Week of May 25, 2020
Monday

Memorial Day is a time to honor, reflect and remember those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Thank you to all those who have served! There are no formal activities planned for today. Enjoy your family and friends!
Tuesday
PLAY
Today we are going to learn about the shape and the sound of the letter “P” Begin by think of words that begin with the letter P. Pillow, park, pencil, potty, pink, potato, pout, PaPa and even pretend words like pumpalumolus… Made up words are funny and bring the joy of laughter into a serious lesson time. Find objects in your house which start with the letter “P” and lay these in a pile within an open-space. Enjoy playtime with your child as you say the words and Pop-your-P’s!

GROW
One of the most important skills for children to develop is the recognition that letters and sounds are connected. The “alphabetic principle” is the notion that speech and sounds can be connected to letters in a predictable way. To grasp the alphabetic principle children need to understand that:
  • Letters represent speech sounds
  • Letters go together to make words
  • Changing the letters changes the sounds and the words these sounds make

ESPECIALLY, FOR YOUR FAMILY
This week you will explore BUGS with your Smarty Patch At Home Learning Kit! Don't forget to pick one up at the Center. Call ahead and a staff member can bring it out to you! If you miss Tuesday, just call your Center to see if you can pick one up Wednesday.


Wednesday
PLAY
Using your Smarty Patch Learning Kit go outside and search for bugs! What kinds of bugs can you find in your yard ?  Once you find a bug, identify it by saying the name of the type of bug. What does it look like ?  How many legs does it have ?  Look closer with a magnifying glass and see if you can find any other features. If you are brave enough, catch it in a container to investigate further!  What do you think your insect does when it is out in nature? What would it feel like to be this bug ?   Investigate your insect, then be sure to let it go back into nature, so it can go back to its home in the wild.  

GROW
Being in nature and paying close attention to the small things, like bugs, will teach your child to appreciate all forms of life. Not only will children learn about science in nature, but children will begin to respect living things like plants, animals, and bugs. By respecting all forms of life, children can develop feelings of empathy, which will teach them to be kind to others. Kindness will help children foster meaningful relationships and friendships, and set an example for their peers.

ESPECIALLY, FOR YOUR FAMILY
Smarty Patch At Home Learning Kit video will be all about BUGS today to enhance your learning kit. Go to http://childrensparadise.com/category/learning-videos/ to watch the video.
Thursday
PLAY
Today we will explore addition! Try adding two objects together. Start with one fruit or vegetable and add another of the same type. One potato plus one potato = 2 potatoes. Play this game together using the fruits and vegetables in your kitchen. You can make this game more complicated by adding groups of items together, for example 2 potatoes plus 3 oranges = 5 potatoes and oranges total.    

GROW
Teaching addition to your child should come after lots of hands-on practice working with numbers. Using hands-on activities in math helps children take an active role in their own learning. While using hands-on activities, children use all sorts of different senses as oranges and potatoes smell quite different. This helps them to separate and group things using their five senses and imparts a better understanding of the differences between each quantity as you count and add the objects.

Friday
PLAY
When dong your housework chores today try hopping on one foot. Hop on one foot as many times as you can, then switch and hop on the other foot. Engage your child in the hopping and in the chores because using play and work makes the tasks so much more fun!

GROW
Engaging your child in daily chores helps them to feel like a productive part of your family unit. Making these chores fun by adding games teaches your child that work can be fun when your attitude is positive and fun. Hopping on one leg is one of the important developmental skills that will help your child develop good balance and ensure safe body management. This activity also builds effective coordination between your child’s brain and their muscles! Hopping on one foot is a good indicator that your child is able to maintain dynamic balance and is developing large muscle control over their body.
SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER

Children's Paradise continues to provide high quality care during the summer. We also have a school age program for children entering kindergarten through 6th grade. For more information check out our summer camps program page!



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