FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF MAY 27, 2001:
Our 8-year-old daughter was reading below grade level when the school year began, but she worked very hard and has now caught up. We wanted to enroll her in summer school to help her sustain her progress, but her teacher discouraged it because summer classes in our district are designed for kids who are still behind. How can we help our daughter keep up her new skills?
"Make sure a regular visit to the library is on your summer schedule," says Harriet Shaklee, University Idaho extension family development specialist. "Your library may even have a summer reading program with special recognition for children who read a certain number of books."
Always have reading material handy, even in the car for those waits at the car wash, dentist's office and pharmacy. Encourage your daughter to send short notes to friends who are away for the summer or to write e-mail to relatives. Ask her to read aloud from cereal boxes, road signs and menus. Let her read you recipes as you prepare dinner: "That leads right to action, which is always a fun context for children."
And always keep a family reading book going--one that she can both read aloud to others and enjoy listening to. "Even children who can read well enjoy being read to," says Shaklee. "Reading is fun for everybody."
I suffer from osteoarthritis and have been taking a supplement that contains glucosamine and chondroitin for about 9 months. It really seems to be helping me. I've had less pain and stiffness. Is there any medical research that shows that this supplement works?
Yes, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist. A study published in the Jan. 27, 2001, issue of the journal Lancet confirmed that individuals who took a glucosamine supplement enjoyed a decrease in the pain and stiff joints that osteoarthritis causes.
"Even more important were the X-ray results," she says. "They showed that cartilage remained stable in those taking the glucosamine." In contrast, cartilage--the cushion between bones at the joints--shrank in study participants who were taking placebo pills. When cartilage decreases, joints become stiff and can be painful.
"You should know that the researchers used pure glucosamine sulfate in their study and were not sure if the glucosamine and chondroitin mixtures sold as dietary supplements would produce the same results," adds Raidl.
I'd like to try making a garlic-in-oil mixture like you see in grocery stores, but I've heard that I could have a food-safety problem with it. Is this true?
It's true, says Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho extension food safety specialist. Indeed, homemade garlic-in-oil mixtures can be deadly. At least three reported outbreaks of botulism have been associated with garlic-in-oil mixtures in North America.
If they remain on the table too long or are stored in a refrigerator that isn't consistently cold, homemade garlic-in-oil mixtures provide the perfect conditions for the organism that produces botulism toxin: low acidity, moisture, no free oxygen in the oil, and warm temperatures, McCurdy says. By contrast, commercially prepared garlic-in-oil is processed under strict guidelines. It is augmented with acid to increase its acidity--a lengthy and highly variable process that is very difficult to reproduce at home.
If you do decide to submerge peeled garlic cloves in oil, store them in the freezer, McCurdy says. Or, instead of using fresh garden cloves, add properly prepared crisp, dried cloves to oil. Unlike mixtures made with fresh garden cloves, those that combine oil with crisply dried cloves can be stored safely at room temperature--although they'll stay fresh longer in the refrigerator.
Another alternative: Submerge peeled garlic cloves in wine or vinegar and store these mixtures in the refrigerator for up to four months. If you choose this option, McCurdy suggests that you watch the garlic-in-wine or garlic-in-vinegar mixtures for signs of mold or yeast and discard them if you find any. Because of their ability to rapidly form molds, never store garlic-in-wine or garlic-in-vinegar at room temperature.
My 7-month-old baby wakes up several times during the night. If I go to him, he seems to have a hard time falling back asleep. How can I help him get back to sleep quickly after he wakes up?
Just like you, your baby moves often from light to deep sleep all night long, says Diane Demarest, coordinator of the University of Idaho's Parents as Teachers demonstration project. "His body is growing and changing and his brain is busy remembering and learning--even while he sleeps."
When he wakes up during the night, first give him five or 10 minutes to fall back to sleep on his own. If that doesn't work and if you feel you must check on him, go to him--but don't pick him up. Talk softly and pat his back to reassure him that he is all right and that you are near. Playing with him, feeding him, making eye contact with him or even talking to him a lot will interfere with his return to sleep.
To help your baby develop restful sleep patterns, make bedtime a soothing, happy time. Prepare him for bed the same way every night--with a story, a last feeding, a warm bath, a few minutes' rocking or a song. Put him to bed in the same bed every night--and before he is completely asleep. Let him coo, babble, hum, rock in his crib or cry for a few minutes to put himself to sleep. And make sure he has a pacifier, blanket, stuffed animal or sleep object to comfort him if he wakes up.
[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or e-mail it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]