Dates of Closures in 2010:
May 31 - July 5 through 9 - September 6 -
October 11 - November 11, 25 & 26
December 24
Happy Birthday
Ms. Heather - Preschool East - May 3rd
Malia - Infant 2 - May 8th
Caden - Preschool East - May 9th
Amelia - Preschool 1 - May 13th
Tucker - Toddler 1 - May 14th
Ms. Ava - Infants - May 15th
Kaia - Preschool West - May 16th
Madelyn - Preschool 1 - May 18th
Cecelia - Infant 1 - May 21st
Gwyneth - Preschool 1 - May 24th
Isabella U - Toddler 1 - May 31st
A Message from the Director
Our thanks goes to several of our moms who organized and supervised an Earth Day activity with the preschool wing! The weather did not cooperate with us at all for the children to walk to the event in Building 41, so the event came to us! That was perfect because then everyone got to participate. Along the lines of recycling, the children in the center painted paper towel and toilet paper tubes ahead of time. The moms (Cheryl, Ann Marie, Jana and Brenda) cut the tubes and punched a hole in them so that the children could string the pieces together. It turned into a beautiful flower when all was completed. The children can probably tell you all about it. Some even made two flowers because they enjoyed the activity! Thanks again to our mom volunteers from GSA!
Our reduce, reuse and recycle theme continues with my next request! If you have towels or washcloths that you no longer use at home, we can certainly use them here for mopping up spills and cleaning tables! So, if you want to create space in your linen closet we will take all donations! We can also use your leftover yarn and fabric scraps, streamers from your last party and buttons from the shirt you are going to throw away. Keep us in mind for those Labels for Education points from Campbell Soups, too.
By mid-May, sign up sheets for parent-teacher conferences will appear on the parent boards in each of the classrooms. Please check the times to schedule a chance to speak with your child’s teacher-uninterrupted by children!
IN CLASSROOMS AROUND THE CENTER . . .
In celebration of the Week of the Young Child, we began with a little breakfast treat for all our parents. Each bag was personalized with art work from the children in the center. With this little treat we wanted to thank you, all our parents, for choosing us at Clever Kids Learning Center to care for, nurture and awaken the love of learning in your children.
As the week progressed, each classroom from infant to preschool had some sort of activity. Teachers, children and parents joined together in celebrations. Many parents came to participate in activities with the children. From water play, painting, cooking and blowing bubbles to a special picnic with bears and reading stories, parents learned what is offered daily in our program and what children learn as they play. Many parents commented on the art work, posters and photographs displayed in the center. Those items helped them understand the complexity of learning and the way children learn through hands on activities.
The highlight of the celebration was the performance of the story teller and the Limberjacks. Kate told us the story of “How Anasi the Spider Received the Stories from the Sun God.” Her voice, the story and the props she used captivated the young and old audiences. The second part of the performance, the Limberjacks, fascinated not only the children but also the parents! Limberjacks are wooden rod puppets that dance on a paddle. In this country, Limberjacks originated in the Appalachian Mountains and usually perform with Blue Grass music. Kate’s Limberjacks like to dance to Swing, Disco and Rock tunes! At the end of the performance Morhea’s dad, Todd, and Miss Jessie made the puppets dance. One of our former students, Jack, also showed us how it was done. We were all amused at their renditions of making the Limberjacks dance!
Trike - A - Thon Scheduled for Friday, May 7, 2010
This is an event the preschoolers really anticipate each and every year! It might only be because the preschool children get to bring their trikes and bikes to school, but we throw a little learning about the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and bicycle safety in there, too! If your child is in the Preschool North, East or West classrooms, you are encouraged to bring the trike or bike he or she rides when at your home. Everyone is allowed to participate from those classrooms whether they have sponsors to collect money for St. Jude or not. We don’t want anyone to feel excluded. If you do bring a bike, please be sure that the tires are inflated and the training wheels touch the ground and are balanced! All trikes and bikes should be clearly labeled with a first and last name. Each year there is at least one mix up with a princess bike or a spiderman bike! The same with the helmets. If your child does not really ride a bike at home, it might be best if he or she uses the trikes they use every day here at the center. If the weather does not cooperate with us on Friday, May 7 we will hold the event on Monday, May 10.
The Trike-A-Thon has been one of our community service events for the past four years. Like everything else we do, we think that exposing children to “helping others” is a valuable life lesson. The Trike-A-Thon is a fun program that introduces children to proper trike and riding-toy safety habits. Each year thousands of preschoolers help to raise money for the patients of St. Jude. Since its beginning in 1962, St. Jude has developed protocols that have helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent to 80 percent today. In 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, was four percent. Today, the survival rate for this once deadly disease is 94 percent, thanks to research and treatment protocols developed at St. Jude. Your participation in the Trike-A-Thon makes it possible to treat all patients regardless of a family’s ability to pay. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance. No patient is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.
Because of the donations through the Trike-A-Thon here at Clever Kids, we have contributed $8818 to St. Jude over the last four years. We are positive we will reach the $10,000 mark by adding this year’s contributions. The sponsor envelopes are near the sign-in computer in the main entrance. Donations can be a flat rate or can be collected as a certain dollar amount per lap completed by your child. All checks should be made to St. Jude. The necessary information is listed on the collection envelope. Please note that there is also a permission slip that should be turned in to your child’s teacher before the Trike-A-Thon begins.
During the week prior to the Trike-A-Thon, the teachers will be going over some safety habits with stories and worksheets being added in to their regular curriculum. The final collection of your donations should be turned in to the main office by Friday, May 14th. We will send in all the necessary forms to St. Jude and all prizes will be sent to us and distributed several weeks after the event. Thank you for considering this event as one of your charitable contributions this year.
Communication Skills
The capacity to communicate is the ability and desire to connect with others by exchanging ideas and feelings, both verbally and non-verbally. Most children learn to communicate to get a need met or to establish and maintain interaction with a loved adult.
Following are some ideas for supporting the development of communication skills in your baby or toddler:
* Respond to your baby’s gestures, looks and sounds. When he puts his arms out to you, pick him up, kiss him and use simple words. “You want up.” When he coos, coo back. When he gazes at you, make eye contact and talk with him. These immediate and attuned responses tell your baby that his communications are important and effective. This will encourage him to continue to develop these skills.
* Talk with and listen to your child. When you talk with her, give her time to respond. Make eye contact on her level. This will communicate your desire to hear what she has to say. Ask open-ended questions: “What do you think about today’s rainy weather?” “Where do you think the rain goes?”
* Help children build on their language skills. “So you are pretending to be a hungry caterpillar who wants to eat some food? What kind of food? Let’s name all the things you want to eat.”
* Teach your child about non-verbal communication. “Luis, do you see how Andi is holding her hands up to cover her face? She doesn’t like it when you throw the ball so hard. I know you can throw it softer so she will want to keep playing catch with you.”
* Respect and recognize your child’s feelings. Children are far more likely to share their ideas and feelings if they know they won’t be judged, teased, or criticized. You can empathize with a child’s experience, yet disagree with his behavior. For example, “I know you’re scared to sleep alone, but you need to stay in bed. Would you like some quiet music on?”
* Help your child develop a “feelings” vocabulary. Provide the words for her experience. “You’re sad because Daddy left for his trip.” Keep in mind that feelings are not good or bad, they just are.
* Read together. Cuddle together for quiet times with a book. Encourage your older baby to turn the pages and to point to what she sees. Ask your older toddler how the characters might be feeling and wonder together what will happen next. Let your child choose the books.
* Narrate what you do as you go through your daily routines. This helps your child connect words with objects and actions. “I’m washing the dishes. I’m squeezing the yellow dish soap into the warm water.” Talk about what you’re doing as you care for your child.
* Encourage pretend play. Children often express themselves more freely when they’re pretending. It may feel safer to talk about how Teddy Bear is afraid of the dark, than how the child is afraid of the dark. Pretend play is also a chance to take on different roles and to act out what different people might say, think or do. This develops language as well as social skills like empathy.
* Make your requests clear, simple, and appropriate for your child’s age and ability. For a one-year-old, you can give one step directions like, “Go get the ball.” For an 18-month-old, you can give two-step commands like, “Please go to your room and get your shoes.” Be sure you have your child’s attention first, by calling his name or gently touching him and looking directly at him at his eye level.
* Be a good role model. Your child is watching you very carefully. If you talk to others with kindness and respect, he will likely follow your lead and take on your manner and tone as he becomes more verbal. And, when you expect this kind of respectful communication from others, you are modeling how he should expect to be treated by others as well.
