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40TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!
Join us for a 40th birthday celebration on Thursday, August 11 from 5:30-7:30pm. We will be at South Valley Park located on the corner of Cahill and 70th Street. Dinner and games will be provided! Please sign up at the front desk no later than Monday, August 8 with the total number of family members you are bringing. We hope to see you there!
GOOD LUCK NEW KINDERGARTENERS!!
On September 1, we will bid farewell to the children who will be starting Kindergarten and those school agers that have been with us over the last 3 years. We have loved getting to know you and being part of your early childhood years. We know you have a lot of fun memories of our school and we hope to hear about your continued adventures in elementary school. Best of luck to all of you! We hope you will stop by and visit us!!
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JUMPERS
We will have two jumpers at EFC on Wednesday, August 17. Please make sure your child is wearing socks that day in order to participate. Thank you!
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PLANNING AHEAD
EFC will be closed on Friday, September 2 and Monday, September 5 for Labor Day. Please have a safe and fun holiday weekend.
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WHAT YOUR CHILD IS LEARNING
"TOYS AND GAMES"
LITERACY:
enhances vocabulary and language by talking with them as they play with toys and games, introduce new descriptive words like shiny, dull, pointed, curved, etc.; helps learn about letters and words by talking with them as they manipulate magnetic letters, letter blocks or letter tiles; strengthens children's knowledge of print by encouraging them to draw and write about designs and constructions they make.
MATH:
helps develop problem solving skills as they construct, design and assemble materials. Encourage putting puzzles together, making designs with pattern blocks, sort and classify objects; develops number concepts as they count beads, blocks and teddy bear counters, use terminology such as more than, less than, the same as; explores patterns and relationships by providing collectibles such as keys, buttons to create own patterns; teaches about geometry while working with two and three dimensional shapes; develops spatial sense by describing how the needle is going in and out as they work with a sewing card, include board games to help teach about directionality and use terms like forward, backward, beginning and end; develops an understanding of data collection, organization, and representation. Show children how to create graphs by organizing collections of rocks, leaves or toys cars.
SCIENCE:
teaches concepts about physical science, such as balance, strength and gravity by encouraging them to build with Legos or other small construction toys; teaches about life science by using puzzles and games that feature plants and animals.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
teaches about people and how they live by encouraging them to work cooperatively and solve problems together; teaches about spaces and geography when board games like "Candyland" or "Chutes and Ladders" are offered.
ART:
encourages development in visual arts by including open-ended construction toys so children represent their thoughts, ideas and feelings in a concrete way.
TECHNOLOGY:
promotes awareness of technology by including toys with moving parts such as gears, hinges or wheels.
*The Creative Curriculum by Diane Trister Dodge
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FUN AROUND THE AREA
Dakota County Fair: August 8-14
National Night Out: August 2
Lake Hiawatha Neighborhood Festival: August 3
Pioneer Day (Newport): August 14
IndiaFest (St. Paul): August 20
Minnesota State Fair: Aug. 25-Sept. 5
The Summer Spectacular (Farmington): August 27
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DEVELOPMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS: WHY THEY MATTER
Everyone seems to agree that "relationships matter." But what is it about relationships with young people that matter?
That is the question currently being studied at the Search Institute. What they are finding is that, in addition to the fact that the caring interaction of adults is central to young people's development, there are some other elements of relationships that further enable a child to thrive.
Search Institute has adopted the term
developmental relationships to describe relationships in a young person's life where a person does other things in addition to expressing care. That person can be a parent, teacher, or even a friend or peer.
The most transformational relationships for a child are those that:
Express CARE - "Show that you like me and want the best for me."
CHALLENGE Growth - "Insist that I try to continuously improve."
Provide SUPPORT - "Help me complete tasks and achieve goals."
Share POWER - "Hear my voice and
let me share in making decisions."
Expand POSSIBILITIES - "Expand my horizons and connect me to opportunities."
These
developmental relationships powerfully and positively shape a young person's identity and help the person develop a thriving mindset. A thriving mindset can be summarized as the orientation not just to get by in life, but to flourish - not just to survive, but to thrive.
Some other aspects of these relationships are that each person in the relationship is both contributing to and benefitting from the relationship. And, although a single relationship can be powerful, young people grow most when they experience multiple developmental relationships across multiple environments.
So, to bring this all into perspective for your family, we hope that the relationships your child is forming at Especially for Children can be some of his/her first
developmental relationships. We want to support and challenge your child. By working with your child in the classroom, with his peers and in all of our daily activities, we are striving to influence your child's educational performance and behavioral choices. We want to give your child the confidence to persevere in the face of difficulties and distractions. We want your child to develop a thriving mindset.
For more information about the Developmental Relationships Framework, go to:
http://www.search-institute.org/sites/default/files/a/Dev-Relationships-Framework.pdf
* Information for this article taken from Search Institute.
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TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
Science Museum of MN, Saint Paul
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The gardens at our schools are transforming before our eyes. It has been a wonderful experience for the children to plant, water, weed, observe, cook and taste! We've had some special visitors in our gardens including many bugs and even some baby bunnies! Check out a gallery of our gardens on the blog.
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