Licensed Home Child Care

Spring is on it’s way. Soon we will see little green sprouts and buds. Please bring in at least one short sleeve shirt for their extra clothes bin for warmer days.

This month we will be learning about Dr. Seuss, the wind, seasons, and balloons. We will be going to 20 and then start with 1 again for our numbers this month.We will also be doing St. Patrick’s Day activities. Our numbers are 20,1,2,3; the letters T, U, V and W; all the colors of the rainbow (for St. Patricks day), colors are orange and lavender; and the shapes of the pentagon and hexagon. We will also be going over the concepts of position and direction. As always we will be working on small and large motor coordination, singing, reading together, finger plays and other fun activities.

Special Days:

Friday, March 7th: Pajama Day: Wear your favorite pajamas. Also bring in a favorite Dr. Seuss book to read or DVD of one of his books. If you have the Dr. Seuss book called “The Lorax” please be sure to bring it in. We will be reading as many Dr. Seuss books as possible as we cuddle up with our blankets and pillows.

Sunday, March 9th Daylight Savings: SET CLOCKS FORWARD.

Monday, March 17th St. Patrick’s Day Celebration: Wear Green or get crazy and wear a rainbow of colors (just be sure to have green somewhere). We will be making shamrock cookies on Thursday. Please bring in a green or rainbow snack to share with friends (green apples, pears, kiwi, celery, jello, colored gold fish, Trix Cereal or the like, green juice, etc.) The day will be centered around the color green and a hunt for the Leprechaun “gold” and “shamrocks”.

Things to do together: Take a spring walk and note differences in the trees, grass, etc. Sing songs about spring together (look online there are a lot). Go see the movie “The Lorax” together and read Dr. Seuss books. Show pictures to your child and discuss how they have grown (great subject since we will be talking about how living things grow).

It is already December. Where did the year go? Winter will soon be upon us officially (Dec. 21). If there is snow on the ground then please bring in heavy jacket, gloves, boots, snow hat, and a snow suit (highly recommended) so we can play outside.

This month we will take a break and do a review of the shapes (square, octagon, diamond, star, circle, crescent, rectangle, and oval), numbers 1 - 15, colors (green, blue, red, yellow, black, white, and brown), and letters (A - O). We will also be learning about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa along with Christmas traditions around the world to learn about cultural diversity. Christmas music will be played and sung (religious and non-religious). We will also have fun arts, crafts, cooking, finger plays, stories, etc. to go along with our holiday fun.

Special Dates:

December 13th: Holiday Party and Pajama Day. I will put out a sign up sheet the week before. We will watch a Christmas Movie and read Christmas books. Bring in a new or gently used book costing $5 or less to exchange. Connor will give to Ian, Ian will give to Connor, Zane will give to Isaac, and Isaac will give to Zane.

Thursday, December 19th to Wednesday, January 1st: Holiday Break we will be CLOSED. Please let me know if you need child care during this time so I can help you find care.

Things to do with you child: Make a card and/or gift for a family member or friend. Go visit Santa. Go sledding together. As always read together daily. You might want to read about Christmas, different holidays, or traditions.

Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Hanukkah! Happy New Year!

The weather is getting colder. If you are not sure how the weather is going to turn, please send your child with a sweater, warm jacket, and a winter hat. When it snows please bring in a snow suit, snow gloves, snow hat, and snow boots. Reminder sharing of things that start with the letter and number of the week is on Wednesdays.

This month we will be learning about ducks, cars and trucks, horses, turkey and being thankful. We will be doing art, activities, songs, flannel boards, etc. around these themes. Other things we will be learning are the letters L-O ; shape of a rectangle and oval; the color white and brown; the numbers 12-15. Fine motor skills will be worked on by spooning and transferring objects and beading large beads. Large motor skills will be rolling and throwing a ball. The concept of big and little will also be learned.

Special Days: Friday, November 22nd: Thanksgiving Feast (I will make a sign up sheet the week before.)

November 28th and 29th: CLOSED Have a great Thanksgiving! 

Things to do together: Read books about Thanksgiving, cars, trucks, and the animals we are learning about. Visit a farm. Make a card for a friend or family member together. Have Fun! Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall has officially arrived and the cold is now upon us. Please make sure you bring in pants and long sleeved shirts, but leave one or two short sleeved shirts for warmer days. You may also want to bring an extra pair of mittens and a hat for colder days just in case you forget them or the weather turns. You can also bring in slippers or traction socks (to keep here) for inside if you want.    

 I hope you are enjoying the preschool program. I would love to hear feedback on what you think. The kids seem to enjoy it and are doing well with the new routine. This month we will be learning about the stars, sun, pumpkins and how they grow, trains, and the moon. This months colors: yellow and black; shapes: star, circle, and crecent; numbers: 7-11, letters: G-K.

Special Dates:

Halloween Week fun stuff:

October 28-31: Monday - Hat Day (Wear your favorite or silly hat). Tuesday - Pajama Day (bring a Holloween or fall DVD to share if you have one. We will pick one to watch). Wednesday- Wear Orange day. Thursday– Holloween party (Dress your child up if you want. Nothing scarry. I will have a sign up sheet the week before for our party snacks.)

October 14th preschoolers: Please bring in a mini pumpkin and a small pumkin (about the size of a grapefruit to a large cantaloupe. No bigger please. We will be doing activites with them all week.) Together we will carve a big pumpkin that I will provide.

Donations: If you have any old magazines we would love to have them. Please no fassion magazines. I have plenty from past donations and they don’t have much we can use in them. Food, home decorating, sports, and parenting magazines have great pictures in them for collages. Thank you.

Something new for preschool Sharing: Bring one thing that starts with the letter of the week and a group of the number of the week items for us to count (ex. food (has to be gluten free), toys, or other items. You can put them in a paper bag or reusable bag and they will be returned at the end of the day they can be small items because I will put the bag up after group time. This will be on a Wednesday every week: Oct. 2 – G, 7; Oct. 9– H, 8; Oct. 16- I, 9; Oct. 23- J, 10; Oct. 30- K, 11.

 Things to do with your child: Go to the circus it is in town until Oct. 13th. Sing a favorite song together. Go for a walk and watch the leaves fall together. Make up a story together. Read at least 15 minutes a day together. Books to read together: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (my favorite) and Good Night Moon by Jane Yolen are great October books. You can also go to the library and read books about our themes.

Summer weather is on it’s way out. Please bring in warmer extra clothes for cooler days, but keep the cooler clothes for hot days. Our fall school program is in full swing. Please have your child here by 8:15am (if you don’t want your child to miss out) so we can get ready to start our day and welcome our friends at group time which starts at 8:30. If your child gets here after 7:45am please feed your child breakfast before you come so that he/she will not miss out on any activities and we can start our day on time. This month will be all about getting back on schedule, but still leaving a day or two a week where we can spend the morning at the park while the weather is still warm.

The weekly toddler/preschool themes this month are Kittens, Eyes, Lighthouses, and Rainbows. We will also introduce the letters C - F; the numbers 3 - 6; colors will be blue and red; and the shape of a diamond and octagon. The concepts of patterns and matching will also be introduced. We will be working on the character traits of being orderly (putting away things away and in the right place), attentive (listening when someone is talking), teachable (following rules), obey (doing things the first time asked) to make learning more enjoyable and instill good habits. This is only some of the things your child will be learning. Babies will continue to work on the signs of “milk” and “drink” and learn the signs of “more” and “all done”. We will also continue with naming body parts, clothing, playing age appropriate games, some of the same activities as the toddlers/preschoolers, finger painting (9 -10 months and up), and other activities.

Dates to Remember: September 2nd: Labor Day - CLOSED

September 3rd: Conner’s first day September 8th: Grandparents Day. We will be sending home cards to send out to grandparents on the 4th.

September 23rd: Fist day of fall. We will talk about fall and collect fall leaves to make a leaf rubbing (our tradition).

September 26th: Johnny Apple Seeds Birthday. We will be learning about Johnny Apple Seed and doing activities with apples. Please bring in your child’s favorite apple to share.

Things to do with your child: Take a nature walk and collect fall leaves, look for their differences and similarities, and talk about the changes that are going on. Bake together. Read a book about what we are learning this month. Work on character traits by making up games.

Well the summer is winding down and the big kids will be going back to School. Water play will continue to the end of the month. We will be having end of the summer fun until the big kids go to school and having an end of the summer picnic.

Our Fall Preschool Program (Ages 2 to 4 years) will start August 19th. We will be using Brightly Beaming Steps to Reading Prepatory Program (http://letteroftheweek.com/Preparatory.html) and The Amazing Action Alphabet Program (http://seeheardocompany.com/) as a base for this years program along with my own ideas and other resources. This is a weekly theme program. Since it really does not cover art we will be doing art related to the weekly theme or other open ended creative art. This month we will be learning about Cows (The Farm) and the Jungle. We will be learning the shape of a square; the color green; letters A and B; and numbers 1 and 2. We will also be reading books, poems, and rhymes; singing and listening to songs; doing gross and fine motor activities, art, and other activities.

A babies and toddlers program will also be done for ages infant to 2 years. I will be using ideas from Brightly Beaming Babies and Toddlers (http://www.letteroftheweek.com/nursery_age_0.html and http://letteroftheweek.com/nursery_age_1.html), Baby Time curriculum (http://www.pammshouse.com/infantcurriculum.html), my own ideas, and other resources. It will be based on the age and development of each individual little one. Doing art starts at 9 to 10 months old and consists of finger painting, coloring, painting with paintbrushes and other things, and gluing things on paper. We start with finger painting and move on when they are ready. This month we will be learning the signs of the words milk and drink, naming body parts and articals of clothing, playing age appropriate games, some of the same activites as the preschoolers, and and finger painting.

Special Days:

Tuesday, August 13th: We will have an end of the summer picnic.

Thursday, August 15th: CLOSED for my daughter's first day of Kindergarten and orientation.

Monday, August 19: Fall Preschool and Infant/Toddler Programs Beging. Big kids go back to school.

Ideas: Exercise With Your Child Week is August 6th - 12th so plan picnics, hikes, walks, swimming, park, etc. Go to the library and get books about our theme and read them together under a tree. This time of the year is an amazing time to get outside with your child and explore.

Summer is in full swing. Since we will be having random days of water activities please make sure your child has a change of clothes and check your child’s clothes supply weekly. We will now be doing water play on most Thursdays (instead of Fridays) where we will need a bathing suit (a towel would be good too) so we can run in the sprinkler and get really wet. This can be brought on Thursdays or stored at child care.

The first week of June we will be having Independence day activities and learning the colors of the flag. Since a lot of our morning time will be spent outside going to the park and doing fun activities we will continue with our all about summer theme. As always we will spend time reviewing the basics of alphabet, shapes, colors, and numbers 1-10. We will also learn the concept of sink or float this month.

Special Days: Wednesday, July 3rd: Indepence day lunch and activities.

Thursday, July 4th: CLOSED Happy 4th of July!

Saturday, July 27th: In honor of Parent’s Day (Suday, July 28th) we are hosting a parents night out from 5pm- 10pm. We ask for a $3 cover charge for food and the night is FREE. Please RSVP ASAP.

Fun Ideas: Go to the library and get books about our theme and read them together under a tree. This time of the year is an amazing time to get outside with your child and explore, take a trip to the zoo, and other fun outdoor activities.

Summer is on it’s way. Please remember if your child comes in open toed sandals they need to be wearing socks to protect their toes. Also please swap out you child’s winter clothes with short sleeves and shorts. I would still keep a pair or two of long pants for cooler days. It is that time of the year. If you have not turned in your new contract, handbook, and forms, please do so by Friday, June 7th along with your renewal fee. This is very important and needs to be in sooner if possible.

This month we will be celebrating Father’s Day (June 14th) by making a gift, card, and sweet treat for Dad. We will also be celebrating the incoming of summer this month, which begins officially June 21st. June is National Dairy Month and we will learn about products that come from cows. Since summer is a great time to be outdoors playing games and exploring our world we will spend a lot of time doing outdoor activities and working on our gross motor skills. We will have an all about summer fun general theme. Review of alphabet, shapes, colors, and numbers 1-10, and one to one ratio. We will also be playing with play dough, finger plays, music and movement, books, and rhymes.

We will start water play Fridays on June 7th (No water play the 14th). Please bring in a bathing suit, water shoes, and a towel. You may bring them each week or keep them at child care. We will have fun running in the sprinkler (as long as it 80 degrees or warmer), “paint” with water, have “car washes,” play in the water table, spray water fish, and anything else that will get us wet on these days. Water will be used on a lot of the days for the summer so expect wet clothes.

Special Days:  June 13th - 14th Father’s Day Sweet Treat the children will be bringing home their special treat that they made and a gift.

June 17-21 CLOSED for Summer Vacation

June 24th We will be having a picnic outside with our teddy bears. The day will be focused on the fun summer activity of having a picnic. Of course we may have picnics any day this summer.

Fun Ideas: This is time of the year is great for evening walks, picnics, and trips to the park. Take your child out to an open space and fly a kite together. As always reading to your child for at least 15 minutes a day is a great way to bond.

The weather is so up and down so please make sure your child has warm and cooler extra clothes. On warm days, if you send your child in sandals, please make sure they are closed toe to protect their toes. If you have not already done so, please send in a new sunblock (SPF 30 or higher and fragrance free please). We are required to have new ones each year for the children.

This month we will be leaning about plants and bugs. We will be searching the neighborhood and backyard for bugs with a magnifying glass and learning about some of the many bugs we may find outside. We will also be learning about the life cycle of the butterfly and how a plant grows by planting our own seeds. As always their will be large and small motor activities as well as finger plays, songs, rhymes, flannel boards, working on letters , colors, numbers, and other skills. We will also do activities for Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day.

Special Days: May 3rd we will be talking about Cinco de Mayo and making maraca’s.

May 10th we will be having our Fifth Annual Mother’s Day Breakfast at 7:30am. We always have so much fun. We will be serving eggs, pancakes, and juice. Please let me know if you will be attending ASAP. Happy Mother’s Day! The grade school kids don’t have school, so they will be joining us.

 May 23rd Last day of school for grade school kids. May 25th we will be having Memorial day Activities.

May 27th: CLOSED for Memorial Day Reminder: Annual Renewal forms are going out this month. Please have them signed and in by June 1st along with the $50 renewal fee. If you have been with me for less then 6th months you will not have to pay the renewal fee until next year, but you will have to sign the 2012-2013 handbook. As a thank you for a great year I am offering a free night out (5pm to 10pm on an evening of your choosing as long as we are not busy. Please let me know so we can set this up).

Things to do with your child this month: 1) Go for a walk and look for the simple things in life. Then have your child draw what they discovered. I am sure even a scribble will be a bug or flower to your child so see if they will tell you what they drew. 2) Check out books from the library about plants or whatever your child is interested in reading. Remember to read to your child at least 15 minutes a day. 3) Tell your child a story about yourself and/or your family when you were a child. If you have your favorite children’s book when you were a kid read it to them or go to the library and get it together. Have fun!

It is an amazing and beautiful time of the year as Colorado becomes green again. Please remember to start bringing in short sleeved shirts and maybe some shorts for extra clothes just in case your child gets messy on a warm day or they get hot. Please include long sleeves and pants for cool days. If your child wears sandals please make sure they are closed toed (or your child wears socks) and have a strap on the back for safety. Also sunscreen needs to be replenished yearly, so please bring a new one in if you brought one in last spring (SPF 30 or greater and preferably fragrance free). Thank you in advance.

This month we are going to focus on weather, pets, and celebrating the Week of the Young Child. We will also learn about the letters M,T,U; reviewing numbers 1-10; mixing colors with white; the concept of On and Off; and doing some more sorting and graphing.

Special Days/ CLOSURES: April 1st - 5th- CLOSED for Spring Break. Thank you for making it possible for me to spend quailty time with my Mom and family. It really means a lot to us.

April 14-20 Week of the Young Child http://www.naeyc.org/woyc: 4/14 Sunday- make it a special family day 4/15 Monday- Crazy Hair Day/ Messy Day/ I Can Create 4/16 Tuesday- Hat Day/ I am Special/ I Can Express Myself Through Writing and Drawing 4/17 Wednesday- Teacher Appriciation Day / Favorite Character Shirt Day/ What I Want to be When I Grow Up 4/18 Thursday - Parent Appriciation Day (children will make a special treat for parents)/ Fitness Day 4/19 Friday- Child Apprication Day /Ice Cream Social (You are welcome to come at 4pm to make a Ice Cream Sunday/ Books Make My World Come Alive 4/20 Saturday- Zoo Day. Lets meet at the zoo and celebrate our families together. As long as the day is not rainy or snowy ;). Monday, April 22rd Earth Day: We will be talking about the Earth and how to keep it clean. We will have a nature walk where we will pick up trash together. Tuesday, April 23rd: Bring in your favorite “pet” stuffed animal to share and do fun activities with.

Ideas of things to do with your child: Explore out doors. Talk about taking care of our earth. Read outside together.