 The New Year is here. It will be a year full of awe, happiness, tears and growth. We never know what the new year will bring but we can work on building memories that will last a lifetime for our families and our children.
As we start the New Year some of us may have taken time to review what our families have done this past year and/or start planning the activities for the coming year. When you have little ones running around the house you are lucky to have a chance to review the last hour let alone the whole year! It takes some planning just to have time to think! These little gems that are running around your house, and running your world, give you a new outlook on life as well as the year to come. How much will they grow this year, what will they learn, what will I learn, where will we be next year, when will they learn to……??? There are lots of questions and a new year of adventures ahead of you. When you have a moment of quiet time, try to review what you did in 2018. Take time to reflect on what you did that you would like to do again and add that to the list of things you would like to try to do his year. Some of the “things” you do with your family/child may be big things but a lot of the time the memories you keep with you are the ordinary things that make up everyday life. Did you have time to laugh with your child, did you feel the awe of wonder-ment when your child experienced something for the first time, were you amazed when they learned something new -- did you really enjoy a day in the life of your child? Sometimes you need to get away and have some R&R so you have the energy to have a positive attitude about being a parent. Give yourself permission to have time – just time for you. Give yourself permission to pamper yourself. If you take the time to recharge yourself then you have the opportunity to be the best for your child. Take a walk, go on a date, read a book (that does not have pictures and soft, fluffy animals or a truck, train, builder as a main character), have a cup of tea and finish a chapter without being interrupted. Then you will have the energy to enjoy all they have to share with you … a hug, a sticky-jelly-kiss, a worm, a laugh. In our family I treasure the laughter more than anything else. To hear children laughing brings such joy. Even though Joel and Nick are grown they will always be my “children” so their laughter will always bring a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. As Curt and I walked by a playground the other day we were talking about the sound of children playing and laughing. What a wonderful sound that is. It is the sound of joy and wonderment. Often it is the everyday memories that mean so much as your child grows up. The day you sat on the porch in the sun and read a book, that early morning sleepy look as they tumble out of bed, a smile just for you, the excitement of a making something all by themselves. These little snapshots of everyday life with add up and become the history of their childhood. You can hold onto these mental pictures of your little one as you watch them grow. Sooner than you think (or want) they head off into the ‘big’ world -- grade school, high school and then off to college or their new job. Remember -- it is as important to take the pictures in your mind as it is with your camera because you can always look at the pictures in your mind.  SNOWFLAKE WEEK 2019
Just as no two snowflakes are alike your child is not like any other child. Yes, they may have family similarities or are right on target with other children their age on the development charts but they are all unique little people. Enjoy those special qualities that make your child a ‘snowflake’ – unique and one-of-a-kind! This week we will be talking about snowflakes. The Science of Snowflakes: Facts and Activities for Children Laure Latham December 9, 2015 Six is the magic number for snow - did you know that? If you had a big magnifier and stepped outside with your children on a cold winter day to watch snow fall from the sky, here is what you might observe - six-sided hexagonal crystals, needles or flat six-sided crystals, and a wide variety of six-sided shapes. All snowflakes are a combination of the number six for simple chemical reasons - they're all variants of the water molecule. Despite all snowflakes having six sides, not two snowflakes are exactly identical. How crazy is that? Here are a few more fun facts about snowflakes as well as simple science activities you can do with your children. Where Do Snowflakes Come From? As obvious as this may sound, snowflakes—or more scientifically, snow crystals—are formed in clouds. However they are not frozen raindrops, as that's called sleet or hail. Snowflakes are a different cold weather phenomenon formed from water vapor that condenses around a tiny particle—the seed crystal, usually a speck of dust—in clouds. Cloud droplets condense around the seed crystal and freeze on the surface of the particle, patterns emerging as the crystals grow. The shape of snowflakes is determined by the altitude and temperatures at which they are formed. When several crystals stick together or create puffy white balls, they become snowflakes. Once the snowflakes are heavy enough, they fall to the earth. The average snowflakes fall at an average speed of 3.1 miles per hour! Snowflake Song Snowflakes, snowflakes, dance around, Snowflakes, snowflakes, touch the ground Snowflakes, snowflakes, in the air Snowflakes, snowflakes, everywhere Snowflakes, snowflakes, dance around Snowflakes, snowflakes, touch the ground Five Little Snowmen Five little snowmen riding on the sled (pretend five fingers are sledding) One fell off and bumped his head (pretend one finger falls off...rub head) I called Frosty and Frosty said (dial imaginary telephone) "No more snowmen, riding on that sled!" (say in a deep voice) Four little snowmen... etc Winter Song Way up high in the snowy tree Lots of little snowflakes smiled at me. I shook that tree as hard as I could. Down came the snowflakes They are cold!  SNOW WEEK 2019
Welcome back! The month of January will be our ‘cold weather’ month. During Snow Week we will talk about cold weather, snow and snowmen. We will be making snow collages and paint with Epson Salts to create snow pictures. We will begin our snow-themed songs and finger plays that we will sing all month. If the chilly weather returns you can point out the frost to yourchild.During Circle Time I will introduce Bear. We will dress Bear for warmth and talk about warm clothes we wear during chilly weather. If you have family pictures, especially any snow pictures, you would like to share I will be posting them on the bulletin board in the Circle Room. It will be fun to see what people did during break. It is Snowing It is snowing, it is snowing All around, all around Soft and pretty snowflakes Soft and pretty snowflakes On the ground, on the ground. Snowman I’m a chubby snowman short and fat Here is my broomstick and here is my hat When the sun come out and shines all day I just start to melt away…. Oh no I’m a puddle! Little Snowman A chubby little snowman with a carrot nose Along came a bunny and what do you suppose? That hungry little bunny looking for some lunch Ate that snowman’s carrot nose crunch, crunch, crunch Mitten Song Thumbs in the thumb place, fingers all together. This is the song we sing in mitten weather When it is cold it doesn’t matter whether mittens are wool or finest leather. Thumbs in the thumb place fingers all together This is the song we sing in mitten weather. Robin The cold wind doth blow And we shall have snow What will poor robin do then, small thing? She will sit in the barn And keep herself warm And hide her head under her wing. Small thing. |