BRILLIANCE FOR EVERYONE and Resources to make it happen!

By Deborah McNelis, Founder/Brain Insights

It is with mixed emotions that I contribute this final post to PreK and K Sharing. It has been EXTREMELY wonderful to be a part of this fabulous resource along with the amazingly talented authors that contribute!!

It is with heartfelt thanks to Debbie Clement for creating this blog, to every one of the contributors and to all of the readers for making a difference in the lives of children everyday!!!

How FUN it is to see the post yesterday announcing the 1,000th follower!!!  SO, I join Debbie in continuing this CELEBRATION also with a valuable giveawy!!  Simply comment below and you will be entered to win a Brain Development Activity Packet of your choice in English or Spanish!!! The random drawing will take place on June 14th!


The mixed emotions I feel are due to the great pleasure it has been to be a part of this from the beginning, combined with the great excitement for many NEW ways to make positive things happen for children!!


As you have maybe already heard me say, the goal of the company, Brain Insights, is to make Early Brain Development common knowledge. It is my deep desire to ensure that the essential information on the basics of what maturing brains need is understood by ....... EVERYONE!!

We not only need parents, grandparents, early childhood educators and people working directly with children to understand this. The children are counting on EVERY adult to know what they need most!!!  We need, the medical community, school boards and administrators, employers and business leaders, community leaders and politicians.... EVERYONE to understand and support the optimal development of every child. As, I frequently say,

"WE ALL benefit when ALL children have well developed brains!"

 With this passion, in this last post, I share with you several ways we can all continue to be a part of making this finally happen!!  Each of us is BRILLIANT and each child also has BRILLIANCE within!

When I use the word brilliance I am not only talking about intelligence. Of course this is an extremely important part of it, but I also mean much more than being smart. I mean the brilliance that is within each one of us. I am referring to all that makes each one of us a unique individual. It is my dream to have EVERY one of us fully shine. The world needs your BRILLIANCE!

I suggest we simply do 3 things for ourselves and our children to promote greater 

Brilliance in the World!!

• Continue to learn from each other and share with one another!
• Come together to create a bigger voice!
• Acknowledge all the positive things you are doing EVERY day!!

In achieving this effort, a new site called, Brain Insights Now has been created!!!!  This is one of the many new things I am so enthused to share with you!!!  This community of people coming together to share brilliance, would be SO honored to have you join in! 

There are NUMEROUS benefits....  Weekly insights with a related article, brilliance bits and a video clip are all available FREE!!! or As a VIP member you receive a FREE Loving A Baby printable poster. And each month a new printable is available to share in newsletters, use for parent involvement, or post on bulletin boards!  In addition, you will get to enjoy recent articles and interviews from world wide experts, referrals to valuable resources, implementation ideas, and of course inspiration! Also, there is the wonderful opportunity for you to contribute, benefit from and share in the, Creating Great Connections Forum!  

AND..... there will also be a Brain Insights Presentation available !! Since not everyone can afford an in person presentation, this is a way for you to easily enjoy and benefit from a new Brain Insights presentation!  It is perfect for parents, lunch and learns, and staff meetings!

For further information on how you will definitely benefit, these kids will share and answer your questions!

It is through people like you coming together that we can FINALLY make it happen ... to have ALL children experiencing what their young developing brains really need! We can support ways to help EVERY child shine!!

This week, Gill Connell, from Moving Smart wrote a wonderful blog post that I plan to share everywhere!!  It is titled, "Academic Creep". It is one that contains an important message that many of you will also want to share as well. This post explains in large part why a site like Brain Insights Now is needed and why we need great numbers of people coming together to share this understanding!!!! The children are counting on us!

With that thought in mind I close with a list of 10 resources that all contribute to promoting brilliance in children:

Inspired Children  Book by Dr. Rosina McAlpine

Bloom  Brand New e-book by Wendy Young and Dr. Lynne Kenney 

My Feelings Are Hungry Children's book by Ava Parnass

The Blossom Method Book by Vivien Sabel (An interview with Vivien is also on the site!)

Today I Ate A Rainbow Kit Developed by Kia Robertson

Cure Your Child with Food New book by Kelly Dorfman

Flip 2 B Fit  Fitness Game for kids and families

Elevating Child Care Blog by Janet Lansbury

The Global Presence Founded by Marlaine Cover

The Toy Man Product Guide Independent non-paid product evaluations

And last, one other NEW announcement from Brain Insights is a new offering coming soon from Red Leaf Press!!  This will be an additional series of the Brain Development Activity Packets designed for Early Childhood Educators!!! I can not wait for you to enjoy these!!!

With ENORMOUS appreciation and and a heartfelt thank you for all you do to make a positive difference everyday!!! Hopefully, you will find and have found great benefit in all that I have shared with you here.

Looking forward to staying connected with you in many new and exciting ways! Hope to see you as an important part of Brain Insights Now!!! 

Enjoy sharing your brilliance and making a difference!

Sincerely,

Deborah

Deborah McNelis,  MS. ed, is an Early Brain Development Specialist and owner of Brain Insights®

Deborah is the award winning author of, The Brain Development Series, Naturally Developing Young Brains, and the Love Your BabyApp. She has been seen in several publications, heard on numerous radio shows, and receives rave reviews for her enlightening and engaging presentations throughout the country.

Her goal through this work is for everyone to gain an understanding of early brain development, it’s impact, and the ways we can all easily make a REAL difference.  

 
 Connect with Deborah in all of the following ways:

 Early Childhood Brain Insights Blog  

Twitter 

Face Book 

Pinterest

Brain Insights and Positive Parenting Group on Linkedin 

e-mail

Happier Holidays with the Brains of Children in Mind!

By Deborah McNelis, founder of Brain Insights and author of, The Brain Development Series.

Hopefully it has been a wonderful year for you! Everyone of us either contributing to or following PreK and K Sharing, has been dedicated to making an impact toward happy and healthy children. 

It is a pleasure to be a part of this wonderful community, so I share this post with wishes for beautiful holiday enjoying every moment of this caring time!  

To help make this time of year more enjoyable, hopefully these tips will contribute to happier brains for the children in your life or are helpful to share with other parents! (Many of these tips do apply to adult brains also!)

Holiday Shopping 

The brain likes the right amount of stimulation.The brain doesn't like to be bored and it also doesn't like to be over stimulated. 

The brain also loves having fun, it likes using all of the senses, and thrives from physical activity. There also is a psychological need that makes a child seek attention. When a child is given positive attention and fun interaction, it is less likely that negative behaviors will result. 

When a child is hungry, tired and not getting stimulated in a way that is fun and interesting it is more likely you will have to deal with acting out behaviors. Your child isn't trying to be "bad", his or her brain is just reacting to what it needs. Young children's brains are also of course not developed to the point of being able to control all of their feelings and impulses yet. 

Children need the adults in their life to understand and offer support. Involving your child and interacting in fun ways while shopping will help keep your child's brain stimulated. 

 

     Involve your child in choosing gifts so they can experience the

     benefits to the brain as a result of giving or donating to others

     Name a color. Have your child look for and point out items with

     that color as you shop

    Have your child look for the first letter in their name printed on

    items or signs as you shop

    Give your child a suggestion for a way to move differently in

    each aisle. For example you could say: "In this aisle walk on

    your tip toes." or "This time take 3 steps then hop."

    Encourage your child to describe how various items feel

    Bring a coupon or photo from a flyer for items you plan to

    purchase. Make a searching game. Have your child look for the

    pictured item as you go through the aisles.

Holiday Eating

 A child can play and learn for a good amount of time after eating a balanced meal. This will boot levels of feel good chemicals in the brain. But, if high sugar content foods and candy are eaten on an empty stomach, without the presence of adequate amounts of protein, this sends blood sugar levels sky-high. Then, 30 minutes later, a drop in the sugar levels can lead to aggression, anxiety, and hyperactive behavior.

       Keep water and healthy snacks with you when you are away 

       from home to keep the brain from getting cravings and turning

       to sugary drinks and fast food for meals

      Provide meals that include adequate amounts of protein

      Eat healthy foods before (or instead of) eating sweets. This will 

      help keep brain systems balanced and lessen the chance for

      mood swings

      Put a place mat in the refrigerator with a variety of healthy

      foods on it. Let your child know these are food they "get to" 

     choose from when needing a snack  

  

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  Buying Toys for Children
  
  
  
  

  Play is the way the brain learns best. When a child is using several senses, exploring, paying attention, and is trying things out in different ways, brain cells change and the child learns. Children need to participate and experiment… not watch. The brain also needs trial and error and a lot of repetition in fun and interesting ways. All of this is provided through play. It is important to keep this in mind when choosing gifts.  Ensure toys  do any or all of the following....

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Provide an opportunity for direct interaction and manipulation

  
  

  Give a child a chance to develop something with their hands

  
  

  Offer a variety of ways for using the toy or object

  
  

  Encourages dramatic play and pretending

  
  

  Spark imagination and creativity 

  
  

  Allow the child to repeat or expand a process

  
  

  Promotes movement and physical play   
  
  

  

  
  

   

  
  

  With good toys in mind, you may also want to get involved and vote for the worst toy for 2012 by Commercial Free Childhood.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  The polls close Wednesday, December 5th at midnight so be sure to visit http://commercialfreechildhood.org/TOADY2012 today. And don’t forget to lobby your friends and family to vote for your selection.

  
  

  
  

  Since there is nothing children want more than fun interactions with their parents .... Brain Insights Activity Packets make very loving gifts! 
  
  

  

  
   

  Enjoy every moment of the season with your healthy brains!!

  
  

  
  

  Happy Holidays!! 

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
   

Deborah McNelis: EARLY EXPERINCES HAVE A DRAMATIC IMPACT ON YOUNG BRAINS

Isn’t it wonderful when you get simple information that can make a big difference?  Sometimes the concept of brain development can seem too technical or overwhelming. The good news is, optimal brain development can occur very easily through every day experiences.

I find it to be really exciting to have technology providing the study of the brain, like we've never seen before. On going scientific research demonstrates that a child's early development is determined by the environment and experiences, rather than genetics alone. This provides a wonderful opportunity. But, to provide the best for children, it is critical that EVERYONE  understands how a child's brain develops... and realize it isn't all that complicated.  

Early Experiences Wire a Brain

The experiences children receive in the early years of life are crucial to overall brain development. When a child has an experience, connections are formed between brain cells. The cells are dependent on experience to create these connections. After eight months a child exposed to a nurturing and stimulating environment may already have 1,000 trillion connections created. These connections physically grow and develop the brain. It is primarily the early experiences that largely determine the basic strength and function of the brain's wiring system. It is that simple!
Warm and consistent adults, who cuddle and talk to children and provide fun learning experiences, promote healthy brain development. It is so refreshing to learn that beyond meeting a child’s basic needs for safety, sleep, and providing good nutrition, all that a developing brain needs most is loving interaction and play.
 
The Brain Adapts to Any Environment 

Because the brain develops based on experience, a young child’s brain will adapt to a negative environment just as easily as it will adapt to a positive environment. 

Prolonged, severe, or unpredictable stress-including abuse and neglect-during a child's early years can result in negative impacts on the child's physical, cognitive, emotional, and social growth. Babies who do not receive consistent and caring responses to their cries, and those whose cries are met with abuse, develop brain connections to prepare them to cope in that environment. As a result their ability to learn and respond to nurturing and kindness may be impaired.

It is Repetition That Makes Strong Connections

The brain organizes through a "use it or lose it" process. The brain eliminates and strengthens connections in an effort to become more efficient. So, experiences that are repeated frequently lead to brain connections that are retained. Connections that are not used often due to lack of repeated experience are eliminated. This is how a child’s brain adapts to the experiences in daily life.

Consistency is key. The brain feels comfortable when it knows what to expect. When children learn through repetition, that a parent (or care provider) will be there for them when needed, they can relax and feel safe.  Providing loving interaction, adequate amounts of sleep, healthy nutrition, time playing outdoors, physical activity, lots of creative play, and exploration contributes to a child with a healthy brain.

Through understanding how quality experiences impact brain development we can make a REAL difference. This is what children want all of the adults in their lives to know!

It is critical that this becomes common knowledge. We can ALL play an important role in making this happen for ALL children. Start now!  Tell everyone you know that we can make a dramatic, long lasting and positive impact through providing quality experiences in the early years! 

 By Deborah McNelis,  MS -Education

It is thrilling as an Early Brain Development Specialist to be the owner of Braininsights, and to have received awards for my unique, Brain Development Series of brain activity packets.  It is also wonderful to share this important information through fun and informative presentations throughout the country. I am so overjoyed with the response  to all, braininsights®  provides. In addition to the brain series, I worked in partnership to create a brain packet called, NaturallyDeveloping Young Brains. Additionally available for the benefit of caring adults is the, Love Your Baby App, the Braininsights Newsletter, the Early ChildhoodBrain Insights blog. I am also excited about my newest initiative, “Creating Great Connections” to help entire communities develop healthy brains. All of this work is dedicated to having everyone gain an understanding of early brain development, it’s impact, and the ways we can all easily make a REAL difference.