Before being contacted by Cynthia Raso the Director of the Office of Engagement at Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (SEEC) a few years ago, I had no idea the school existed. The SEEC is a school located on the Smithsonian campus serving infants through kindergartners. What makes SEEC extraordinary? First, it utilizes the Smithsonian and surrounding community as part of its classroom. Students make daily trips to museums, parks, libraries, shops, and monuments and integrate these visits into what they are learning. SEEC is more than just museum-based learning; it is also a school that thinks carefully about educating the whole child. From social-emotional learning to practicing fine motor skills, SEEC classrooms are invested in nurturing young children by employing a range of techniques that we believe will support a child’s growth and development. SEEC utilizes their almost 30 years of experience as a school to shape their family programs while taking into account the role of the parent. SEEC wants to help parents understand how best to engage with their young child at home and in museums.
At the beginning of the summer I had the opportunity to visit SEEC for a Preschool Pioneer class with my then four year old son. The class was focused on learning about light and colors. We met in the SEEC classroom, found in the Natural History Museum where children were allowed to wander, touch and interact with the various stations that were set-up. Each one being carefully selected and relating to the class lesson of light and color. The teacher began class with a small group lesson introducing the concept of light using CD’s and talking about colors. The group then took a “field trip” out into The Natural History Museum where we found a display on the color wheel. Kids learned Sir Isaac Newton created it and what it meant by allowing them to place various colored plastic sheets on top of one another to create a new color. Class ended with a hands-on activity of mixing paint and creating colors. It was a great chance to have my son see the museum in an up close and personal way with a sense of purpose. Research has shown that museum based-learning has many benefits for children and promotes the value of museums for kids. One of SECC’s goals is to help educate families on how to utilize museums in fun ways with their young children and I clearly saw this first-hand.
- Infants Investigators
- Toddler Trailblazers
- Twos Travelers
- Preschool Pioneers
- Artful Afternoons
- Smithsonian Early Explorers (part-time program)
- Bring Your Own Baby
- Birthday Parties
A common question that I am asked is “When should I schedule my child’s first dental visit?”. It’s a great question and I am so happy to discuss the importance of having your child see a pediatric dentist before they turn one. The 
The early months of erupting teeth can lend to behavior changes in your baby. Parents benefit from the assurance of an exam and discussion surrounding their appropriate development and comfort management during the process. During this exam we look at the gum tissue and I guide my families to feel around with the pad of their finger to determine when the next set of teeth will be coming in. This can easily be done following brushing to keep ahead of the potential discomfort. I assess for any pathology of the gums, mostly of no concern, and for any potential eruption cysts with teeth in the process of coming in. There are various non-pharmaceutical options for teething on the market and it’s important to discuss 
these. I am not in preference of the use of topical anesthetic as this is not localized to the area you target, but rather can cause numbing beyond the area. It’s best to use cool materials or foods like wet washcloth or cool cucumbers or a food pouch and even frozen berries. There are various teething necklaces that can be worn by caretakers and parents. Keep in mind that your teething rings should not contain small pieces. Evaluate for a continuous form that can’t separate as a choking hazard during their use. Apply gentle massaging pressure with the pad of your finger after brushing. Babies still appreciate a good finger from mom or dad to gnaw on! Just as you would not put your baby to sleep with a bib, or a bumper guard, a necklace can pose similar risk with movement, applying pressure to their neck—an airway concern. It’s safest to use the above methods and guidance and the use of Tylenol for comfort.
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As your kids get older, their ability to brush and floss does improve. There are products on the market as mouthwashes or toothpastes that stain the plaque—disclosing agents. These products are useful for the kids starting at approximately 7 to 8 years age onward. They use the disclosing agent to visualize the now brightly-colored plaque and target their brushing to remove it all. It’s a great learning tool and motivates kids to learn the reason we brush.
It’s no surprise kids come into the office for a cleaning having eaten a snack. This is actually a great teaching moment for me as food remains in the grooves and in between walls of teeth. I engage parents to peer over my shoulder as I demonstrate how to brush and floss. It really takes good focus for some foods to be properly removed from these grooves and in-between walls. The perfect examples of the tenacity of some foods are Cheetos and Oreos! Seriously, they are incredibly difficult to remove even after bouts of brushing, flossing and rigorous swishing and spitting. Look at the images below to see how these foods stick into the grooves. Their bright and dark colors allow you to see them clearly, but other foods aren’t so easy to see. It provides a great visual on the behavior of food retention on the teeth that over time can cause cavities if not properly brushed and flossed. Say “cheese”!
