then, said he, “The babies in the cradles will soon be on board the ship of state. Let them be carefully trained, for the future depends upon them.”

Can you see a little child without dreaming dreams and seeing visions? Many a man has been rescued by looking into the face of his newborn child. …It is arresting to me in that remarkable fifth chapter of Genesis, I read that it was after Enoch begat Methuselah, after the first baby came, that “he walked with God.” …So the babies come into the world, and the notes merge of mystery, of innocence, of dependence, and promise; and there is music everywhere, where the babies are.

Hope you enjoyed the quotes, we have such an awesome priveledge to mold and model to our kids, instead of calling our little dependent ones terrible, someone has reclaimed the truth by calling them terrific…

For Healthy Kids and Families

Ms. Dawn, The Singing Nurse

Rhinovirus, how to prevent it…#2

June 4, 2010 in Children's Health Education, Nurturing the Child, The Singing Nurse Music, Uncategorized

Handwashing, good health habits

Rhinovirus, another reason to wash hands, #2

I have gleaned some interesting tidbits about the rhinovirus from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), WebMD, KidsHealth and the nanobugs website. The common cold also known as the Rhinovirus is probably the number one reason for frequent hand washing.  I hope you will be encouraged, educated and awed as I was by the more recent discoveries of the Rhinovirus (rhino means “nose”). Please share this information with your families, friends and classroom.

Interesting observances

The average child will catch a cold 8-10 times by the age of 2 and more so if they hang around with other kids. Chances just increase by association for children and adults who care for them. Most of us catch 3 to 4 colds a year.

The number one reason for visits to the pediatrician and missing school is the common cold.

Experts say autumn and spring are common times of year to catch colds, while others say winter is the prime time because we are inside and the viruses stay inside as well.

The time it takes to become ill from the time you were exposed (incubation period) to a rhinovirus, is about 2 to 3 days.

The researchers used to believe we had about 100 different rhinoviruses to contend with, but more recently cold expert Owen Hendley, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville says “It’s beginning to look as if there may be as many as 200”. This is another reason colds are common.

Research has also shown that along with coughs and sneezes that send the virus droplets into the air, we are more likely to get the virus from things and surfaces. Think: phone, doorknob, remote control, shopping cart, desk and toys.  The virus can live up to 24 hours or more on a surface.

Droplets from coughs and sneezes can spread to a distance of 12 feet.

The entry points for the virus are the nose, eyes and mouth, less so by mouth as once thought, for Dr. Hendley says, “Substances in saliva quickly destroy the virus.”

Washing our hands is still the best practice; alcohol rinses are good for flu viruses but not as effective against the rhinovirus. Good old H20, soap and friction is best for preventing the spread of the cold virus.

Carnegie Mellon University researchers discovered those who were more rested (8 or more hrs of sleep) had less chances of catching a cold, while those with less than 7 hrs sleep were 3 times more likely to become ill from exposure to the rhinovirus.

The same research team discovered people who were happy, lively and calm fought off cold and flu viruses better than those who were anxious, hostile and depressed. I guess the proverb is still true, “a merry heart does good like a medicine”.

Being in a dry environment, being a smoker or being around a smoker increases our chances of catching colds and also resulting in more complications like bronchitis and pneumonia.

Signs and Symptoms in multiple combinations:

Runny nose, cough, sneezing, headache, sore throat, mild fever, fatigue, muscle aches or loss of appetite are the most common signs of a cold.

Things to Remember

Cover your cough or sneeze, do it into your elbow, shoulder or tissue.

If you cough or sneeze into your hands, or blow your nose, wash your hands.

Don’t share items with others: towels, toothbrushes, drinks, fork, spoon etc.

When in doubt as to which medicines or products can be used on children, always consult your pediatrician. Try and get your pediatricians advice about caring for a child with a cold before they get one.

Drink plenty of fluids, do not drink caffeinated drinks as they cause frequent urination and may cause dehydration especially in children.

If you observe any severe symptoms of: coughing, breathing difficulty, turning blue, high fevers, severe pain of any kind, the safest practice is to; “when in doubt, check it out,” with your health care professional of course or call 911.

Be an example by washing hands as mentioned, covering your cough and sneezes to be kind to your neighbor.  And remember, to not put your hands in your nose, eyes or mouth without washing them first.

Have a ongoing matter of fact conversation with your children throughout your day like; “oops, I coughed in my hands, I’m going to go and wash these germs down the drain” or ” wow, so glad I sneezed in my should (right after you have done it) because I don’t want you to get my germs.” Or “I’m going to wash my hands because we just went shopping and we are touching things that lots of people touched, they could be sick and this will help keep us healthy.”

Make hand washing fun, kids love to play in water, make it a teachable moment, make up a song about washing those germs down the drain or sing a song you know about hand washing.

The Singing Nurse uses “Rubba Dub Dub and Don’t Spread Your Germs Around” to teach families about hand washing, not spreading germs and health living.

Other resources: Hand Washing Lesson Plan and Animated Handwashing Song, Music

For Healthy Families,

Ms. Dawn, The Singing Nurse

To contact The Singing Nurse: click contact

other articles about handwashing, H1N1 a reason to wash hands

 

 

 

 

Five Dollar Friday, Download TSN Songs

May 28, 2010 in Children's Health Education, News - Updates, Nurturing the Child, The Singing Nurse Music, Uncategorized

mom and baby

Five Dollar Friday with The Singing Nurse health songs for healthy living.

Hi,

Thanks for your curiosity about The Singing Nurse music. I’m trying to get the word out about my fun upbeat songs for kids, young children, preschoolers, teachers, health care workers and parents.

Twitter has follow fridays so I thought I would have a Five Dollar Friday to make my whole downloadable album available @ that price of course.

Most of my songs on this CD are health related but there are a couple inspirational songs.

Parents, children and professionals who work with children enjoy my songs and I hope you will take advantage of one of my occassion Five Dollar Friday.  If you like what you hear, please get the word out to your friends and contacts.

Most people don’t know this, but you can also embed my bandbox player on your website so all your visitors can check out and purchase TSN songs.

Appreciate You, Have a Great Week-End and Stay Healthy.

Healthy Living for the Whole Family,

Ms. Dawn, The Singing NurseThe-Singing-Nurse-Shadow.JPG

Go to Music

Only available as download @ that price

a lot more goes into the full CD production.

H1N1 Another Reason to Wash Hands

April 26, 2010 in Children's Health Education, The Singing Nurse Music

Germ to Color


Speaking of Germs: Does anyone know the name of the flu that is going around right now? It’s a lot like the seasonal influenza. H1N1, some call it Swine flu because it is a lot like the germ/virus that gets the pigs sick, but you cannot get it from a pig, you get it from people.

H1N1 is another good reason for washing our hands. Hand washing is the number one action we can take to help get rid of germs which also helps prevent contagious diseases.

Signs & Symptoms of H1N1-fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, H/A, chills, fatigue, some diarrhea/vomiting.

How is it spread? Touching the germs, a cough, a sneeze (use a spray bottle to demonstrate germs flying around)

What should we do? Wash our hands often, or use hand sanitizer (alcohol based) stay home when sick & when you have a fever (24hr free), stay away from sick people, cough/sneeze in your shoulder or a tissue, don’t touch your eyes, mouth, nose, keep counters clean of germs in your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and clean children’s toys (virus lives 2-8hrs on objects)

Call the Doctor if you have ?’s.

Bad for: frail people, diabetics, people w asthma, heart disease, people w kidney disease, real old people, real young children, pregnant women.

Vaccine is available to help prevent from getting H1N1 or lessens how bad it can get.

Medicine is available to those who are frail and may need to go to the hospital. Antiviral medication helps stop the virus.

Call the Doctor when you have questions:     

Call 911 if: short of breath and having a hard time breathing, color looks bad (bluish), not drinking fluid, fever w rash, bad pain, really sick

Teaching children and parents about good health habits is important, and learning with music is fun and effective. Try using “Rubba Dub Dub or Don’t Spread Your Germs Around” to present your good hygiene health habit lesson to your young children and their families.

Other resources: Hand Washing Lesson Plan, Music

Check with your local health department for current information pertaining to your geographic area.

For Healthy Families,

Ms. Dawn, The Singing Nurse

another article about handwashing, Rhinovirus interesting observances. The common cold.