Newsletter - Head Start Happenings: January 2026
- Miranda Osburn
- Jan 7
- 3 min read
Download the Newsletter Here:
10 Winter Safety Tips for Children
1.Layer up! Bitter cold and snow can cause frostbite. Dress your child in several layers, and
make sure their head, neck and hands are covered. Dress babies and young children in one more layer than an adult would wear.
2.Play it safe. Even when roads are closed to traffic, it is not safe to play or sled in the street.
Visibility may be limited due to snowbanks and ice on the roads makes braking difficult.
3.Beware of clothing hazards. Scarves and hood strings can strangle small children so use
other clothing to keep them warm.
4.Check in on warmth. Before kids head outside, tell them to come inside if they get wet or
if they’re cold. Then keep watching them and checking in. They may want to continue
playing outside even if they are wet or cold.
5. Use sunscreen. Children and adults can still get sunburned in the winter. Sun can reflect
off the snow, so apply sunscreen to exposed areas.
6.Use caution around fires. Wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, and outdoor fire-pits are cozy
but present danger-especially to small children. Use caution and put up protective gates when possible. If you’ve lost power or heat and are using alternative heating methods like kerosene or electric heaters, be sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working.
7.Get trained and equipped. Children should wear helmets when snowboarding, skiing,
sledding, or playing ice hockey. And to avoid injuries, teach children how to do the activity
safely.
8.Prevent nosebleeds. If your child suffers from minor winter nosebleeds, use a cold -air
humidifier in their room. Saline nose drops can help keep their nose moist.
9.Keep them hydrated. In drier winter air kids lose more water through their breath. Offer
plenty of water and try giving them warm drinks and soup for extra appeal.
10.Watch for danger signs. Signs of frostbite are pale, grey, or blistered skin on the fingers,
ears, nose, and toes. If you think your child has frostbite, bring the child indoors and put the
affected area in warm (not hot) water. Signs of hypothermia are shivering, slurred speech, and unusual clumsiness. If you think your child has hypothermia, call 9-1-1 immediately.
Sources: Save the Children, American Academy of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Health
System
“The schools of the country are its future in miniature.”
-Tehysi Hsieh, Chinese Educator, writer, and diplomat
Name Recognition for Children
Learning how to recognize, spell and read our name is one of the most important things we learn as a child. Learning our name is a catapult for literacy learning in preschool! As a child, our name is the most important word to us, and learning it leads to other types of learning. A child’s name is one of the first words that they understand and identify with. They connect their written name with something very meaningful. This leads to writing their name in a more conventional way.
The first stage of a child learning their name is recognizing it. A child initially recognizes the shape of the first letter of their name, will often identify it in other places such as a grocery stores and restaurants, point to it and say, “Look, that’s my name!” Even if it is just the first letter of their name.
Here are two examples with a brief description to encourage your child to identify and recognize their name.
1. Use a sheet of paper and any cups you may have around the house. Write on letter of your child’s name on the bottom of each cup. Trace circles on a piece of paper using
the bottom of the cup as a template. Now your child has a “letters of my name” activity!
2. Write your child’s name on a sheet of paper and then cut up small pieces of brightly colored paper or you could also use those brightly colored office supply stickers. Have your child place stickers or glue colored paper, following the lines of each letter of their name.
-Written by Regina Rhoda
Winter Celebration Goodies for Upshur County Head Start! Thank You!
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