Articles from June 2010

“Can Do” Street Programs use community helpers to reinforce the lessons of parents and grandparents on how to be safe, look good and feel good, eat well and develop the skills to  do well in school and social settings.

Coach Campbell,  as an instructor and coach at the “Can Do” Community Center, stresses the importance of daily exercise both indoors and outdoors. He engages the children using the programs on “Can Do” Street in decision-making around good sportsmanship, playing fair and being a team player.

Nurse Diane speaks to the “Can Do” Kids about food as the fuel to keep their bodies running well.

She also shares  how they can protect themselves from germs stressing the need for good personal hygiene.

Policewoman Paula is there when Nellie gets lost and can’t find her grandma. She stressed the need for children to carry identification, to know where they live and how to contact a parent or grandparent. Policewoman Paula reviews who are the safe people to go to when a child is lost or in trouble. when Yundi falls off his bike and gets hurt, she is there to see that he gets medical attention and to contact his family.

Teacher Pat teaches more them academics in “Can Do” Street School. She teaches appropriate school behavior. How to address an adult, sharing supplies, respecting the rights of others, taking turns,  being kind to classmates, safety practices, playground and bathroom behaviors are all part of her daily lesson plans.

“Can Do” Street programs feature grandparents as guides who often help the “Can Do” Kids make good choices. For those of us adults fortunate enough to have had loving grandparents that were a part of our growing up years the “Can Do” grandparents remind us of how safe and special we felt with them. For the young children becoming members of “Can Do” Street grandparents  share the lessons they learned over the years that can help children develop the skills to do well in many life situations.

The “Can Do” grandparents are active, involved adults. Some work, others volunteer but they all have time to spend with their grandchildren.

Meet the Grandparents!

Grandma Hattie and Grandpa Dooley are retired. They volunteer at the “Can Do’ Street Community Center two afternoons a week. Grandma Hattie  is the arts and crafts instructor and Grandpa Dooley directs the children’s orchestra. They have three “grandchildren: Nellie, Willie and Mickey. Nellie and Willie live with them while their mother is in the Army, serving overseas. Mickey lives with his parents  on “Can Do” Street.

Grandma Maureen and Grandpa John work in the food market they own on “Can Do” Street. Their  grandchildren Orrie, Kathy, Annie, Bobby and Arthur J visit them often. Once a week they all stop by the market, with friends on their way home from school and Grandpa John treats to ice cream.

Grandma Frances is an Emergency Services Technician(EMT) on the “Can Do” hospital ambulance. She volunteers at the community center teaching First Aid. Her grandchildren are Maria and Hector.

Grandma Sue is the director of the “Can Do” Community Center. After school, her grandchildren, Wendy and Yundi stay with her at the community center until their  mother and father pick them up after work.

Join us and see the “Can Do” grandparents in action!

It used to be that bulling was something you worried about when your child was in school, or the playground; now the Internet is a major source of child bullying.

The following resources are just a few of many that exist to help parents and teachers to intervene when bullying is taking place and/or prevent it before it starts in school and other social settings. A few of the web sites and articles deal with keeping your child safe when he or she uses the web for school projects and on educational and recreational sites for children.

Bullying Facts and Figures – www.nasponline.org

Bullying At School and Online-www.education.com

Online Bullying:

www.schoolfamily.com

www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.com

www.cyberbullying.org

Special Ed Bullying- www.learningdisabilities.about.com

Bullies Go High Tech – www.wisn.com

Bullying Fact Sheet Series – www.schoolsafety.us

Free Bullying Prevention Lesson Plans - www.learntobehealthy.org

Hi, I’m Coach (Ned) Campbell and I don’t just play a coach on “Can Do “Street; I am a coach.

I am a USA Wrestling nationally certified wrestling coach and was named the 2009 Beat the Streets Wrestling High School Coach of the Year.  I also serve as the President of the New York City Public School Wrestling Coaches Association.

I graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in American studies and later earned my graduate degree in American history from Brooklyn College.  I teach history at a large public high school in Brooklyn, New York where in addition to coaching the wrestling team I am the Assistant Head Coach of varsity football.

Now as I spend my days with hundreds of young teenagers, I can tell you from personal experience that many incoming freshmen are not physically fit and healthy.  Many come to me having never done anything athletic before in their lives.  So, I cannot stress enough the importance of early childhood exercise and development of good, healthy lifestyle choices at a young age.

One common obstacle to daily exercise is the weather.  When confined to the indoors I suggest “Rainy Day Exercises” as an alternative to just sitting around.  It also helps to have a workout partner which can be a sibling, a friend over on a play-date or even you. Once you get started a daily exercise routine can quickly become a good habit anyone can be proud of!

Rainy Day Exercises

Any number of stretches for flexibility and as a warm-up:

1. Feet apart, slow stretch and touch the floor with your fingertips…hold it for 10 seconds and no bouncing
2. Deep knee bend and elbows on inside of knees and hands on feet…slow push out of the elbows to stretch the groin muscles. Again, slow and no bouncing /herky jerky movements.
3. Trunk twisters with hands on hips.
4. Circle the arms forwards and backwards, small and big circles.

Exercises:

1. Leg raises – lie flat on your back, keep legs straight and raise them 6-8 inches off the floor…hold for 10 seconds.
2. Flutter kicks – lie flat on your back, but straight legs are going up and down like you are doing a backstroke in the pool.
3. Sit-ups
4. Push-ups – back straight and on your knees to start until you build up strength. Keep a straight back with no bowing, sagging, etc.
5. Various exercises with dumbbell weights…and since this is for home use the dumbbells can be homemade from things that might be thrown away…SUCH AS…empty plastic jugs that used to contain iced tea, milk, juices, etc.  Take two identical plastic jugs and fill them equally with water. Seal them tight and they are perfect for weights for bicep curls, overhead presses and shrugs.

Questions?  E-mail me at coachcampbell@candostreet.com

The “Can Do” Kids have a cooking club. Next year, “Can Do” Street will publish an online version of the “Can Do” Kids Cookbook. It will  feature recipes from parents, teachers and children who are members of “Can Do” Street who share their recipes as well as those developed by staff of “Can Do” Street. All recipes selected for the cookbook will credit the person or persons who contributed the recipe in the cookbook and on this blog. Recipes will also be featured in the children’s blog in “Can Do” Kids Cooking Club.

Recipe Guidelines:

Submit an original recipe – either a snack, main dish, sandwich, or dessert that appeals to young children and is good for them to eat.

The recipe must be easy to use with reasonably priced ingredients.

Submission Guidelines:

Email the recipe and attach a photo of the finished dish.

Sign and date the recipe.

If your recipe is selected to appear in the cookbook, we will contact you in January 2011 . We look forward to receiving  your recipe!