June News from Especially for Children

JUNE 2022

Greetings!

NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK

National Pollinator Week is an annual event celebrated internationally in support of pollinator health. It is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them. Fourteen years ago, the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations.

Did you know:

Pollinators play an important role in the production of more than 150 food crops in the U.S, such as apples, alfalfa, almonds, blueberries, cranberries, kiwis, melons, pears, plums, and squash?
Bees are the primary pollinators. However, about 200,000 invertebrate species, (bees, moths, butterflies, beetles, and flies) serve as pollinators, as well as about 1,000 species of vertebrates (birds, mammals, and reptiles).
With no pollination at all, many of the foods we eat would no longer be available. The plants that many wild creatures rely on for food or shelter would also disappear.

What we can do to protect pollinators:

Be kind to your pollinator friends. Pollinators like bugs and birds are small and fragile. It’s easy for people to hurt them. Be gentle and quiet when they are near!
Look, but don’t touch! When you see a butterfly, bee, beetle, or hummingbird outside, look, but don’t touch! Pollinators won’t hurt you if you leave them alone and are nice to them.
Keep pollinators’ homes safe. And help make habitat for pollinators. Take care of a garden. Plant some flowers. When you find a bug in your house, gently take it outside to its natural habitat.
Support local bees and beekeepers by buying local honey.

For additional information on National Pollinator Week visit: www.pollinator.org

PARENT REMINDERS

HEALTH CARE SUMMARY & IMMUNIZATION

We appreciate everyone’s efforts to keep their child(ren’s) files updated at our center. Our license requires us to keep current records on site for each child. We need annual physical summary forms as well as the print out of updated immunizations. If you have an appointment scheduled soon, feel free to stop by the office to gather the necessary paperwork. Again—thank you for your help!

LOOKING AHEAD

Especially for Children will be closed on Monday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. Enjoy your long weekend!

STAR WELLNESS

WATERMELON PIZZA

This watermelon pizza is a fun little treat that everyone can enjoy! It’s healthy, easy to make and when we think of summer, we think of watermelon!

Instructions:

Using a sharp knife, cut off a slice of watermelon right down the middle about 2-3 inches thick.
Using a spatula, spread an even layer of your yogurt around the watermelon, leaving a bit of empty space at the top. (where your “pizza crust” is.)
Layer your fresh fruit on top as you please. You can add as little of as many toppings as you like!
Drizzle with honey or maple syrup for a little extra sweetness if desired.

https://choosingchia.com/watermelon-pizza/

PARENT RESOURCES

JUNETEENTH

Did you know that Juneteenth is now a Federal Holiday? If you don’t know much about the significance of Juneteenth, that’s ok, now is a great time to learn alongside your teachers and children! Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas were informed of their freedom. The holiday is a rich celebration of black culture, resilience, and community.

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

DIGGING DEEPER WITH “WHY” QUESTIONS

By Alli Zomer

One of the most frequently heard words in our house is “why.” I can hear it echoing in my head even as I write this. And it doesn’t stop with just one…the “whys” usually come in a waterfall, one after another. I strive to answer my children truthfully and directly, in an age-appropriate way. So, when they ask, “why can’t a brother and a sister get married?” I turn on the logical side of my brain and try to explain biodiversity in the gene pool. I compare families to herds of animals. I want to leave them with a clear and final solution. I want to stop the waterfall of “why.”

But then last week, a book came in the mail from a mystery sender. (We ultimately realized the sender was Grandpa, who hasn’t yet mastered the Amazon gift receipt). The book argues that young children are natural philosophers, and that if adults could embrace the “why,” we could “all become better thinkers, and recapture some of the wonder that kids have at the world.” The author offers stories of his own two sons and the complex and deep questions they began asking from a young age.

Some questions are direct and have a clear answer. Those are the ones I like. But so many questions have answers that are more complicated, less certain, or perhaps don’t have an answer at all. Those are the ones that can help minds (young and old!) stretch and expand. In order to explore those questions, I realized I have an opportunity adjust my response to my own kids. Instead of providing an answer, what if I asked them “why”? What if I dug deeper into the question? What if together we explored the question to its core?

By doing this, the author argues that kids will ultimately examine deep and thought-provoking issues – like, do you have the right to stop your brother from taking your stuffed animal, or does the number 6 really exist? As adults we are often so caught up in day-to-day living, that we don’t take time to explore these questions. We focus on the practical rather than the philosophical. At least I know I do. But what would happen if I took a little more time for the “why”? I think I would learn a lot, think more deeply, and help my children learn to do the same.

Disclaimer: The book I am reading is called Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids by Scott Hershovitz. I am still reading it, so I can’t give a full review or endorsement since there may be surprises ahead! And the book contains some colorful language and possibly controversial topics/views, so let the reader beware.