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January Newsletter
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CCAMPIS
Our center was awarded with another year of CCAMPIS grant money.
The money will not be available until February. Every parent
attending MSU-Billings will be submitted to Student Affairs to
receive the grant for Spring 2011. However, not all will receive
the grant. It is your responsibility to pay your child's bill on
time or it will result in a ten dollar late fee. If you have
more questions please contact Miss Michelle.
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A few well meaning
parents in our toddler room have asked us if we take the
toddlers out side in the winter. As strange as it may
seem, yes, we do! According to the State Regulations
for Child Care Centers, it is mandatory that each child
spend part of the day outside, except when weather does
not perm `it. (According to the State Reg. 46.07
(1)(e)4 … Inclement weather is described as temperature
of 0 or below including wind-chill) When the temperature
is 0 degrees including the wind chill factor, out side
play is permissible.
With this in
mind, please make sure your child comes to day care
prepared to have a great time in the snow. Hats,
mittens, boots and snow pants are a must. A change of
dry, clean clothing will also be necessity. We have
reminders posted on the class room doors so each of us
can be prepared to enjoy the great outdoors. Teachers
will also need to be prepared with their own warm
clothing such as hats, mittens and boots. We are so
very thankful that we have a gym to play in when the
weather is uncooperative. Please know that we only use
the gym when we absolutely can not play outside. This
winter, we have many one year olds turning two! This
means that when the weather is to cold or wet, our two
year olds can play in the gym. This will be a new
experience for many of them. When the temp. outside is
20 degrees or above, Infants will go out for walks
During the long winter months, we all look forward to a
change of scenery now and then. |
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Taking the
stress out of Christmas
Toddler
Place pillows (or folded blankets) in a straight or zig-zag
path on the floor. Invite your child to jump to the different
pillows as he follows the path. If your child is interested,
spread the pillows out farther and see if your child is able to
jump to them.
Preschool/Pre-K
Tell your child that the two of you are going to be making an
obstacle course inside. Choose a starting point and another
place you want to travel to using a certain action. For example,
start at the wall and jump until you reach the chair. When you
reach that destination, choose another action to do to another
area in the room. Maybe you decide to crawl until you reach the
table. Continue moving to different areas of the room with your
child. Invite your child to come up with suggestions.
School-Age
Ask your child to think of some type of action or movement
they think they can do continuously for 30 seconds (jumping
jacks, touching toes, push ups, etc). Ask your child to tell you
how many of these they think they can do in that time period.
Count the number they complete. Was their guess correct? If your
child is interested, have them try another action or see how
many they can do in a longer time period.
"When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon
way, you will command the attention of the world."
– George Washington Carver
Families have a lot on their plate - birthday parties, taking
the kids to their extra-curricular classes and team events,
shopping for the holidays, raking leaves, making meals, cleaning
the house, helping with homework, and so on. And then, in the
middle of all this, you hear, "Hey, I was playing with that," or
"It’s mine!" Sound familiar? Even the most loving brothers and
sisters squabble from time to time.
It seems the longer our "to do" list becomes, the friction
among
us rises. So, whether your children need help getting along
with each other or with their friends, you can help reduce the
tension by trying out these ideas:
Make respecting one another a family policy.
Try creating a kindness rule, such as: "In our family, we
don’t hurt each other with words or actions." Give your children
examples of respectful behavior, such as taking turns and asking
permission before using someone else’s things.
Provide calming alternatives.
When your children get upset with each other, teach them ways
to appropriately deal with their feelings. Try saying
something like, "I can tell you are really mad at Grant. Why
don’t you go to another room, take a few deep breaths, and then
come back and tell him why you are so upset."
Stay out of it whenever possible.
Whenever possible, try not to take sides when your children
fuss and fight. If they can’t solve the situation themselves,
sit down
between them and model the words for them to express their
feelings in a respectful way. If you think it would be more
helpful, have a family meeting. Talk about each child’s
feelings. Then collect feedback from everyone to formulate a
solution. Let the children who were bickering choose a solution
that everyone can live with.
Encourage bragging – about the good stuff.
Challenge siblings to share good things about each other
like: "Michelle helped me rake the leaves," or "Eileen let me
use his new soccer ball." Encourage your children to be mirrors,
reflecting respect and kindness. What goes around comes around,
and habits can be formed easily. Model this kind of bragging
yourself with your partner, your children, or with other family
members. Hopefully it can become a habit for your entire family.
When you notice your days are getting busier and busier,
remember to not sweat the little stuff, focus on getting
necessary things done, and put off what you can. Prioritize.
If you have to, add to your day timer or computer calendar,
"Family Fun." You will never regret making time for family.
The
best toys:
• Are open-ended. That means that a
child can play with the toy in more than one way, and there is
no right or wrong answer. The box and the stick do not guide the
child in how to use them. Instead, the child is the director in
the play that happens.
• Ignite imaginative thought.
Imagination is the foundation for learning. Before a child can
learn a series of facts or build knowledge, she must first build
a sense of the
possible – that comes from imaginative play. Look for toys,
like the stick or box, which inspire imagination and can be
woven into pretend play.
• Involve critical thinking. When a
child pushes a button and something happens, there is very
little critical thinking involved. Look for toys that encourage
children to consider different possibilities or require various
techniques for solving problems. A child must think through
different scenarios as they play with a box or a stick, which
helps them develop critical thinking skills.
• Engage children’s senses. Brain
research tells us that children learn best when their senses are
engaged (but not over stimulated). Look for toys that provide
your child with interesting things to touch, see, hear, smell or
taste. Natural elements, such as the texture of the stick or the
smell of the paper that makes up the cardboard are especially
important to a young child’s development.
• May invite social participation.
We are very social
creatures, and science has found that social connections are
crucial to our physical and emotional well-being.
Wonderful toys are those that can be used alone, but
become even more fun when more than one child is involved.
Both the box and the stick can contain hours of solitary
enjoyment, but each is even more exciting when a companion comes
along for the ride.
• Are fun. More than anything,
play, and the toys children use should be fun. Sometimes, as
parents, we are very focused on preparing children academically
for the challenges they will face as they grow. There are many
toys that promise learning. When picking a toy, think about the
stick and the box. Children like those items because they are
fun, and sometimes that is all that play should be.
Choosing a toy that will create a spark of glee in your
child’s eye can be overwhelming with all of the choices that are
out there. Keep the above ideas in your mind while shopping and
you are sure to find a toy that will amuse and delight your
child (almost) as much as the box it came in.
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"In accordance with the Federal law and US Department of
Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from
discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin,
sex, age religion, political beliefs or disability." |
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