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ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY!
Join us for our annual
Halloween Party
Thursday, October 27, from
6:00-7:30 pm.
*Carnival-style games
*Light snacks
*Merlajean Puppet Show
from 6:15-7:15 p.m.
*Dress in costumes (and yes, even mom and
dad can wear a costume if they wish!)
Feel free to bring a decorated pumpkin on
Wednesday evening or Thursday morning
for our pumpkin carving contest.
(Families will vote for their favorite
pumpkin at the party on Thursday night with
prizes awarded!)
In order for the party to start
at 6:00 pm,
we are closing EFC at 5:30 pm Thursday, 10/27.
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FIRE TRUCK VISIT
Eden Prairie's fire truck will visit our
center on Wednesday, October 5 at 10:45/11:00 am. The firefighter will talk to the toddler and all preschool-aged groups. Children will be able to go inside the fire truck to see what it looks like on the inside as well.
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PUMPKIN PATCH FIELD TRIP
Preschoolers will visit Emma Krumbee's
Pumpkin Patch in Belle Plaine on Tuesday, October 11. Our bus will leave at 9:00 a.m. with parent volunteers welcome. Each child will choose their own pumpkin, get to jump in a
haystack, ride "tractor bikes" and even
receive an apple to bring home. It is always
a fun day!
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LOOKING AHEAD
Mark your calendars: EFC will be closed on
Thursday, November 24 and Friday,
November 25 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
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PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
At Especially for Children we have parent-teacher conferences twice a year. The fall conferences will be held beginning in late October and move into November. Sign-up sheets will be located in your child's classroom closer to the time of that teacher's week. Each conference lasts about 20 minutes. If you feel you will need more than that, please discuss this with the teacher.
Parent-teacher conferences are the perfect time to talk about your child's development and progress. During the month of October, we will be giving you more resources in regards to our Desired Results Developmental Profile which we use for both planning classroom as well as individual goals for the children. There are 3 ring binders in the front entrance room with the continuums for both infant/toddler and preschool. If you would like to view online:
For infant/toddler:
For preschool:
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CROCKPOT APPLESAUCE
Serves 4
Prep: 5 minutes; Cook 4-6 hours
Ingredients
4 large apples
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup water
Directions
Peel and core apples; cut into quarters.
Add apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, brown sugar and water to crockpot.
Cover and cook on low 4 to 6 hours, until apples are very tender.
Mash with the back of a fork or potato masher.
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| Angie Williams |
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INTELLECT, THEN ACADEMICS
Every child is, by nature, an intellectual being--a curious, sense-making person, who is continuously seeking to understand his or her physical and social environments.
- Peter Gray, Ph.D
An intellectual mind is one that seeks to understand meaning through questions, observation and analysis. As children grow, their innate intellects develop--they are always trying to make sense of the world around them and their own place in it.
Academic skills
are those geared toward a correct answer; they are learned through practice, memorization and formulas. Academic skills can aid in intellectual pursuits, and they become necessary as children enter their school age years. But research shows that for young children, fostering the intellect through play-based learning curriculum first is vital to the development of lifelong skills in all areas.
Clancy Blair, Professor of Cognitive Psychology at NYU, has studied a neurobiological model of school readiness. He has found that "preschool programs are best when they focus on social, emotional and intellectual goals rather than narrow academic goals. On the basis of his model, an intellectually rather than academically focused approach is most likely to yield desirable 'school readiness' as well as longer term benefits." (Lively Minds: Distinctions between academic versus intellectual goals for young children, Lilian G. Katz, PhD).
Young children who are exposed to environments that stimulate their intellectual curiosity through play, investigation and social interactions enjoy the learning process because it stems naturally from the way their minds work. And when children begin to attribute meaning to academic concepts, they will find more long-term success in mastering those concepts. For instance, they may think, Why does science matter, and what makes it interesting? It helps me to figure out what my mind is naturally curious about (e.g. Why is it cloudy today? Will it be cloudy or sunny tomorrow?)
Furthermore, learning environments that emphasize emotional and social development help children to acquire lifelong skills such as resilience, self-regulation and initiative that are tied to school and work success:
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In many studies, behavioral self-
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regulation contributes to achievement even after controlling for initial achievement levels and other background variables such as child IQ, age, ethnicity, and parent education level."*
At Especially for Children, our goal is to create learning environments that support intellectual, social and emotional development first. We then introduce academic concepts in a developmentally appropriate way so that intellectual and academic development can support one another.
For more information on this important topic, read:
Angie Williams
Marketing Director
*School Readiness: Integrating Cognition and Emotion in a Neurobiological Conceptualization of Children's Functioning at School Entry, Blair
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TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
10/22-10/30 (wknds) ZooBoo, Como Zoo, Saint Paul
Apple Orchards & Pumpkin Patches
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These amazing directors have been with Especially for Children for over 20 years! We are incredibly grateful for their hard work, dedication to children and families, senses of humor, commitment to the staff at their centers and so much more.
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