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FALL IS HERE...
The leaves are falling and the temperature is dropping - fall must be here! Our teachers are planning lots of fun and festive activities to help us celebrate the coming of autumn. At home, a family walk to celebrate the season can turn into an outdoor adventure. Bring journals and crayons to make leave rubbings or bring a bag to collect treasures. Once home, kids can use their treasures to make a festive fall collage!
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DENTAL DAY
On Thursday, October 6, Zeis Dental from here in Normandale Village will be here to discuss dental hygiene with the children. They have visited us before and are excited to be back for another visit.
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READ-A-STORY THEATER
On Wednesday, October 12 the Richfield Read-A-Story Theater will be here to perform 3 stories for the children.
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FIRE TRUCK VISIT
Fire truck visit with the Bloomington Fire Department on Friday, October 21 at 10:00. Children will learn about fire safety and will be able to tour the fire truck.
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EFC FAMILY HALLOWEEN PARTY
On Thursday, October 27, EFC will be hosting a Halloween Party from 5:00-6:30pm. There will be games, snacks and fun for the whole family. Please sign up at the parent table if you plan to attend.
Have a spooktacular Halloween!!
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PICTURE DAY!
On Friday, October 14 Lifetouch Photography will be here to take our fall pictures. We will begin taking the children's pictures at 8:00, with class pictures last. If Friday is a day your child does not attend, we encourage you to come for pictures if you are able. We would love to have everyone be a part of their class pictures.
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COMMUNITY EVENTS
- Citywide Halloween Party on October 31 from 6:00-8:00 at the Bloomington Ice Garden. Children will enjoy trick or treat alley, open skating, games, prizes and much more. Admission is free but they will be accepting non-perishable food donations for the VEAP food shelf.
- Wood Lake Nature Center Barnyard Boo - This is a family friendly, non-scary event full of activities including a trick or treat trail, magic show, games and much, much more. This event is Saturday, October 22 from 3:00-7:30. Tickets are $5 but Friends of Wood Lake members are free.
- PUMPKIN FESTIVAL - Held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 22 at 50th & France. Trick-or-treating at area businesses, games and more. www.50thandfrance.com
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FRANKENMUFFINS
These spooky muffins get their green color from spinach that kids can't taste and their sweetness from a banana!
Heat oven to 350 degrees and coat 16 muffin cups with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup each all-purpose and whole wheat flours, ¾ cup sugar, 2tsp baking powder, ½ tsp each baking soda and salt, and 1 ½ tsps cinnamon. In blender, puree ¼ cup canola oil, ¾ cup milk and 6oz (6 cups packed) fresh baby spinach until smooth, then blend in 1 large banana and 2 tsp vanilla. Fold liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Fill each prepared muffin two-thirds full and bake for about 18 minutes.
Recipe originally published in October 2014 issue of Family Fun magazine.
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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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