Thank You, from IKEA and Twin Cities Toys for Tots!

Our donation bin was filled to

overflowing during the weekend

after Thanksgiving!

I just got back from my final drop-off at the Twin Cities Toys for Tots warehouse!

All-told, our customers and coworkers donated almost 300 toys!  That means a big difference in the holiday celebrations of some deserving kids in the Twin Cities AND nearly $400 to UNICEF and Save the Children for deserving kids around the world!

Thank you so much for your generosity this year.



Don't worry, you can still make a difference in the life of a child!  Our Soft Toys for UNICEF campaign runs through December 24th!  For every soft toy, children's book, or kids' meatball combo meal sold, IKEA will donate $1 euro (about $1.35 US) to UNICEF and Save the Children!





Look at all the cuddly friends waiting
to get packed up and given to

deserving kids in the Twin Cities!




I was able to fill my car TWICE this
season for Twin Cities Toys for Tots!
Thank you, generous customers!





The Never Ending List #23

We believe that home is the most important place in the world, and that children are the most important people in the world.  Since 2005, IKEA has partnered with UNICEF and Save the Children for our annual Soft Toy Campaign.  To date, the campaign has raised 35.2 million euros ($47.5 million US) and enabled approximately 8 million children in nearly 40 countries the great opportunity of having access to a quality education.

This year’s event runs from November 1 – December 24^th, and includes soft toys, children’s books, and kids’ meatball combo meals in the IKEA Restaurant. For each of these items sold, one euro (approximately $1.35 US) is donated to the Soft Toys for Education Campaign. These incredibly affordable and cuddly creatures will certainly put a smile in the hearts of children, while supporting millions of other children who are in need of a quality education.

The best gift you can give a child is the gift of an education. And educating our children is a top priority. Yet every day millions of children around the world are unable to receive a quality education.  School offers chil­dren a safe environment with support, supervision and socialization. Kids learn life skills that can help improve their own health as well as for their family and community. No doubt, it’s imperative that every child, no matter where they live, receives a quality education.

In conjunction with other IKEA stores around the country, IKEA Twin Cities will donate hundreds of soft toys to our local Toys for Tots chapter this year. We have also selected Toys for Tots as the beneficiary of our in-store donation bin!  Customers are invited to purchase a soft toy or children’s book to go to their local efforts.

Learn more about some of the projects that benefit from our Soft Toy Campaign here.

 

Read about UNICEF and Save the Children on their official sites.

Tips for a Safe Halloween!

Halloween brings crisp weather, tasty treats, and a chance to show your ghoulish best! Here are some tips to make your Halloween celebrations fun and safe this year!

Before You Go:

• Make sure everyone is well-fed and ready to collect that candy! (Full tummies may prevent eating treats before home inspection.)

• Inspect costumes for fit and mobility, and make sure your little monster can see well enough to navigate in the dark.

• Is your ninja a master of stealth in your living room? Make sure to add some reflective tape and/or lit accessories to make sure your trick-or-treater is visible to others.

• Is there such a thing as too many accessories? Make sure your child has a hand for their treat sack/pail, and a hand free for any accidental trips or spills (or maybe a flash light!) (Also consider: do I want to end up carrying that for blocks and blocks?)

With so many fun light options (flashlights, glowsticks, or
these fun and rechargeable friends) there's no reason
for your child to get lost in the dark this year!

While You’re Out:

• Travel in a group, and always with adult supervision.

• Keep to well-lit sidewalks, don’t cut through yards, and only approach homes with their porch/front lights on.

• Obey all traffic signals, and make sure to cross at intersections! (Drivers are expecting ghosts and goblins, but prefer to not encounter them darting out from between parked cars.)

• Save all candy and treats to be eaten at home, after they’ve been inspected by an adult.

When You’re Home Again:

• Inspect all candy, removing choking hazards for the little ones and watching for signs of tampering. (At this point, my dad would also remove all Snickers bars and my mom would get anything with coconut.)

...at this point recommendations can be made about rationing the treats, but we leave that to you to decide!  (My siblings and I were always allowed to keep everything and eat it as we pleased.  However, my parents would also pay us by the pound for any candy we decided to sell to them. Clever.)

Find more hints at these websites: 

Halloween Safety

FDA - "Lucky 13"

CDC - Halloween Safety

Crib and Crib Bedding Safety

At IKEA, we know that children are the Most Important People in the world.  Keeping them safe and happy is the Most Important Job in the World.  To help parents keep their children safe, the Consumer Products Safety Comission has issued guidelines for cribs and bedding for children under 12 months of age:

Crib Safety Tips from the Consumer Products Safety Commission

For infants less than 12 months of age, follow these practices to reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and prevent suffocation:

• Place baby on his/her back in a crib with a firm, tight-fitting mattress.

• Do not put pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, pillow-like bumper pads or pillow-like stuffed toys in the crib.

• Consider using a sleeper instead of a blanket.

• If you do use a blanket, place baby with feet to foot of the crib. Tuck a thin blanket around the crib mattress, covering baby only as high as his/her chest.

• Use only a fitted bottom sheet made specifically for crib use.



Keep cribs clear of additional textiles while baby
is sleeping. A single fitted sheet on a tight-
fitting mattress is the best bedding combination.



Check Your Crib for Safety

• A Your mattress should be firm and tight-fitting so baby can't get caught in gaps.

• No missing, loose, broken or improperly installed screws, brackets, or other hardware on the crib or mattress support.

• Cribs that are assembled wrong, have missing, loose or broken hardware or broken slats can result in entrapment or suffocation deaths. 

• No more than 2 3/8 inches (about the width of a soda can) between the crib slats so a baby's body can't fit through the slats; no missing or cracked slats.

• No corner posts over 1/16 inch high so a baby's clothing cannot catch.

• No cutouts in the headboard or foot board so a baby's head can't get trapped.

For mesh-sided cribs and playpens, look for:

• Mesh less than ¼ inch in size, smaller than the tiny buttons on a baby's clothing.

• Mesh with no tears, holes or loose threads that could entangle a baby.

• Mesh securely attached to the top rail and floor plate.

• Top rail cover with no tears or holes.

• If staples are used, they are not missing, loose or exposed.

Soft Bedding May Be Hazardous To Babies

To prevent infant deaths due to soft bedding, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development are revising their recommendations on safe bedding practices when putting infants down to sleep. Here are the revised recommendations to follow for infants under 12 months:

Safe Bedding Practices For Infants

· Place baby on his/her back on a firm tight-fitting mattress in a crib that meets current safety standards.

· Remove pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, pillow-like stuffed toys, and other soft products from the crib.

· Consider using a sleeper or other sleep clothing as an alternative to blankets, with no other covering.

· If using a blanket, put baby with feet at the foot of the crib. Tuck a thin blanket around the crib mattress, reaching only as far as the baby’s chest.

· Make sure your baby’s head remains uncovered during sleep.

· Do not place baby on a waterbed, sofa, soft mattress, pillow, or other soft surface.

Placing babies to sleep on their backs instead of their stomachs has been associated with a dramatic decrease in deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Babies have been found dead on their stomachs with their faces, noses, and mouths covered by soft bedding, such as pillows, quilts, comforters and sheepskins. However, some babies have been found dead with their heads covered by soft bedding even while sleeping on their backs.

For more tops about preparing for your baby's arrival, or making their sleeping space a safe one, visit our Baby Knowledge site.

Seating That's Just Their Size



Whether it's craft time or quiet time, kid-sized
furniture is comfortable and durable
for every activity.



Whether it’s in the living room, their bedroom or playroom, the kitchen or outside: having seating that’s sized to fit your child gives them a sense of belonging and comfort.  Plus, with so many styles available it’s easy to fit your child’s furnishings into your current style or decor.

Use a junior chair in place of a booster seat at the dining or kitchen table.  In addition to being more secure seating for your child, having a "big" chair to sit in encourages them to behave more like a "big" kid.

Cuddling up in a chair sized for them lends a sense of security and safety.

Giving them their own furnishings in a shared space encourages interaction and social time with members of the whole family.  Bringing everyone together in a room makes even the most basic tasks more fun!

Playtime in the Work Shop

Small hands love to be busy hands.  Taking time with your child in a workshop atmosphere can teach them a world of skills:  tool safety (and respect for tools), eye-hand coordination, problem solving, measuring, and the value of completing a task with tangible results!



A toy work bench lets your child create on their own
time safely, without supervision.



Start small and slow:  a younger child’s contribution may be as simple as sorting hardware into sizes or types, or working with some sand paper.  Older children may be comfortable cutting on a scroll saw, or painting/staining finished projects.

Give them the right tool for their age:  If your child is 4 and up, there are “real” tool sets available, scaled to the size of their hands.  For the younger set, a plastic set of tools will allow them to safely “help” by banging away at most anything.

Ask and Answer Questions:  What type of wood is this? What kind of grain? What is its texture? What else in the house is made of wood? How is the lawnmower motor the same as the car motor?



A tool belt of their own gives them
a sense of excitement and ownership!



Research it:  Have magazines, photos, and books available for inspiration and inquisitive minds.  Have them write down their questions and take a trip to the library, or a local museum to find the answers.

Be open:  your child will decide how “hands on” they want to be in any project.  If they are content to sit and watch the magic happen, let them (as long as its a safe process.)  Their interest may grow the more they watch, and the more questions they ask.

Remember:  Safety First!!

Playtime in the Kitchen

Having the kids in the kitchen doesn’t have to create a recipe for disaster!  Involving kids in meal preparations can increase quality time spent, an opportunity to learn about cooking, and increase the likelihood that kids will want to try new foods.

Little chefs like to taste while
cooking -- just like big chefs!

 Children learn best when they are busy and interested in what they are doing.  Cooking offers such a variety of actions:  spreading, mixing, stirring, kneading, and more! Kids don’t realize that there’s something else going on as well – learning. Cooking also involves talking, reading, following directions, and measuring.  Children learn about how food changes during cooking:  melting, dissolving, floating and sinking.

Make kids a part of cooking, and they’ll appreciate what they are eating.  Don’t forget to give them clean up assignments, too!

Everyone cooks, everyone eats,
and everyone helps clean up!

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER

• Cooks of all ages always wash their hands before working in the kitchen.

• Sampling should be done when the dish is done, to prevent illness.

•  Expect spills and messes.

• Give children  quick, simple jobs, and give instructions one at a time. 

• Children get excited and forget. Repeat directions as often as needed.

•  Young cooks need constant supervision.

•  Everyone cooks, and everyone cleans up!

Tips on Being Safe in the Kitchen, from KidsHealth.org:  http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/house/safe_in_kitchen.html

The Association of Junior Leagues International has games, activities, and recipes geared toward Kids in the Kitchen: http://kidsinthekitchen.ajli.org/

Gardening Together

Gardening is a wonderful way to introduce kids to the surprises of nature.  Kids already have an attraction to the earth (be it sand, dirt, or mud pies.)  Gardening with your kids is an opportunity to discover the wonder of the earth, learn lessons, and make memories.

 

Gardening together:  growing plants, growing imagination, growing together.

 Kids take to gardening in many ways, and no one is quite alike.  Tailoring your expectations going in will go a long way in making it a fun experience for everyone.

Preschoolers:  This is all about play and fun.  Plant watermelon or apple seeds.  Pull a few weeds, or play with worms.  Watch ladybugs or ants crawl about – it is about learning and experiencing, not necessarily “accomplishing” anything.  Answer questions, tell stories about the life cycle of a seed… exploring the world together with a grownup is the name of this game.

Kindergarteners:  These little explorers see discovery and possibility everywhere.  Set up a small plot or flower pot of their own to plant and tend. Help them gather supplies to make their attempt a success, but lend a hand only when needed.

Elementary Age: Reading is fun!  Your child can read seed packets, make plant markers, and count out their own money at the gardening center.  Turn them loose on their own project and see what they can create – the doing is still the most important part.

Middle School: Here you an incorporate a little more planning and structure.  Kids can plan a garden on paper, planning in heights and colors, or making sure the cucumbers or squash have enough room to grow.  Building arbors or fences are in their realm of skills now, and they may find it fun to participate in a local fair or 4-H. 

Tweens and up:  If they’re not too “cool” to garden, Tweens might enjoy more community-focused projects, allowing them to indulge in chatting with friends while putting their green thumbs to work.  Gardening may give them a great opportunity for independent studies or biology projects for school.  Plant these green (thumb) seeds early, and you may grow a future botanist or at least a life-long gardener.