Greetings!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
The holiday season is upon us once again, and we are looking forward to the excitement of the coming weeks. We will be celebrating several holidays in December and have celebration lists on the front desk. If you have a tradition that you would like to share with the children, please let the teachers know.
EFC’S ANNUAL HOLIDAY PROGRAM
Please join us for our annual Holiday Program on Tuesday, December 13.
Jean Kretzschmar, our music teacher on Tuesdays, will accompany the singing. Program starts at 6:00 pm. All ages participate in the program—join us for this festive event. Your immediate family is welcome. However, due to limited space, we’re sorry we won’t have room for other relatives.
Frequently Asked Questions about the program:
1) What ages participate in the program?
- All age groups have a part in the program—even the infant group has a special role at the beginning of the show. After their performance, infants are handed back to their parents😊
2) What time do the doors open?
- We open the doors at 5:45 pm
3) Where is the program held and where do I drop my child off?
- The program is held in the Monkey (older preschool classroom).
- The children are dropped off in the following classrooms when you arrive that evening:
- Infants: drop off in the young infant classroom
- Young/Old Toddlers—drop off in the older toddler side (Chipmunk side).
- Dolphins —drop off in their classroom
- Monkeys-drop off in the muscle room
4) What should my child wear?
- There isn’t a dress code for the show however many children wear their “party” clothes or “fancy” attire.
5) Can I video tape the program?
- Parents are welcome to video the program –take photos, etc.
6) Will the parking lot be crowded?
- Yes—we recognize that our parking lot can get very crowded—some families do park on neighboring streets.
7) How long does it last?
- The entire show lasts between 30-45 minutes
|
|
|
|
|
COSTUME KIM
Kim will be here on Friday, December 1, with her theme being “Jingle Bells with Mrs. Claus” She will be here at 9:00 am for toddlers and all preschool classrooms.
|
|
|
|
STAGES THEATRE
The Dolphin and Monkey classes will be attending “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” on Thursday, December 15, at Stages Theatre in Hopkins. The bus will leave at 9:15 am and return around 11:45 am with the showtime being 10:00 am. We currently have 10 tickets for parents to attend the performance with their child. There is an extra charge of $10.00 for each ticket.
|
|
|
|
HOLIDAY ATTENDANCE
We understand many families have plans to travel during the holiday weeks. Please mark an “X” on dates your child(ren) will not be attending in the attendance log in the front entrance.
.
EFC will Be CLOSED on the following days:
Monday, December 26, 2022
Monday, January 2, 2023
To appropriately staff for these weeks, we are asking parents to confirm days off by Friday, December 16.
*Vacation credit reminder: When you have been enrolled at Especially for Children 6 months or more, you will receive a half-week tuition credit if your child is absent five consecutive days. It does include the days that we are closed over the holidays. This credit is available two times per year.
|
|
|
|
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Here are some helpful tips that we hope will make your Holiday Season more enjoyable, fun and memorable for everyone in your family:
- Remember to keep a normal sleeping schedule to ensure that your child doesn’t get overly tired.
- Keep a regular diet. Limit the amount of sweets and rich foods.
- Don’t be surprised or disappointed if your child does not want to sit on Santa’s lap. Children have been taught to be aware of strangers.
- Don’t expect a young child to participate in all the rituals during the holiday season. His/her short attention span may only be able handle a few minutes of tree decorating or cookie making.
- Make gift giving simple. When so many gifts are opened at once, so much is lost in the excitement of new toys.
Remember to have fun! You are making memories that last a lifetime and traditions that will be passed down from generation to generation.
Have a happy and safe holiday season!
From all of us at Especially for Children
|
|
|
|
MATH, AND CHILDREN, ARE AMAZING |
|
|
“We can encourage mathematical exploration and knowing in kids when we allow them to merge with the physical world and immerse their full selves in it.”
- Wendy L. Ostroff, Exchange Magazine
You have likely seen the recent headlines regarding learning loss among elementary and middle school students during the pandemic. One theory to emerge from the studies around these results is that math scores fell further than reading because it is easier and more natural for parents and caregivers to support reading skills at home. Reading books together is a ritual many families begin at birth (or before!) and continue for years. Understanding how to support math skills as part of a family’s regular routine can feel a bit more challenging.
Fortunately, as with many areas of child development, children’s brains are wired for learning math; it is up to caring adults to offer opportunities and experiences that build mathematical connections simply by allowing children to do what they love, asking questions, and encouraging exploration.
In a recent Exchange Magazine article, The Embodied Nature of Mathematical Learning, Wendy L. Ostroff argues that their outcomes improve when children use their whole bodies to learn and develop mathematical thinking. She discusses how finger counting, movement accompanied by rhythms and sounds, and gesturing all contribute to greater understanding of mathematical concepts and improved problem-solving skills.
For example,
“Brain studies using fMRI have shown that children who are taught to solve math problems using gestures (instead of verbal explanations alone), are more likely to recruit the motor regions of the brain when solving future problems.”
|
|
So how can we incorporate supportive practices into our daily routines at various stages of our children’s development? We can sing with children and use our bodies while we are doing so. We can spend time with our children outside, engaging with natural objects whose properties teach children about math and physics. We can encourage children to count with their fingers—or their whole bodies! We can ask children questions while they are playing with their toys: which one is bigger? What happens if you put this one on top? How could you sort these objects? |
|
As an adult, it is sometimes easy for me to think about math as something I conduct in an Excel worksheet—a practice fairly limited in scope. But when I consider the ways in which children learn about math, I am reminded how amazing mathematical concepts are in helping us understand and describe the world, and how children’s brains and bodies are already made to fully engage with math in a three-dimensional way, with support from the adults around them:
“If we instead configure kids’ mathematical experiences and lessons as situated, whole-body endeavors, we embrace the beauty and depth, elegance and nuance, from which their cognitive skills have already evolved and developed.”
- Wendy L. Ostroff, Exchange Magazine
|
|
TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
Now-2/23 (Saturdays) Night Trains, TC Model Railroad Museum, St Paul
Find more local family events
|
Especially for Children
6223 Dell Road
Eden Prairie MN 55346
(952) 934-1119
Center Directors:
Cathie Underwood and Jamie Kittleson
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
