October News from Especially for Children

OCTOBER 2022

Greetings!

TRUNK-OR-TREAT

We are excited to host a trunk-or-treat event on Monday, October 24, at 6:30. Children can wear their costumes and trick-or-treat from the teachers.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

PRE-K BOOK CLUB

Kari’s book for the October Pre-K Book Club is “The Little Yellow Leaf” by Carin Berger.

PARENT REMINDERS

LOOKING AHEAD

Especially for Children will be closed on Thursday, November 24, and Friday, November 25, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

EFC CELEBRATIONS & TREATS POLICY

We’d like to take a few moments of your time to review our policy on celebrations and treats in our classrooms.

As you know, EFC strives to create a healthy environment at our centers. We are also happy to celebrate special occasions with children, staff, and families. We believe occasional treats, when enjoyed in moderation, contribute to a spirit of celebration. We know, however, that at times it can be difficult to limit the number of sugary treats children consume. In addition, we are eager to ensure that children with food allergies are safe and feel included in classroom celebrations.

For those reasons, our policy is to promote healthy and/or non-food celebrations in the classroom. Our classrooms have many traditions in place to ensure that each child feels honored on his/her special day. If families would like to help celebrate a child’s birthday or other special occasion in the classroom, we request that you consider one of the ideas below.

If you would like to bring food to celebrate your child’s birthday or other special occasion, we ask that you bring in a healthy choice. All food brought to EFC for the purposes of sharing with the class must be commercially packaged and labeled with the ingredients (i.e. not homemade).

In order to provide a safe and healthy environment for all children, we do not allow the following items to be brought to the center:

· Peanut products

· Candy or sugary treats

· Soda/pop or sugary drinks

· Cakes, cupcakes, brownies, etc.

Another great idea for celebrating your child’s birthday is to bring party hats and/or stop by to read a story to your child’s class as a special treat. Thank you so much for helping promote a healthy classroom environment for all our children.

STAR WELLNESS

"FRANKENMUFFINS"

These spooky muffins get their green color from spinach and their sweetness from a banana!

Heat oven to 350 degrees and coat 16 muffin cups with cooking spray. Whisk together:

1 cup each all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cinnamon

In blender, puree:

¼ cup canola oil
¾ cup milk
9oz (6 cups packed) fresh baby spinach until smooth.
Add 1 large banana and 2 tsp vanilla.

Fold liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Fill each prepared muffin tin two-thirds full and bake for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

LOOSE PARTS IN AUTUMN NATURE

By Angie Williams

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”

― Lauren DeStefano, Wither

Fall in Minnesota is spectacular. Cool, crisp air greets us in the morning, the days are generally sunny, and when the leaves turn, warm colors abound.

As nature prepares for what comes next (even as many of us push away all thoughts of winter!), autumn offers many elements that can help children learn in the form of fallen loose parts.

Loose parts are used in early childhood education to inspire child-directed play and help support creativity as well as an understanding of mathematical concepts. They are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. (Better Kid Care). While we have written in previous communications about the importance of loose parts (https://especiallyforchildren.com/2022/04/15/loose_parts/), fall presents yet another opportunity to highlight the ways in which loose parts help children learn. The following article from Community Playthings describes how autumn’s natural elements support children’s cognitive development in mathematical concepts:

“We are approaching the time of year in which nature generously replenishes its available loose parts. Leaves fall, acorns drop, seed pods form, and there is no end to the natural materials you can collect for free just in your backyard.

‘One area of early learning particularly suited for the use of these materials is math,’ writes Dorie Ranheim. ‘There is a myriad of questions that can be asked to guide children’s thinking. For example, What did we find the most of? Tell me about your stick. Can you find something longer? Which rock is heavier? Through these playful interactions, rich math language flows and becomes part of the child’s vocabulary.’

’You can also use loose parts to model mathematical skills like how to count acorns using one-to-one correspondence, how to create a pattern with fall leaves, or how to measure by comparing two feathers. All the foundational areas of early math can be explored in a playful way using natural loose parts.’”

https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/2020/Math-Play-with-Loose-Parts

As you are out and about this fall, take note of the loose parts all around you and see what your child has in store for them!