Patria Lincoln

The chill in the air! The crunch of the leaves! The sights and sounds of autumn are here! Everything is cozy and crisp and wonderful, and…ACHOO!

As the first sneeze of the season rings through your house, it can only mean one thing: cold and flu season is upon us. Let’s prepare together by making a cost-effective, all-natural hand sanitizer to keep those nasty germs at bay.

This easy activity opens up discussions on practicing healthy habits during this germ-filled time of year. Here are a few reminders:

Wash or sanitize hands whenever possible

Germs are everywhere – there’s no way around it. But sanitizing or washing hands is the best way to prevent them from spreading. Rub in sanitizer to the palms and back of hands, and teach little ones to wash hands with soap for as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.

Clean areas children touch frequently.

Wipe down doorknobs, toys, railings, electronic tablets, remote controls, etc., with disinfectant. You obviously can’t chase after your children with a Clorox wipe every moment, but staying on top of cleaning surfaces makes a huge difference in germ transfers.

Scrub down that bathroom

A hygienic bathroom during cold and flu seasons is a must. Top-to-bottom care is essential in this busy hub in your home. The toilet handle, the sink, and the floor should enjoy frequent cleanings. And don’t forget to wash hand towels…and then rewash them.

Teach the beloved “vampire” to sneeze and cough

This one comes with some practice, but teaching kids to sneeze or cough in the elbow crook is a huge step in preventing the spreading of germs. If you stick with it, you will notice that the “vampire” move quickly becomes a knee-jerk reaction.

Lastly, call your little ones in sick.

If your child has a temperature or isn’t acting like him or herself, keep them home. No one knows your child better than you, so it’s best to err on caution if something seems off.

• 8 ounces Aloe Vera gel
• One tablespoon witch hazel
• ¼ teaspoon tea tree oil
• ¼ teaspoon Vitamin E oil
• Essential oils, a variety of scents
• Travel-sized spray bottles 

First, decide which essential oils you’d like to use. Four scents were chosen here, and we were creative in decorating each spray bottle with labels. If it’s going to be attached to you all during cold and flu season, you might as well make it nice-looking. 

Fill a measuring cup with 8 ounces of Aloe Vera gel. Aloe Vera’s job is to serve as the base of the sanitizer and to be very gentle on the skin. 

Next, add the active ingredients. Begin with the witch hazel, adding one tablespoon. Witch hazel is a natural cleanser that protects against infection.

Alcohol can be used in its place, but witch hazel is far less drying. 

Add ¼ tablespoon of tea tree oil. When it is in 0.5-1.0% concentration form, tea tree oil is powerful in killing most bacteria and is potent when preventing infection. (The other thing that is powerful about tea tree oil is its scent. The kids might not love how strong it is, but once the essential oils are added to the hand sanitizer mixture, the odor dissipates). 

For extra moisture, add Vitamin E oil. A common complaint about store-bought sanitizers is how drying they can be, mainly applied for days (and months). Vitamin E and aloe make this homemade version easier on the kids’ hands. And it is thick! 

Lastly, add the essential oil for scent. The overwhelming favorite in this house was peppermint. Pour into your cutely made spray bottles. Stash them away in the kids’ backpacks, lunch boxes, cup holders of their car seats, or anywhere in between! Best of luck this cold and flu season! 

Halloween is nearly upon us! This fun and spooky holiday are one of the most entertaining nights for kids each year: creative costumes, running around outside after dark with friends, and…trick-or-treating for candy! I have so many childhood memories of Halloween excitement, so I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness when we discovered my two daughters had a dairy allergy a few years back. I didn’t want them to miss out on all the fun or feel left out while going door-to-door with their friends. Luckily, there are still some dairy-free candy options, but most Halloween treats tend to be chocolate. And dairy isn’t the only allergy out there - nuts, gluten, and soy also affect thousands of kids around you.

Thankfully, awareness of this issue has gained traction and popularity over the past few years! Have you ever heard of the Teal Pumpkin Project? It’s a fantastic initiative that focuses on the inclusion of children with special diets who trick-or-treat. 

The concept is simple, and everyone is encouraged to participate: 

• Collect non-food treat options 
• Place a teal pumpkin on your porch to show people that you have available non-food treats. 
• Add your address to the Teal Pumpkin Project Map. 

We found our teal pumpkin and non-food treats in the dollar section of local stores. Some great ideas for treats are Learning Resources Counters, stickers, temporary tattoos, pencils, bookmarks, necklaces, glow sticks/bracelets/wands, bouncy balls, notepads, stencils, bubbles, noisemakers, or playing cards. Many families choose to give out non-food treats AND traditional Halloween candy, and they just have two separate treat bowls. 

I can’t tell you how happy I am that awareness is being raised for children with food allergies! Even if my girls were not allergic to dairy I would still encourage participation in this wonderful project. We are constantly striving to teach our daughters about inclusion and the importance of making everyone feel special and cared about. The Teal Pumpkin Project is an easy way that families can do just that within their local communities everywhere! 

Sharpen your counting and money skills with our Wise Owl Teaching Bank! Practicing math helps develop critical thinking skills at an early age.
This activity also introduces the idea of using your money in different ways. Talk to your kids about when it is appropriate to save, spend, or share their money! Early financial concepts will help your little ones understand the value of money! Click here to get your free printable!

The acorn is indeed a nut and is the fruit of the oak tree. Only oak trees produce acorns. One acorn contains a single seed enclosed in a tough, almost leathery shell. Depending on the species of the oak tree, it can take six to 24 months to mature and drop. There are 90 species of oaks in North America alone.  

Oak trees have “boom” and “bust” years in their acorn drop. In a bust year, oak trees produce just enough acorns for wildlife to eat, but it doesn’t allow for any new baby trees. Boom years are called masting, which can happen every three, five, or six years. This is when the oak trees drop a lot more nuts – more than the animals can eat – hoping to make more trees.   

Acorns: not just for squirrels. Acorns are some of the most important sustenance for wildlife out there. Deer, chipmunks, wild turkeys, crows, rabbits, opossums, blue jays, quail, raccoons, and wood ducks are all acorn eaters. Can you believe more than 100 vertebrate species feast on that nutty treat? 

But keep acorns away from horses – they have been proven toxic!  

Acorns are high in fats and carbohydrates. They are very bitter and taste woody and earthy. They contain lots of tannins, which can make your insides go haywire or even turn toxic. In a nutshell, it's probably not a great idea to eat acorns all around. But as an interesting side note, there is no scientific evidence that those with a tree nut allergy can react to an acorn by simply holding it!