News Bulletin

October 2013 Bridgeport Child Development Center II A program of One Hope United 514 W. 31st Street, Chicago, IL 60616 312.949.4015

Monthly

Healthy Lifestyles Curriculum

OVERALL HEALTh EXERCISE

NUTRITIon EnVIRonMEnTAL SUSTAInABILITY

4. Drink calories count. Soda and other sweetened drinks add extra calories and get in the way of good nutrition. Water and milk are the best drinks for kids. Juice is fine when its 100%, but kids dont need much of it 4 to 6 ounces a day is enough for preschoolers. 5. Put sweets in their place. Occasional sweets are fine, but dont turn dessert into the main reason for eating dinner. When dessert is the prize for eating dinner, kids naturally place more value on the cupcake than the broccoli. Try to stay neutral about foods. 6. Kids do as you do. Be a role model and eat healthy yourself. When trying to teach good eating habits, try to set the best example possible. Choose nutritious snacks, eat at the table, and dont skip meals.

Kids and Food: Tips for Parents

Its no surprise that parents might need some help understanding what it means to eat healthy. From the MyPlate food guide to the latest food fad, it can be awfully confusing. The good news is that you dont need a degree in nutrition to raise healthy kids. These basic guidelines can help you encourage your kids to eat right and maintain a healthy weight: 1. Parents control the supply lines. You decide which foods to buy and when to serve them. Though kids will pester their parents for less nutritious foods, adults should be in charge when deciding which foods are regularly stocked in the house. Kids wont go hungry. Theyll eat whats available in the cupboard and fridge at home. If their favorite snack isnt all that nutritious, you can still buy it once in a while so they dont feel deprived. 2. Quit the clean-plate club. Let kids stop eating when they feel theyve had enough. Lots of parents grew up under the clean-plate rule, but that approach doesnt help kids listen to their own bodies when they feel full. When kids notice and respond to feelings of fullness, theyre less likely to overeat. 3. Start them young. Food preferences are developed early in life, so offer variety. Likes and dislikes begin forming even when kids are babies. You may need to serve a new food on several different occasions for a child to accept it. Dont force a child to eat, but offer a few bites. With older kids, ask them to try one bite.

Four Components of the

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD Date reviewed: February 2012 For additional tips: http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/eating_tips.html#cat191

YOUR TRUSTED PARTNER IN EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION

From the Directors Desk Karina Dixon

I would like to welcome all new and returning families to the 20132014 school year. My name is Karina Dixon, and I joined One Hope Uniteds Bridgeport Child Development Center II, as the Center Director in August. I obtained a Master of Science in Child Development with an Administration specialization from Erikson Institute, and I have been working in early childhood programs as an administrator for over four years. I also have diversified experience working with children in child life, infant/toddler teaching, mentoring and camp counseling. In the short time that I have been at the Center, I have already observed an exceptional level of hard work and dedication from the staff. I am very excited to be a part of such a committed team that is passionate about ensuring positive early childhood outcomes for the children enrolled in our program. I look forward to meeting each of you. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to stop by my office.

News from our classrooms

Room 1 Classroom 1 has focused on the routines and practices that set us up for a successful year of learning. As a class, we developed rules that are the groundwork for a safe and fun learning environment. This is a contract we all stand by, so our rules are prominently displayed with signatures of every student. Our classroom rules: We keep our feet and hands to ourselves. We follow directions. We use small voices inside. We use loud voices outside. We work together. We work hard. We have also answered some key questions to really understand what school is and how we can be our best selves at school, such as, How do we make and keep friends? When do things happen at our school? and Who works at our school?

Students in Room 1 take turns swinging on the swings and pushing their friends at Lowe Park.

Jumpstarts Read for the Record

Our Preschool children will be participating in Jumpstarts Read for the Record campaign. During Record for the Record, millions of individuals across the nation come together to celebrate literacy and support Jumpstart in its efforts to promote early children education. On Oct. 3, our children will join in by reading the childrens book, Otis, by Loren Long in support of Jumpstarts mission to work towards the day that every child in America enters Kindergarten prepared to succeed. Each child will receive their very own copy of Otis to take home, and all families are welcome to join us for this activity. Visit www.jstart.org/campaigns/read-record for more information on Jumpstarts Read for the Record campaign.

Room 2 We would like to thank all of our families for allowing us to visit your homes. Home visits are a huge connection between home and school life as your child transition into our program. Home visits, coupled with teacher-parent conferences, aide in building respectful relationships with parents and in developing a holistic understanding of every child in our program. Each visit and conference enhances parental knowledge and understanding of the developmental progress of their child. A minimum of two home visits and three parent-teacher conferences will be conducted each program year. We started the month off with a study on the beginning of the year, which has allowed the children to create rules for our classroom and to get to know each others names. The teacher has introduced a few nursery rhymes to the class, which assist them with the understanding of rhyming words. Each morning, they are encouraged to write their names when they arrive and are allowed time to explore the materials in the classroom, all while learning to take turns. We would like to encourage all of our parents to have their children at school by 9:30 a.m. to experience all the learning activities that occur each morning. Many of our small group activities take place during this time, as well as the childrens one-on-one time with the teacher. Thank you for your support. The teachers in Room 2 look forward to a successful year!

Room 3 We like to welcome everyone to the 20132014 school year! We have been busy helping the children to acclimate to the Center and the classroom environment. There have been a few tears, but they did not last for long. The children have enjoyed singing, listening to stories and music time. Our focus has been on, Getting to Know You. As the year progresses, our studies and focal point for the children will be on socialization, language, literacy and cognitive development as it relates to our Twos. Parents please remember to look at your daily sheets. These sheets will inform you of your childs day, as well as what supplies your child needs and any friendly reminders. School Age Classrooms: We are still exploring the world around us, caring for our garden and finding new ways to create and learn. We were able to find a few wild flowers growing in the lot next door to complete a project idea that we found in a craft book we checked out over the summer. We placed water in a large bowl, with a smaller bowl taped inside. We added the wild flowers and placed it in the freezer overnight. When we came back the next day, we had a beautifully decorated ice bowl! The only thing that can improve upon an ice bowl isof courseice cream, so we lined our bowl with foil and served up this yummy treat. While teachers are proactive about finding ways to implement science, math, engineering and technology into play through special crafts (like the ice bowl), board games (Monopoly, Racko, Payday, etc.), building projects (catapults, paper airplanes) and educational internet use, often this happens quite naturally as the children explore their classroom surroundings. Ordinary use of a hula hoop involves physics, but our Kindergarteners put their engineering minds together and found another use for these toys. In addition to STEM, this school year, we are also focusing on social/emotional aspects of learning. Please encourage your children as you notice their names

posted on our Applause Club located in the hall at the top of the stairs. Septembers theme was I respect others, and Octobers is I help others. Room 201 students are also learning to keep Joy Journals where once a week our School-Agers write three things they are grateful for.

Take Home Activity:

Making a change of season collage By Erica Loop The changing of the seasons is the perfect time for a miniscience lesson, coupled with a cool weather art activity. Your budding naturalist can create a summer-themed collage that he will then magically change into a festive fall scene. Use real materials found in nature such as grass, leaves, twigs, and more in this awesome autumn project! What You Need: Cardboard (reuse the front of an old cereal or cracker box) Clear drying, non-toxic glue Construction paper Natural items such as twigs, grass, and fall leaves Acetate or clear plastic wrap Scissors Pencil What You Do: 1. Ask your child to draw a rough pencil sketch of a summer landscape onto the cardboard. Include things that you would see in the summer such as flowers, budding plants, full trees, or a person dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. 2. Your child can now collage the summer landscape by gluing cut or torn paper and natural items onto the cardboard drawing. Cut and glue blue paper to make a summer sky or add blades of real grass to the ground. 3. Cut a piece of clear acetate to fit the cardboard. Acetate can be bought at most office and craft supply stores. If you cannot find it or are looking for a low-cost alternative, try using clear plastic wrap. 4. Glue the top of the acetate or plastic wrap to the top of the cardboard summer collage. Keep the remaining sides free to create a flap. 5. Help your child to create a fall landscape on the acetate over top of the existing summer collage. Cut and glue fall leaves, twigs, or construction paper onto the acetate for an autumn collage. 6. Set aside to dry. 7. Lift the flap to compare the summer and fall scenes.
http://www.education.com/activity/article/changing-seasons-collage

Calendar
October 2013
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15 14 Center Closed: Professional Development Day 21 22

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17 Emergency safety drills and the Shakeout 24

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