So Much Information All At Once

In With The New

Over the next year to year and a half I am going to be making a lot of changes to my program. A lot of them you will not be able to really see much of until sometime in the Spring or Summer of 2017. I have finally figured out what I want my back yard to be. I am going to have it certified as a “Nature Explore Classroom” . There is only 1 other home daycare in the state of Utah certified and it is in Sandy. The lady who runs it is Ilse Willson and she was my instructor for one of my “Family Childcare” classes, and she was telling me about it when I told her I was just unhappy with my back yard every year. After she showed me what it was all about it was like a light came on and I just knew this was it, I just have to do this because this is what I have been looking for. Check out the site and I am sure you will get just as excited as I am. http://natureexplore.org/

When it comes time for construction though I am sure you may want to run for the hills though because I will be asking for some strong backs and some help with decoration and scattering.

I want to attend the conference in November and then I will have a better idea of what is going to be needed and done, until then I am just in more of a research stage.

Coming up

Last year I did a Thanksgiving get together and this year I think we will do a Halloween gathering because the children were really into the Halloween music and I just thought that was just so darn cute.

Just A Reminder

I am closed Monday September 7, 2015 for Labor Day. I also have classes on September 21, 23, 28, 30, 2015. These classes are at Weber State University so I do not need to leave until 5:45pm but that is the latest I can leave and still be there on time. Please make sure on those days that you can be there to pick the children up before then. Also, at the beginning of every month your child is sent home with a book, this book is for them to keep. Reading to your child is very important, the more you read to your child the larger their vocabulary grows. This will also help them with attention span, calming down at night before bed and also give you the time to bond with your child and really talk to him/her. Enjoy that time because soon it will be gone.           

Thank You

It seems I am notorious for buying something and then realizing it won’t fit in the back of my jeep. Then ……. Hi Kim? Yes Val you can use the truck. What did you get this time? She always just knows buy my tone. But Thank You So Much Kim. (She is my husband’s boss).

Check out our new cots. Amy Jackson,  a new friend and associate of mine and the owner and operator of Dandelion Daycare, just gave them us.... pretty cool huh? Thank you so much Miss Amy you are AWESOME. 

comfy cots 

and they stack so nice

more comfy cots

GRANT

So I received my Infant Toddler grant and as you know I already have some of the items. Playhouse and infant activity center. However there is a lot still to come and it will be amazing. I have wanted a wind tunnel FOREVER, and even though it is under infant toddler it can be used by all. We have always did our snow fights indoors with shredded paper, now imagine snowball fights in a snowstorm! SUPER FUN! Right? OH YEAH! I so can’t wait.

Now I am working hard on another grant to get even more awesome items so stay tuned. These new items will be used right away but will also enhance my new and upcoming outdoor nature classroom. 

Classes Coming Up

CPR: First Aid/CPR

Davis Hospital and Medical Center

Saturday, October 3, 2015 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM (MDT)

Layton, UT

Home Depot Children Craft Class

Saturday September 5, 2015 9:00 am to 12:00 p. (noon) children can go and create a craft for free. They will receive a free Home Depot apron, a project kit, and all the materials to complete the kit, a certificate of completion and a pin to place on their apron.   

Advance Notice

The beginning of July next year is when I will have to take my vacation. I do not have all the dates completely worked out yet or all the details, but I do know it has to be then. My NAEYC childcare conference is July 8, 9 and 10 in San Diego California so I figure I will just make a vacation of the entire thing. 

Working on the letter A

So this week we have worked on the letter A and all it's sounds and attributes. The children enjoyed doing glue art and painting and doing science with the letter A. We also learned about Animal habitats this week and where animals lived and why they built their houses the way they did.

Talin

Brielle

William

Aydin

Isaiah

Gavin

Keith

working together

Next we learned how to dance and imitate animals sounds and movement. It was actually quite entertaining to watch the children and rather exhausting for me to keep up. Grandma didn't even try, I was beginning to think she was the smart one. 

having fun

I can do it

OH YAYAH

let's dance

got ta move it move it

Grandma showing babies how to drum

Kaedyn got the groove

I think they got it

 


 Next week will be just as fun.

AHHH picture day

Yes I did it. I took all 4 kids to get their pictures taken. Runny noses, screams of not wanting "that " outfit. Finding the right shoes and getting hair done and off we go. Now getting in the car and then out to get into the studio without getting dirty in all the snow was a bit of a chore but we did it. Now getting the 3 older ones to sit still all at the same time and smile on demand, well that was something else but lots of laughter and weird sounds later we did it. Now mind you this was all done with little kids that had a verrrrrrrry little nap. Loerya was her usual self and all laid back with a carefree smile. The others 2 are not happy little people without their naps so I feel blessed that it went as smooth as it did. In the end my lil darlins are captured forever on disc.

Saying goodbye to a loyal friend and companion

Well today I had to say goodbye to my lovely Mama dog. She was rescued from a puppy mill in Texas 12 years ago. She didn't know what it felt like to be loved or to run and play on the grass. Then she came to me and boy did she know love. She was spoiled and cared for beyond belief and I will surely miss her. She loved to cuddle up with me and would insist I rub her belly, which of course I did. I am not sure who was the owner and who was the pet because she sure had me trained. At night she slept with me on my pillow and I would reach up and pet her through out the night. I will miss her and love her always. Good bye my dear Mama.

Nature Explore Classroom

It is no secret that I am proud of my yard. I have the Golfers Green, come year throughout the spring and into the early fall to fertilize and make sure I have no bugs or weeds and to maintain a pretty green yard. Then I have T's Landscaping come every week for that same time period so I can focus on other things rather than lawn care. Plainly speaking I want a nice yard without the work, but I still want the children to have fun. However in doing that it still makes for a lot of work on my part because I have to move all their equipment every night off the lawn. 

I wouldn't do this if I had some way of making sure the grass under the equipment didn't get worn down or if I had padding under the equipment to make it safe. State licensing states that if the grass around play equipment is worn down then the ground is hard packed and therefore I would be out of compliance and I would be wrote up.

So, why am I telling you all this? Well as you are also aware of all that information then you are also aware that IF I could figure a way to make my yard into the classroom I would want it to be then I wouldn't have to worry about everything being out. But I worry about the permanence of something and then the children not liking it. I want to be able to change it to what they want yet still leave it the way I want. Basically like I have inside but just do it outside. Sound familiar huh? What we do outside we do inside? Yes that's right, why didn't I think of this sooner? 

I was in class in Salt Lake and the instructor was Ilse Wilson. Ilsa is on the cover of TYC, Teaching Young Children/Preschool she is also the chapter President for Family Childcare Association, and she is the ONLY family childcare provider in Utah that has a Certified Outdoor Nature Explore Classroom. When she explained what this kind of classroom was I just knew this is what I was waiting for. This is the outside classroom I want, I want the children in my care to experience this kind of activity, adventure and excitement that I have. 

A Nature Explore Classroom does not happen over night or even over a few weeks, it may take me over a year but I will be certified. I am going to have to draw up plans, change some things in my yard move some of my sprinklers and remove some of my grass. I am also planning on making a mud kitchen and a few more thing but all this is just the beginning. 

If anyone does Pinterest I am always posting new ideas on my board there for when I actually get started on the building stage. and also you can follow the link to actually see and read about Nature Explore Classrooms below. http://natureexplore.org/classrooms/