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PARENT NIGHT OUT
EFC staff will host a Parent Night Out on Friday, December 16, and will be open until 9:00 pm to allow you to do some shopping or go out to dinner. We will serve pizza and play games. The cost of this event is $20.00 for one child, $35.00 for two and $45.00 for three children. The money will be paid directly to the staff working that evening. This is open to all children and siblings are welcome. Registrations and payments are due by Wednesday, December 14.
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DECEMBER EVENTS
Santa will stop by our center on Wednesday, December 14 around 9 AM and tell us stories about the North Pole and his reindeer.
We invite our families to join us on Tuesday, December 20, between 4 and 6 PM in the preschool classroom. We will decorate gingerbread houses and enjoy some cookies and milk together.
On Wednesday, December 21, the Kid Dancers will perform their annual recital to the Brookdale seniors next door, starting at 9 AM. It will be good practice for our parent performance on Thursday, December 22, at 5:30 PM.
On Friday, December 23, the older preschool groups will sing holiday songs to the Brookdale seniors and younger children.
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HOLIDAY CLOSURES
Please mark your calendars in preparation for the holiday season. EFC will be closed the following days:
- Christmas Day: Monday, 12/26
- New Year's Day: Monday, 1/2
In addition, we will close at 5 PM on Friday, December 9, for our staff holiday party.
We understand many families have plans to travel during the holiday weeks. Please let us know your child's attendance by signing the sheets on the classroom doors no later than Tuesday, December 13. This will help us staff our classrooms correctly, and also be able to give our staff some well-deserved time off! Thank you!
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SNOW EMERGENCIES
If Especially for Children cannot open due to inclement weather or other emergency conditions, the centers closing will be announced on WCCO radio, TV and website in the morning. If weather conditions during the day make it necessary to close before our regularly scheduled time, we will reach each of you at your work places.
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CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD
During the month of December, our teachers will introduce and talk about several different December holidays and celebrations.
St. Barbara's Day-Dec. 4
: In this Syrian Legend, St. Barbara's miserly father didn't approve of her giving to the poor. However, she still made sacrifices to help those in need. At EFC, we will collect mittens, gloves and hats for Sharing & Caring Hands in honor of St. Barbara's generous spirit. Please bring in new & unused gloves, mittens and hats by December 22.
St. Nicholas Day-Dec. 6
: In Germany, children put shoes out as a sign to St. Nicholas that they are safe in bed. They awake on St. Nicholas Day to see if sweets or toys have been placed in their shoes. At EFC, children will place their shoes outside their classrooms on Tuesday, December 6.
St. Lucia's Day-Dec. 13
: In Sweden, young children dress in long white dresses with red sashes and place a crown of evergreens adorned with glowing candles on their head. Lucia's task is to serve coffee and special twisted buns
with raisins, called lussekatter, at daybreak. This celebration is for the return of light after the darkest time of the year, and the beginning of the Christmas season. At EFC, the Cubs & Polar Bear classes bake lussekatter to share with their families, and the Polar Bears will dress up as Lucia and sing traditional Swedish songs for the younger classrooms on December 13.
Las Posadas-Dec. 16
: Las Posadas (literally lodging) is celebrated by Spanish-Mexican Americans. It is the re-enactment of Joseph & Mary's trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem to find shelter before the birth of the child.
Hanukkah-Sundown Dec. 24-Jan. 1:
Jewish people celebrate this eight-day "Festival of Lights." A very special part of the celebration is the lighting of candles in a holder called a Menorah. At EFC, we will make latkes, a special potato pancake, which is typically eaten around Hanukkah.
Christmas-Dec. 24-25:
Christians around the world
commemorate the birth of Jesus. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving,
Christmas music
and
caroling,
and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, garlands, and wreaths. The Penguins, Cubs & Polar Bear classes will go caroling for the Brookdale seniors on December 23.
Kwanzaa-Dec. 26-Jan. 1
: Kwanzaa means "First fruits." The 7 principles reflected upon are unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility, cooperative purpose, creativity and faith.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF FINE MOTOR SKILLS
In a world where technology is not going away and infants and toddlers are learning to "swipe and tap", we don't want to be fooled into the idea that these activities are what children need for the development of fine motor skills. From an early age children need time to play with and experiment with materials that help them develop coordination in their fingers and strengthen their hand muscles. These experiences start in infancy when a child learns to hold a rattle and pick up food to eat. Then children move on to skills like building with blocks, playing with play dough and eventually learning to zip and button, draw and form letters.
There is real concern across the country that children are not getting enough practice with real objects. Many are going to kindergarten lacking the basic fine motor skills needed to hold a pencil and write. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends absolutely no screen time for children under the age of two, and less than an hour a day for preschoolers. Parents should not give their smart phones to babies in car seats or strollers. They should not play videos for infants and toddlers to keep them occupied. They should not take iPads to restaurants. Preschoolers should not have televisions
in their bedrooms.
Those are a lot of "children should not..." rules. But at Especially for Children we want you to be assured that we supply our classrooms with time-tested materials to help children practice fine motor skills. From crayons, markers, chalk, paints, pencils and scissors to blocks, Legos, dolls, play dough and finger paint, children have a multitude of materials that allow them to manipulate real objects and interact with people, not screens.
We thought it would be helpful to give you some ideas of activities you can do at home to help your child build fine motor skills. We have posted them on our blog with specific suggestions on how to incorporate them into your daily routines. Here is an example:
Kitchen projects
: Making homemade play dough strengthens muscles in the hands and fingers. Roll snakes and balls of all sizes: build with the balls and snakes. Your child can play with play dough at the counter or table while you make dinner.
See EFC's favorite play dough recipe on our blog.
Make peanut butter or sugar cookies that require the dough to be rolled into balls and smashed with a fork.
December is often a month with lots of cooking projects, so think ahead to how your child can participate. Not only will you be enjoying the activities together, but you can think about the important fine motor skills you are helping your child to develop. Look on the blog for even more ideas to do at home!
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TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
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Check out these activities that help support the development of your child's fine motor skills.
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