Timers get kids to keep brushing

Sitting in the dentist chair a few days ago for my six-month cleaning, I asked my dental hygienist, Lu Ann, for advice on motivating children to brush more thoroughly since they often slip into the "wet brush, swipe a few teeth, spit and run" routine. She said: "Kids love a new challenge, but they get bored easily. A trip down the toothbrush aisle works wonders!" I admitted to her that getting a new toothbrush in a new color inspires me to brush a little longer, too.

Another easy motivator is to turn the family oral-care routine into playtime using a decorated timer. Set it for two minutes as your child begins brushing, and count out loud for the last 10 seconds so that she can finish in time to beat the buzzer. Or make your own timer and watch time pass before your eyes in a water-bottle "hourglass."

Here's how:

Decorate a timer

Purchase a timer and decorate it like a funny face. Cut red craft foam in the shape of a big mouth with the center cut out to reveal the face of the timer. Glue in place. Attach strips of self sticking Velcro on top to attach ping-pong-ball "eyes" and twisted pipe-cleaner "hair."

Make a sand timer in a bottle

Save two 20-ounce plastic water or soda bottles and their twist-on plastic caps. Use strong glue to attach the top of one cap to the top of another. Tape them together with electrical tape for reinforcement. Using protective goggles, an adult should drill a hole through the center of both caps using an 11/16ths drill bit.

Screw the drilled/glued cap piece onto one of the plastic bottles. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of clean sand or colored craft sand through a funnel into the other bottle. You could say to your child: "Look! We're pouring some time."

Tightly screw the empty bottle to the sand-filled bottle. Poke a tiny hole with a pushpin into the side of each plastic bottle. Invert, and watch the sand flow into the empty bottle. Decorate with paint and stickers.

To create the exact time amount, use your watch to measure how long it takes for the 1 1/2 cups of sand to flow from one bottle into the other. If you desire a two-minute timer and the sand runs out before two minutes, add more sand. Test until correct.

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Donna Erickson's new award-winning television series "Donna's Day" is airing on public television nationwide. Visit www.donnasday.com to find out when it airs on your local PBS station and to sign up for Donna's e-newsletter. Her latest book is "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families." © Donna Erickson

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