Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5061 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Susan Wingard

County Extension Coordinator

January 24, 2012

Reading with your Preschooler

Reading to a preschooler can be an enjoyable time.  Determine a special place and time for reading.  It may be the sofa in your living room or a rocking chair in your sun room.  A regular time reserved for story hour might be just before supper or before bedtime.  Reading may help your child wind down before they go to bed or when they become overexcited.

When reading, let your child:

• Help pick out the book to read.
• Sit close to you.
• Talk about the book cover.
• Guess what happens next.
• Name or point to something on the page and see the pictures.
• Hear you change your voice from soft to loud.
• Learn new words or names for things.
• Connect things in the story to real life.
• Ask questions and chime in.
• Tell you what happens at the end of the book.
• Tell the story or pretend to read.

Take your preschooler to the local library.  Show them where the books for young children are located.  If possible, let them check out some books to take home and read.  Borrowing books from the library can become a good lifetime habit.  You may also want to check with the library to see what programs they have for children.  This information is from the Just in Time Parenting eNewsletter for your 45-46 month old child, located at www.extension.org/parenting.

Child Care Workshops

There are two child care workshops scheduled for parents and child care providers.  The first workshop will be on Thursday, February 2 at 6:00 p.m.  This workshop will include Language Development and Robertsdale Dental Care will present information on Children’s Dental Health.  The workshop will be at the Farmers’ Federation Building, 21332 State Highway 59, Robertsdale.  Registration is required so please call our office at 937-7176 or 943-5061/928-0828 ext.2222 by January 27.

The Art Activities for Children Workshop will be on Thursday, March 8 at 6:00 p.m. at the Baldwin County Extension Office, 302A Byrne Street, Bay Minette.  The registration fee for materials is $5.  Please make checks payable to ACES and mail to the Baldwin County Extension Office, 302A Byrne Street, Bay Minette by March 1. 

Farm Day

The 2012 Farm Day is scheduled for February 14 at the Walnut Hill Community Center, 7850 Highway 97, Walnut Hill, Florida.  Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. and the program begins at 8:30 a.m.  Topics and speakers include:  Burrowing Bug, Dr. Ayanava Majumdar-Auburn University; New Chemistries for Cotton Production and Herbicide Resistance in Crops, Dr. Barry Brecke-University of Florida; Economic Outlook, Max Runge – Auburn University; Cotton Insect Management for 2012, Dr. Ronald Smith – Auburn University; Supplemental Feeding of Stockers, Dr. Darrel Rankins – Auburn University; Farm Analysis Program, Steve Brown – Auburn University; and Cotton Foliar Diseases, Row Crop Disease Management, Dr. Bob Kemerait – University of Georgia.

Cotton Production Meeting

There will be a Cotton Production Meeting on February 29 at 9:00 a.m.  The meeting will be at the Farmers’ Federation Building, 21332 Highway 59, Robertsdale.  The speakers for the program include: Charlie Burmester – Potash Deficiency in Cotton, Mike Patterson-Weed Management in Cotton, Steve Brown-Economic Forecast, and Austin Hagan – Leaf Spot Disease in Cotton.  Please register to attend this meeting by calling the Baldwin County Extension Office at 937-7176 or 943-5061, ext.2222 by February 10.

Small Ruminant Health from A to Z Workshop

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System at Alabama A&M University is offering a small ruminant health workshop including free gastrointestinal parasite identification.  This free workshop is scheduled for March 2 from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Gulf Coast Regional Research and Extension Center, 8300 State Highway 104, Fairhope.  Pre-registration is required so please contact Anthony Wiggins, Regional Extension Agent at (251) 575-3477 or wiggia1@aces.edu.

Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference

The Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference will be held at the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center on February 10-11.  Hours for the conference are 8:30 am to 5:00 pm each day. The conference topics for Friday, February 10 will include:  High Tunnel Crop Experiences and Challenges, Irrigation Basics and Design, Soils and Soil Fertility, and Use of Cover Crops.  There will also be hands-on workshops covering:  Calibration of Sprayers, Soil Prep and Use of Plasticulture Equipment, Minimum Tillage for Vegetable Production, Irrigation Installation and more.   Saturday’s topics will be:  Farm Business Management, Marketing Using “Market Maker”, Food Safety Basics, High Tunnel Tomato Production, Greenhouse Tomato Production, Soil Fumigation and Alternatives, Growing Pumpkins, Performance of New Peach and Apple Rootstocks, Experiences in Blueberry Establishment and Marketing, Satsuma Production and Research, Growing Hybrid Bunch Grapes, Hoop-House Insect Pest Management, Using Trap Crops for Pest Management, White-fly Management, Disease Management of Cucurbits, Managing Fire Ants and more.  Pre-registration is $60 and is due by January 31 to have your meals included.  For more information or for a registration form visit: http://www.aces.edu/department/associations/afvga/index.html

Email address: swingard@aces.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5061, 928-0860, ext. 2222

Baldwin County Extension Programs are supported by the Baldwin County Commission.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.