Monthly Archives: July 2014

Paws to Read – Oakland Reading Celebration!

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Oakland Public Library has a summer party going on this weekend at the Oakland Museum of CA. Remember, read early and often!

Free First Sunday | Summer Reading Celebration: Paws to Read!

Sunday, August 3, 2014, 11 am–5 pm; Celebration 12–4 pm
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Enjoy a free day at OMCA at the annual Summer Reading Celebration with the Oakland Public Library. Held in OMCA’s lush gardens, activities celebrate this year’s theme, “Paws to Read!” including Little Explorers Petting Zoo, and bear paw and bear snout-making with the California Historical Society. Watch Germar the Magician and Rad Sanza, the caricature artist, or play games and have your face painted by folks at Oakland Parks and Recreation. A ceremony will honor all the children who have completed the Summer Reading Program with a special certificate of achievement. With performances, storytime, hands-on arts and crafts, and more, the celebration offers fun ways to learn and celebrate a love of reading. The celebration lasts from 12 to 4 pm.

All day, don’t forget to check out the Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences, pick up a treat for yourself or a loved one in the OMCA Store, or enjoy a lunch or snack in Blue Oak café. Join an OMCA Docent for the Architecture Tour at 1 pm, the Gallery of California Art Tour at 2 pm, or the Gallery of California History Tour at 3 pm.

Postpartum Stress Support Group in Kensington

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“I have a new Postpartum Stress (depression/anxiety) Support Group beginning (most probably) on August 16th and I am currently meeting with interested individuals.  I have run these groups for the past 10 years and really enjoy facilitating a space for connection, growth and community for women feeling isolated in their postpartum experience.  The group is appropriate for women experiencing anxiety, intrusive thoughts, depression, insomnia, birth trauma, overwhelm and/or problems with attachment to their child.

The group will run biweekly for 8 sessions with the possibility of repeating the group cycle depending on the needs of the group members.  For more detailed information and a flier, please go to my website, http://www.leesafran.com/psg.htm.  Please feel free to call with any questions about the group and to pass this information on to interested others.”

Warm regards,
Lee
Lee Safran, MFT
1562 Oak View Ave.
Kensington, CA  94706
(510) 496-6096
www.leesafran.com

Have Questions About Your Baby/Child’s Development?

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Have questions about development? I’ve been using this questionnaire since the 90’s. It has gone through revisions and continues to be an effective and easy way of tracking development for birth to 6 years old. I find that some parents want to know more about developmental stages or other parents have questions, especially if they are first timers, about something that just doesn’t seem right with their little one. I’ve found that 99.5% of the time, parent concerns are dead right. As parents you know your child best, so ask questions and get answers. Follow your heart.

The Ages and Stages Questionnaire is one of the best tools for parents. Simple to use, you get feedback regarding your child’s development, play ideas and if needed, discussions on how to follow up on early intervention referrals (because early treatment is best).

Try it out now! Go to this website, click on GET STARTED in the right column.

https://asqoregon.com/whatisasq.php?lang=en

Learning Empathy

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Looking at the list of ways to cultivate empathy in early childhood development that are included in these articles, I am shocked that it doesn’t mention anything about early facial recognition. Another way babies learn empathy is by watching your facial expressions. This is one of the reasons that baby’s are meant to be held in arms, early on, they can focus between 8-15 inches away…the distance of being in your arms and looking at your face.

http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/social-emotional-development/take-a-walk-in-my-shoes.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2013/04/29/8-ways-to-cultivate-empathy-in-kids/