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Greetings!
HAPPY FALL
The leaves are falling, and the temperature is dropping – fall must be here! Our teachers are planning lots of fun and festive activities to help us celebrate the coming of autumn. At home, a family walk to celebrate the season can turn into an outdoor adventure. Bring journals and crayons to make leave rubbings or bring a bag to collect treasures. Once home, kids can use their treasures to make a festive fall collage!
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HALLOWEEN PARTY
Each classroom will host a Halloween party on Monday, October 31, between 9 and 11:30 AM. Feel free to bring your child in his/her Halloween costume along with a change of clothes. We are happy to have children changed out of their costumes for playing outside! Please leave smaller accessories at home so they are not accidentally lost for your at-home festivities.
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FAMILY HALLOWEEN MAGIC SHOW
We invite you to join us for our family Halloween party on Wednesday, October 19. Magicians Robert and Lynn Halbrook will be here at 5:00 to perform their “Halloween Safety Magic Show” for children and families. This will be our family Halloween party this year with a light snack served during the show. We look forward to seeing you there!
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PICTURE DAY!
Lifetouch will be here on Thursday, October 13, for our picture day. Please complete the “picture day” form in your child’s cubby and return to the office by October 12. If Thursday is not a day your child attends, please feel free to attend for the morning and we will let you know when your child has had their picture taken.
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LOOKING AHEAD:
EFC will be closed Thursday, November 24, and Friday, November 25, for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
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"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!
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LOOSE PARTS IN AUTUMN NATURE |
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“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.
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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.’”
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!
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TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
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Especially for Children
5133 W. 98th St.
Bloomington, MN 55437
(952) 831-1435
Center Director:
Kathy Hane
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Apple Orchards & Pumpkin Patches
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