Did you know that you can make cool designs on paper using glue, salt, and food coloring? What about making your own birthday decorations instead of spending money on items that can be easily made? In today's world, we have modern technology to thank for sharing ideas, recipes, and kid friendly projects that create hours of fun. (especially on days like our recent snow day!)
The following websites are easy to use and offer a variety of ideas and activities to pass the time, engage in family time, or to just expand our creative experiences.
www.pinterest.com
www.pbskids.org
http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/kids-websites
www.nickjr.com
www.familyfun.com
These websites offer cool activities, recipes for food and science experiments, art projects, and games. Next time you are home and looking for something to do with your little one, spend some time exploring one of these sites to create a fun filled day!
*Cool Art Activity to Try:
What you will need: construction paper, glue, salt, and food coloring
What to do: Take the glue and create whatever design you want on the construction paper. Use a salt shaker to sprinkle over the glue design. Make sure glue is covered in the salt and shake excess salt off of the paper. Take the food coloring and drop one drop at a time on the glue/salt design. Watch the colors spread all over the design to create a cool art project. This activity is great for kids who want to make their own name signs for their bedroom door- just hang when it dries!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
Being Prepared for an Emergency
In this day and age, we are more
prepared than ever for disasters and emergencies. We keep extra supplies around
the house for snow days; have flashlights and umbrellas in our cars, and even
extra methods of heating and cooling our home in case of power outages. But how
prepared can one really be?
In the event of cold weather and
possible snow storms and blizzards, it is especially important to review your
car and home supplies for emergencies. Do you have a first aid kit in your home
or car? How about a flashlight? Or more importantly, what about bottled water
in case of freezing pipes or if your car stalls or gets stuck in the snow?
Remember to have items available for your little ones to keep them entertained during the emergency situation. Have flashcards, books, puzzles, battery operated games, and other games stored in a safe location in your car and home that are only used in case of an emergency. These items will work as a distraction for your family while you wait for the situation to become safe or while you wait to return to your normal routines.
Please take a few minutes to read
and check over the lists to help better prepare you and your family for emergencies
and disasters. Remember to have the
following numbers available to you:
1. Police/Fire Department/EMT
2. Gas and Electric Company
3. Poison Control
4. Towing/Insurance company for
car issues
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Being Thankful
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and more
often than not, we remember the turkey but forget all of the reasons we should
be thankful. Just yesterday, we were able to celebrate our freedom and vote for
a President. It is never too early to share with our children reasons why we
should be thankful. In fact, showing our gratitude and appreciation for things
will instill in children just how important it is to remember there are always
people less fortunate than we are. During the holidays, take some time as a
family to do one of the following activities about being thankful. Each
activity is a way to bond as a family, create conversations about others, and
allowing children an opportunity to demonstrate their reasons for being
thankful.
- Talk about the freedoms we have in America and then compare them to other countries that are less fortunate in their way of life whether it be poor environment, limited freedoms, opportunities for health care, jobs, or religious freedoms. You could create a diagram or chart to show what America has and what others do not.
- Create a family banner. (We enjoy having families do this for their child’s classroom and if you make one, you could bring it in and share with the class as well.) A family banner shows your appreciation for your family thru pictures, short descriptions of the people who matter most, and even our appreciation for our pets.
- Create a list of things you are thankful for on one side of a piece of paper and then on the other side create a list of things you could do for others. (During the holidays, there are always ways to donate time, items, or purchase things for the less fortunate. You can learn about these things through charity organizations, local churches, and schools.)
- During Thanksgiving, take a portion of your meal to an elderly neighbor or someone who lives alone who might not have any place to go during the holidays.
We are thankful for YOU and YOUR family during the
holidays! Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Reducing Germs
Did you know that we…..
- Wash hands before and after every meal, water or sensory activity, and after bathroom, art, and when we blow our noses
- Brush teeth after our lunch time meal
- Use separate nap sacks for blankets on our cots
- Have individualized cubbies and storage spaces
- Use a cleaner and a sanitizer on surface areas before and after use
Do you know why we do all of these things? We want
to protect each child and staff member of our center from unnecessary germs. We
believe your child’s health and safety, as well as that of the staff, is very
important to our center and it is our goal to reduce the spread of germs when
possible.
We encourage the children to wash their hands with
warm water and soap for 20 seconds. It is important to practice this at home
too. Your child will understand the hand washing procedure better if they
understand that they need to do it at home before and after eating, after
petting their animal, after using the bathroom, and after blowing their nose. Ask
yourself how often you wash your hands and it will make you think twice about
forgetting.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Prevent Bullying
The month of October is full of areas to observe,
learn about, participate in, and be aware of. One of the topics I think is
really important to touch on is the National Bullying Prevention Month for
October. As child care providers, we often see children resolving their
differences with little guidance by their teachers. On occasion, we might have
to intervene to offer positive resolution in the conflict. There are moments
when we might not realize that bullying could be happening to one or more
children.
As
a child care center, we do NOT tolerate any form of bullying by the children,
staff, or families. We value everyone as a unique individual. Our value and
self-worth is primarily developed by the actions and words of our peers. When
bullying occurs, the value and self-worth of a child lowers and can create
problems for the child.
Please
take a few minutes to visit the following links on how to recognize, address,
and do your part in the prevention of child bullying.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Reading and Books
One of the most important parts of our curriculum at Cox Children's Center is through reading books. Children enjoy learning through books and seeing pictures of things they want to learn about. While at the center, our teachers spend time reading books and looking at books with your children about the current project or other topics of the day.
Looking at books and reading stories is something you can do at home with your child too. Reading can reduce some of the "busy" moments children have and encourage a calm time instead. You may want to read a book before bedtime, after a lot of gross motor time to transition to calmer/quieter activities, or if your child is interested in something you could find books about the subject to extend their play/interest.
Another way to link school to home would be to reread the book(s) read in the classroom or to find books with similar subject matter. Our center participates in monthly Scholastic book orders and book fairs. If your library at home is rather small in size, consider ordering from Scholastic this month. Book orders are due September 20th and order forms have been sent home today.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Five Fun Things to do with Your Kids
There
are times, as parents, when we run out of ideas on what to do with our
children. We can only do some much playing outside, watching a movie or
coloring at the table. Sometimes some of the best things to do is learning how
to make homemade items and then getting to play with them. These are great
activities for rainy days or days you want to spend indoors. My top five
favorite homemade recipes are for the following: sidewalk chalk, pizza, paints,
play dough, and bubbles. Check out these cool recipes and "how to" videos to see
if your family would enjoy one of these activities!
- Homemade Sidewalk Chalk-
- Homemade bubbles-
- Homemade play dough- http://www.kiddinaround.com/pages/3-Easy-Recipes-for-Making-Homemade-Play-Dough.html
- Homemade Pizza-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wme_RCxUE4o
- Homemade paints-
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