June News from Especially for Children

JUNE 2023

Greetings!

WELCOME TO SUMMER!

We are looking forward to spending a fun summer with your child here at Especially for Children. The Creative Curriculum will continue to be our foundation, and we will start by “digging into” the gardening study this summer.

Planning, planting, and tending to a growing garden requires a wide variety of skills from all domains of development and learning. Children work together to care for the garden and solve problems that arise, develop language and literacy skills as they discuss garden plans and create plant markers, and use mathematical skills to compare plants and observe how they grow and change over time.

You will also see the curriculum implemented in a different way over the summer months. For example, a group time may take place at the grassy area, or we may do a writing activity using chalk outside. We hope to take advantage of the nice weather all summer long! Our preschool groups will also go for walks and utilize both Centennial Lakes and nearby parks for fun neighborhood field trips. Bike & water days also keep us busy during the summer months!

CENTER HAPPENINGS

CENTENNIAL LAKES SHOWS

In the summer, the City of Edina hosts children’s entertainment at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Centennial Lakes Park Amphitheater. Our preschool classrooms plan to go to one or two shows per month, weather permitting. We will let you know if your child needs to bring a bag lunch or if a picnic lunch is provided.

PREK GRADUATION

We will celebrate our Kindergarteners-to-be with a graduation ceremony on Wednesday, June 7, at 5 PM at the grassy area. We hope you can join us!

DADS, GRANDPAS & OTHER SPECIAL PEOPLE

We want to invite our special dads, grandpas and other special caregivers to join us for Root Beer Floats on Thursday, June 15, 4:30-5:30 PM. Come and hang out with us!!

REV SPORTS SUMMER SESSION

This summer we will be offering an 8-week parent paid soccer option for our preschool classes, starting the week of June 12. Classes will be held on Tuesdays through early-August. The registration link was posted in Daily Connect in late May; please let Anna or Laura know if you need the link again.

UPDATE ON CENTER CLASSES

The Kiddy Keys class will take a well-deserved break over the summer; the last class is Tuesday, June 6. Coach Nikki & Stretch-n-Grow will continue classes through mid-July and take a break during the month of August. After our very successful spring recital, our Kid Dance classes will perform for our neighbors, the Brookdale seniors, on Wednesday, June 7,starting at 9:30 AM. Kid Dance will then continue on Wednesday mornings through the summer.

We are also excited to bring back Spanish this summer; Laura (assistant director) will be teaching Spanish classes to all preschool classrooms starting in June. Please watch Daily Connect for more information!

FAMILY REMINDERS

LOOKING AHEAD

Especially for Children will be closed on Monday, July 3, and Tuesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. Enjoy your long weekend!

SUMMER SHOES/SUNSCREEN/WATER BOTTLES

As the weather warms up, please make sure your child comes to school in closed toed & closed heel shoes for safe outdoor activities. We know that sandals are fun to wear but would appreciate appropriate shoes while at the center. Flip flops are not allowed at EFC.

Your child will also need a bottle of sunscreen at our school, no aerosol products please! Sunscreen will be applied before children go outside in the mornings and afternoons.

Because of very burdensome licensing requirements, water bottles will only be permitted at our school on field trip days. They must be labeled with your child’s first and last name and be brought home at the end of the day. We will offer water as needed throughout the day using other means on regular school days. Thank you for your cooperation.

STAR WELLNESS RECIPE

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.

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

FAMILY FIELD TRIPS

This article was written by Priscilla Williams in 2016. The characters in it are a bit older today, but they still love their local adventures!

Young children jump at every opportunity to experience summer in new ways. This past weekend Steve and I went with three of our grandchildren to Lake Harriet. The plan was to have a picnic and go on the paddleboats. But, after lunch we discovered that the windy day had put a halt to the paddleboats. No worries.

There were ducks to watch – and count, of course! We saw a young boy catch a fish. The wind was creating simple joy as wrappers from juice pops flew away and the children needed to catch them. A few sailboats were scooting across the lake. Many water-craft were on shore, so we talked about kayaks and canoes.

And then there was a new playground to explore. It was such fun to watch the children experience the play structure. At one point Abby was singing with abandon as she danced on the deck. Both of the four-year-olds conquered new climbing challenges and ventured down slides that seemed way too scary at first. The one- year-old watched all the activity and loved walking and falling in the sand.

We all came away with a sense of satisfaction that we had enjoyed a couple of hours of Minnesota summer at its best. Now we’re inspired to go to a concert at the band shell. And those paddleboats are calling us to get on the lake next visit.

We know how much young children like adventure. And the way we as adults talk about what we do can make the simplest activity seem exciting. Take a “field trip” to a friend’s garden to look at flowers. Or ask if your child can pick some lettuce from the neighbor’s garden to take to school for his classmates to taste.

It’s so easy to get into our routines and forget that with just a little planning we can create adventure. Take on the “family field trip” challenge. See if you can hit a new park, lake or nature center that you have never visited before.

But also remember that in your own yard or neighborhood there are adventures to be had. Even just throwing down a blanket under a shade tree to read books is a way to create a new experience. Infants and toddlers love to touch and manipulate objects found outdoors with their different textures and smells. Preschoolers might show you how they are learning to water plants and weed gardens.

And can you believe how exciting bugs are to children? It’s so much fun to watch them examine and observe as bugs crawl on the sidewalk. An inchworm on your sleeve provides so much to talk about!

What I especially love about summer activities is that they are often so unstructured. Children can make their own fun and are able to experience things on their own terms. And as adults we can also enjoy the feeling of freedom, the heightening of our senses and the relaxation that being outside allows us.