1. family and parenting
2. children

Santa Cruz County Child Health and Disability Prevention Program
The CHDP Newsletter
A publication of HSA Public Health Children’s Medical Services-Summer 2000
Car Seat Safety Isn’t
Just a Cinch
Contributed by Katie Le Baron, MPH
Perinatal Services Program, County of Santa Cruz
Car seat safety - not a whole lot to it, right? Just use one,
that's the main message. But according to findings of Safety
Belt Safe, USA, a nationally recognized non-profit
organization dedicated to child passenger safety; misuse of car
seats may be as high as 95%. Based on a 1998 survey of 6,000
installed car seats, the most commonly found errors among
users were:
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♥
car seat not secured tightly by the safety belt (61%);
harness straps loosely fitted (35%);
rear-facing seats not reclined at a 45 degree angle (30%);
harness retainer clips below or above armpit level (19%).
Even the most conscientious parents are making mistakes that
could cause significant injury or death to their children in a
crash. While health care providers cannot be expected to be
"car seat installation experts," having some basic car seat
safety information at one's fingertips can help parents evaluate
their own level of knowledge and take the needed steps to
ensure their child's safety on the road. Here are some
questions and answers to assist you in providing important
information about car seat safety to your patients:
Question: Where is the safest place to install a car seat?
Answer: As a general rule, the safest place is in the middle of
the back seat. If this is not possible, put the seat in one of the
back window seat positions. Children under 10 years old
should also ride in the back, especially if the car has airbags.
NEVER, EVER put a rear-facing car seat in the front
passenger seat in a car with passenger-side front airbags.
Infants in this position have been killed by the force of airbags
deployed in a crash.
Question: How can I tell if a particular car seat is safe?
Answer: Car seats that have been in a crash or are older than
10 years should not be used. Unless you know the history of
a used car seat, don't buy it or use it; better to invest in a new
one or get one through a community loaner program or some
other reliable source. Check to make sure the car seat has not
been recalled (manufacturer has this information or look up
"www.carseat.org" for a list of recalled models and other
general car seat information).
The five-point harness style is generally recommended over
either the T-shield or tray-shield by car seat experts, because
the five-point style can be adjusted to safely fit most sizes of
children up to 40 pounds, even newborns of five pounds or
more.
Question: Which is the right seat for the right child?
Answer: This is a bit more
complicated, but important
enough to be worth the
time to get it straight.
Parents should know the
weight of their child and
choose the car seat
accordingly. Children who
are put in seats too big or
too small for them are at
risk of serious injury in a
crash. While there are many
different types of car seats, the main difference is rear-facing
versus forward-facing seats. Babies up to 12 months and 20
pounds should ALWAYS ride in a rear-facing car seat. This is
because babies under a year have relatively heavy heads and
weak necks. A forward-facing baby's head is snapped forward
during the impact of a crash, causing separation of the neck
bones and even "ripping" of the spinal cord, resulting in
permanent paralysis or even death.
THE CHDP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
By current law, children must be placed in a car seat until four
years of age and 40 pounds (SB567 may soon change the age
to seven years). If a child's shoulders are above the top setting
of the harness slots or if the tips of his/her ears are above the
top of the seat, the child has outgrown that seat and must
"graduate" to a larger size car seat, a child-seat/booster or a
regular booster. If a booster-only seat is chosen, shoulder
belts must be used to prevent the child from doubling over
and being injured in a crash.
Question: How can I tell if the car seat is adjusted and installed
correctly?
Answer: The most common installation problem users have
is not knowing how to secure the car seat tightly with the seat
belt. Because there are different kinds of shoulder belts
(automatic
locking, emergency locking or switchable
retractors), parents must find out what type they have and
read the instructions carefully or have someone show them
how to install the car seat properly. In some cases, the locking
clip that comes with the car seat (found on the back) must be
used to keep the belt from loosening during normal driving.
Some cars have lap belts, especially in the middle position,
which makes installation easier.
Another common problem is not tightening the harness
straps adequately. The harness straps should hold the child
firmly against the back of the car seat, with no forward
movement possible. Also, the harness clip should be at
armpit level to keep the child from slipping out of the harness
or being thrown out of the seat in a crash.
Rear-facing seats should be installed at a 45-degree angle to
keep a baby's head from slumping forward. A rolled up towel
under the car seat can be used to maintain the proper angle.
If an infant's head tends to flop from side to side, a rolled up
receiving blanket can be molded around the head.
NOTHING, however, should ever be put around the baby's
neck or behind the head, neck or body.
Finally: a word of caution. The numerous "after-market"
products sold in the stores that claim to increase comfort or
security of car seats have not been crash tested, and some of
them may actually increase injury to the car seat passenger
during a crash. Advise parents not to waste their money on
these products and instead, focus their time and attention on
getting the right car seat and learning how to install it safely.
Good luck in your educational efforts - you may be saving a
child's life!
Kudos and thank you’s
to Dr. Arthur Dover’s
office in Watsonville for
PAGE 2
encouraging and providing Healthy Families
applications to their clients.
Unsecured Firearms
Common in Homes
With Kids
One third of US homes with
children have at least one
firearm and nearly half of
them keep the weapons
unsecured, a study found.
Forty-three percent of such
homes kept one or more
guns in an unlocked place
and without trigger locks, and
guns were kept loaded as well as unlocked in 9 percent,
according to researchers at Rand Corp and the University of
California, Los Angeles. The findings underscore the need to
make adults more aware that firearms are accessible to many
children and that they need to keep the weapons out of their
hands, said Dr. Mark A. Schuster, a UCLA pediatrician and
the study’s lead author. The study was reported in the April
issue of the American Journal of Public Health, a publication of
the American Public Health Association.
The issue of children’s access to guns has become a national
focus as schools repeatedly become scenes of violence,
ranging from the killings at Columbine High School in
Colorado last year to a 6-year-old shooting a classmate in
Michigan recently.
The study used information from interviews of 45,435
households for the 1994 National Health Interview Survey
and additional questioning of 19,374 of those households in a
supplement that included a section covering firearms,
Schuster said. The surveys were administered by the National
Center for Health Statistics.
Firearms are present in 35 percent of US homes with
children—representing more than 11 million homes with
more than 22 million children younger than age 18, according
to the study. The 9 percent of those homes that keep firearms
unlocked and loaded would translate into homes with 1.7
million children, researchers found. Another 4 percent of the
home have guns that are unlocked and with ammunition
stored nearby.
“Thus, a total of about 13 percent of homes—about 1.4
million homes with about 2.6 million children—had firearms
stored in a manner most accessible to children,” the report
said. Just 39 percent of homes with firearms had them locked,
unloaded and stored separately from ammunition, it said.
Smith and Wesson, the nation’s largest gun manufacturer, has
THE CHDP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
agreed to provide external safety locks on all its handguns
within 60 days and internal locks within two years.
PAGE 3
For more information, please call:
Patty Morelli at 763-8932
Article taken from Santa Cruz Sentinel News, The Associated
Press, by Bart Jones
Free Immunization Clinic for Children of All Ages!
Sponsored by VNA, WIC and AKT-IZ Coalition
Monday, June 26th, 2000 2-6PM
1105 Water Street, Santa Cruz
Thursday, June 29, 2000 1-5PM
18 W. Lake Avenue, Watsonville
Miriam Shipp, M.D., M.P.H, will be
presenting a Grand Rounds Talk:
Call AKT for more info at 454-4645
“Children Run Better
Unleaded”
Introducing CHDP
Roundtable Discussions
th
When:
Monday, June 19
12:45-2:00pm
Where: Watsonville Community
Hospital
1st Floor, Conference Rooms 1 & 2
♥ Learn which children need to be screened for lead
poisoning, and about California’s Targeted Screening
Plan.
♥ Learn about appropriate treatment and follow-up for lead
poisoning in children.
Dr. Shipp will also be available by appointment for a limited
number of provider office visits the day of
Grand Rounds.
To schedule call Carol Sparks, Santa Cruz County Lead
Program Coordinator, at 763-8937.
CHDP Dental Clinic Schedule
2000:
In July, CHDP will be continuing our quarterly roundtable discussions
with office staff. We want to thank everyone who attended the first
roundtable, helping make it a success! It was a great opportunity to meet
staff from other offices, and problem solve. Our July presentation:
Learn All About the Changes
in WIC Eligibility
Kelly Kramer, WIC Outreach worker, will be
joining us to bring the latest information.
Date:
Time:
Where:
Date:
Time:
Where:
Friday, July 7, 2000 (Santa Cruz)
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
1400 Emeline, Bldg. K., Rm. 207-Santa Cruz
Tuesday, July 11, 2000 (Watsonville)
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
1430 Freedom Blvd, Watsonville
(across from Watsonville Health Clinic)
June 24
RSVP: Nancy McDonald at 763-8820. Bring your lunch.
Dessert will be provided.
July 15th
August 12th
September 9th
Parenting Expo – 2000
th
The clinic is held, as always, at the Lutheran
Community Church, 95 Alta Vista Avenue,
Watsonville
Sunday, September 17th
at
THE CHDP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
PAGE 4
Santa Cruz Coconut Grove
(Watch for more info in our Fall issue.)
Getting Ready for
Lyme Disease
Season
We’ve heard a lot about
Lyme disease in recent
years. This infection is
caused by bacteria that are spread through the bite of a
deer tick (despite its name, this tick is actually carried by
mice). Though Lyme disease can be spread during most
of the year, the peak times of risk are typically during the
late spring and summer months.
San Joaquin County Health Department recently
identified some new sources of lead in Mexican candy.
The candies are popular among Hispanic and Asian
children. The candies identified are:
Lyme disease often begins with a red circular rash at the
site of the tick bite; the rash can last a few weeks, and
may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms such as
headache, fever, and muscle aches. It’s important to
bring this illness to the attention of a health care
provider, since early treatment (with antibiotics) can
reduce the severity of Lyme disease. However, parents
and others who care for children can do much to reduce
the risk of Lyme disease in the first place—by simply
reducing the likelihood of tick bites.
♥ Pica Limon Candy
The first line of defense is to try to avoid areas where the
ticks are common. Second, make sure that any ticks that
might have become attached are removed. There’s no
emergency to doing this, since it takes a couple of days
for the disease to be transmitted by an infected tick. The
best approach is to conduct a thorough “tick check” at
the end of each day. Dog ticks and other relatively large
ticks should not be confused with the small ticks that
carry this disease. In May and June, deer ticks are about
the size and color of a poppy seed, making them difficult
to find, but a good place to look is the waist and thigh
areas, where they commonly attach themselves. A
shower can remove those that aren’t attached, and those
that are attached can be removed with a tweezers by
grasping the tick as close to the child’s skin as possible
and gently, but firmly, pulling it off.
Ira Schwartz, PHN and Senior Health Services
Manager for the County of Santa Cruz, has stated that in
Santa Cruz County, there have been three reported
incidences of Lyme disease cases per year.
Contributed by Child Health ALERT Volume 17, May 2000
♥ Pelon Pelo Rico Candy
♥ Limon Candy
♥ Pulpitas Candy
In response to the new information on lead in these
products, the Food and Drug Association issued a
bulletin to hold them at the border for further testing
Lucas powders are also popular among Hispanic
children. This Snack food contains very small amounts
of lead, but also contains large amounts of salt, which
can cause dehydration. According to health officials, the
high salt content of Lucas powders is a greater health
hazard than the lead content.
Carol Sparks, Lead Program Coordinator
Lynne Wittenberg, Health Educator
Targeted Screening
Journal Article
An article on lead poisoning appeared in the April 1st issue of
the Medical Board of California Action Report. The article is a
summary of the California Department of Health Services
recent statewide Targeted Blood Lead Screening Policy, and is
titled “New State Policy on Blood Lead Screening Can Help
Provider Find More Children with Lead Poisoning.”
Enclosed in this newsletter is the “Practitioner Reference Card”,
which was published with the article. Call Carol Sparks at
763-8937 for additional copies.
Please note under “Up-Coming Events” (page 3), the Children Run
Better Unleaded talk at this month’s Grand Rounds on 6/19,
presented by Miriam Shipp, M.D.
THE CHDP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
PAGE 5
You may reach the Growth and Opportunity Program at
722-3337 and the Pajaro Valley Program at 728-6955.
Norene Bailey, PHN, CHDP Program Nurse
Nurse’s
Corner
CHDP PROVIDERS:
“It’s Migrant Head Start
Time, Again……..”
The Migrant Head Start Programs provide a myriad of
services to many of our families, the biggest being l2 hours of
childcare, Monday through Friday, to families who are
working in the fields. In addition to childcare, the families
receive parent education, dental education and treatment,
nutritional counseling, and the children receive a wonderfully
enriching pre-school experience from a dedicated, trained
staff. In addition, if a child is identified with a special need,
such as speech therapy, this is also provided to them. Children
ages 3 months to 5 years are eligible to be enrolled in the
program and the families must meet the Migrant Program
requirements. Unlike the Head Start Program, the Migrant
Program normally operates from April 1 to October 30, the
length of the growing season here in Pajaro Valley.
There are currently two separate programs operating in Santa
Cruz County. Growth and Opportunity provides childcare for
350 children in 40 family day care homes and one center and
has a staff of approximately 70. The second program is run by
the Pajaro Valley School District, which serves 320 children in
14 family day care homes and 12 centers, and has a staff of
approximately l00.
Things you need to be aware of when doing CHDP exams
for these children:
1) The Program mandates annual exams for children 3 years
and older and annual TB and anemia testing for all
children. So please do these, if requested. The date of
service must be exactly one year from the prior date of
service.
2) The family will be bringing the CHDP Head Start forms
with them to their appointments. Please make sure that
the Head Start grantee number is noted in the lower right
hand corner of the PM l60. If it is missing, you may call
the appropriate Head Start office to request this
information.
3) Please return the goldenrod copy to the Head Start
Program. They are required to have a copy of the exam in
their records.
Measles Comes Home (Various Times) to
Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County residents travel the globe for pleasure and
business. An unintended consequence of leaving town for
some persons has been to become exposed to measles and
then carry home the virus to expose others. Some exposed
persons in this county are susceptible and then become locally
acquired measles cases.
Sound improbable? It’s true! In 1999, two persons traveling
to Asia returned home and to a home-schooling environment
wherein several students (as well as the travelers) had not been
immunized. Four others who had not traveled but who were
exposed by the travelers developed measles, for a total of 6
persons in this cluster of cases.
Earlier in 2000, some one
traveled to a business meeting
in Nevada that was attended
by many persons, including
several who had arrived
recently from overseas areas
that had ongoing measles
problems. The local resident
thought
he’d
been
immunized, but the records
were not in his possession.
He became ill with a rash
about two weeks after
attending the meeting. The measles cases in both 1999 and
2000 were confirmed by laboratory analysis.
Local physicians are the indisputable most important assets
for prevention of measles. The immunization and counseling
opportunities that occur during childhood and adolescent
office visits can make the population less susceptible to
measles.
Physicians who suspect measles and report to the Health
Services Agency can help initiate efforts to control an
outbreak from disseminating to susceptibles. Physicians who
are interested in materials (guides to differentiating between
THE CHDP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
rash illness, tools to help track immunization status, etc) can
call the Immunization Program at 454-4646.
PAGE 6
Contributed by Linda Kerner, IZ Coalition
Contributed by Ira Schwartz, PHN, Senior Health Service Manager of
County of Santa Cruz
Health Care Provider Immunization
Resource Packets Available from All
Kids By Two
All Kids By Two Immunization Coalition
Mobilizes County-Wide Celebration of
National Infant Immunization Week
And Toddler Immunization Month
All Kids By Two Immunization Coalition would like to thank
the community of Santa Cruz for supporting the coalition’s
efforts to promote National Infant Immunization Week
(NIIW), the third week in April and Toddler Immunization
Month (TIM) in May. Child care providers, health care
providers, local business owners, and programs serving
families with young children all joined together to get the
message out to parents to “Immunize – On Time- Every
Time!”
AKT Coalition Coordinator, Linda Kerner, was kept busy
responding to requests from the community for Dr. Seuss
immunization posters to display in childcare centers, clinic
waiting rooms and employee break rooms. Magnets, stickers,
AKT brochures and other childhood immunization resources
were also in high demand.
AKT and Mid Coast Visiting Nurse Association
combined efforts to offer free children’s immunization clinics
at local WIC Program sites in Santa Cruz and Watsonville.
In addition, AKT received proclamations from The County
Board of Supervisors, and the cities of Watsonville and
Santa Cruz designating the third week in April, National
Infant Immunization Week and the month of May, Toddler
Immunization Month.
The tremendous countywide response in support of NIIW
and TIM truly demonstrates that our community cares about
the health of our youngest children. However, our guard
must not be let down when Toddler Immunization Month is
over. There still is plenty of work to be done to achieve the
coalition’s goal of 90% of “all kids by two” up-to-date with
their childhood immunizations*. If you are interested in
becoming a member of AKT and joining in the Coalition’s
efforts to protect and promote the health of children in Santa
Cruz County, please call Linda Kerner at 454-4645.
All Kids By Two Immunization Coalition has developed
resource packets for health care providers to share the latest
information on childhood immunizations and vaccine-related
issues. Packets include several new resources developed by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention including the
following:
♥ A Guide to Contraindications to Childhood
Vaccinations: A handy spiral bound guide designed to
help providers decide what common symptoms and
conditions should be considered contraindications to
vaccination and which ones should not.
♥ What You Need To Know About Vaccine
Information Statements (VISs): An informative
booklet providing information on federal and state
provider responsibilities for use of VISs and recording
requirements. The booklet also includes frequently asked
questions about VISs and camera-ready copies of current
VISs.
♥ Six Common Misconceptions About Vaccination
and How To Respond To
Them:
This booklet addresses
misconceptions
that are often cited by
concerned parents
as the reasons to
question the wisdom of
vaccinating their
children.
Included are
accurate
rebuttals to not only ease parents’
minds on these specific issues but
also to discourage them from accepting
other anti-vaccine “facts” at face value.
Also included in the resource packets is a
list of free resources available to help
promote childhood immunizations, including
reminder post cards, magnets, stickers,
brochures on specific immunizations and many other
items. The packets also include a new form,
Immunization Record and History, created by the
Department of Health Services, that can be placed in the
front of medical charts for easy access to a patient’s
immunization record. If you would like to receive a
resource packet, contact All Kids By Two at 454-4645.
Contributed by Linda Kerner, IZ Coalition
THE CHDP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
PAGE 7
*See “Up-Coming Events” on Page 3 about a free IZ Clinic on
June 26 and June 29th, 2000.
An Infant with Hearing Loss?
What to do next…..
Arts and Crafts Safety
Working with “arts and crafts” is
an
important
source
of
enjoyment and learning for
children. However, because these
materials
may
occasionally
contain toxic solvents and other
harmful ingredients, adults often
have concerns about whether the
materials they provide children
are safe.
The Art & Craft Materials Institute (ACMI), an association
sponsored by art and craft suppliers, have developed an updated list of the many hundreds of products that are
authorized to carry a seal that indicates they have met specific
standards of safety.
The ACMI also has published a booklet call “What You Need
to Know About the Safety of Art and Craft Material”, which
reviews a variety of issues concerning the safety of these
products and explains how the federal labeling law applies to
art and craft materials. Both the list and pamphlet are available
free of charge by sending a #10 (business
size) envelope
with $.33 postage on it to:
Art and Craft
Materials Institute, Inc.
Attention: CHA Request
80 Main Street
Hanson, MA 02341-0479
Contributed by Child Health ALERT, Volume 17, May 2000
Migrant Head Start Growth and Opportunity
announced that as of March 2000, their agency has received
$20,000 in revenue for assisting families with MediCal–
Healthy Families applications. Good going, guys!
With the California Newborn Hearing Screening
Program, more newborns with a hearing loss will be
identified. By 2003, it is estimated that in the state of
California, 1,800 newborns will be identified as having
permanent significant hearing loss. These 1,800 children will
join the 2 million deaf and hard of hearing individuals who
currently live in the United States.
Early identification is important in
order for families to receive
immediate benefits from support
services. After a newborn is
identified as having a hearing loss,
families have a lot of decisions to
make and many questions that
need to be answered.
To help families answer these
questions; here are some
important resources:
♥ Early Intervention Program-Through your County
Office of Education, Special Education Department. This
program is available for deaf and hard of hearing infants
and toddlers age birth to 3. Call: 831-476-7140
♥ Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center, Inc.
(DHHSC)
330 Pajaro Street, Suite B, Salinas, CA 93901
831-753-6540 -Voice 831-7536541 TTY
831-753-6542. FAX or dhhsc@rcdshift.com
♥ Deaf Counseling, Advocacy, and Referral Agency,
(DCARA)
14895 East 14th Street, Suite 200
San Leandro, CA 94578
510-209-6770 Voice/TTY San Jose Outreach Office
www.dcara.org
♥ The American Society for Deaf Children – a
resourceful website about deaf and hard of hearing
children: www.deafchildren.org
DHHSC and DCARA both provide the following services to
deaf and hard of hearing individuals of all ages, their friends,
families, and service providers; information and referral;
communication assistance; advocacy; independent living
assistance; employment assistance; peer counseling; and
community education. Call today and receive the information
that you need to answer any questions that you may have.
Contributed by Rosemary Wanis, MSW, Outreach Director, DHHSC
THE CHDP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
Naomi Lobell has joined Children’s Medical Services as CCS
PHN III. Naomi supervises the CCS case management team
and replaces Barbara Rice, who accepted a position with
Health Services Agency Field Nursing and Women’s
Programs. (Best Wishes to Barbara!)
Naomi obtained her nursing degree from Saddleback College,
and her Bachelor of Science from San Jose State University.
She has experience working in home health, acute care, and
public health. She comes to CCS from Planned Parenthood
where she worked in Family Planning and Reproductive
Health Care Services.
PAGE 8
You may have noticed, we have included a
“Parent’s Corner” at the very back of the
Newsletter. Each quarterly edition will include
an article helpful to our families. We invite you
to copy and distribute the article to your
families.
Contributed by Carol Kerfoot, LCSW, Senior Health Services Program
Manager, CMS
.
Acknowledgement
The CHDP Program wishes to acknowledge Dr.
Robert Crook for the many years of dental
services he has provided to
the children of the CHDP
Program.
Dr. Crook has been practicing
dentistry in Watsonville for
more than 20 years and has
recently gone into semiretirement. For this reason,
he will no longer be providing
treatment to our CHDP
children. He has been a great asset to our
Program. Thank you, Dr. Crook. We wish you well.
The CHDP Staff
CHDP Newsletter Staff:
Editor:
Elaine Glenn, PHN, CHDP Deputy Director
Formatting:
Patty Morelli, CHWII
Contributors:
Norene Bailey, RN, PHN
Carol Kerfoot, LCSW
Nancy McDonald, RN, PHN
Carol Sparks, PHN, MPH
Lynne Wittenberg, MPH
Ira Schwartz, PHN
Linda Kerner, IZ Coalition
Rosemarie Wanis, MSW
If you have any questions or contributions regarding our
Newsletter, please call Elaine Glenn at 831-454-4772.
….and remember to fly a kite with a child this
summer.
THE CHDP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
Summer is a season when children spend more time
outdoors, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t
plenty of things to do that are both fun and
educational. Few materials are as appealing to
young children as playdough. Children enjoy playing
with gooey things, and at the same time these
materials can be highly educational because they
meet children’s needs in four areas of
development: physical, cognitive, emotional, and
social.
Physical Development: When children squeeze and
mold playdough and other gooey materials, they
are also working to develop their small muscles
which they will later use for holding pencils and
pens, turning pages in a book, or pressing the keys
on a computer.
Cognitive Development: Children who watch the
changes in forms produced by rolling, dripping,
squeezing, or pounding gooey materials begin to
understand chemistry and physics—some of the
principles of how our world works. In talking about
their play, they get to practice words as they
describe their experiences.
Emotional Development: For many children, playing
with gooey things can be a calming activity; it feels
great to a young child to sense the coolness or
smoothness of these materials, and to have adult
permission to play with something “nicely messy”.
Also, it’s a relief to young children simply to be
able to play (enjoy the process!) and not to have to
always make something (end up with a product!).
Social Development: As children play with gooey
things, they engage each other in conversation and
get to practice sharing their excitement. “Look at
my playdough!” “It looks like an apple pie!” or “You
can sit next to me: I’m squeezing my playdough out
as long as yours!” The combination of fun and
educational values make playdough a terrific
indoors
PAGE 9
activity for young children in the summertime (or
for that matter, any time of the year). Playdough
and similar materials are widely available in stores,
but here are recipes that can save money.
Playdough Recipe:
2 cups flour
2 cups water
½ CUP SALT
2 TBLS vegetable oil
1 TBLS cream of tartar
food color (optional)
Mix all ingredients together in heavy saucepan
until all lumps are gone. Heat mixture over
medium-high burner, stirring constantly with a
wooden spoon. Mixture will begin to thicken and
form big lumps. Stir
like crazy!
When mixture is as
clumped as you can
get it and it
resembles
“wet”
scrambled eggs, it
is done. Dump warm
mixture out onto clean surface (Formica is good).
Allow to cool a bit while you clean the pot and
spoon. Then begin to knead the playdough. DO
NOT ADD FLOUR. Have faith; the playdough will
become less sticky as it cools while you knead it.
Thoroughly cool before storing in airtight
container.
“Oobleck” Recipe:
1.5 cups cornstarch
1 cup water
Food color (optional)
Mix the ingredients and allow children to play with
the mixture. When “pushed” together, the mixture
will appear dry and solid; as children let go of the
mixture, it flows like a smooth liquid.
Contributed by Mary Ucci, , A. B., M.Ed., Child Health ALERT,
Volume 18, February 2000
THE CHDP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
ü Standardized IZ Terms
CHDP
Child Health and Disability
Prevention Program
PO Box 962
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
(831)-454-2560 ~ (831)-763-8933
Look Inside!
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Getting Ready for Lyme Disease Season
Arts and Crafts Safety
“It’s Migrant Head Start Time, Again….”
Measles Come Home to Santa Cruz County
National Infant IZ Week Celebrated Locally
What’s New in Lead?….
Infant Hearing Loss
Unsecured Firearms in Homes
Parents Corner: “Playdough”
Inserts:
ü BLL-Practitioner Reference Card
PAGE 10