|
|
Greetings!
SEASON OF GIVING
EFC will be a drop off site for Toys For Joys this hoilday season. We will be accepting toys and money for the Christmas committee. They are a nonprofit that provides local families in the Northern Anoka County area a little brighter holiday season with toys and food. Thank you in advance for your help
.
|
|
|
|
|
FUN DAYS IN DECEMBER
Fridays in December -
VIKINGS DAY!!
Tuesday, December 10- Costume Day
Thursday, December 19 - Candy Cane Colors!
Monday, December 23 - Ugly Sweater Day!
|
|
|
|
CENTER CLOSING
From our EFC family to yours, Wishing you all the best this Holiday Season. The center will be closed
Tuesday, December 24 at 3:00PM, Wednesday, December 25
,
Thursday, January 2
in observances of Christmas and the New Year.
We understand many families have plans to take time off during the holiday weeks. Please let us know your child’s attendance this will help us staff our classrooms correctly and be able to give our staff some well-deserved time off!!
Have a happy and safe Holiday Season!!
|
|
|
|
HOLIDAY STRESS IN CHILDREN
Here are some helpful tips that we hope will make your Holiday Season more enjoyable, fun and memorable for everyone in your family:
- Remember to keep a normal sleeping schedule to ensure that your child doesn’t get overly tired.
- Keep a regular diet. Limit the amount of sweets and rich foods.
- Don’t be surprised or disappointed if your child does not want to sit on Santa’s lap. Children have been taught to be aware of strangers.
- Don’t expect a young child to participate in all the rituals during the holiday season. His/her short attention span may only be able handle a few minutes of tree decorating or cookie making.
- Make gift giving simple. When so many gifts are opened at once, so much is lost in the excitement of new toys.
Remember to have fun! You are making memories that last a lifetime and traditions that will be passed down from generation to generation.
|
|
“WHAT IS ESSENTIAL IS INVISIBLE TO THE EYES” AND
OTHER THINGS FRED ROGERS KNEW
by Angie Williams
I grew up watching Mister Rogers. Perhaps some of you did, too. But I have not reflected on the lessons of his television show until recently. Ahead of the movie,
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
, there have been several excellent profiles about the man who touched millions of children’s lives with his kind demeanor and profound grasp of humanity. He spoke directly to children about the joys and the challenges of their experiences. He gently but consistently emphasized the importance of children acknowledging and talking about their feelings in order to understand themselves and the world around them.
There is a new, 10-episode podcast called
Finding Fred
, which explores the themes and methods of his show. I listened to the first episode last night entitled, A Genius of Empathy. The host and guests discussed how Fred Rogers was able to teach children about empathy—a pretty tricky emotional concept even for adults—by, again, recognizing the feelings children have, helping them understand that feelings are universal, and giving them words and ideas to help them manage their feelings. (If you haven’t listened to his song,
“What do you do with the mad you feel?”
, it’s a great example of this.)
We know—and Fred Rogers knew—that the social and emotional development of children is paramount to their overall wellbeing as well as their ability to be a “good neighbor,” which is what we hope all of our children will be.
The depth of his thinking is something that I can appreciate only now as an adult. The following paragraph of
one article
stood out to me:
“L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” That was Fred’s favorite quote. He had it framed and hanging on a wall in his office. “What is essential is invisible to the eyes,” from Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince.” “It’s not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls,” he once said, expounding on the idea in a speech. “It’s the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is good stuff. … What is essential about you that is invisible to the eyes?”
These are deep thoughts for both adults and children, and I love that Mister Rogers reminded children that there
is
something essential within them that they can love and share. When I reflect on the message within those words, I think of what an amazing privilege it is to engage in the life of a child as a parent, and for our teaching staff, as caregivers and educators. It is such an honor (and a responsibility!) to help children discover the essential parts of themselves—those interests and traits that make them who they are and connect them to life and the world in a positive way. Once again, as Fred notes, “the bedrock of our very being is good stuff.” How lucky we are to share that lesson with children and watch it grow within them.
Sources:
http://www.neighborhoodarchive.com/music/songs/what_do_you_do.html
|
|
Angie Williams
EFC Marketing and Finance Director
|
|
TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
Now-1/5
Cinderella
, Children's Theatre, Minneapolis
|
|
|
Especially for Children
8885 Evergreen Blvd
Coon Rapids MN 55433
Lisa Ward
Director, EFC Coon Rapids
(763) 784-0901
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
