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Follow us on Pinterest for pinspired holiday activities for kids
In the midst of this Holiday season, get your family ready for some Christmas pinspiration! Yes, pinsperation. Our “Holiday Fun” Pinterest board has inspired us to share with our readers some fun ideas for Christmas crafts, activities, and munchies this year. So, put on some Christmas tunes and pick a few activities from the following list to get the whole family into the Christmas spirit!
Pinspired Christmas Crafts
Tissue paper wreath – Let the kids hang their own wreath on their bedroom doors with this super simple tissue paper craft! DIY Reindeer handprint ornament – Let the kids have some fun making their own ornaments, using their own hand prints and some paint. Super simple giant snowflake – This snowflake couldn’t be any easier – all you need is some paper and scissors! Puzzle pieces ornaments – Have a puzzle lying around that never gets used? Re-purpose it for this fun and simple ornament craft!Pinspired Christmas Activities
Magic foaming snowman – Here in Florida, we don’t have snow. But don’t let that stop you from making a snowman! This foaming dough will allow kids to make snowman that will “melt” into an icy puddle of frothy foam! Jam jar snowglobes – These snowgloabes are super easy to make with just a few ingredients, but will make a huge impact as holiday decorations – handmade by your kids! Reindeer food – Don’t forget about Santa’s reindeer this Christmas! This pin will show you how to make reindeer food for when Santa’s sleigh comes by your house to deliver presents. Grow your own Christmas tree – Promote learning while having fun this Christmas! Check out this fun “grow your own Christmas tree” science experiment. Santa footprints – Do your kids believe in Santa? Leave behind Santa’s “footprints” for your kids to discover Christmas morning. This activity is even fun for the parents, too! Elf on the Shelf – It seems as if almost every family has an Elf on the Shelf this holiday season, but sometimes, it can be a lot of work for the parents! Check out this fun idea for “playing hide-n-seek.”Pinspired Christmas Munchies
Peppermint Oreo cookie balls – Cookie balls and cake pops are all the rave this holiday season. Check out this yummy recipe that your whole family will enjoy! Christmas bark – This bark recipe is super simple to make, with only five ingredients! North Pole Cupcakes – These are a great treat to bring to classroom holiday parties. Reindeer Pops – Does your child have a December birthday? Hand these out as party favors! Sugar Cookie decorating ideas – A fun way to spend the afternoon baking with your kids.*Baking Tip – Put icing in condiment bottles for kids for mess-free cookie decorating! -
Kuhl Avenue Closure From Miller Street To Lake Beauty Drive
On the downtown Orlando Health campus, Kuhl Avenue will be closed from Miller Street to Lake Beauty Drive beginning December 2, 2019 for sewer pipe replacement. The project is expected to be finished on or around December 22, 2019.
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Patients & Visitors
Information and resources for patients, parents and visitors of Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital.
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Douglas E Hardy, MD
Douglas Hardy, MD, is board-certified in pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine and has been a practicing neonatologist at Orlando Health since 1987. He is the clinical director of the level 3 NICU at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies and the quality director of the NICU.
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Chloe's Wedding Day: A Little Girl Who Was Diagnosed with a Brain Tumor on Christmas Eve
Dr. Alex Levy, pediatric oncologist/hematologist at Arnold Palmer Hospital, shares the heart-warming story of a family who learned their 4-year old daughter had a brain tumor on Christmas Eve. This is Chloe's story:
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Most teens want to build muscle, even if it means going to great (and unhealthy) lengths
Gym rats, pro athletes, and teens- what do these three groups of people have in common? They all want to build muscle, and may even go to great lengths to do so. It is common to hear of gym rats, and even some pro athletes (even if it’s against regulations), who use steroids, or other muscle-enhancing supplements to help gain muscle mass, but now teens are mirroring these risky behaviors, too. While it’s great that teens have an increased interest in exercising, the desire for a certain body type can lead teens down a slippery slope of dangerous behaviors.
The Study
With the perception of popular body images in the media shifting from those who are just thin, to those who are muscular and lean, teens are becoming more dissatisfied with their outward appearance, causing them to be easily influenced by the market of muscle-enhancers and body-building lifestyles. -
Tips from a pediatrician on how to have a successful school year
Another school year has already started. Does your child gladly go to bed on time and jump up refreshed at 0-dark-thirty to pop into school clothes and get to school energized? Or are you fighting to get him to bed, dragging him out in the morning, getting him to the bus with no food in his tummy? If the second scenario is yours, I think I can help you. Even if you relate best to the first scenario, maybe there is something here for you, too!
Sleep is more important than food!
I tell my patients, and this is true, that you can go without food longer than you can go without sleep. Sleep supports so many body functions that without enough sleep, your child will not learn, play, or grow well. For starters, get the electronics (TV, phones, games) out of children’s bedrooms. Those should be used socially anyway, and they interfere with both falling asleep and staying asleep. Bedtime should be about the same time every night, even on weekends, and should be early enough to guarantee at least eight hours or so of uninterrupted sleep (up to ten hours for younger children). If your child’s summer bedtime has been ridiculously late, try moving bedtime up by 15 minutes or so every few nights, not allowing for naps or “sleeping in,” so that her clock will gradually reset to a healthy schedule.But food is important, too!
Breakfast is, indeed, the most important meal of the day. Without breakfast, your child’s body will produce calories for the morning by breaking down muscle to release stored energy. This process also produces some chemicals that make your child crabby and groggy. Children who don’t eat breakfast don’t feel or think as well as those who do. That does not mean that your child needs to eat two eggs, bacon, toast, and juice at 6 AM. But it also does not mean that they should have a pop tart and call that breakfast. Even the grumpiest teenager can gag down an instant breakfast drink and a half a banana, or a smoothie made with fruit and yogurt, or a piece of toast with peanut butter and half an apple. A perfect breakfast should include a complex carbohydrate (like whole grain bread or cereal for example), some dairy source for calcium (milk, yogurt), some protein (meat, milk, legume like peanut butter), and a fruit and/or vegetable. A small glass of milk with half a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato is a great breakfast, and you could send the other half sandwich for lunch! If your child “is not hungry,” that makes sense, but it does not mean he does not need the fuel. He can eat on the bus or in the car.Refill the tank mid-day
A slice of pizza, juice, and a bag of chips is not a good lunch. If your child buys lunch at school, he can be taught to eat smart; school lunches do provide fruit and vegetable choices. Drinks are healthier now, too; most children (including teens) should only drink milk and water. Everything else (juice, soda, sports drinks) is just sugar-water. Energy drinks are not only empty calories, but also potentially toxic chemicals that interfere with sleep, affect heart rate and blood pressure, and who knows what long term effects that we don’t know yet. Packing a lunch for your child is a great option. I have done it now essentially every day for 17 years. It takes me 15 minutes each morning and my kids leave with a healthy sandwich or hummus and pita, a whole fruit, a bag of berries or grapes, another bag of veggies (carrots, peppers, sliced cucumber, grape tomatoes), one treat (like a 100 calorie bag of cookies or crackers) and a flavored water beverage. When my older children were in high school they actually had friends ask if they could send me money each week so I could make them lunches, too! Children are smart people. If you teach them well, they will get it!Spend quality time, but don’t hover
Your child needs you, but, honestly, not as much as you need her. Asking about school, offering to help with homework or personal issues, helping to set goals to do her best: that is your job. Living her life is not. Helicopter parents are harmful, not helpful. That said, help your child to set up a routine after school so that there is a quiet place to focus on homework, time for physical activity (at least an hour each day), very limited passive “screen time” (less than two hours a day). Be available if she needs help. A family dinnertime, even if it is late, is a great time to talk about the day, to listen and to plan. Organizing in the morning should be your child’s job. You can double check for a while that things are all being completed, packed and turned it, but let it be her job.Expect issues
Listen to your child so that you can help him with what he really needs help with and not with what you want to help with. Don’t be afraid to be MOM (Mean Old Mom), setting limits or making rules that “other kids parents don’t…” Seek help, either from your pediatrician or from a counselor, if you don’t know what to do or say. They don’t come with instructions! Most important, be open and honest with your children. Ask them how they feel and tell them how you feel. You are not your child’s best friend, but you are her best ally. Have a happy and successful year! -
Car Seat Assistance
Three out of four car seats are used incorrectly. Is yours? Join in a FREE car seat checkpoint and learn how to properly install your child restraint. We have certified child passenger safety technicians available to assist.
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Orlando Kidney Walk
The walk calls attention to the prevention of kidney disease and the need for organ donation.
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March for Babies
People from all over will be taking part in this fun event.
