C hrist the King Community Daycare
   68-02 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle  Village, NY 11379
                               718-417-6770
                             WWW.CTKNY.ORG
Monthly Themes
C olor(s) : Purple & Pink
Concept: Baby Animals, Insects, Growing Plants, Flowers & Vegetables   

Shape: Make Your Own 

Letter(s): W, X, Y 

Number(s)

Ages(1-2): 9

   Ages (3-4): 17, 18 

Important Dates

April 29th -
May 3rd 

May 5th
 Cinco De Mayo 

May 6th-10th
Nurse Appreciation Week

May 8th
Pre-K Closed Staff Development
 
May 10th

May 12th
Happy Mother's Day!
  
May 20th-24th
Teacher's Appreciation Week

May 27th 
Memorial Day!
Pre-K and Daycare is Closed

May 30th
 
May 31st
June 18th
SAVE THE DATE
Pre-K Stepping-Up Ceremony
May 2019
Newsletter 
 
 
May is here and finally some cheerful spring weather.  One of the most exciting highlights of April was our Earth Day celebration.  The children planted with their best buddies, the MVP Charter School students.  A very special thank you goes out to them for their friendship, fun, and patience with our Daycare and Pre-K children.  Please take the time to stop and enjoy the spring gardens your child's class has planted and join us in watching as their plants come to bloom.    
 
One stellar experience we had this month was our interactive, imaginary trip to "Outer Space" right in our Daycare hallway.  Our Threes and Fours had an amazing follow -up lesson when they visited the H.S. gym and experienced a journey into outer space with a real Mobile Planetarium, presented by Cosmic IQ. (www.CosmicIQ.com )
   
With the advent of Spring, we will be spending more time outdoors.  The classes will be going on nature walks and following up with the care and watering, while also measuring the growth of their plants and flowers.  We will learn about baby animals, and insects and their life cycles. Our Painted Lady butterfly larvae will arrive this month, and we hope to release the mature butterflies before Memorial day.
 
We will also be encouraging the children to be more physically active than ever.  As their large motor muscles are developing in leaps and bounds, the children will have lots of opportunities through exercise and games, such as, soccer, freeze dance, musical chairs, red light green light, parachutes and more.  We also support children as they develop specific skills, like jumping, kicking, catching and throwing.  These are skills that the children will use for a lifetime of physical activity, including sports.
 
Happy Mother's Day to all of our Moms and "Mommy's Helpers!"  Please stop and enjoy our Mothers Day Brunch from 7:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. on Friday May 10th.


  • Our Daycare Center is open from 7am - 7pm. 
     
  • As the weather changes, please remember to make sure your child's cubby contains weather-appropriate clothing.  We also appreciate all of our parents continuing to bring in diapers and a box of wipes twice each month on the 1st and the 15th.
  • We like to recognize the hard work and dedication of our teachers everyday, however, during the week of May 20th we will be celebrating Teacher's Appreciation Week.  It is a special time to say "Thank you" to our very special teachers. 
  • When calling the facility, please keep in mind that calls should be ideally made between 12-2pm while the children are napping.
  • We ask that you do not allow your child(ren) to run ahead of you when entering and leaving the facility, it is a safety issue. Especially when exiting the building, children should never open the security door.
  • Strollers that are left in our storage area must be closed

We thank you for your cooperation with these matters.

Little Einsteins 
 
 
Science with Snugglies II
Science is all about exploring the world we live in, and the babies in Snugglies II do this everyday.  Whether we are indoors or spending some time outside, these children are using their senses to learn and explore.  Last month Snugglies 2 explored Science by adding food coloring with water and popsicle sticks in trays and freezing it to make ice cubes.  We then used the ice cubes to paint with.  We had fun feeling the cold and wet in our hands and some of us in our mouth.  We colored blue clouds and raindrops and yellow spaceships!   
 
Science with the Sunflowers
Science is presented in your child's everyday life.  The Sunflowers love doing hands on project with science.  In April, the Sunflowers mixed colors and made Easter eggs together!  The children were asked to identify the colors they wanted to use.  After they mixed the colors and a new color was made, the children were asked to identify the new color. After the children named the colors, we slightly cracked the hard boiled eggs and put them into the food coloring.  When the eggs were dried, Miss Linda and Miss Ashley peeled them.  Because the egg was cracked before being put in the food coloring, the hard-boiled egg had a marbled look to it.  The Sunflowers really enjoyed seeing the eggs go from white to the colors they specifically created! 
 
Science with the Ducks
This past month, the Ducks explored the theme of "Plants."  Students observed the different parts of a plant and had to label the different parts.  Students noticed how water and nutrients can be carried through a vegetable or flower.  We added food coloring in water and then placed a piece of celery in the water. Students made predictions on what would happen to the celery.  The class was able to see how the water moved through the celery by observing how the celery leaves changed colors.
 
We also observed how lima beans grow.  Students placed a wet piece of paper towel in a cup.  Then they placed a lima bean seed in between the cotton balls.  The class made predictions about how quickly the lima beans would grow.  For the following weeks we carefully observed the growth of the lima beans and adjusted our predictions.
 
Another science activity students did this month was matching the plant to the environment it grows in. Students observed different plants and different environments.  Students had to match the plant to the correct environment and describe the environment the plant grows in.  For example, students matched a cactus to the dessert and a palm tree to the beach.  As you can tell, the Ducks had a great time learning about Science last month.
 
Mathematicians
                                 
 
Math with the Puppies
The Puppies learn so much about numbers and shapes, both from singing and flashcards at Circle Time, and from following our daily routines. In the morning, they love to come in and help make their own breakfasts. While helping to press the numbers on the microwave, they learn to say the numbers they are pressing. At lunch time, a teacher will count the plates and forks out loud with the children, as they set the tables. When pizza day arrives, we show the children that a box is a square, the pizza is a circle and the slice is a triangle. The Puppies especial love when we read the book, "10 Little Bugs." They love touching and helping me count the number of bugs left on each page. We learn so much in the Puppy room each and every day!

Math with the Chipmunks
The Chipmunks love learning about Math and they like playing the number memory game. We use flash cards, which are double number cards from 1-12.   On each card is a picture (one turtle, two bears, etc.) of that number. The cards are shuffled and placed number side down on the table. Everyone is told that each one gets a chance to turn over two cards. They have to pay attention to the cards turned over so they know the position of the numbers. This is so they can match the number cards when it's their turn. The class has a lot of fun playing this game as they help each other point to where the matching number card may be. They get so excited each time a match is made by their fellow classmate. This helps enhance their socialization skills by working together. The number memory game is not only fun, it also is helping the children improve upon their number recognition, hand to eye coordination, and short term memory skills.
 
The Chipmunks also reinforce numbers when we go out to play. When we are in the playground, we count the number of planes in the air, number of cars and trucks that pass by and how many birds we can find in the trees. We also count how many children and teachers there are in the playground. The Chipmunks enjoy counting every day.
 
 
Math with the Turtles 
This month, the Turtles have been learning all about plants.  While doing many planting activities, we included a number of Math skills, such as counting, measuring and recording observations.  For starters, we noticed how petals fall off certain flowers and we thought it would be fun to count the number of petals that fall off of each flower.
 
We also planted seeds in the hopes that flowers would grow in our classroom.  We counted the amount of seeds we put into each cup of soil.  The Turtles measured how much soil we would need in each of our cups, and how much water and sunlight we need in order to make the plants bloom.  We also have been comparing the height and sizes of various plants around our classroom and the plants that we see outside in the playground and soccer field.  Finally, we turned our dramatic play center into a Flower Shoppe and sold our home-made flowers for a "profit"- we used our classroom money, of course!
 
Little Picassos
                           
 
Art with the Angels
For the month of April, the Angels created many fun and exciting art projects. We celebrated Earth day at the end of the month by creating bunnies out of recycled water jugs.  To create the bunnies, the teachers mixed white paint and glue inside of a water container.  The Angels then took turns shaking the jug, mixing the paint all around. Next, the Angels glued ears, a nose and the final touches to the bunny.  This project was fun for the children to create, while reinforcing fine motor skills.  The Angels loved to see their bunny craft displayed in the classroom.

Art with the Bumblebees
In honor of Spring, the Bumblebees learned about rain, rainbows, and how plants grow. We planted our own flowers in the classroom. The children love to water their flowers and watch the seeds grow into plants. The Bumblebees also loved creating Spring art projects. We painted flowers to hang above our cubbies. The children used their hand-prints to create the petals. They loved painting with their hands so much, that we did another project making spring chicks with their hand-prints. They painted the chicks yellow, and then they glued the white egg shells and eyes to complete the scene. The projects were messy, but we all had so much fun!
 
Art with the Bears
The month's theme, "Plants and Flowers" was explored throughout all of the centers in the classroom.  The students were able to engage in many multisensory activities.  During small group, the students explored with the smart board playing a game of sorting clothing and shoes by seasons.  The Bears learned some new songs that aligned with our theme.   In the art center the children, first talked about different types of flowers and parts of flowers by looking at many pictures.  We learned how flowers have roots, stems, leaves, and petals.  During meeting time the children observed the different parts of a flower.  The Bears then painted flowers using different pictures of flowers as a sample.  All the children had such a great time painting flowers that they couldn't wait for them to dry and hang them in the hallway.    
 
Musicians in the Making
                                 
Music with the Bunnies
Last month the Bunnies had a lot to sing about.  They are starting to repeat more words and sing along to Mr. Kenny's music time songs.  Their favorite song is "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom," where they get to sing and shake little egg shakers.  The Bunnies love to dance, so we try to incorporate as many songs as we can throughout the day.  They especially love "Baby Shark."  Their favorite part is when they have to run away. They are so adorable as they run in place as fast as they can.  The Bunnies also love going to the Music and Movement Room, where they get to play with many different instruments.  They love to use the bells and shakers.  This specialty room also has a BEAM that projects games onto the floor.  The children use their feet to manipulate the projection.  One game, in particular, that the children enjoy is "The Xylophone." With this projection, the Bunnies get to run across the floor and make music as they step on a key. They love to dance to their own music.   Music time is always a great time for the Bunnies.    

Music with the Dolphins
During the month of April, we explored the theme of "Plants."  The children learned how plants grow, how to nurture plants, what plants we can eat and where we can find different types of plants.  As a class, we performed music activities about plants.  One music activity we did was called, "Movement Dice."  We created a dice with pictures of different stages of a plant life cycle.  Students would roll the dice and then use their bodies to dance out what they see of their roll of the dice.  For example, if they rolled the dice on the fully grown plant, some students stretched their bodies out completely and spun in a circle. They felt this represented a full grown plant showing all the other plants how beautiful it has become.   
We also read the book, "Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move," by Joann Early Macken.  We performed dance moves based off of words from this text.  For example, it talks about how wind can lift maple leaves off the tree.  The maple leaves then fly off the tree like shiny green helicopters spinning and spinning.  As a class, we put on music and pretended we were maple leaves flying off trees.  We spun around and eventually made it to the ground.  Some students spun around fast, others spun around slow.  It was up to the students to decide how fast they wanted their movements.  
 
Another example from the book involved students working in pairs for this music movement.  One student pretended to be a dandelion and the other pretended to take a deep breath and blow the dandelion away.  Both students had to dance out the movements.  Students who were the dandelion all acted differently.  Some dandelions were blown away strongly, and others were blown away softly.  It was interesting to see how students performed the same activity, but had their own style of dance moves for it.  
 
Technology Tots &
Athletes in Training

                
 
Gym Time with the Kitties
The Kitties not only love playing in the gym, it's also a great place to work with them on learning direction from music!  We bring the radio into the gym and have "Moves and Motions Time."  We do things like play Freeze Dance. We march like dinosaurs, and walk like robots.  We even use our fingers to dance with our finger on our nose, heads and cheeks!  While the Kitties see this as fun and silly time with their teachers, (which it definitely is because we enjoy it just as much,) what they don't realize is how much they're learning just by hearing the person on the CD give us directions!  It's one of the teachers' favorite times of the day, just as much as it is the Kitties themselves! 
 
Tech Time with the Monkeys
The Monkeys always have a great time when going to the computer room. The Monkeys especially enjoy playing and learning on the website Starfall.com.  All year the children have been learning three new letters every month.  The "Starfall" program helps the children to learn new vocabulary that corresponds with each letter.  In April, the students have been working on the letter "T."  "Starfall" provides the children with different words that begin with the letter "T", such as, "T" is for tree or train.  The website also provides the students with an emphasis on the sounds of the letters.  This broadens the children's minds to different ways of thinking about the alphabet, and reinforces the concepts we are learning about each month.  The Monkeys love taking turns selecting letters and pictures on the touchscreen computers.
 
Gym Time with the Lions
In April, the Lions took advantage of the great spring weather and played some new outside games.   Each day when we went outside the children loved playing with the spaceship hop scotch board, but it always seemed like they wanted a little more.  So, what do we do when are kids want something...we make it happen.  We cut out some footprints and laminated them.  Then we attached them to some colored circles and we headed outside. With 22 footprint circles and 5 red circles we were set to play our new game.  The circles were set up in the playground like a long trail.  Each circle was facing a different direction and the 5 red circles were jumping circles.  Each child took a turn hopping and jumping through the course.  After each child took a turn, they wanted to go again and again, and they wanted to switch up the circles in their own directions.  Sometimes it just takes a little imagination and teachers who love to see their little Lions happy to make things happen.
 

Tech Time with the Pandas
Last month, the Pandas explored the theme of "Plants."  In our technology center, we used the Smartboard to explore plants in many different ways.  We were able to see a video on the life-cycle of a flower and learn about many different types of plants and flowers, such as Sunflowers, Cactus, Venus flytraps, Roses, Daises etc.
On the Smartboard the children also had a blast playing interactive games.  One game that the Pandas really enjoyed was "The Flower Game."  In this game, the Pandas were shown flower stems with a specific number and had to match the corresponding amount petals to each stem.  The Pandas were also able to click on different colors to make their flowers customizable.
 
Another game the Pandas enjoyed on the Smartboard was "Matching the Habitats."  In this game, the Pandas were shown a type of plant and were to match the plant to its habitat.  For example, if it was a cactus, the children were to click and drag the cactus to the image of a desert. Along with games, the Pandas learned new songs such as "The Farmer Plants the Seed" sing along and also learned the importance of planting to provide fruits and vegetables that we eat everyday!
 
The Nurse's Station
   
 
With the warm weather here, our children are able to spend more time outdoors. This calls for a couple of reminders.
 
Below are a few important reminders:
  • Please remember to apply sunscreen every morning.
  • Please bring in sunscreen labeled with your child's name.
  • Sunhats or caps are a great shield from the sun but please consider safety.  Be sure that hats or caps do not obstruct your child's view. 
  • Keep in mind your child is wearing the proper footwear.  Sandals and flip-flops look adorable, but may become a potential hazard for running and climbing.  Please see that your child is wearing toe-enclosed sandals or sneakers. 
  • Please remember to replace your child's cubby with weather appropriate clothing. Make sure all items are labeled with your child's name. Please take notice of replacing your child's spare clothing.
Absences
Anytime your child is absent, due to an illness, we must have a doctor's note stating what was wrong with your child and that it is okay for your child to return to school. If your child is diagnosed with a contagious illness please inform the school so that we can take preventive measures and eliminate germs from spreading. Additionally, if you plan a vacation or are just keeping your child home for the day, please notify the front desk and your child's teachers.
 
Please Keep in Mind: The 24 Hour rule of thumb!       
Students may return to Daycare or Preschool after the following:
  • 24 hours without a fever (and without taking fever reducing medications such as Tylenol or Motrin)
  • 24 hours without nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (and tolerating a normal diet)
  • 24 hours of receiving medication (such as antibiotics)
 
 
Happy Mother's Day!
 
Quotes
Angels
One morning when Mason was playing with the toy cars, he picked one up and said, "SUV!"
 
Bumblebees
While eating breakfast one morning, Niles announced, "I ate all my eggs. I'm a big boy!"   
 
Bunnies
Cooper was done with his snack and said, "I'm done" to a teacher. When the teacher asked if he wanted more he replied, "I said I'm done. Up! Up!" 
 
Bears
While the children were in our flower store (Dramatic Play Center) the children were so excited to set up at a flower shop. The children were excited to sell flowers, seeds, gardening tools, flower pots and gardening gloves. The children decided to label how much all the items will cost, the boys were in the kitchen (Aiden, Thomas, Damian and Antonio) and they said, "We are going to sell these flowers for $1349 dollars.  We are going to make them so expensive so the girls can't buy them."  Mackenzie was walking by and heard what they were saying.  She said, "Well I have a gold credit card and I can buy all of those flowers at once."  Thomas said, "No way, we don't take golden credit cards at this store," and all the boys were laughing.  Mackenzie said, "Well then, I will buy them at another store."
 
Chipmunks
  The Chipmunks were doing their afternoon circle time with Miss Doreen.  She asked the class what they had done in the morning with Miss Nancy and Miss Maryan. Tori answered, "We watched Miss Nancy ride a horse in the parking lot!" 
 
Dolphins
Penelope said, while learning about how to nurture plants, "Miss Theresa, we are just like plants.  We need food and water to help us grow big and strong.  We drink water and have snacks every day. So it is important to feed plants or else they won't grow."
 
Ducks
When making predictions on how big the lima beans will become Zoey said, "It will grow big into the sky like Jack and the bean stalk."

Kitties
Whenever we get ready to clean up to go outside, Mateo walks around saying, "Outside? Outside?" Even as we're walking down the hall, he points to the door and says, "OUTSIDE?"
 
Lions
One afternoon as Miss Melissa was leaving Jamison asked where she was going. Miss Melissa said to go get her son and go home, to which Jamison said, "You're not a mom. You're Miss Melissa and you can't leave because you live here."
 
  Monkey
One morning during breakfast Olivia said, "Miss Diane, my Mommy is smart."   
 
Pandas
When exploring seeds in the Science center, Aria told Ms. Krystal, "I love planting with my brother in my garden.  I want to plant a really tall tree so I can climb it."  Julia W. then added, "I have a big tree in Pennsylvania, and my daddy is going to make me a tree-house!"

Puppies
The Puppies have so much fun playing with each other. Ana Sofia's best friend is Lia and one week Lia went on vacation. After a week when Ana Sofia saw Lia came back she hugged her so tight and smiled so big! 
 
Sunflowers
Harris recently went on a trip to the Dominican Republic. Harris looked at Miss Linda and said, "Miss Linda I am going to take you to the beach!" Miss Linda replied, "Okay, but maybe you should tell mommy and daddy first" and laughed. 

Turtles
One morning Miss Samantha brought Ipads into the classroom to teach the students how to use them during center time.  Olivia asked Miss Samantha, "Where did she get the ipads?" to which Miss Samantha replied, "At the apple store."  Olivia proceeded to ask, "How can you by Ipads at the Apple store if they sell a bunch of Apples?"