Fall Craft Activity

We recently sent our Study participants in Cook County a list of fun fall craft activities for kids. Then, we thought, why don't we try to make one ourselves? In this video, our happy volunteers, Peter, Alice and Kristi, show us how to make a scarecrow:





These easy to follow instructions are courtesy of dltk-kids.com:

Materials:

•     toilet paper roll
•     printer,
•     something to color with,
•     scissors,
•     glue, and
•     paper

    

Instructions:

    Print out the template of choice: Color or Black & White

    Color pieces, as necessary.
    
    Cut out the pieces.  This step may require adult assistance.
    
    Glue the large rectangle onto the toilet paper roll.
    
    Glue on the head, arms, legs and body patch.
   
If you want to get a bit more creative, you can glue on some tufts of raffia or dried grass as straw. Or as Peter and Alice did, a string of yarn as a belt.

I hope you enjoy making this scarecrow with your kids! Visit our Facebook page for more pictures or post your own!

October is SIDS Awareness Month

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

The National Children's Study Greater Chicago Study Center supports National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month by encouraging Cook County families to take small steps to help each child to stay at a healthy weight.



Elissa Bassler, CEO of Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) and Executive Director of the Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity, discusses the importance of tackling the issue of childhood obesity, ways in which can parents help overweight or obese children and the role of beverages in the obesity epidemic.



CLOCC's 5-4-3-2-1 Go! message contains recommendations for children (2 and older) and families to promote a healthy lifestyle: 

• 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day
• 4 servings of water a day 
• 3 servings of low-fat dairy a day 
• 2 or less hours of screen time a day 
• 1 or more hours of physical activity a day 

Visit the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) tor more information.

National Immunization Awareness Month

Dr. Rachel Caskey, MD, MaPP, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and General Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and co-investigator at the National Children's Study Greater Chicago Study Center, answers common questions that parents may have about vaccines.