AUGUST 2018
Greetings!

GOODBYE, KINDERGARTENERS
Towards the end of August, we will bid a fond farewell to the children who are starting kindergarten. 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 look forward to hearing about your continued adventures in Kindergarten. Best of luck to all of you! We hope you will stop by and visit us!!
CENTER HAPPENINGS
HIGH TOUCH HIGH TECH
On Thursday, August 23, “High Touch High Tech” will be here again to lead the children through hands on science fun. The program theme the children will be learning about is “Baby Animal Games”. They will explore the world of animals and discover what makes each animal special. This program will begin promptly at 9:00, so please have children here and ready to explore about animals!
PARENT REMINDERS
GETTING TO KNOW YOU!!
Tuesday, August 7, is National Night Out! If your neighborhood doesn’t already throw a party, be the family to start the tradition. This is a great way to get to know your neighbors and be part of a neighborhood watch!
PLANNING AHEAD
Especially for Children will be closed on Friday, August 31, for a Staff Development Day and on Monday, September 3, for Labor Day.
IN THE COMMUNITY
FAMILY EVENTS IN THE AREA
The nations largest free Irish Fair is August 10–12, on Harriet Island. This is a unique annual celebration with a children’s area that will have entertaining and interactive activities for kids of all ages.

Saint George’s Greek Summer Festival , August 18–August 19. Experience a weekend in Greece without leaving Minnesota! This is a weekend full of Greek food, dancing, games, and fun.

Minnesota State Fair , August 23–September 3.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
GREAT, GROWING GARDENS!
Check out the progress on our summer gardens throughout EFC!
PARENT RESOURCES
SUMMER SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
Try this fun science experiment with your child to talk about the life cycle of a plant as well as what a plant needs to grow and flourish!
Materials needed:
  • 4 small plastic cups
  • 4 stalks of celery
  • 4 different food-colors

Directions:
  1. Add 10 drops of food coloring to each cup (1 color per cup), then add ¼ cup of water to each cup.
  2. Place 1 stalk of celery in each cup. Notice how the color begins to leak up the celery almost immediately!
  3. Let the celery soak overnight, then take a peak in the morning to see the changes!
Image from: laughingkidslearn.com
ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS
PriscillaWilliamsEFCPres
PLAYING WITH NATURE
With only one month left of summer, I’m assessing whether or not we have taken full advantage of Minnesota summer at our house. We have done lots of swimming and biking. We eat as many meals as possible outdoors. And we interact with neighbors as we are out working on our lawns and playing with the children. That part I find especially fascinating as toddlers to teenagers to adults play games and mingle in front yards. It is such a relaxed and special time.

But during our hours inside we tend to gravitate to the same activities we do throughout the year. We play board games, do a little coloring, read stories, chat about our days and do household chores. Hey, why couldn’t we fold laundry on the patio instead of on the living room couch? And the spot for reading stories could move under a tree or on lawn chairs.

My goal for August is to bring the inside out. We started the other night when our grandson wanted to play Candyland after dinner. My husband said, “Let’s take it outside and play on the patio table.” What fun it was to enjoy the incredible weather while playing a favorite family game. After we finished, we stayed outside to play “I Spy with my Little Eye.” It was a whole different experience than playing the same game inside.

We then went over to one of our birch trees and examined what the Japanese Beetles are up to. We found a couple of toads hopping across the lawn. We picked a few weeds. It was a great evening outdoors.

During August I want to do some projects with materials from nature. We will collect items from around our neighborhood and sort them into categories. I read about a fun activity where you wrap tape around a child’s wrist with the tape inside out to create a sticky bracelet. Children can stick small treasures to their bracelets as they explore and then sort, play and do crafts with them later.
I remember doing sand art and leaf prints as a child. We may even create a bulletin board of nature art to see how many different creative projects we can come up with that use elements from the outdoors.

We each have special ways of enjoying summer. Look on our blog where we have listed a few projects. And add your own ideas to share!
TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS

Now-9/3   Kangaroo Crossing , MN Zoo, Apple Valley
Now-9/3 Towers of Tomorrow with Legos , Science Museum of MN, St. Paul
Now-9/9 Dinosaur Train , MN Children’s Museum, St. Paul
Now-10/21 Origami in the Garden , MN Landscape Arboretum,
8/3-8/5  Uptown Art Fair , Minneapolis
8/10-8/12  Irish Fair , Harriet Island, St. Paul
8/18-10/30  Minnesota Renaissance Festival , Shakopee, MN
8/19 Red Barn Pizza Farm , Northfield, MN
8/23-9/3  Minnesota State Fair , Saint Paul, MN

All Summer -  Music and Movies in the Park  - Various Minneapolis Parks  

We were interested in this Community Playthings article,  Giving Children a Natural Start , which discusses the reasons for and methods of giving children an environmental education. The concept of literacy (what you know, how you feel, and what skills you have) in the context of the natural environment is so important.  

Especially for Children5133 W. 98th St. 
Bloomington, MN 55437  
(952) 831-1435 

Center Director:
Kathy Hane

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