More Home Activities for Kids

Posted on April 3, 2020April 24, 2020 by FlitchCreative

Play time and activities are a huge part of a toddler’s life. Not only they keep the little ones entertained, but they also support brain development (which is rapidly happening in the first years of life). With that in mind, our developmental specialists selected a few home activities! Each activity helps support an area of development and comes with a book suggestion.

If you are interested in any of our home visiting services (virtual, for now) fill out our referral form! Root for Kids serves pregnant women and children from birth to age 5 in Washington County, Utah and the Arizona Strip.

Home Activities for Kids

Posted on March 15, 2020March 18, 2020 by FlitchCreative

Are you struggling to keep the kids busy? It can be hard to avoid excessive screen time at home. But we are here to help! From experiments and crafts to physical activity, here are some ideas of home activities for kids.

Educational

Feed your child’s brain and curiosity with these simple at home activities and experiments.

Story Time

Reading helps children learn new vocabulary and express themselves using language. The more interactive you can make story time, the more involved and engaged your child will be. See how you can make the most of toddler story time.

Around the World

Bring the world to your living room! You can start by making a passport with your child and having them point on a map where they want to go. Teach them a little bit about the country, what language is spoken, look at pictures and do an activity related to that country. It would also be fun to research simple recipes and try them out with your child.

Magnet Discovery Bottle

DIY Reading Toy

Fingerprint Counting Activity

Name Recognition Activity

Physical Activity

An active lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle. And kids have a lot of energy to spend! Keep them entertained with these simple exercises and join in.

10 Simple Toddler Exercises

Yoga for Kids (3-5)

Family Fun Cardio Workout

Arts & Crafts

Crafts play a big part on fine motor development. In addition to that, creative activities stimulate both sides of the brain and help children develop both emotional and intellectual skills.

Under the Sea

What can you find under the sea? Use a blue background for the ocean (blue table cloth from the dollar store will work great) and create a whimsical ocean scene with jelly fish, wiggly-eyed glitter fish, sea turtle, seahorse puppets, and even mermaids! Use the crafts for pretend play.

Play Dough “Painting”

Home Activities for Kids | Root for Kids — source: Shutterstock

Musical Tambourine

Sensory Crafts

Paper Crafts

Wholesome home activities can support children’s development. If you have any concerns about your child, please fill out our online form.*

*Root for Kids serves children 0-5 in Washington County, Utah and the Arizona Strip.

What are Developmental Disabilities?

Posted on March 4, 2020March 19, 2020 by FlitchCreative

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in six children in the U.S. have one or more developmental disabilities or developmental delays. March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and we have compiled a few facts and resources for parents.

What are developmental disabilities?

Developmental disabilities are a group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas¹. They come in many shapes and sizes, and are not always visible. These conditions can include, but are not limited to, vision impairment, hearing loss, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, learning disability and ADHD.

There are many factors that can cause a developmental disability or delay, and most begin before the baby is born. It can be linked to genetics, complications during pregnancy (such as infections) and/or during birth, exposure to high levels of toxins, and parental health and behavior (such as drinking, smoking and drug use.)

What are developmental disabilities? | Root for Kids — source: Shutterstock

Why is Early Intervention important?

Neural circuits, which create the foundation for learning, behavior and health, are most flexible during the first three years of life. Because of that, early intervention is more effective when provided then. It can also reduce the incidence of future problems in their learning, behavior and health status.² As a result, children who receive services early on most likely won’t need special education when they start school.

What can you do to help your child?

If your child was born with a developmental disability, seek local early intervention services right away. For Utah and Arizona, check out the Utah Department of Health and Arizona Department of Economic Security for services in your area.

The best way to catch developmental delays is through screenings. Only 31% of children ages 9 months to 35 months received a developmental screening in the U.S. in 2016-2017.³ To make sure your child is reaching their developmental milestones, follow the CDC’s Milestone Checklist or download their app. Contact your local providers for screening information if you have any concerns.

Root for Kids serves Washington County, Utah and the Arizona strip. Contact us for free developmental screenings.

Every child deserves the best start in life. Help us serve more children and families by donating today.

Top 10 Moments of 2019

Posted on January 8, 2020January 8, 2020 by FlitchCreative

Our first year as “Root for Kids” was filled with nurturing partnerships and growth. We served 1,252 children and 58 pregnant women in Washington County and the Arizona Strip! There were a lot of memorable moments in 2019, but here are top 10:

10. Washington County Fair Baby Contest

This year, Root for Kids sponsored the Washington County Fair Baby Contest for the first time. Over 80 babies ages 3-36 months entered the contest online and 30 finalists moved on to the live judging phase at the fair. Each contestant received a Baby Contest t-shirt and an Early Childhood Activity Book created by Root for Kids.

9. Fit Kid Fair

A healthy life is a happier life! And that goes for babies and toddlers as well. In April, we hosted a Fit Kid fair event for families enrolled in Early Head Start and Parents as Teachers. Staff prepared and served a healthy dinner, planned obstacle courses for the kids and offered parent/child yoga classes.

8. Community Appreciation Day

The St. George Children’s Museum hosts a Community Appreciation Day on the first Thursday of the month. Admission is free for Washington County residents on that day. Root for Kids joined in on the fun and our staff is at the museum on that day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. doing free hearing, vision and developmental screenings for children 3 and under.

7. Alumni Event

In November 2019, we had our first ever alumni event! We invited everyone who has graduated from our programs, their families and community members that support our mission for a private screening of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”. The event gathered over 160 people and was held at the Sunset Megaplex Theater in St. George. The Friends of TLC Foundation generously sponsored the event.

6. New Business Partners

St. George is one of the fastest growing communities in the country. So many wonderful businesses are coming to St. George and Root for Kids had the pleasure of partnering with several of them in 2019. Hash House a Go Go, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Axiom Chiropractic are among the new businesses in town that donated to Root for Kids.

5. 4th Annual Radioathon

The most wonderful time of the year is even more wonderful at Root for Kids. Our annual holiday Radioathon quickly became one of our favorite events! It’s so heartwarming seeing the community come together to donate, make financial contributions and volunteer. In 2019, we raised over $20,000 in cash and in-kind donations!

4. Class of 2019

We love the children we serve and there’s nothing more fulfilling than seeing them healthy and ready for Kindergarten. Over 200 children graduated from our programs in 2019 and we celebrated with two graduation events (spring and winter).

3. Kindermusik

Our Music & Play Studio became Kindermusik® certified in 2019 and gained a brand new room! On June 3, we invited the community to the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate with us. Kindermusik classes are open to the public and classes are open enrollment.

2. U of U Physician Assistant Program

Every year we provide free dental clinics to children and families enrolled. In 2019, we were able to expand our health services reach thanks to a new partnership with the U of U Physician Program! They provided oral cancer screening at the dental clinics and Well Child exams at the 2nd annual health fair. Early Head Start parents also received a variety of screenings such as blood pressure, BMI, vision, hearing and depression at the health fair.

1. The Secret Garden Gala

Our biggest fundraising event of the year was a magical night in the Secret Garden. We had a record of 25 sponsors and we were sold out more than a month before the event. Over 240 people attended the gala and between sponsorships, silent and live auctions, and ticket sales, we raised over $100,000. The gala keeps getting bigger and better every year, and we cannot wait to see what the 2020 event will be like.

We are grateful to be part of an incredible community and provide essential services to the little ones and their families. Thank you for another amazing year and helping us nurture strong beginnings.

4th Annual Radioathon raises over $20k for Root for Kids

Posted on December 21, 2019January 8, 2020 by FlitchCreative

Giving is the best way to kick off the holiday season. With that in mind, Root for Kids offers the perfect giving opportunity every year! On December 16, 2019, Root for Kids partnered up with Red Rock Broadcasting to host the 4th Annual Radioathon for children and families.

4th Annual Radioathon | Root for Kids — Thank you Red Rock Broadcasting!

From 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Mix 103.1, Kool 98.9, Coyote Country 102.3 and Zion 104.1 were broadcasting live from Root for Kids. The djs encouraged listeners to donate, and interviewed sponsors, staff and families. We also invited the public to come volunteer and be part of the fun!

Impact

The Radioathon raised $13,050 in cash (over $1,000 per hour!) and $7,570 in in-kind donations. Donations included diapers, books, adaptive materials and items from our wish list.

Throughout the day, 60 volunteers worked on variety of walk-in projects. They put together newborn kits, created activity packets for young children and bundled hundreds of diapers.

Thank you to all who were a part of this incredible day! It takes a village to take care of the youngest and most vulnerable in our community. We could not do our work without you! For more Radioathon pictures, check out our Facebook album.

To support Root for Kids throughout the year, join our Garden Club and receive a free t-shirt!

2019 Christmas Map Supporting Root for Kids

Posted on December 6, 2019December 11, 2019 by FlitchCreative

Guest post by HedgeHog Electric

Part of the fun of the holiday season is piling into your car all bundled up, warm drinks in hand, and enjoying the beautiful Christmas lights and holiday displays. Yet, it can seem like a real hit-or-miss on finding those homes who go above and beyond with their decorations.

Here at HedgeHog Electric, we love the holiday season and wanted to celebrate it by doing something special for the community. After some brainstorming, we introduced the community to the St. George Christmas Light Spectacular Christmas Map.

What is the St. George Christmas Light Spectacular

For the last few years, HedgeHog Electric has developed a Christmas lights map—called the St. George Christmas Light Spectacular. On this map, we pinpoint the best Christmas-decked houses with lights, decorations, and sometimes even music, that will make your night magical.

Whether you prefer to print out our Christmas light Google map or follow along on your smartphone, you are in luck. We have developed our Christmas lights map so that you can choose to download and print it out or simply allow your phone to open the map up in your Google maps app and will enable it to direct you from one amazing house to another.

Beyond just making an excellent Christmas lights map, we wanted to embrace the holiday season more completely. So, every year, HedgeHog Electric chooses an exceptional charity to donate to as part of our Christmas Light Spectacular.

This year, for every Facebook like our Christmas map receives, HedgeHog Electric will be donating $1 to Root for Kids. Also, for every new Instagram follower we receive, HedgeHog Electric will also donate $1 to Root For Kids. This donation promise will go from November 29 through December 31.

Why HedgeHog Electric chose Root for Kids

It is always a tough process to decide what local St. George charity to dedicate our Christmas Light Spectacular map toward. In past years, we have chosen the Dove Center and the local Habitat for Humanity branch here in St. George. This year, we wanted to focus on a nonprofit that is dedicated to serving our most vulnerable population, and Root for Kids does just that.

Root for Kids provides an array of services for children from birth to age five as well as their families. These services include individualized home visits such as early intervention to help children develop critical speech, motor, and learning skills with the help of trained specialists. Root for Kids also provides health services for children and pregnant women enrolled in Early Head Start.

Since 1993, Root for Kids has served over 16,000 children in Washington County and the Arizona Strip. Currently, they serve 600 children every month. With the help of donors, they are able to reach more children and provide extra support and services to the families enrolled.

So, if you can, you can choose to donate directly to Root for Kids or join them on Monday, December 16 for their 4th Annual Radioathon. If you are not able to at this time, simply following HedgeHog Electric on Instagram and liking our Christmas map on Facebook will help facilitate a donation. For every new follower or like on the Christmas Map, we will donate $1 to Root for Kids!

Be sure to check out Root For Kids, from their history to the programs they offer. That way, when you go to like our Christmas map on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, you know just who is benefiting and feel good about giving back this holiday season.

Thank you Hedgehog Electric for partnering with us this year!