November News from Especially for Children

NOVEMBER 2022

Greetings!

OUTSIDE CLOTHING

As we enter November, the crisp air can turn chilly in a flash! Please remember to send your child(ren) to EFC with appropriate winter clothing including a warm hat, coat, and mittens/gloves. Having an extra pair of socks in your child’s cubby is also a good idea. We love to get outside as much as possible! Please be sure to label your child’s items to assure we have the right item on the right child.

CENTER HAPPENINGS

CRAZY DAYS

During the week of November 15^th, we’re going to mix things up with some fun themed days. The theme for each day is as follows:

November 14: Hat Day

November 15: Pajama Day

November 16: Favorite Color Day

November 17: Polka Dots and/or Stripes Day

November 18: Sports/Favorite Team Day

PARENT REMINDERS

UPCOMING HOLIDAY CLOSINGS

EFC will be closed on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We hope your family enjoys the time together to relax and celebrate.

STAR WELLNESS

PUMPKIN SPICE OATMEAL IN THE CROCKPOT

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 ½ cups milk of choice

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 cup steel cut oats

*maple syrup or honey if desired

Place all ingredients in the crock pot and stir to combine
Cover and cook on low for 4-8 hours (note that cooking time can vary depending on your crock pot).

*you can also use oat, almond, rice or plant-based milk if you want to make the oatmeal vegan.

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

By Angie Williams

Our patterns of life changed dramatically during the last few years. What we once took for granted as normal parts of our individual and family routines—going to the store, attending a place of worship, gathering with friends on the weekend, planning a birthday party—became risk/reward calculations that, even when pursued, often looked different than they had before Covid times.

Now that most areas of life are returning to what feels closer to normal, many of us are re-engaging with the people, places, and experiences we have missed. In our family, our daughters are back on sports teams and playing regularly with neighbors; my husband and I are having dinner with friends. These are the low-hanging fruits of re-building our family’s community. But as time goes on, I think about additional connections I would like to make—connections that sometimes require more effort because they take place outside of our neighborhood or with people we don’t already know, but that enrich us and help shape our values and perspectives.

Prior to the pandemic, our family visited to the Midtown Global Market to experience delicious food, listen to music, and simply be around people who live in different parts of the city. It is a place I would like for us to visit regularly.

And last month, I had the opportunity to join in my daughter’s school field trip at a senior home. We colored fall illustrations and chatted with the residents; it was the first group of youth that had been back to the home since the start of Covid. It was wonderful to witness the warmth and appreciation of the residents as the students shared their energy, and it reminded me of the benefits of engaging our daughters with people at all stages of life.

When life slowed down during Covid, many families re-assessed their own activities and began to appreciate the slower pace of life. I know ours did! As the pace picks up again and we decide where and how to spend our time and energy, I want to ensure that the community we are building includes not only the friends and family we love and with whom it is relatively easy—logistically, emotionally, and socially—to re-connect, but also the wider community of people and places that provide meaningful experiences and a variety of perspectives to help us grow.