Warren County Connection A Publication of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County
July 2021
Periodical Cicada By Sandy Vanno, Warren County Master Gardener
In this issue:
Periodical cicadas are native to the eastern United States and occur nowhere else in he world! These fascinating insects emerge in enormous “broods” that are one of nature's great wonders, but can also be a cause for concern for some people. Periodical Cicada; Wikipedia
There are seven species, three of which have 17-year life cycles and four of which have 13-year life cycles. 17-year cicadas generally have a northern distribution, while 13year cicadas are more southern, although they exhibit considerable overlap in the middle of the United States from North Carolina and Georgia west to Missouri, and both types may be found in the same forest. Brood X (10), known as the “great eastern brood”, is a large brood that emerges across 15 states.
about an inch beneath the soil surface in April. Exit holes may be noticeable in a lawn, which may be unsightly but does not permanently harm the turf. If the ground is too damp, the mature nymphs build a protective earthen turret, which can help identify where cicadas will emerge. When the soil temperature reaches 64°F the nymphs exit the ground and crawl a foot or more up tree trunks, weeds or other upright objects. This usually occurs in late May or early June, depending on Adult periodical cicadas are about 1- how warm or cold spring tempera1/2” long, mostly black with reddish- tures are. The adult cicadas then orange eyes and wing veins. They shed the nymphal exoskeleton, may be confused with various spewhich is left behind, in an hour or cies of annual cicadas, which are less. At this point, the cicadas are larger with greenish wing veins, and soft, white, and unable to fly as the emerge from July-September instead exoskeleton takes a few hours to of late May-early June. harden. Once the exoskeleton is hardened the adults are capable of Periodical cicada nymphs live in the flying but are rather clumsy fliers and soil at depths of 2 to 24 inches, often collide into objects. This where they feed on sap from tree makes them easy prey for various roots. When nymphs determine it is birds, which gorge themselves on the the year to emerge, they burrow to (Continued on page 7)
Three Weeds with Three Leaflets
3
St. John’s Wort
4
Gardeners Reminded to Protect Pollinators
5
Boiling it Down: Adding Broth to Your Pet’s Meals
6
‘In the News’ Grape Toxicity
6
Protect Yourself Online
8
Reading to Young Children is Time Well Spent
9
Quarantine Side Effect: Nearsightedness in Kids
10
SAVE THE DATE
11
Special points of interest: •
Calendar of Events
•
12th Annual CCE Golf Tournament & Silent Auction
Warren County Connection
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Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Warren County 377 Schroon River Road Warrensburg, NY 12885
Phone: (518) 623-3291 or (518) 668-4881 Fax: (518) 668-4912 Visit Our Web Site: www.cce.cornell.edu/warren
Who We Are
Nation-wide, thousands of people in each state tap into their state’s land-grant university research and know-how to make sound confident decisions concerning family, home, business, finances, and the future. In New York State, the land-grant university is Cornell University.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension network brings you the expertise of Cornell University, other land-grant universities across the country and locally-based Extension Educators, volunteers, and other experts through such programs as: horticulture, youth and families, leadership, environment, food, nutrition & health, home environment, and financial management.
Staff
Dr. James Seeley, Executive Director John Bowe, Associate Team Leader Dan Carusone, 4-H Natural Resources Coordinator Marybeth Mitcham, Nutrition, Food Safety & Healthy Living Educator Roxanne Westcott, 4-H Family Living Educator Sharon Bellamy, Finance Manager Amy Sabattis, Public Relations/Publications Manager Michele Baker, Administrative Assistant Chris Dittus, Administrative Assistant/Master Gardener Asst. Samantha Sprague, Maintenance & Farm to School Assistant
Board of Directors
Laura Conway - President Peter Benoit - Vice President Dan Bruno - Secretary William Hamelin - Treasurer Aimee Azaert Lisa Earl Ed Griesmer Jim Kneeshaw David Little David Strainer Michael White
Extension Service Committee Chair - Sylvia Smith Daniel Bruno Ben Driscoll Andrea Hogan Brad Magowan
Warren County Connection
CALENDAR Please visit our website for more events www.cce.cornell.edu/warren 7/8 & 7/22 2021 9:30 AM - Intergenerational Hikes Come and join us as we hike our way to better health, while also having the opportunity to get to meet some new people! During the summer of 2021, CCE Warren will be hosting a series of 5 short intergenerational hikes on terrain that is easily travelled by people of all ages and ability levels. Everyone is welcome! To register, or to get more information on this event, please contact MB at mem467@cornell.edu or at 518-623-3291. Location TBA 7/12/2021 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM - 4-H Fairy Garden Program - Youth will learn about small container gardening from a Master Gardener and create some upcycled items to decorate their fairy garden container with 4-H Educator, Roxanne Westcott. Fee $5. Contact Roxanne Westcott at rmw38@cornell.edu or 518-668-4881.Cornell Cooperative Extension Warren County, 377 Schroon River Road, Warrensburg, NY 12885 7/15/2021 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Fruit Salsa - Come and join us as we make a yummy fruit salsa together! To register for this event, please contact Stephanie Belden at the Greater Glens Falls Senior Center at 518-793-2189. Greater Glens Falls Senior Center, 380 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801 7/30/2021 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Culinary Tour Around the World - Come join us for a culinary tour around the world as we visit a country through videos and photos, and then sample a dish from that country! To register for this event, please contact Michelle Whitbeck at the Queensbury Senior Center at 518-761-8224.Queensbury Senior Center, 742 Bay Road, Queensbury, NY 12804
If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and need assistance with attending these workshops, please make your needs known by the registration deadline. Reasonable efforts will be made for accommodations.
Warren County Connection
Three Weeds with Three Leaflets: Trifoliate Look-Alikes Yellow woodsorrel, black medic, and white clover all have leaves with three leaflets and are found most often in your lawn. Learn what to look for in order to tell them apart. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish one plant from another. Yellow woodsorrel, black medic, and white clover all have leaves with three leaflets and are frequently found in home landscapes. But a closer look will reveal that you can tell them apart by examining each weed's growth habit, leaf structure, and flowers.
Yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) is a member of the Oxalidaceae family. It is classified as both an annual and a perennial. It is adaptable to many turfgrass site conditions – moist, dry, sunny, shady, nutrient-poor, and nutrient-rich. Its leaf has three leaflets that have smooth margins with deep indentations at the apex. The leaflets are beautifully heart-shaped. The leaves fold up at night. Its small, cup-shaped flowers are yellow, have five petals,
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or winter annual. Black medic is most often found in dry, disturbed, nutrient-poor soils and in thin areas of turfgrass. Its leaf has three oval leaflets, but the center leaflet has a longer petiole. The leaflets become slightly serrated as they reach a spur at the tip. Where the leaf meets the main stem of the plant, there is a pair of stipules, or small leaf-like appendages. The yellow flower clusters are called inflorescences. They are small, ¼ to ½ inch tall, and can be found throughout the summer months. It is low growing with a center crown from which long stems emerge. It does not have nodes. Although black medic has a long taproot, it can be pulled out at the crown. Improving the density of your turfgrass will decrease its numbers.
Black medic. Photo credit: Karan A. Rawlins, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
Yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) Photo credit: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org
and are rounded and notched at the tip. The flowers are small at ¼ to ½ inch in diameter. They bloom from late spring to early fall. Woodsorrel tends to start out with a prostrate growth pattern but becomes more upright. It has a taproot, but is easy to pull from the lawn, especially when the soil is moist. Improving the density of your turfgrass will help reduce the occurrence of this weed. Black medic (Medicago lupulina) is a member of the legume family of plants. Like other legumes, it can fix nitrogen from the air to its roots. It is classified as a summer
White clover (Trifolium repens) is also a member of the legume family. It is a perennial that is found most often in full sun in under-fertilized turfgrass. Its leaf has three oval leaflets that are slightly serrated and have small indentations at the tip. There is also a whitish "watermark" that is shaped like an inverted "V" on the lower portion of each leaflet. Its inflorescences are larger than black medics', at ½ to ¾ inch tall, and are white or sometimes pinkish in color. Flowering peaks in late spring to early summer. It is a favorite of many pollinators.
White clover grows low to the ground and forms mats as it produces runners that root at the nodes. You can pull it, but that can be a time-consuming task. Fertilizing and improving the density of your turfgrass will help reduce white clover. (Continued on page 4)
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Warren County Connection
spots in the turf, reducing other weeds and the need for chemical herbicides. White clover greens up early in the spring and, being drought tolerant, stays green during the hot, dry, dog days of summer. Consider including white clover in your lawn just because it is an important nectar source for many pollinators. White clover is also a very valuable forage crop. Rabbits, and other wildlife, will browse it in the garden. If you have members of your household who are allergic to bee stings, you can always reduce the number of flowers by mowing beneath their height, which can reach 6 inches.
(Continued from page 3)
White clover. Photo credit: Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood,org
The following chart may be useful in distinguishing the three look-alikes: Plant
Growth Habit
Flower
Prostrate, Yellow becoming Yellow woodsorrel more erect
Leaf
Smooth margins; deep indentation at tip; heart-shaped
Prostrate: Spur at tip; center mat-shaped; Yellow inflo- leaflet has longer petiBlack medic does not rescence ole; pair of stipules at have nodes base of leaf stem Prostate White, growth from sometimes White clover center pinkish, incrown; roots florescence at nodes
Serrated margins; slight indentation at tip; white, V-shaped watermark
All three of these look-alikes are turfgrass weeds that can be reduced through improving the quality and thickness of your lawn. It may be of interest to note that white clover was included in grass seed mixes until the development of broadleaf herbicides in the 1950s. At that point it became a goal of the herbicide companies to influence homeowners to have a "perfect" lawn, free from all broadleaf weeds, including white clover.
It is with good reason that white clover was historically considered part of a healthy lawn. Like other members of the legume family, it takes nitrogen from the air and "fixes" it into its root system. This nitrogen becomes an available fertilizer for the grass. This symbiotic relationship reduces or can even eliminate the need for supplemental nitrogen fertilizer. White clover will fill in empty
St. John's Wort Hypericum perforatum F. Hypericaceae General Description: St. John's wort is a low-lying herb measuring 30-75 cm. in height. The radially symmetrical flowers have bright yellow petals with distinctive black dots. The leaves are small, elliptical, and spotted. Flowers: The radially symmetrical flowers of St. John's wort are small, measuring 2-2.5 cm. in width. The blooms have five rounded petals with distinctive black spots, numerous stamens, and 3 styles. Flowers are arranged singly atop the terminal shoot of the stem. Leaves: The leaves are small, measuring 2.5-5 cm. in length and are light green and elliptical with distinctive, translucent spots/irregularities. Leaves are arranged in an opposite fashion along the length of the stem. Habitat: St. John's wort grows best in fields, along roadsides, and around waste areas. Fun Facts: St. John's wort is a medicinal plant. Commercial pill forms of the plant extract is used to treat depression. However, it causes increased sensitivity to the sun as well. St. John's wort also causes photodermatitis in grazing animals. This wildflower was introduced from Europe. Source: http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/ Wildflowers_Kimonis_Kramer/PAGES/SEARCH_NAME_HOME.html
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Warren County Connection
Gardeners Reminded to Protect Pollinators By Rosie Lerner, Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist, Purdue University
Pollinators are all the “buzz” these days with a federal proclamation designating June 19-25 as National Pollinator Week. Now in its tenth year, the focus of this designation by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and the Interior is to promote the health of pollinators, so critical to food and ecosystems. It may surprise you to learn that the honeybee is native to Europe and was introduced to the U.S. But there are also numerous other pollinator species including native bees, butterflies and moths, beetles, birds and bats. Many pollinators have suffered from loss of habitat, chemical misuse, diseases and parasites. Gardeners play a critical role in the nurturing and conservation of both native and introduced pollinators. Gardens and landscapes provide pollinators with food, water, shelter and habitat to complete their life cycles. Urban areas typically feature large areas of pavement and buildings and offer little in the way of food or shelter for pollinators – garden plantings can help bridge the gap. Honeybees and other pollinators need protein from flower pollen and carbohydrates from flower nectar. Plan to provide a variety of different types of flowers, and aim to have three different flower species in bloom throughout the growing season. Showy, colorful flowers and massed groups of flowers, particularly in small gardens, provide efficient feeding stations for the pollinators. Flowering trees and shrubs also provide excellent food sources. Pollinators also need shelter from wind, scorching sun and heavy rains. Plants, garden structures such as fences, and windbreaks may make the garden more attractive to pollinators.
Pesticides can harm bees and other pollinators directly or may change their behavior or reproductive potential. Some chemicals make pollinators more susceptible to disease. You can protect pollinators by using alternative prevention and control strategies, such as hand-picking pests, mulching and by being selective when it becomes necessary to use pesticides. Read and follow all label directions, and pay particular attention to timing your application to minimize impact on pollinators. Generally, bees and others are less active in very early morning or at dusk. Choose spray rather than dust formulations of pesticides to lessen potential for contact. Avoid using pesticides in areas where pollinators are likely to forage. Maintain a buffer “no-spray area” when possible. Wait until flowers have faded (petal -fall) before applying. Mow the lawn to remove flowers of weeds before spraying. Want to learn more? Here are a couple of selected resources on pollinators: Purdue Extension Publications on Pollinator ProtectionProtecting Pollinators in Home Lawns and Landscapes is targeted to homeowners. It is available at https://edustore.purdue.edu/item.asp? Item_Number=POL-1 Protecting Pollinators in Fruit and Vegetable Production is aimed at commercial vegetable growers. It is available at https://edustore.purdue.edu/item.asp? Item_Number=POL-2 National Pollinator Week http://pollinator.org/pollinatorweek/ (Continued from page 10)
What’s going on here? Researchers believe that the high intensity of outdoor light influences how children’s eyes develop, essentially affecting how clearly they can see. Without enough exposure to outside light, their eyes are not able to develop properly. Although currently there are no clear-cut solutions, researchers hypothesize that the best medicine may be more time playing outdoors, especially for younger children. The take-home message: Too much near work and not enough outside play have affected children’s sight during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first step to solving this problem is simple: Get kids to spend more time outside. Visit Cornell University’s Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research’s website for more information on our work.
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Boiling it Down: Adding Broth to Your Pet’s Meals Should I add broth to my pet’s meals? Though not necessary for most pets, incorporating a broth into the diet can be a way to provide added moisture to pets that need it or as a low calorie treat. For starters, especially pets that need to watch their total calorie intake, diluting a small amount of broth with water and freezing it into a Kong toy or ice-cube tray can add variety to your pet’s diet without adding many calories. Broth can also sometimes help entice a picky pet to eat. However, it is recommended that you consult your veterinarian to make sure there is no underlying medical condition causing your pet to lose its appetite. Broth can also be a great way to add moisture to your pet’s food in some cases such as pets with a history of urinary stones. Regardless of the reason, it is important to make sure that adding broth won’t interfere with special diets. For example, if your pet is on a strict diet due to allergies, or a special formula to reduce bladder stones, adding broth may prevent these diets from working therapeutically. What product should I use? While there are many commercial broth products, it is important to look at the ingredients list closely. Even “low sodium”-branded broths may be too high in sodium levels, so using commercial broth is not recommended in pets with medical conditions. Also be sure to check for other ingredients in commercial broths that may be yummy to us but are toxic to pets! Onions or garlic, especially in a concentrated form like powders, can cause vomiting and the breakdown of healthy red blood cells which can make pets very ill, so it’s safest to avoid any products with these ingredients.
Can I make my own? Since commercial broths can vary so widely and often have undesirable or even unsafe ingredients, it’s generally lowest risk to make your own broth at home. The safest recipe is boiling unseasoned meat or vegetables in plain water to form a basic broth. However, because there is no way to determine the nutrient profile of your homemade broth, owners should always consult their veterinarian to make sure the ingredients you use are not harmful for your pet. Take-Away: Adding broth to your pet’s food can be a tasty, low calorie addition to your pet’s diet. But as with any diet change, it is always important to consult your veterinarian first! Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University
Warren County Connection
‘In the News’ - Grape Toxicity Why are grapes toxic? While you may have heard before to not feed grapes or raisins to your dogs for fear of kidney damage, the reason why they can be so toxic has been a mystery. However, recently a new idea has emerged that might finally help us figure out what is going on! A group of veterinarians from the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and two hospitals described in a letter to the editor of the most recent Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association that tartaric acid (which cream of tartar is made from) may be the part of grapes that cause them to be toxic to pets. The amount of tartaric acid can vary in grapes by their type, how they were grown, and how ripe they are, which could explain why some pets get very sick while others seem unaffected after eating similar amounts of grapes or raisins. There is still a lot of research and work still to do, but here’s more on this new hypothesis. When should I be worried? Studies looking at the amount of grapes and raisins needed to cause problems have shown there is a large range and each dog can respond differently. This may be in part to how grapes change throughout the ripening process and we need more studies to know how best to treat dogs that have eaten grapes or raisins. If you are worried that your dog may have eaten any food item or medication that could harm them, you should call your veterinarian and an animal poison control center, such as the ASPCA’s animal poison control, that can help determine how concerned you should be and guide treatment recommendations. How is this related to snacks for dogs? While many fruits and vegetables can be great snacks for pets, you should avoid feeding pets grapes and raisins. Until we know more about whether tartaric acid is the cause of grape toxicity, and, if so, what doses could be harmful to dogs, it is probably a good idea to avoid giving your dog commercial or homemade foods with cream of tartar as an ingredient at this time. Cream of tartar can be found in many baked goods, so it can be helpful to check the ingredient list before deciding to share a treat with your pets. This is an additional reason to be extra cautious with homemade play dough recipes that can often include cream of tartar along with very high levels of salt (and these high salt levels can cause neurologic issues and be life-threatening)! We have also seen a few homemade dog treats (including the dog version of human snickerdoodle cookies) that contain cream of tartar as one of the ingredients, so you should always check homemade dog treat recipes to ensure that they do not contain any toxic ingredients before making them for your furry friends. Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University
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Warren County Connection (Continued from page 1)
cicadas. While stragglers may emerge a few days earlier or later, the main emergence of a periodical cicada brood often occurs over one or just a few nights. Soon after emerging, males begin to sing while females remain silent. About 10 days after emergence, females mate and begin depositing eggs in twigs and branches of various trees and woody shrubs. Using a saw-like ovipositor, a female cicada cuts a small pocket into a twig, in which she deposits 24-28 eggs. She then moves forward, cuts another pocket, and lays more eggs. The pockets are placed close together in a straight row and sometimes form a continuous slit for 2-3 inches. Adult periodical cicadas live for 3-4 weeks above ground and each female can lay 400-600 eggs over a lifetime. The eggs hatch 6-7 weeks after they are laid. The white-ant-like nymphs work their way out of the twig slits, drop to the ground, and enter the soil where they feed on fluids from plant roots for the next 17 years. Since, periodical cicadas are clumsy fliers and easy prey for a variety of birds and other insect-eating predators. Mass emergence of them is therefore thought to be a form of predator avoidance – if millions of cicadas emerge at the same time, predators quickly eat their fill and leave the vast majority of them alone to reproduce. Early or late-emerging cicadas are generally not numerous enough to successfully reproduce because most of them are eaten. While individual periodical cicadas typically live for 13 or 17 years, mass emergences of periodical cicadas usually happens somewhere in the eastern United States every year. Cicadas do not bite or sting and are not a threat to people or pets, although consumption of large numbers by pets should be discouraged. However, they can do damage to young trees, that results in twig and stem dieback. Large, otherwise healthy trees, can withstand this damage without long-term consequences, although they may be aesthetically unpleasing for a time. Small trees that have a majority of the branches within the cicadas' preferred size range can be severely affected and sometimes be killed. This is especially true of small, stressed trees, such as those that have been recently transplanted or are balled and burlapped in preparation for sale or transplantation. Deciduous trees are preferred hosts, especially oaks, maples, apples, cherry, hawthorn, redbud and other trees that have twigs of the appropriate size (3/16” to 7/16” in diameter), although cicadas are not too picky and have been recorded to oviposit in more than 80 different species. Shrubs are rarely harmed. Also, they
Periodical cicada (Magicicada cassini). Photograph by Even Dankowicz via Bugguide. Used under a CC BY-ND-NC 1.0 license.
do not target herbaceous plants (annuals and perennials, including vegetables and herbs) for feeding or egg-laying. They do not usually deposit eggs in coniferous trees, although coniferous hosts are not totally unknown. Ornamental ponds should be covered with screening or plastic mesh to prevent cicadas from accumulating. Large numbers of decomposing cicadas could cause problems with oxygen depletion in the water. Clean pool skimmers/filters frequently during cicada emergence to keep them from getting clogged. Control - If possible, transplanting trees should be avoided the fall and spring before a periodical cicada emergence. Pruning trees should also be avoided during this time as branches injured by cicadas can be pruned out after they die off. Trees under 10-feet tall can be protected by netting with 1/2” mesh, or a breathable fabric, to exclude the cicadas. Apply before emergence and keep on the 4-6 weeks they're present. In most cases, netting trees is more effective than spraying chemical pesticides. However, chemical pesticides can be used to reduce damage to small trees when netting is not practical, such as in a large fruit orchard. The pesticide is often needed to be applied every 2-3 days as new cicadas immigrate from nearby trees. But chemical pesticides can also kill beneficial mites and insects, which can exacerbate pest issues later in the season. Pesticides are not recommended for large, otherwise healthy trees, as they can withstand the pressure of cicada oviposition with little to no long-term effects. References: “Periodical Cicada”; Penn State Extension “Cicadas”; University of Maryland Extension
Did you ever notice when you blow in a dog's face he gets mad at you? But when you take him in a car he sticks his head out the window. ~Steve Bluestone
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Warren County Connection
Protect Yourself Online
Don’t respond to an email asking you to divulge information. Instead, call the number listed on a company’s website (and not the number provided in the email) to verify whether an email is authentic. Many phishing scams rely on fear tactics to get you to share your information. They may tell you that something bad will happen, such as a fine or a frozen account, if you don’t act immediately. Trust your intuition. If you have any reservations, be deliberate and investigate the claim on your own.
While being online doesn’t always feel like a financial activity, it can lead to financial consequences if you aren’t careful. Our personal information is the gateway to our financial accounts, so we must protect ourselves online. Use the following tips to protect your personal and financial information from scammers. Download Security Software One method that scammers may use to access your information is via malware. Malware is short for “malicious software” and it refers to a variety of viruses that cyber-attackers create to damage your computer and gain unauthorized access to your information. Scammers may embed malware in a link or an email. To defend against malware, you can download security software that will protect against, or even remove, malware. Popular brands of security software include Norton, McAfee, and Kaspersky Anti-Virus. In most cases, this software should cost you less than $50. Some may even be available for free download. If you already have security software downloaded, be sure that it is up to date.
Trust Your Intuition Phishing refers to a variety of scams that try to trick consumers into providing private information. They often involve fake emails, copycat websites, or pop-ups on your computer that ask you to divulge your Social Security numbers, usernames, and passwords. Phishing scammers will often reel you in by posing as legitimate, trusted, or well-known companies or individuals. They may even pose as a family member. However, there are often red flags. If you think something seems suspicious about an email or an offer seems too good to be true, you are probably right.
Activate Two-Factor Authentication You have probably used two-factor authentication, even though you may not have known it. Two-factor authentication requires you to enter a password and an additional piece of personal information, such as the name of your first pet or the street where you grew up. Other types of two-factor authentication may be a code sent to your email or phone that you must enter, or a fingerprint scan or face recognition on your phone. Using any of these second-step features will help safeguard your account, even if scammers get access to your password. Back Up Your Files Get into the habit of backing up your files into the cloud or onto an external hard dive. That way, even if a scammer penetrates your security software and compromises your computer, your information is protected somewhere else. Report Phishing Help the Federal Trade Commission protect consumers by reporting phishing attempts. Forward phishing emails to spam@uce.gov. If the scammers posed as a legitimate company, email that company to make them aware that they are being impersonated. You can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov/ complaint. Source: Alex Elswick, Extension Specialist, Department of Family Sciences, University of Kentucky
First, freedom is never free; in fact, it has always been bought at great cost, whether on the battlefield, in the legislative assembly, in the law courts, in the schoolroom, or in synagogues, temples or churches. Also, it is never self-perpetuating, but has had to be rewon again and again... ~Author unknown, 1960s
Warren County Connection
Reading to Young Children is Time Well Spent
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phant trumpets for all to hear: "Hooray for Sam! Sam who never ever never, Sam who never, never forgets." There's much in this 15-page story (it takes all of five minutes to read) about kindness and dependability, about understanding other's needs, and about gratitude, too. There are many other great old books and wonderful new ones that teach developmentally appropriate concepts and values to young children, like sharing things, helping others, showing kindness, giving comfort, and working together.
In a hurry-up world where parents spend less time with their children than they would like, what joint activities bring the biggest payoff? Try reading - you can't go wrong. The benefits of reading include: • A time out from your hectic pace to quietly be alone with your child; • The warm coziness of curling up together; • A pace that's soothing to the senses (in sharp contrast to the auditory and visual bombardment of television); • Illustrations to delight the eye; • Stories that convey positive messages that help children become the kind of people parents want them to be. At a time when children leave the home at an even earlier age to be cared for by others, then spend much of their "free time" watching television, parents have less and less control over the messages children receive about how the world works and how they should behave in it. With books and stories, parents can choose the messages that convey values important to your family. Take a picture book that's just right for three-year old children. Sam Who Never Forgets by Eve Rice. In this charming story, Sam the zookeeper feeds all the animals at 3:00 each afternoon. He knows each animal's favorite food and never forgets to bring it right on time. But one day it appears that Sam has forgotten the elephant and all the animals feel very sorry for him. It turns out that Sam, knowing how much the elephant needs to eat, had gone to get a wagon full of golden hay especially for him. With a thank you and a hug the ele-
All of these are things parents want their children to learn. You can't beat storybooks for getting the point across. The reason for this is that the slow pace of reading aloud allows children to absorb what the story is all about and make meaning of it for themselves. The same holds true with pictures that are stationary. Children have time to take them in. By contrast, television, with its constant movement and quick-paced soundtrack, is mentally and emotionally overwhelming. TV can rob children of their own thinking. The totality of it is all-encompassing and too quick for them to make sense of. It renders children passive, whereas being read to is something they become engaged and actively involved in. What's more, both parents and children share a common experience and have a common body of information to draw on later. While child development experts may urge parents to watch television with their children and talk together about the content, few parents can or do. Television is too convenient a babysitter. But with books, you both know what the story is. Parents can use this shared knowledge in other situations when they need to remind a child of desired behavior. For example, if your toddler forgets to put away her toys, you can remind her about Sam who "never, ever forgets." Or, you can ask your preschooler what a storybook character would do in a similar situation. It's very comforting for children to repeat familiar lines from stories. That's why children will demand that you read the same story, again and again, never tiring, while adults may become bored. It gives them an incredible feeling of competence that they know the story, particularly those stories that have great meaning for you and your child. (Continued on page 10)
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When's the right time to begin reading aloud? Begin right away by giving babies plastic books to chew on. Books should be part of what's good for children: bottles, blankets, and books. When they're a bit bigger, begin reading classics like Pat the Bunny, a cardboard book for ninemonths-old. By a year of age, an infant should know how to hold a book and turn the pages. For the next ten years, most children relish the chance to be read to daily. A half an hour or so incorporated into each day's routine is ideal. This may sound like a lot of time to eke out of a busy schedule, but it can be a break that refreshes parent and child alike. Most parents have a lot of struggles during the day with their children. Reading time is struggle-free. It can bring back a feeling of intimacy at the end of the day. (And is a welcome halfhour spent with your feet up before facing the demands of the evening!) Ask the children's librarian at your local public library for reading recommendations. Make sure that the suggested books have illustrations you like and that the text is lyrical and pleasant to read. The quality of the illustrations also matters. Books can provide the perfect antidote to the violent and ugly imagery often found on television. Choose artistically solid, visually pleasing, positive images. Be sure the content of the illustrations isn't stereotypical and accurately represents the diversity that is America today. Representational images are easier for children to take meaning from than are cartoon figures. Again, they get plenty of those on TV. Some very beautiful books are downright painful to read. Skim the text to be sure you're attracted to it and that your child will want to listen to it. Choose the right amount of text and correct vocabulary to suit your child's stage of development and attention span. Reading is a low-cost, stress-free, and fun-filled activity that parents and children can share every day. Reading together is a great way to feel closer, communicate, teach, and learn. It prepares children for reading independently - a skill that is critical to school success. Reading is probably the best thing that parents and children can do together. Source: Judith Ross-Bernstein, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, New York State College of Human Ecology, Cornell University. Parent Pages was developed by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. HD 9
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Quarantine Side Effect: Nearsightedness in Kids Most kids in the U.S. have spent more time on screens during the COVID-19 pandemic for a myriad for reasons: to complete schoolwork virtually, stay occupied while parents worked at home and maintain connections with friends and family members. While there is a range of viewpoints about how much media use is appropriate for kids of various ages, there is consensus that too much screen time leads to negative effects on sleep, attention and learning, and increases in kids’ risk for developing depression and obesity. This spring, researchers are finding another negative consequence of kids’ screen use: myopia or nearsightedness. First, a little background: Research shows myopia has been on the rise globally for decades and this increase is expected to continue. While most of us associate nearsightedness with simply wearing glasses, the condition can lead to more serious problems later in life such as cataracts, detached retinas, glaucoma, and even blindness. While genetics certainly play a role in whether a child develops myopia, there are risk factors within our control. Spending long periods of time doing what researchers call “near work” – reading, writing, using computers, playing video games, and watching TV – is associated with developing myopia . Research shows one of the most important steps children can take to prevent myopia is to spend more time outside. Back to COVID-19: We now know certainly that most children have had less time playing outside and less physical activity during the pandemic; and they have spent more time engaging in sedentary behaviors including screen time. A large, longitudinal study conducted by American and Chinese researchers screened more than 120,000 children ages 6 to 13 over the course of five years ending in 2020. Researchers found a substantial uptick in the prevalence of myopia, a several-fold increase, among children ages 6 to 8 years old during the first six months of 2020 when COVID-19 lockdowns took place. While this is just one study, eye experts across the globe agree it’s likely indicative of a larger problem of increased near-sightedness among young children. (Continued on page 5)
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12th Annual Cornell Cooperative Extension Golf Tournament & Silent Auction Saturday, August 28th Monies raised through this event will be used to help support our organization’s educational programs.
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