Week of Dec. 19-23

We had a lot of fun this week with Miss Jeanette talking about how children around the world celebrate Christmas in their countries!  It is amazing how some traditions are the same all around the world!

I am sure you have heard the kids singing plenty of Christmas tunes around the house over the last couple weeks!  They are all doing so great practicing their Christmas Program performance!  They are sure Santa will hear them and stop by to deliver a present!!!

Some of you have asked about exchanging presents with the kids for Christmas.  It is totally up to each indiviual family/parent if they would like to get a gift for the kids.  If they do, I would reccomend $5 or less/child.  What i do is have a bag for each child on Friday with their name on it, and it anyone brings a present for the kids, they may place it in the bag.  Then the kids open it when they get home, so no-one feels bad if they didn't buy presents.  If you chose to, there are 12 kids: Aidan, Logan, Maggie, Jack, Justin, Talon, Jeovanni, Marek, Grant, Beau, Levi and Dominic!  But once again do not feel obligated to.  I get something for everyone, as well as something small from "santa!"

If you would like to send a different shirt/sweater for your child to change into before the program on Friday, go ahead, just bring it in a bag with your child's name on it.

If you are on direct deposit, I did go ahead and adjust your payment for the week between Christmas and New Year, to only pay for Monday, Dec. 26th.  If you are still paying by check you can either add Monday, Dec. 26th payment ($30) to next week's tuition, or give me a seperate payment on Friday, Dec. 23.  Also if you would like to enroll in Direct Deposit next week would be a great time to set it up, since you won't be paying two week's at a day.  It would have to be set up and approved by Friday, Dec. 23 for it to take effect for the payment due to me on Jan. 2nd.  Let me know if you want me to get that set up for you.

Next week we will have a busy week getting ready for the party as well as making a lot of Christmas crafts, presents and decorations!

MENU:
Monday-Hot Dogs, baked beans, pears and milk
Tuesday-Sloppy Joes, carrots, fruit cocktail and milk
Wednesday-Ravioli, garlic bread, apple slices and milk
Thursday-Pizza, peaches, green beans and milk
Friday- Tacquitos, corn, pineapple and milk

I HAVE EVERYONE HAS A FABULOUS HOLIDAY BREAK!  ENJOY TIME WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHEREVER YOUR TRAVELS TAKE YOU!

Week of Dec. 12-16

Here we are...less than two weeks away from Christmas.  Let teh hustle and bustle begin!  The kids have been practicing their songs for our Christmas Program and are really looking forward to it!  Remember, we will start promptly at 4:30 on Friday, Dec. 23rd!  So be here between 4:15 and 4:30 with a charged camera/camcorder!  You wont want to miss this!

Last week we had a few days that were too cold for the kids to go out and play, but we made it through!  If the windchill is below 20 degrees, we will stay in.  If it is close, I may send the older kids out even just for a few minutes sometime during the day to run off a little bit of energy, but that 20 degree mark is my general guideline!

We had Music Class last week on Friday and the kids sang a lot of Holiday Songs with Tasha!  They really enjoy their time with her!

Thursday this week, we have our last travel Tots for 2011!  They will also being doing some Holiday themed activities with Miss Janette.

Menu:
Monday- Chicken Nuggets, oranges, carrot slices and milk
Tuesday- PB & J sandwiches, green beans, pear slices and milk
Wednesday- Spaghetti, garlic bread, fruit cocktail and milk
Thursday- Fish Sticks,  applesauce, corn and milk
Friday- Crunchy Tacos, mixed beggies, peaches and milk

Week of Dec. 5-9

Wow, here it is, Wednesday already, where does the time go?!

This week we celebrated Levi's birthday on Monday.  He is 2 years old and loved when we all sang him Happy Birthday!

On Friday we have Music Class with Tasha at 11:00.

I was hoping to do a Parents Night out next week since I know this is a super busy time of year for everyone, and we could all use some free time.  But unfortunately, that goes the same for me!  We have too much stuff going on, and it wont work out, but would like to try doing it in January once my own schedule slows down a bit!  I will plan a date and let you know.

MENU:

Monday- Spanakopita, apples, carrots and milk

Tuesday- Cheeseburger Macaroni, green beans, bananas and milk

Wednesday- Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, fruit cocktail and milk

Thursday-Chicken Patty sandwiches, strawberries, corn and milk

Friday-Turkey Wraps, pears, mixed veggies and milk

ONLY 17 MORE DAYS TO CHRISTMAS!  HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Week of November 28- December 2

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to spend lots of time with friends and family!  That is what the holidays are all about after all!  We had a great Thanksgiving feast of hot dogs on Wednesday and loved our Turkey hats that we made! 

We also had a chance in the last couple weeks to play in the snow!  The kids had such a blast!  they even got to get out the sleds and make snowballs!  Here are some pictures of all our fun!

Aidan showing the little kids how to snowboard!

Big kid sledding during nap time!

Jack and Justin having a blast!

Talon having a quick SNOW snack!

This is Marek!  He joined out daycare group last week and is doing great adjusting to his new group of friends!  Say hello to his parents, Mike or Katie if you see them!

Pajama day was a lot of fun as well!  The kids loved hanging out in their jammies all day!  We played lots of games with our teddy bears, even launched them around on the parachute!

This week we will beginning our new December curriculum, which means I will send home our newsletters and CD's very soon!  Thanks to Jeovanni's mom Jessica for donating some new CD cases for our music!  The kids will also help me decorate Daycare for Christmas on Thursday!

Wednesday is SHOW AND TELL!  Help us finish off the "Changing Seasons" Curriculum by bringing something from home to show your friends what your favorite season is!

Next week on Monday my mom, Linnea, will be here on Monday, Dec. 5 during naptime to cover for me so I can get to an appointment.  She will also be finishing off the daycare day on Friday, Dec. 9th so I can head up north to celebrate my birthday with some friends!  So nice to have an awesome mom as a back up, and the kids all love her!

MENU:

Monday:  Chicken nuggets, carrots, pineapple and milk

Tuesday: Tuna Hotdish, peas, apples, dinner roll and milk

Wednesday:  Sloppy joes, fruit cocktail, green beans and milk

Thursday:  Corn Dogs, grapes, mixed veggies and milk

Friday:  French Toast sticks, ham, corn, pears and milk



Week of Nov. 21-25

We are trying to cram a whole lot of fun into one short week!

Tuesday we will be having pajama day! Send your kids in their p.j.'s, and send along a favorite stuffed animal to have some fun with during the day! You may also send a flashlight if you'd like for a special slumber party story time and game!

Wednesday we will be having our Thanksgiving Feast! And no it will not be traditional! Instead of a turkey and all the fixings, we are going to transform pigs in a blanket into some delicious looking turkeys! And making a special treat!

Thursday and Friday I am closed to spend time with family for Thanksgiving!

MENU:
Monday: Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches, carrots, pears and milk
Tuesday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, apple sauce, green beans and milk
Wednesday: FEAST! Pigs in a blanket, baked beans, fruit cocktail and milk!

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!

Week of Nov. 14-18

We had a fun week last week celebrating Maggie's Birthday on Tuesday and having Music class on Friday!  Also did some great crafts for our seasons theme this month!

OUR BIG FIVE YEAR OLDS!

Also last week, Grant joined our daycare group.  He will be three is January, and is a little ball of energy like most little guys are!  Say hello to his mom Kayla if you see her around at pick up or drop off time!

Last Friday was Kahina and Kathy's last day.  Their housing situation changed rather suddenly and they had to make a lot of adjustments, including stopping daycare for the time being.  They would love to have Kahina come back someday when the timing is better!  So Poor Maggie is back to being the only girl AGAIN!  It will be such a relief for her next year to go to kindergarten and actually have other girls to play with!!!!

This week on Wednesday we have Travel Tots at 11:15.  We will be having a new teacher this week and I look forward to meeting her!

MENU:

Monday- Grilled Cheese sandwiches, pears, carrots and milk

Tuesday- Beef Stroganoff, green beans, pineapple and milk

Wednesday- Chicken Patty sandwiches, fruit cocktail, corn and milk

Thursday- Tacquitos, apple slices, sweet peas and milk

Friday- Macaroni and Cheese, Spinach, bananas and milk

REMINDER- NEXT WEEK I AM CLOSED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FOR THANKSGIVING!

And a couple of you have asked, so just wanted to let everyone know that it is for certain that I will be using the remaining 4 (unpaid) vacation days for the Year, Dec. 27-30 so I will be closed from Christmas Eve- New Years.  And I also noticed when I printed off Holiday lists for the new parents, that on the old ones, I did not have Jan. 2 on there, probably becuase it is techinically NEXT YEAR! Since New Years Day falls on a Sunday, the federal Holiday for New Years is Monday, Jan. 2, so most businesses are closed to observe New Years.  I will also be closed.  So Daycare will re-open Tuesday, January 3!

My first Christmas Program!  4 years Ago!

I will have a new Holiday list for 2012 by our Christmas program for the parents, on Dec. 23 at 4:30! This show is something you dont want to miss...so plan on being here to watch your child perform!  More info to follow in the next week or two!

November Newsletter!

Another month has begun!  We have already dove right in to this month’s curriculum!  We are learning about the Changing Seasons!  There is an emphasis on Autumn, but we will be discussing all four to work on the differences between them!  I wonder which will be your child’s favorite!

            Our letters for the month are: Ww, Uu and Tt!  We have moved on to the numbers 5 and 6.  The month’s colors are orange and yellow and are not hard to find this time of year!  Our shape is the rectangle and will be incorporated into our curriculum in many ways this month!

            We will be having a Thanksgiving feast, Show and Tell and Pajama day this month…so be sure to check the blog weekly for reminders of these events!

CALENDAR:

Wednesday, Nov. 2- Travel Tots 11:15

Tuesday, Nov. 8- Maggie’s 5^th birthday celebration!

Friday, Nov. 11- Music Class, 11:00

Wednesday, Nov.16^- Travel Tots 11:15

Wednesday, Nov. 23- Thanksgiving party and feast!

THURSDAY, NOV. 24-25: CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING

Wednesday, Nov. 30- SHOW AND TELL- Bring something to tell your friends what your favorite season is!

*I have seen great improvement in name recognition, tracing and writing from the 3-4 year olds!  Way to go Parents!

*Also keep having your children work on getting ready to go outside on their own!

Snow will be here any day now, so make sure your child is prepared with snow boots, snow pants, hats, and waterproof mittens since we do play outside still everyday.  (above 20 degrees windchill)  Feel free to leave a pair of snow pants here on the hooks!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

"Trick or treat, Smell my feet, give me something good to eat!"

What a fun morning we had at our Halloween Party!  We made pumpkin rice krispie treats, decorated with M&M's and Hershey's Kisses!  They were a big hit!  Then we watched The great Pumpkin Charlie Brown while I got the rest of our fun ready!  We made a SPOOKY Halloween bat, ate our pumpkins, then went on a Monster Scavenger hunt and used the peices we found to build our very own Frankenstein!  We went for a little walk to show off our costumes, but the neighborhood was pretty quiet this morning, so we didnt have much of an audience!

Justin assembling our not so scary monster!

Dominic could not wait to eat his Rice Krispie Pumpkin!  No waiting for the party or decorating for this guy...



Maggie looking for the last peice of Frankenstein's arm...I told her she was REALLY WARM!

This week we have Travel Tots on Wednesday at 11:20.

We will also be starting our November theme- CHANGING SEASONS!

Watch for the Monthly Newsletter as well as CD's to come home soon!

MENU:

Monday- Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets, fruit salad, peas/carrots and milk

Tuesday- Deli sandwiches, apples, green beans and milk

Wednesday-French Toast Sticks, Ham, Corn, pineapple and milk

Thursday- Cheeseburger Macaroni, oranges, carrots and milk

Friday-Fish Sticks, Mixed veggies, bananas and milk!

HAVE A SAFE HALLOWEEN!





Week Of Oct. 24- 28!

Wow!  What a great Family vacation!  The kids loved every part of it!  Even though when we got back I asked them what was their favorite part, their response: "SWIMMING IN THE HOTEL POOL!"  The actual parks came in at about 3rd place apparently!  But the trip was action packed from one Disney Park to Another for 3 straight days!

After watching Shamu at Sea World

The family at magic Kingdom!

This week we have a pretty laid back week at daycare!  We will be finishing off our Ocean Commotion Curriculum for the month of October, as well as doing some Halloween crafts to decorate for Monday's Halloween Party!

The temperature is supposed to drop this week, so be sure to be sending WARM sweatshirts or jackets, and possibly hats or mittens if needed.  And unfortunately I would say it is time to retire those sandals and wear some warmer shoes!  If you can work with your children on getting their jackets on and zipped (using the flip method is the easiest at first!) as well as being able to do hats and gloves, it will ease our transition into winter gear a whole lot!

MENU:
Monday- Closed
Tuesday- Baked Penne, garlic bread, apple slices and milk
Wednesday- Chicken Patty Sandwiches, pears, green beans and milk
Thursday- Chicken Tacos, corn, oranges and milk
Friday- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, bananas, carrots and milk

Week Of October 17-21

Last week the kids had a blast with Tasha in Music Class!  I love how excited they get on days when we have our classes!

I also started a Reward program.  If you child goes above and beyond at daycare, I have special stars that they could get pinned to their shirt so everyone knows that they earned it!  There are ones for being a kind friend, a great listener, and a big helper!  Talon was the first to earn his star last week!  He got a kind friend star for spending some time playing with the younger kids!  Thanks Talon!  He got to bring home a sucker to go with his star!

For any of you who have not done it yet, please take your child to get their flu shot or flu mist.  We go get our at the Target Clinic.  Very quick and convenient.  It really does help keep everyone in better health through the cold and flu season.

LUNCH MENU:

Monday- Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches, carrots, grapes and milk

Tuesday- Halloween Macaroni and Cheese, applesauce, peas and milk

Wednesday-Meatballs, bananas, green beans, dinner roll and milk

This week on Wednesday we have our Travel Tots class with Carrie!  Jeovanni's big sister will also be spending the day with us since school is out on Wednesday!

THURSDAY, FRIDAY, and NEXT MONDAY DAYCARE IS CLOSED!

Aidan and Logan are so excited to visit Mickey Mouse this weekend!  It's truly the most magical place on Earth!

Eagles Nest Buy one get one free link..

Hey Daycare parents, I know how much every kid loves the Eagles Nest Playground at the New Brighton Community Center, so if you are on facebook, they are offering a buy one get one free coupon for admission to the indoor playground.

Follow the link below, it says you can either print it off or just show it on your mobile device in order to get the deal!

It is only good throught Oct. 14th.



https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150328576714024&id=60408739023

October 10-14

I am very pleased with the progress our new friends have made at daycare in such a short time!  They are all beginning to make friends and get down the new routine!  This really is a great group of kids!

For any of you have not yet met our new friends and families...here is a little bio about each!




Kahina is 3 years old.  She lives with her mom, dad and brother in their home in Northeast Minneapolis.  She has been taken care of by her grandma until this point, but was looking for some new friends and an educational setting!  She has been a blessing to Maggie, who loves having another "big girl" to play with!  Say hello to her parents, Karin and Mourad if you see them!




Kathy, Kahina's Cousin, will be four in December.  She is "sharing" the spot with Kahina! They are so close with each other, so much so that they refer to each other as sisters! I have heard from so many of you parents about how they are both so beautful and I agree!  Kathy is very animated and is excited to be here.  She will spend Mondays and Tuesdays with us here at "school!"  She lives in Columbia Heights with her parents,  Farroudja and Essaid, but you will see Kahina's parents around a lot doing pick ups and drop offs for Kathy as well!

This is Levi!  Levi is almost 22 months and lives with his mom, Jessica.  Their home is in Crystal, but her work is just a mile or so away!  He has also spent a lot of time with grandma!  He is such a sweet, sensitive little guy with an adorable smile!  He will make a great playmate for the new batch of boys here!





Taragi did great with us for  few weeks, but due to a sudden and unexpected change in her mother's hours and job location, she will no longer be joining us at daycare.  I have a few prospects lined up for the open spot, but if you know if anyone looking, feel free to give them my number!

This week we have our Music Class on Friday, from 11:00-11:30. 

MENU:
Monday- Taco Burgers, corn, fruit cocktail and milk
Tuesday-Pancakes, cheese cubes, pears, and orange juice
Wednesday-Tuna casserole, peas/carrots, oranges and milk
Thursday-Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, bananas and milk
Friday-Chicken tenders, apples, green beans and milk

OCTOBER IS FIRE PREVENTION MONTH!  This is a great time to double check your smoke alarms and Carbon monoxide detectors.  Also take the time to discuss and practice a  fire drill with your children, including an escape plan and a safe meeting spot.  I am going to line up a fire truck visit at daycare for the end of the month...if only I knew a Fireman?!  ;)

For More Fire Fun... check this out!

New Brighton Fire Department Open House

The New Brighton Fire Division will be hosting our fourth annual Open House on Monday October 24^th from 6:00pm-8:00pm at the Public Safety Center, 785 Old Highway 8 NW. There will be snacks, fire trucks, firefighters, and the State Fire Marshall’s Kitchen Fire Demonstration Trailer. Come on down and enjoy the fun.

ONE LAST REMINDER THAT DAYCARE  IS CLOSED NEXT THUR, FRI, AND THE FOLLOWING MONDAY!  MICKEY MOUSE-HERE WE COME!!!!!

Our new Reading nook, with a special bookcase with books about our month's
curriculum, holidays or seasons!

T-shirts and shorts in October!  YAY!

The girls playing Barbies...AT LAST!

The whole gang playing outside! Enjoying the summer like temperatures!

Week of Oct. 3-7

Last week, Taragi and Levi did great at daycare. Both are adjusting well to their new routine and surroundings! This week we have Kahina starting. She is 3 years old and really looking forward to coming back to play with our toys! When she went home after our initial meeting/interview, she apparently packed up some personal belongings and told her mom she was going back to my house now!

This week on Wednesday we have Our first Travel Tots class of the month at 11:10-12:10.

October is National Eat Better, Eat Together Month. My food program representative sent this article to me this morning and I thought it had some great information and ideas for families, so I will pass it on!

http://food.unl.edu/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=aef5ba2b-eb28-49af-a25b-2db5292e432d&groupId=4089458

MENU:
Monday-Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, pears, green beans and milk
Tuesday-English muffin Pizzas, apple slices, carrots and milk
Wednesday-Cheeseburger Macaroni Hotdish, bananas, corn and milk
Thursday-scrambled Eggs, breakfast sausage, applesauce, oranges and milk
Friday-Chicken nuggets, fruit cocktail, mixed veggies and milk

Have a fabulous week and don't forget to introduce yourself to any of our new parents!

October Newsletter

Where did September go?!  Time is going by too fast!

In October, we have some fun things planned!  Our school theme for the month is "Ocean Commotion."  And there are tons of fun activities to go along with our curriculum!

We will be learning about the letter Ss, Oo and Dd.  While we are learning the letters, I will also be introducing the sounds they make using the "Jolly Phonics" system they use in kindergarten at Bel Air.  Each letter/sound has a hand or body gesture to go with it.  It is just something extra your child can associate the sound with and will help them remember our sounds!  It is been very effective with Logan this fall in kindergarten.  He is already reading some three letter words with the 13 letters they have focused on this month.

Our numbers for the month are 3 and 4.  And we will be learning about the triangle. And of course our colors are blue and purple to go with our ocean theme!



I am really working on recognizing and writing (or tracing) names with the 3 and 4 year olds.  The first step to doing this and recognizing their name.  I have names on our cubbies, names on our chairs at the lunch table, etc.  Make sure you are working on ALL the letters in your child's name since 3 out of 4 of the boys all start with J, they really struggle with whose is whose!

Once they can recognize their name, then I have them practice tracing it.  Typically, I will use a marker and write it myself, then have them write over it.  It is very important that they start working on holding a pencil or marker correctly...with their fingers not their WHOLE hand.  As they start tracing the name correctly, then I switch to a lighter colored marker, or start dotting their name, making them work a little harder to do it on their own.  We always do it with an uppercase letter at the beginning and then the rest are lower case.  It doesn't make sense to teach it one way (all uppercase) and then make them learn it a whole new way before school!



CALENDAR:
Wednesday, Oct. 5- Travel Tots 11:10-12:10
Tuesday, Oct. 11- OCEAN SHOW AND TELL!   
Friday, Oct.14: Music Class 11:00-11:30
Wednesday, Oct. 19- Travel Tots, 11:10-12:10
THURSDAY, OCT. 20-CLOSED FOR MEA
FRIDAY, OCT.21- CLOSED FOR MEA
MONDAY, OCT. 24- CLOSED FOR VACATION DAY
Monday, Oct. 31- HALLOWEEN PARTY- Come dressed in your Halloween costume for a fun party.  PLEASE BRING A BAG WITH CLOTHES TO CHANGE INTO AFTER OUR PARTY.