April Newsletter

The Learning Nest

April Newsletter 2014

Themes for The Owlets and Owls

Week                Theme               Letter   Number Color     Spanish             Nursery Rhyme               Shape

3/ 31-April 4     Bugs                 Vv         22        Yellow   El Bicho             Itsy Bitsy Spider                        Oval

April 7-11           Eric Carle          Ww       23        Red       La mariquita      I see the Moon               Circle

April 14-18         Egg-stravaganza            Xx         24        Pink      El Huevo            Humpty Dumpty              Cross

April 21-25        Gardening          Yy         25        Black    El jardin                        Mary, Mary        Semi Circle

April 28-May 5  Zoo                   Zz         26        Orange  El tigre              The circus is..    Rectangle

Easter Egg Hunt April 17  Please bring in candy FILLED Easter eggs by April 14.  (The Nest 8 eggs, The Owlets 15 eggs, The Owls 20 eggs) There will be a special food signup sheet for that day outside The Owlets and Owls classrooms. 

Earth Day April 22    We will be celebrating Earth Day by planting flowers and plants at our school.  You can help by sending in a plant (garden vegetable or herb would be great) or flowers to plant.  We prefer plants over seeds.  Our April parent project will be milk jug flower pots.  If you would like to participate, please let Ms. Amanda know to get your milk jug (or use your own from home). 

Week of the Young Child April 6-12     We will be celebrating the Week of the Young Child by asking family members to sign up to read to one of our classes.  This can be Aunts, Uncles, Family Friends, etc...  This week will also be Eric Carle :)

The Mother's Day Luncheon

We will be hosting a Mother's Day luncheon on Friday, May 9, from 10:45-11:45.  There will be signup sheets as the event nears, just wanted you all to be able to put it on your calendar. 

Birthdays

We would like to wish Carli Hicks (4/10)and Ms. Ashley (4/17) a very special birthday!

 

 

Potty Training

Potty Training.  Many parents are terrified of these two words.  We, however, are not.  Children who enter our program at 6 wks through 6 months, typically potty train by 12-15 months.  We have been asked many times how we do this.  Basically, it comes down to viewing our babies as little people who are capable of doing big things.  We take their cues, and work with them.  We do not believe we should limit our babies by telling them they can't potty train until 18 months or later.  They are capable much sooner and it strengthens our communication and bond with them.  The article below describes our views on potty training as well as what we do.  Enjoy!

Potty Training

  

By Kathleen Chin and Laurie Boucke, Adoptive Moms

Did you know that your newly adopted baby might already be toilet trained (or well underway) when

you first meet? Be sure to ask when you are in China! While you’re at it, find out exactly how to

continue the toileting process your baby is familiar with so you can maintain continuity when you

return home. For example, it is possible that your baby will respond to a whistling sound that serves

as a signal to “go” potty. Ask to hear a demonstration of the sound! The sound of running water

may also be your baby’s elimination signal, so turning on the bathtub water or sink faucet may work

too.

How can parents in China potty train their child so young? There is an elimination awareness

“window of learning” open from birth to about 6 months of age. If parents tap into this sensitive

period, they generally have good results with toilet training. In China and many other countries,

parents report completion between the ages of 12-15 months. In Western countries, completion of

potty training tends to be around 18-24 months, or even later.

When I became a parent, I realized that my mom, busy raising seven children, made an amazing

accomplishment in potty training all of us by the time we were a year old. My first two daughters

(now 11 and 9) didn’t finish potty training until they were 3-1/2 years old. When we prepared for

our trip to China last September to pick up 8-month-old Kelli, the thought of toilet training never

even crossed my mind.

I learned many things about Kelli during my time in the hotel, including that she knew how to potty

in the toilet. After four days with Kelli, she was terribly constipated. We gave her lots of liquids and

rubbed her tummy, but nothing worked. By the end of day four, I noticed she kept grunting like she

had to poop. I thought, “If she can potty in the toilet, why not let her try to poop there too?” Sure

enough, that’s exactly what she wanted to do! She wasn't used to pooping in a diaper. What an

exciting breakthrough!

I began to wonder how babies in the orphanages start toilet learning so young. If you look closely at

the rows of high chairs in the orphanages, you’ll notice that not only are they used for feeding the

babies but also for potty training. There is a hole in the seat with a little door below where a potty

bowl is placed. That’s right – a high chair doubles as a potty, and that’s how they start potty training

in Chinese orphanages.

I arrived home from China, anxious to learn more. I came across the book Infant Potty Training by

Laurie Boucke and read it from start to finish. The concept was different compared to American

potty training, but I was highly motivated for a different approach to this age-old parenting task. I

was ready to put this new parenting knowledge to the test. Here are the four steps to start:

 

1. Observation

  

Watch and listen for your child’s individual timing, how long and how frequently she goes after

waking or feeding. Look for her body language, such as twisting or grimacing while defecating,

and listen for sounds, like grunting while defecating.

 

2. Anticipation or Intuition

  

Anticipate when your child needs to go, and then at that moment, make the whistling sound or

some other verbal cue. Within a few days, she will associate this sound with elimination.

 

3. Position & Toilet Place

  

When you think your baby needs to go, hold her gently and securely over your preferred toilet

place while giving your audible signal. She will soon associate the sound, position and toilet

place with elimination.

 

4. Baby-Mother Communication

  

From now on, pay close attention to your baby’s timing and signals. When you think she needs

to go, hold her in position and give your signal. If it is near time to go, babies are able to relax

those muscles upon receiving your cues.

Using infant pottying with your baby enhances bonding through closeness and communication. It is

also environmentally friendly – it conserves trees, water, petroleum, and landfill space. Although

most parents use diapers in between toilet visits, the number of diapers is drastically reduced over

time, and babies are out of diapers relatively early.

The Western world has been indoctrinated to reject any form of early toilet learning. Our doubts

stem from maturational readiness theories based on opinion and commercialism rather than

scientific proof. Millions of happy babies in China can’t be wrong! By changing our attitude from

skepticism to recognizing our babies’ amazing abilities, we open new doors. With infant pottying,

timing is based on baby’s natural rhythms and on spontaneous and learned communication between

mother and baby. There is no punishment, anger or coercion involved.

It is important to realize that this is not an all-or-nothing endeavor. The key is to find a realistic

balance. If need be, part-time pottying works fine and will not confuse your baby, as long as you

dedicate some time each day and are fairly consistent. Even if you can only concentrate on it in

relation to a few feedings a day, this is fine. When your schedule allows, potty your baby at regular

times. If siblings are at home or if you have one or more willing caregivers, teach them how to potty

your baby. Many families work on toilet learning simultaneously with an infant and a toddler and

find that the children motivate each other. Older siblings can help potty babies and are sometimes

able to “read” their baby brother or sister and anticipate the next toilet visit.

Don’t be discouraged by setbacks. They are normal and can occur for a number of reasons such as

teething, illness, emotional upset, or developmental milestones. It is fine to reduce or take a break

from potty visits. If your baby resists pottying, be creative and try to find ways to interest her, but if

she continues to protest, don’t persist. If you are tired or ill, don’t feel guilty about taking a break.

The only rules are to stay relaxed and nonpunitive, and to keep baby safe and comfortable.

 

For additional questions, please email Laurie Boucke at laurieb@white-boucke.com or Kathleen Chin at

nihao@kathleenchin.com. For more information online, visit www.timl.com/ipt

Why we are different

I've been thinking a lot about why our program is different and the need to express that in words. I think when people think of what Gigi and I own, the word "daycare" comes to mind. They envision us singing songs, watching kids play all day, and enjoying a nice break during nap. While some of those things are true, we do so much more than that. Take The Nest, our 6 week to 1 1/2 year old class, for example. Overall, more learning takes place in this room than your child's first year of kindergarten. We TEACH our babies. Each child in this room has an individual plan for developing key muscles to achieve their next developmental milestone. Because we work with our babies, they typically potty train between 8-15 months. By the time they leave the nest for The Owlets room they are ready to begin learning fundamentals that are essential for PreK and Kindergarten. Once our children make it to The Owls, our Pre K room, they are ready to not only prepare for and exceed kindergarten readiness, but they are ready to suceed at life. We give our children a foundation for success all their life, not just kindergarten. So the next time you think of us, think of us as a school rather than a daycare. We take care of so much more than your child's day, we fill their days with learning. 

March 2014 Newsletter

The Learning Nest

March 2014 Newsletter

Themes

March is a fun filled month at the preschool!  Here are our weekly themes:

March 2-7:  Rainforest                                       March 10-14:  Mexico

March 17-21:  Ireland                                        March 24-28:  African Safari/Multicultural

Special Days of the Week for The Owlets and Owls

Monday:  Show and Share something from home that begins with our letter of the week (1 item)

Tuesday:  Wear the color of the week               Wednesday:  Bring a book to Share

Thursday:  Show and tell                                   Friday:  TBA

The Hungry Caterpillar Day

We will be celebrating The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day on March 21.  Later this week, your child's teacher will be giving you a sheet of paper with a circle on it.  Please decorate this circle with your child, cut it out, and turn it back into us by March 14.  We will be making a very special display with them. 

Multicultural Open House

Come celebrate with us Friday, March 28, from 6 pm-7:30pm, as we present our Multicultural Open House.  This event is the culmination of our Multicultural month.  Each class is given a country and will decorate their room for that country.  The night of our Open House, we will serve foods from each country represented.   Each class will design a menu and will be asking parents to help make these dishes.  This will be a great time to get to know your child's friends and their parents.  Can't wait to see everyone!

A few housekeeping notes

Tuition- tuition is due on Friday, but not late until Monday at 8 am.  After 8 am, we charge a $25 late fee.  We do not like to charge late fees, but we cannot emphasize enough how important timely tuition is to us right now as we are getting established in our new building.  Thank you so much for your help and understanding.                                                                                  Parking-  please be sure to park in a spot inside of pulling in front of our doors.                      Sheets and Blankets-  We do the laundry for The Nest classroom, but in The Owlets and Owls, we send those home each Friday.  Please be sure any laundry you bring has your child's name written on it. 

Birthdays:We would like to wish Judson Smith (14th) and Annalee Sexton (19th) a very Happy Birthday!! 

 

 

Enrollment Special starting today!!

 Enroll today and receive half off the registration fee!!  That means you can reserve your spot for only $25!!  Come by and tour anytime.   

Big News!!!!

We are proud to announce the our little nest is expanding! We will be moving into our new building in January and are currently enrolling for the spots we will have available. Want more info? Send us a message and we will be happy to answer any questions you might have.  Below is our new building. The address is 947 Park Avenue, 37129. 

Our Sunflower House

Today we will be planting our sunflower house. This idea came from reading a book with the same title this past Fall. The book tells the story of a little boy whose parents gave him sunflower seeds to plant. While the directions say to plant them in a nice straight row, he chose to plant his in a large circle. This resulted in a magnificent sunflower house that was used all summer long and became a very special place for the boy and his friends. After reading this book, our kids decided they wanted to make their very own sunflower house. We planted seeds a week ago and now they are ready to plant. We will be documenting this very cool experiment on our blog(:

Information for the month of March

There are lots of cool things going on this month! We will have our St. Patricks day party on Friday, March 16 at 2:15. (sign up sheet coming soon) We will also be harvesting our tadpoles this month so we can watch them grow. Finally, at the end of this month, we will host a Mexican fiesta to celebrate multicultural month! More details to come (:
Here is our curriculum info for this month:
March 5- Mexico, Aa, Green, 2, square, 1,2 buckle my shoe
March 12- Ireland, Bb, Orange, 3, Shamrock, three blind mice
March 19- rainforest and frogs, Cc, brown, 4, triangle
March 26- multicultural week, Dd, pink, 5, Circle

Information for February

Hello! Here is the theme and learning information for the month of February.
February 13-17:
Healthy teeth, Xx, 24, white, rectangle, Los dientes, and This is the way we brush our teeth
February 20-24:
Dr. Seuss, Yy, 25, purple, square, el gato, Mary had a little lamb
February 27-March 2:
Review of the month, Zz, 26, yellow, circle, amigos, Rub a dub

The joy of potty training

Many of you may laugh at the title,or think to yourself, "that's not how I would describe potty training..." That being said, I was reminded this week how great the potty training process can be as I had the opportunity to begin training one of my babies. I am very old school about PT. I don't believe in pull ups, potty chairs, or dragging out the process. I think we underestimate the miraculous ability to learn that our children possess from birth. Take my sweet baby from this week, she is 15 months old and we began formally training on Thursday and by Friday she stayed dry all day and used the potty for all her needs. She also has wonderful parents who committed to using the same techniques at home, which helps tremendously. Its an awesome privilege to help a child through this process, to cheer for them as they succeed, and partner with parents. PT takes time, resolve, and the ability to let your child have accidents and LEARN from them. It's not easy but I think it's worth the effort (: Congrats to my sweet little friend who trained this week and congrats to her parents.

The cutest reading nook

Since we received our license last week, I've been working on our infant/toddler space. I envision a room full of soft, cozy, and inviting areas that allow for lots of exploration. With that in mind, here's the latest addition to the room, a reading nook as well as a few other random photos.

Lots of learning

Everyday so much learning occurs in our program. It's so fascinating to watch as a child grasps the concept of writing their name or fitting a circle into the right hole. The ability to be an observer of this is a privilege that is not taken lightly here. Thank you for sharing your children with us!

Information for the week of January 2

Happy New Year! This week we will be learning about Day and Night. Our color is blue, number 18, letter Rr, our nursery rhyme is twinkle, twinkle little star, and the shape is crescent. Our virtue word for the month is sharing. Have a great week!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies- Tuesday's Recipe of the day

Here's what the kiddos will be making today:

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 145 | Total Fat: 8.1g | Cholesterol: 22mg

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Chocolate chip biscotti recipe courtesy of the Wheat Foods Council.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Add eggs and vanilla, stirring until blended. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead 8 to 10 times. Form dough into a log about 2-inches wide and 16-inches thick.
Place log onto baking sheet coated with non-stick spray. Bake 30 minutes; remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
Place log on cutting board and with a serrated knife, cut log diagonally into 1/2 inch slices, using a sawing motion. Place slices cut side up, on baking sheet.
Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. Turn slices over and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Centers will be slightly soft, but will harden as they cool. Remove to wire rack to cool.
Servings: 2 dozen
Calories/Serving: 92
Nutrition: One biscotti provides approximately: 92 calories, 2 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 2 g fat (1 g saturated), 27 mg cholesterol, 19 mcg folate, 1 g iron, 109 mg sodium.

Information for the week of December 12

Our theme this week will be Yummy Treats and we will be cooking sweet treats all week long!  I look forward to this special time with the kids all year long.  Cooking with our kids is an important activity that provides so many teachable moments.  Math skills are taught by measuring, science is covered as we combine different ingredients to create something totally new, and most importantly, sharing is reinforced as we share the fruits of our labor.  This should be a very fun week.  Our shape this week is Square, the Color is Tan, the letter is Q q, and the number is 17.  Have a great weekend!

Information for the week of December 5

Hello!  This week we will be learning more about decorating for Christmas and also about gifts as we start making some of our Christmas gifts.  The letter of the week will be P p, the number will be 16, the shape/object will be circle, and the color will be Red.  Also, we will be sending out information this week about our Christmas party.  Have a wonderfully merry week! 

Information for the week of November 28

Hello!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Our theme for this week is Decorations.  The kids will be decking our halls all week long in preparation for Christmas.  Our letter is O o, our color is Red, our number is 15, and our shape is triangle.  This week one activity you can do to reinforce skills at home is to cut two triangles out of construction paper and show your child how the two triangles can make a Christmas tree shape.  Have a great week!

Thanksgiving Luncheon Sign Up Sheet

We are asking our guests to bring a dessert or side dish to the luncheon.  Please let us know what you are bringing by commenting below, so that we don't have lots of the same thing (:  Looking forward to our feast!

Information for the week of November 14

We will be talking about thankfulness this coming week.  Our letter is Nn, the number is 14, the color is brown, and the shape is heart.  We also will be hosting a Thanksgiving Luncheon on November 18 at 3:30 pm.  More details to come via email.  Have a great weekend!