October 2022
Greetings!

HAPPY FALL!
The leaves are falling, and the temperature is dropping – fall must be here! Our teachers are planning lots of fun 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!
IN THE COMMUNITY
LATINX HERITAGE MONTH
September 15 - October 15 is Latinx Heritage Month, which celebrates the history, culture & contributions of Latinx communities in the U.S. Check out events, businesses, and restaurants where you can celebrate and support here:
NEARBY FAMILY EVENTS
Pumpkin Festival: Held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Saturday before Halloween at 50th & France. Trick-or-treating at area businesses and games.
 
Halloboo Trick or Treat Trail: Held in late October at Edinborough Park. Trick-or-treating throughout the Park, games and more. Play in Adventure Peak and the Great Hall.

Pumpkin Smash & Bash: Recycle your pumpkin at the Pumpkin Smash & Bash! Join us at Countryside Park for a pumpkin-rolling competition, catapult contest and then smash or bash your pumpkin to toss into piles of compost. Your composted pumpkins will help grow even more pumpkins next year!
 
Harvest to Halloween at the Barn:
There's fun for the entire family at this free fall and Halloween event! Costumes are encouraged! Bring a treat bag and water bottle.
Saturday, October 15 from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. 
Riley Lake Park
9180 Riley Lake Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344

• Inflatables
• Kids dance party
• Historic home tours
• Treat stations
• Pumpkin decorating
• Fall art projects
• Food trucks
• And more!
 
PARENT REMINDERS
LOOKING AHEAD
Especially for Children will be closed on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
STAR WELLNESS
star wellness
JACK ‘O LANTERN QUESADILLAS               
INGREDIENTS
  • Cooking spray, for pan
  • 2 c. cooked and shredded chicken
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 8 medium tortillas
  • 3/4 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • Hot sauce, for serving

DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 425° and grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, add chicken and toss with lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder.
  3. Assemble quesadillas: Using a paring knife, cut a Jack-o-Lantern pattern into four tortillas.
  4. Sprinkle chicken and cheese onto remaining flour tortillas, and top with Jack-o-Lanterns.
  5. Place quesadillas onto baking sheet, brush with oil, and bake until cheese is melty, and tortillas are golden, 15 minutes.

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.’”
 
 
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!
TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS

10/1-11/5 Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, MN Zoo, Apple Valley
10/8 Pumpkins on the Plaza, 50th & France, Edina
10/8-10/9 Harvest Fest, Stillwater
10/15-10/16 Farmer Ken & Jan’s Pumpkin Patch Trolley Ride, Lake Harriet Trolley, Mpls
10/22 Pumpkin Night in the Park, Springbrook Nature Center, Coon Rapids
10/22 Half-Haunted Halloween, Woodlake Nature Center, Richfield
10/22 Llamas on the Plaza, 50th & France, Edina
10/22-10/29 Family Halloween Events, Anoka
10/29 Trick or Treating, 50th & France, Edina

Especially for Children
5015 W. 70 Street
Edina MN 55439 
(952) 946-9971 

Center Directors:
Susan Wilson and Michelle Botz
Apple Orchards & Pumpkin Patches
Aamodt's, Stillwater
Deer Lake, Buffalo
Emma Krumbee's, Belle Plain
Minnetonka, Minnetrista

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