The Beauty in Nature and The Change in Seasons

         Natural beauty can be seen everywhere. White fluffy clouds float above the playground, a spider’s web flutters in a gentle wind, the moon sometimes graces the day sky, and flowers shoot up in a nearby garden.

Short nature walks give children a chance to observe the wonders of our natural world.           At school, we plan nature walks to listen for environment sounds or to look at insects. We also take advantage of everyday opportunities such as exploring puddles after a rain shower, capturing snowflakes during the first snow fall, or playing with streamers outside during a strong wind.

          Catching fireflies, smelling honeysuckle, or tossing stones into a creek can be aesthetic, relaxing experiences for kids and adults alike. Noticing nature’s wonders helps children become more observant and respectful of the world around them, helps build there vocabulary as they hear adults describe what they see, and encourages drawing and painting to document their observations.

            From time to time, draw children’s attention to things they may not notice. Point out different rocks. Collect different leaves of various kinds. Discuss the similarities and differences in flowers. (Children may be tempted to pick flowers, but be careful that they take only common ones-not rare species.) Talk about what the squirrels eat or where the robin lives. Enjoy the changes of the seasons together.

            The leaves are changing colors very quickly at this time of year so now is the perfect time to draw their attention to this. Go for walks on the walking trails by your house, or be adventurous and drive up the canyons and go for a walk and talk to your children about the wonderful things you see around you. Look high and look low, look eye level and look behind you, and if you listen real quietly you might even hear a few new things. Make it an adventure and you will make wonderful new memories you and you child/children will gather together forever.  

            Parents can further stimulate a child’s interest-say, in stars or snakes- through library visits. Field guides are available on a wide range of subjects (insects, wildflowers, mammals, trees, and so forth).

            Keep specimens, drawings, magazine pictures, photos, stickers, and summaries of your child’s special experiences in a scrapbook. A theme may be carried throughout the book, but young naturalists should be allowed to put in anything that strikes their fancy.

            One discovery leads to another. We adults have much to learn from the natural curiosity of children.

 

Talk about what you find

Make it an ADVENTURE!

Let them explore.

Seasons of Change

So many changes in such a short period of time. School has started, the leaves are changing, there is a crisp scent in the air and the mornings are getting colder every day. all too soon we will see the first flakes of snow falling to the ground and the children wanting to run out and make snowmen and do snow angels on the ground.
With all this change there is a down side and that is the dreaded sicknesses that come with it. Colds, flu's, and strep  and perhaps many more different viruses and infections. With this in mind it is even more important to remember to be very diligent about hand washing, cover ones mouth with the arm when sneezing or coughing instead of the hand, if you or your children are running a fever you should stay home. Staying home and following the guidelines on preventing the spread of germs will greatly reduce the amount of time someone will miss time at work because then it does not have the chance to keep going around and around.
In your monthly information packet you received a pamphlet "When is your child too ill to go to childcare?"  In this pamphlet it goes over some of the more common childhood illnesses, what the symptoms might be and what causes and actions are. Also if there are any questions you can always ask me or go to your pediatrician.
I am going through all the emergency bags and the spare clothes on hand to switch out season clothes. I am going to need 2 sets of Fall winter clothes for the emergency bag and 2 sets of Fall Winter clothes for spare clothes on hand along with spare boots, gloves, and hats.

I was reading this article on reading to children and I thought you all might like this. A child will love  to read if they are introduced to it early on. This is why I give each child a book to keep every month. This months book is Harold and the  The Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. The children love this book because it shows imagination and what each child can do with their  imagination.

The Importance of Storytime By Lynn Dean “Once upon a time there was a princess named Amy. She lived at the beach near Bob...” I listened  as my youngest carefully “read” a story to her baby doll. Although the words did not match the text,  I knew that I had instilled a great love of reading in my child. Indeed, she was emulating one of  our favorite activities—story time. A love for reading and books is one of the most precious gifts parents can give their children.  While knowing how to read is essential for day-to-day survival, loving to read opens new worlds  for children. By reading, children can visit people in different lands, fight fire-breathing dragons to  save a royal princess, or learn how to build the perfect windmill. The possibilities are endless.  Even so, fostering a love of reading requires a bit of work on our part as parents. Read, Read, Read Storytime plays an important role in introducing children to the magic of books. Although it is never  too late to start, we should begin reading books to our children when they are very small, even  before they can walk and talk. As babies, children enjoy books with bright pictures and simple text.  Board books that babies can manipulate themselves (and chew on) are good choices, too.  Also good are books that are lyrical, such as Dr. Seuss books (my favorite is Mr. Brown Can  Moo, Can You?) and nursery rhymes. While babies cannot understand the intricacies of the  language, they do enjoy the rhythm of the words. This early introduction to reading develops a  child’s love of books and fosters a close, loving relationship between parent and child. As children grow older, our choices of books should reflect a child’s interests. My two-year-old nephew, for example, adores trains and enjoys listening to adults read books about “choo choos.”  Older children also like to be involved in the story being read. Asking questions such as: “Where is  the squirrel hiding?”; “Show me the orange ball.”; and “What do you think Tommy will do will next?”  encourage interaction. Here’s a Book, There’s a Book Experts agree that the prevalence of books in the home fosters a desire to read in children.  The more books and other reading materials that are available, the more children will value reading.  As a result, include books (fiction and non-fiction), newspapers, magazines, books on tape  (especially good for younger “readers”), and other reading materials in the home. When creating  a library remember that books don’t have to be new to be entertaining. Hand-me-downs from  friends and books purchased at thrift stores and garage sales work just as well as new books. Everywhere’s a Book Nook When encouraging children to read, remember to provide a comfortable place for reading. All  that is required  is a cuddly spot furnished with pillows, blankets, good lighting, and a variety  of reading materials. For storage, I have found that large plastic dishpans make excellent  “book buckets.” They hold books of all sizes and are portable from one reading spot to another. The Storehouse of Knowledge No matter how hard we try, we can’t stock all the books our children need or will want to  read in a home library, although technological advances may cause me to rethink this statement  in the next decade. For now, libraries are the storehouses of knowledge. There, books on  every subject can be caressed and read. Want to know the difference between a reptile and  an amphibian? The answer is in the library. In addition to loaning books, many libraries also set  aside times for storytelling. Children enjoy seeing a book brought to life with puppets and other  fanciful props. Drop Everything and Read Nothing is as important as fostering children’s interest in reading. That is why Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) time is important for both parents and children. DEAR time serves not only as  a relaxation activity, but it also gives families who are “too busy to read” a time to refocus and  get lost in a tale or two. Remember, the more our children see us read, the more they will want  to read, too. Lynn Dean is a Colorado writer and the mother of three school-age children who are voracious readers.

© 2007 Excelligence Learning Corporation, All Rights Reserved.

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful....

We have been stuck inside and we seriously do not like it. Yes we sneak outside between raindrops when we can but that doesn't happen often or for very long. Then can we say cold uugh what happened to summer? Did we even have a real summer? I don't think so. I love summer for the warmth and the heat and letting the children play but on a person level Fall is my favorite season.
In the Fall season you have that crisp air in the mornings with all the wonderful fall colors on the trees and the fall smells in the air. There is something in the air that just seems like it is holding a silent waiting for just the right moment. Yes Fall is my favorite season for just those reason and why no matter how much I dislike winter and snow I will not leave this area for quite some time. I will miss my mountains and the Fall seasons here.
Then again I would also miss being "stuck" inside with my precious little ones playing and finding cool things to do. Milk experiments, painting, looking at ex-rays that a wonderful mommy brought us from her work, (Thank You Kami and Jace's Mommy) working our tanagrams, learning our Halloween music, playing with our wind tunnel and light lab so we are staying busy but nothing beats being outside but we make do.

Sierra painting

Jace painting

Ryker painting

Group painting

Group painting

chest ex-rays

hand ex-rays

Foot and Head ex-rays

Let's learn the drums 

Kaiden can drum

We can all drum

What should we sing

Milk experiment

What will it do

Wow look how many color

They are different

TOO COOL

Now what will tomorrow bring. Well stick around I have many more tricks and fun things in store to keep these inquisitive little minds busy.

Getting Children To Eat Healthy

I am constantly being asked how I get the children to eat different foods because they (the children) will not eat for them (the parents). My answer is always the same.

First, I am NOT the parent and children are always better for someone else right off than they are for their parents. This helps in the beginning so I can establish a routine and the rules.

Second, Continuity, I do not deviate away from what I say. This allows the children to know that the boundaries are set and no matter how much they are pressed it doesn't change. Believe me when I say this is what they want. To a child this is comforting. Routine, continuity, and absolute is all a security blanket to child. This equips children with the knowledge that there is a foundation in their life and it gives them the confidence to succeed.

Third, I continually keep offering foods to the children. I explain to them that food can be cooked many different ways and can taste many different ways. Also, we all sit down together to eat and what I eat they eat and what they eat I eat. Now that may seem like a "no brainer" but most times if you really look at your days you may realize this is not followed.

Fourth, and final, Fresh, Colorful, and Tasteful. I always have fresh fruit and vegetables on my counter, they are always of different colors and they are always complimenting colors. I am always talking to the children about different foods and how they are made and how the ingredients come together. When our garden was growing we talked about the roots, stems, flowers and how the vegetables come from different plants. Then have your child help prepare the food. If your child is part of the process then he/she will be more apt to want to eat it, maybe not the first, second, third or even tenth time but he/she will start. The average child will need to be offered a new food item 21 times before they will even think about trying it, then after trying it then it will take another 21 to 30 times of trying it to decipher whether they like it or not. Now also consider that their taste changes just like ours and what they do not like today they may like next month or in six month. Bottom line is don't stress, make meal times about family time, enjoy it, get to know your child, have fun preparing the meal together, making a mess with it AND even cleaning up said mess. Then when the meal is finished all of you sit down and enjoy the meal, get to know your child, listen to the funny stories, how his/her day is, who the friends are. "The table talk" will probably be the only time you have all the family together and all their attention at one time, so take advantage of it while you can.

Talin 

Gavin

Sierra

Ryker

Kaiden

Brielle

Genevieve and Kaiden

Display your vegi's

Aroma works to: Rosemary

This invites questions

Bonus is it reminds you to cook fresh

FUN, FUN, and MORE FUN

I can find fun just about anywhere, and if I can't find I make it. Now we all know that when I get a delivery that 99.9% of the time it's for the children so whatever is in the box is for them. BUT..... that can wait. The bubble wrap is just as much fun and the BOX oh my the BOX I mean really the BOX was HUGE. OH YAYAY. Then of course only I can go grocery shopping and stumble across fun and grose things to do. Yup ESCARGOTS. I thought cool, I can buy it for the shells and the children can check out the slugs, I mean snails. Yeah grose fun. LOVING IT>h

wow

Brielle poppin

Rockin the Poppin

Kaiden

grandma look

I did it

Again

Outside fun

Running just for fun

Jace 

Jace says CHEESE

Mr. Ham

Running just for fun

Kami

Kaiden 

Jace and Bandit

Ryker in outdoor quiet area

Gavin and Kaiden in outdoor quiet area

Cloud watching

oooooo what new things did Nana find

This is pretty what is it

Gavin check this out

eewwww ESCARGOTS 

I AM NOT TOUCHING THAT

OOOO yuck

they stink

Ryker didn't like the feel

ok maybe I will try it one more time

ummmmm

weeelllll