Helping Children To Cope With Change During Parental Separation

When marriage or partnerships break down it can be a stressful time for families, but particularly for children who have so many questions to ask such as “Where is my daddy?”, “When will I next see mummy?”, “Where will I stay at the weekend?”.

These uncertainties can be eased by using The Victoria Chart Company’s My Time Chart. This large, visual wall chart brings structure, routine and peace of mind to children and helps them to accept the changes that are taking place in their lives.

Victoria Ballard, the Company’s Founder, has herself been through divorce and she created a chart to help her children during their unsettled time. “My children had a lot of doubts and uncertainties, I needed to create something that addressed their questions and brought comfort from routine” explains Victoria. “It was important that my children continued to enjoy being children and not concern themselves with the decisions that my husband and I were making as their parents.”

So Victoria set about creating the My Time Chart. It allowed her children to easily see their time ahead, stay in touch with family members, understand how long it would take to get to certain points and yet see the good, fun things still happening in their lives.

The My Time Chart worked so well for Victoria and her children that she knew it would also help and support other families in the same sensitive situation. It comes with two coloured dry-wipe pens representing each carers time plus a supportive information sheet with tips and guidelines to help families move forward positively.

The My Time Chart is available to purchase for £9.50 from the range of award winning charts found on The Victoria Chart Company’s website www.VictoriaChartCompany.co.uk.

Currently only available in the UK.

Leftover Halloween Candy: What to Do With It!

OK, so Halloween is over and now you are left with a pile of candy that you want out of your house ASAP! I know, I feel the same - so we have come up with some ideas for you and your kids to use up some of the leftover candy in your home.

1. Make Cookies: Add to your favorite cookie recipe some chopped up Reece's pieces or M&M's.
2. Talk to your Dentist: Maybe they have a buy-back program. Click here to find a Dentist in your area. 
3. Candy Crafts: Yes, turn your candy into something beautiful. Click here to link to some fun and creative ideas with candy. They could be used as small gifts, favors, or party treats.
4. Donate:  Your local food bank or Shelter will willingly take candy from you to give out particularly at Holiday time.
5. Freeze it: Yes, some candy will freeze - chocolate bars in particular will freeze well.
6. Use as an Educational Tool: Yes have fun and learn at the same time, teach your kids to count, learn colors and shapes while having fun.
7. Science: What better way to learn - click here to view some interesting experiments!

Can you think of any more ideas? Share with us what you do with excess candy in your home.

WE NEED YOU! Wanted Amazon Reviews (USA) for Our Reward Charts!

We have available packets of extra reward stickers which we are offering to 10 lucky readers who would like to write a review of our charts on Amazon.

In particular at this time, we are looking for reviews of the following charts:

The Ultimate Potty Training Chart

Good Night Sleep Tight Chart

 

We all know that word of mouth is one of the best ways of getting a brand name known, so if you have used one of our charts and are willing to review it, send us an email to Karen@victoriachartcompany.com  All details will be made available to you via email.

Good Night Sleep Tight Reward Chart wins a 2013 National Parenting Publications Award.

Press Release

Clearwater, Florida, 1st June 2013 – The Good Night Sleep Tight Reward Chart has been named a 2013 National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) Honors winner, recognized for its support to parents wanting to create a healthy bedtime routine for their children.

NAPPA’s independent, expert judges and parent testers evaluated hundreds of submissions for their innovation, safety, quality and the degree to which they make parenting easier. After weeks of stringent testing, 25 products were selected to receive the coveted Gold Award while 60 received Silver and 41 were chosen as Honors.

The Good Night Sleep Tight chart

“Parenting can be challenging and overwhelming with all the distractions that we face today,” says Julie Kertes, NAPPA General Manager. “Our winner list cuts through the clutter and hones in on only the best baby gadgets, gear and tools so that parents can make smart choices for their families.” 

The Victoria Chart Company’s successful method of ‘Encourage & Praise’ helps parents and care givers to get the best results from their reusable charts. The Good Night Sleep Tight Reward Chart is designed for children aged 2 yrs+ and creates healthy bedtime routine for children – poor sleep is a growing concern for many families. From the Founder, Victoria Ballard “We are over the moon our Good Night Sleep Tight Reward Chart has won this Award. There is growing concern in this area, if there is no bedtime routine for children then it can make for a stressful family time. In addition to this, increasing evidence shows that sleep disruption is harmful to children’s learning, concentration and behavior”.

The Good Night Sleep Tight Chart is available for $14.99 from www.VictoriaChartCompany.com. It is also available in the UK at www.VictoriaChartCompany.co.uk along with a range of other charts to encourage positive behavior in children.

About The Victoria Chart Company
The Victoria Chart Company was founded in 2004 by Victoria Ballard. Victoria discovered that a reward system she developed worked fabulously well for her children. The system worked so well that she has dedicated her time to creating tools for parents and professionals to help children and their families realize the power of developmental progress that comes from the simple process of Encourage & Praise. The Victoria Chart Company also produces The Ultimate Potty Training Reward Chart, which is an excellent tool for parents to successfully accomplish potty training. For help finding something on the website contact Victoria at info@VictoriaChartCompany.com. Coupons can be found at http://www.fb.com/VictoriaChartCompany

About NAPPA
For more than 20 years, the National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) has been the go-to resource for the best products for families. NAPPA’s team of independent, expert judges, along with family and child testers, select the most innovative and enduring products to be NAPPA Gold, Silver and Honors winners in two annual competitions—Children’s Products and Parenting Resources. For more information, visit www.NAPPAawards.com

Potty Training Using Reward Charts

Finally your child is ready to use the potty and leave the diapers behind. And as a parent or carer for a child you too should be ready to motivate your child for success and what a better way to do this than using a sticker chart which will help to encourage your child to use the potty. Using our NEW chart - The Ultimate Potty Training Chart_ will help you track your child's progress. Hanging the chart in a focal point in your house where everyone can see it.

For a child who is potty training receiving stickers each time they use the potty can be a great way to enourage and praise them, it maybe that you decide to buy a gift for them when they are fully potty trained- a new toy or maybe a picnic in the park. For a child of this age, stickers are often enough of a reward!. And each time your child uses the potty successfully, you can congratulate them and  select the sticker place it on the chart. Continue using this reward system to help you on the road to having ‘dry’ children.

Whether your child uses the grown-up toilet or happier on a potty, we believe that our latest dedicated  Potty Chart is fun and eye-catching and provides a central focus for both you and child to work from.  From encouraging your child to ask to use the potty through to completing the task with washing their hands, The Ultimate Potty Training Chart acknowledges these important steps with bright, eye-catching reusable stickers - appealing for any toddler to try their best.

In addition to the charts and stickers, we have provide a supportive information sheet highlighting ‘10 positive steps to successful potty training': these include how to plan for the task ahead, preparing your child, the importance of family involvement, key tips to using the chart and how to achieve the best results.

To purchase The Ultimate Potty Training chart click on the links below, and to receive 15% off use coupon code VCHART15. Once your child is fully Potty training we have prepared for you a FREE download of our  Potty Training Certificate which can be downloaded from our Facebook page at (USA) www.fb.com/victoriachartcompany or (UK) www.fb.com/VictoriachartcompanyUK

Purchase from Amazon.com



Purchase from Amazon.co.uk

Teaching Kids About Microwave Safety

Do you own a microwave? Do your kids use it?  It has been 4 years since I last used a microwave at home but recently we purchased one. Of course, having something new in the kitchen my kids were eager to use it straight away.. (something they were too young to operate before when we owned one) which got me thinking! Safety first!!

We all know how to sue a microwave but do we really spend the time teaching our kids? Perhaps we take for granted and learn the hard(and painful)  way, but we of course would not want our kids getting burnt by either hot foods or beverages taken out of a microwave.

I therefore came up with a list of "Do's and Don'ts for Microwave Safety" which I thought I would share.

• Make sure the microwave is on a low surface for your child to reach.
• Make sure the microwave is located on a solid stand, perhaps with an are next to it to place food just out of the microwave.
• Teach them how to open and close the door and also to stand back when doing so to let steam escape.
• Show and teach your child the controls on the microwave. 
• Know what kind of container to cook food in, we avoid plastic containers (unless they are microwave safe)
• To avoid confusion, keep microwave-safe containers in one place.
• Know how to take off cling wrap and/or lids carefully without the risk of burning.
• Once the food is ready, let it sit in the microwave for a minute or two.
• Never eat food immediately when it comes out of the microwave.
• Use a pot holder to take out the container from the microwave. The temperature of the cooking dish can get very hot.
• Make sure the time is entered correctly to avoid accidental fires.
• Avoid cooking butter/oils.
• If you have to cook hotdogs, prick them first with a fork.
• Don't try to boil an egg - it will explode!
• Do not use aluminum foil or metal in a microwave.
• Read instructions on packaging correctly!
• What to do in an emergency - such as a fire in the microwave.
• Learn how to keep your microwave clean.
• Display these microwave satety tips in your kitchen!

Obviously supervsion is key to a child using a microwave and will also depend on the maturity of your child. Young teenagers will show an interest in using a microwave, and it is imperative that they are given some form of guidance by you!

Feel free to add comments below of any other useful tips you may have.