JULIE'S HOME DAY CARE
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2004
Note From The Provider
Yes Spring is coming! A little dusting of snow isn't going to get us down either because we know March 20 is just around the corner! I will once again be sending home a list of what is in your child's cubby along with clothes that no longer fit them. Please be sure to check the list and send in what they need. We will continue to go to the different community play spaces and the floors can be quite cold and dirty. We are not allowed to wear boots at these play spaces, so if you would like to send a pair of sneakers, slippers or slipper socks to Daycare, I would be more than happy to be sure they have them on when we go.
Monthly Theme -
Friendship and Getting Along
This month we will
be focusing books by Maurice Sendak. We
will include a number of activities and read books throughout the month with
this his books in mind. We will
continue working on our colors, alphabet and number concepts as well as our
daily skills such as potty training, getting dressed, washing up, brushing
teeth and other regular daily routines.
Paid Holiday
Closures
None
Community Activities
& Training/Workshops
Visit the Berkshire Museum www.berkshiremuseum.org
Saturday, March 27, 2004 - BUGS BUGS BUGS from 11 am - 2 pm
Visit Kid's Space at MASS MoCA www.massmoca.org/kidspace
Spring Hours (effective March 4 – June 20):
Saturdays and Sundays, 12 to
4pm Free admission to Kids Space
TODDLER
NUTRITION
Free parent workshop March 10, 2004 @ 7 pm at Haskins Community Center
210 State Street, North Adams
Rich Flores, RD and Kathryn Wiseman, MD will discuss toddler snacking and eating habits at this program.
Free childcare will be available. To register call 664-4821
FAMILY
TRADITIONS
Free parent workshop March 24, 2004, 6:30 pm at Haskins Community Center
210 State Street, North Adams
Family tradition offer families sense of belonging, they help family members bond together and they give everlasting memories of sharing. Presenter, Jennifer Trainer Thompson is the auther of many books and also the owner and chef of the "Jump Up and Kiss Me" brand of savory sauces and food products, her book FAMILY TRADITIONS will be published in 2005.
Free childcare will be available. To register call 664-4821
Free programs for children 2.9-5 years old and their families sponsored by Community Partnership
March 13, 2004 - Gym Day at Haskins Community Center 10 am - noon
March 18, 2004 - Hawaiian Night with the Adams Youth Center at the Hoosac Valley High School Pool.
The Partnership will cover half the admission price for families of preschoolers. Pre-registration is required by calling 664-4615.
March 23, 2004 - Community partnership will be sponsoring a workshop at Drury High School Library: "Sensory Integration Works" presented by Arice Staeb, OTR/L. For more information or to register call 664-4615.
Maple Open House Weekend in Vermont check out this web site http://www.vermontmaple.org/
PARENT'S AND KIDS
TOGETHER
Parenting: Let's Read! The Benefits of Reading
to Your Children
Parents, when you help your
children learn to read, you help them open the door to a big, exciting world.
As a parent, you can begin an endless learning chain like this:
You read to your children, they develop a love of stories and poems, they want
to read on their own, they practice reading, and finally, they read for their
own information or pleasure. When children become readers, their world is
forever wider and richer.
Studies have shown that children that are read to on a consistent basis begin
to develop both communication and thinking skills at a much younger age than
children that aren't read to on a consistent basis. In addition, those skills
continue to progress and develop much more rapidly in children that are read to
consistently. This progression of skills will continue as long as you spend
quality time reading with them.
Children appreciate the quality time you spend with them reading books and
enjoy good stories as well!
Here are some things you can do to make sure you get your daily readings with
your children:
Read aloud to your children: books, newspaper and magazine articles, the back
of the cereal box, labels on cans, or directions - anything with appropriate
printed material on it is
Read poems aloud together to learn about rhythm and repeated sounds in
language.
Point to the words on the page when you read. Move your finger from left to
right.
Listen to your children read homework or favorite stories to you every day.
Go to the library together and check out books. Be sure to ask the librarian
for good books or to help you find what you need.
Have books, magazines, and papers around the house, and let your child see that
you like to read, too.
Encourage older children to read to younger children.
Help experienced readers talk and write about what they read.
Develop a quality nighttime ritual of reading a few books with your children.
Remember, giving your children a head start in life requires spending time with
them - and part of that time should be spent with a good book!
Maurice Sendak Book List:
Where the Wild Things Are
Outside Over There
Chicken Soup with Rice
Alligators All Around
In the Night kitchen
Little Bear