CHILD CARE CHRONICLE February 2015

CHILD CARE CHRONICLE
February 2015
Please DO NOT hold the door open for
people you do not know who want to enter
the building. If somebody who you don’t
know insists on entering with you, tell the
office immediately.
While we know that it is tempting to leave
your warm car running in the parking lot on
cold mornings and afternoons, it is
absolutely essential that you turn your car off
when entering the building! Accidents
happen every year in parking lots when
unattended cars are left running. It is also
necessary to park in the lined parking
spaces… not along the fire lane or in front of
the side door.
Everyone is welcome to visit the Free
Monthly Clothing Bank sponsored by the
United Churches of the Elizabethtown Area.
It’s held on the 2nd Saturday of each month
from 9-10 am at the GEARS Community
Center. You do not have to be referred by an
agency or live in Elizabethtown.
While we try to be open every day, there are
sometimes unsafe weather conditions that
necessitate opening late, closing early, or
closing for the entire day. These decisions
are made on a case-by-case basis and take
into account what is best for the safety of
your family and our staff. In the rare case of
a closing under extreme weather conditions
or of a delayed opening or early dismissal,
listen to 90.3, 96.1, or 103.3, or by watching
ABC 27, CBS 21, CW15, Fox 43, or NBC 8
for information. (Fyi, a “1 hour delay” means
that we’ll open at 7 am.)
We recommend subscribing to text or email
alerts through one of the television stations;
we will not call to notify you.
Unfortunately, we are not able to reschedule
our Winter Wonderland event.
If you have not received your end of year
invoice, check your child’s basket or folder.
They were distributed on bright green paper
mid-January.
A Twist on Snow Play
Everyone loves making a snowman or making
snow angels. Here are a few more fun
activities to try in the snow…
 Make targets with hula hoops or by
drawing circles in the snow. Now toss
those snowballs and see who can hit the
target.
 Have a scavenger hunt. Hide something
that is brightly colored in the snow and
give the kids clues to find it.
 Paint the snow with watercolors. You can
also use food coloring if you don’t have
watercolors.
 Make a birdfeeder. Cut an orange in half
and hollow it out. Fill it with bird seed and
set it out for the birds.
 Bring out your beach toys and make snow
castles.
 Put on your biggest pair of snow boots and
hike out a path in the snow. See if the kids
can stay in your footprints.
 Play follow the leader. Attempt to run, hop,
and skip in the snow with your kids
following behind.
 How about a game of pin the nose on the
snowman?
 Play tic tac toe in the snow. Draw the
board in the snow. You can use pine
cones and rocks for the x’s and o’s.
Whatever you decide to do, have fun playing
with your child. This is a great way to bond
with your child and build a stronger
relationship.
FEBRUARY 2015
Inchworms
Danielle, Oliver, Nola, Reed, Cora, Paxton
Dear Families,
As we enter the month of February, most of
us think about the major holiday that is
celebrated this month… Valentine’s Day.
After Christmas, stores bombard us with
aisles full of red and pink. We are surrounded
by chocolate, stuffed animals, and roses. It’s
a special time of year to focus on those we
love the most.
The children also have their own personal
achievements from this past month:
We hope you take a moment to reflect upon
what you love most about your child. We
hope that you are able to make the most out
of every opportunity you have with your child
and show them how much you love them. A
close relationship with your infant helps them
develop trust, which helps to form an
important foundation that is crucial in their life.
Reed is using every available surface to pull
himself up to stand.
January Recap
In the month of January, our theme was
“Snow”. We read books about snowmen,
snow, and winter animals. Some of the books
involved counting and feeling different
textures. We were also able to bring snow
inside and explore it in the sensory table; we
really enjoyed that! We painted “snowstorms”
and colored with crayons. We created a
“cave” using a large blanket draped between
two cribs, and we played inside and
pretended we were polar bears and it was our
home. The infants really liked our “cave”! We
also explored rattles, musical instruments,
and the soft crocheted balls.
Welcome…
Miss Chris. She’s our new Inchworm teacher!
She’s already spent some time getting to
know our Inchworms. She’s eager to partner
with you as your babies grow and develop.
Danielle has been playing peek-a-boo with anyone
who wants to play.
Oliver is crawling on his stomach all over the
room.
Nola jumps for joy in the jumperoo.
Cora is using her arms and legs to crawl and
explore all of our room’s corners and “hidden
places”.
Paxton likes to smile at everyone who talks to him.
Looking Ahead
We look forward to many engaging activities
during the month of February. Our theme will
be “Love and Friendship” where we’ll learn
about hearts, hugs, blowing kisses, and of
course red and pink. We will sing songs that
relate to this topic, such as “The More We
Get Together” and “Skinny Marinky Dinky
Dink”. We will do art activities such as finger
painting and painting with a paintbrush. We
will also engage in social interaction games
like peek-a-boo. Classic books such as,
Guess How Much I Love You and The
Runaway Bunny will help to reinforce our
theme. Promoting pro-social behavior and
encouraging children to interact with their
peers will also be a focus of this month’s
activities.
Reminders:
 Please wear pink or red for Valentine’s Day
on February 13th.
 We will go on walks when the weather
permits. Please continue to bring the
appropriate winter clothing for your child.
Thank you!
The Inchworm Staff,
Miss Chris, Miss Sherri, & Miss Brittany
Firefly January 2015 News
We’re hoping this cold winter hasn’t been too rough for you. The Fireflies are hoping the groundhog
doesn’t see his shadow so we can start going outside a little more than we did in January.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I am including a list of all of the children’s names so we
can do a valentine card exchange (exchanging cards is optional).
Benjamin
Reed
Abby
Noelle
Morgan
Chase
Yana
Bailee
Silas
Olivia N
Olivia C
Hunter
Genesis
Kylah
Semaj
What’s going on this month…
Since February is the month of LOVE the Fireflies will be talking about the things we love to do.
This month we will be learning by exploring all of our favorites. Topics like babies and baby dolls
are favorites for some children, and some of us would name trains and tractors as our favorites.
How we learned last month…
 Bailee, Morgan, and Olivia N. really enjoyed cooking in our new kitchen; they made some
interesting food. This is one of the items we purchased with our Keystone STARS grant
money.
 Chase, Hunter, and Silas built many great structures using the new blocks we received from
the Keystone STARS grant.
 Olivia C., Kylah, and Abby had a lot of fun caring for the new baby dolls we acquired with
Keystone STARS grant money.
 Benjamin, Reed, and Semaj liked exploring the sand in the sensory table. This was also a new
item we received from the Keystone STARS grant.
 Yana, Genesis, and Noelle enjoyed putting the pop bead ducks together. These were yet
another item we purchased with Keystone STARS grant money.
As you can clearly see, we received a lot of new equipment this month from grant money that we
received from Keystone STARS, which is funded by the state of Pennsylvania. If you get the
chance, please advocate for us to continue to receive these grants by writing to the governor
and/or other legislators about how important these grants are to our center. They help us to
provide our classrooms with high quality, educational, and safe equipment to supplement the
excellent educational and developmental experiences we offer every day.
Song of the month: “Here’s a Valentine” (sung to “Frere’ Jacques”)
Here’s a Valentine, here’s a Valentine
Just for you, just for you.
It has hearts and roses, it has hearts and roses,
Kisses too, kisses too.
Chipmunk Chatter
February 2015
Units of Study for February
February 2 – Pajama Day
February 3 – Groundhogs & Shadows
February 9 – Valentine’s Day & Friendship
February 16 – Dinosaurs
February 23 – Art Styles
Our center participates in the PA Keystone STARS program. We
are voluntarily inspected for quality and we have received a four
star designation from them (the highest). Included with this
designation is grant money which is then used to continue to
keep up our program quality. Following are some of the new
items we ordered and received for our room that your children
are using to learn:
Andrew & Cameron – nurse puppet
Ella – dollhouse family
Jack – twisty droppers
Jason – measuring tape
Katie – bunny puzzle
Keith – cow puppet
Kelsey – sink & stove
Naizeya – doctor puppet
Palmer & Paige – number & animal flannelboard pieces
Preston – scarf dancing cd
Bluebird Newsletter
February 2015
The Bluebirds have enjoyed talking about snowflakes, snowmen, and
animals in winter. More snow is on the way so hopefully we can get out to make
a snowman together. Be sure to send snow gear for your child. If
temperatures are warm enough we play outside every day.
February Themes:
2-6
Groundhogs and Shadows, Penguins and Ice
9-13
Healthy Hearts and Valentine’s Day
16-20
Dental Hygiene, Doctors and Germs
23-27
Construction
Special Dates to Remember:
2 – Happy 4th Birthday Landon!
8 – Happy 4th Birthday Liam!
12 – PALS activities with the Explorer class
13 - Valentine’s Day Tea Party
A Valentine’s Day party is planned for Friday, February 13th around 9:30
am. If you want you may send in valentine cards for your child to exchange
with their friends. There are a total of 12 children in the Bluebird room. I’ve
listed their names below.
Aubree
Gwen
Ayden
Landon
Chiara
Izabella
Cayden
Liam
Gaby
Sonja
Jacob
Shammah
The Cubs – February 2015
The Cubs have been making so much progress. We are thrilled! We know our ABC’s and we can
think of words that begin with different letter sounds. We are recognizing our friends’ names.
We’ve been counting and are recognizing numbers.
During January we investigated ice, melted ice with salt water, played with snow, and felt the
difference between our hands in icy water and our hands inside a “layer of fat” in ice water.
We learned about Antarctic (South Pole) animals – penguins! And then we learned about Arctic
animals – polar bears! Our favorite arctic animals are:
The Arctic Fox – Addie M, Cassidy, Marshall, Madelynn, Kade, and Olivia
The Wolf – Alexis, Alissa, and Zaria
The Reindeer (caribou) – Ayla
The Puffin – Ben, Ethan, and Rogan
The Polar Bear – Cole, Damon, Judah, Louie, and Eben
The Walrus – Ms. Amy, Addison G, and Makenna
The Ptarmigan – Ms. Jes
The Harp Seal – Ms. Angela
In February we will be learning about our bodies and how to take care of them. We will also
enjoy Valentine activities and have a special Valentine’s Day party… stay tuned for details!
February birthdays: Judah on February 12th
February 13 is a field trip to Heritage House.
Here is our class list in case your child would like to give out valentines. You do not have to!
Olivia
Judah
Zaria
Eben
Marshall
Madelynn
Makenna
Cassidy
Addison G
Alexis
Kade
Ethan
Addison M
Rogan
Alissa
Ben
Cole
Louie
Ayla
Miranda
FOX FEBRUARY NEWS
2015
LOVE…I asked the children what that word means to them and as Barrett put it,”That’s a
pretty hard answer to give.” Enjoy what they each had to say about LOVE.
Andi- I love my parents. I kiss them and hug them.
Ryan- Loving means doing something special with your family like going to the Farm Show.
Barrett loves to cook with his mom and dad, especially biscuits
Mikhail- I love my brain ‘cause it thinks about things like trains.
Mia (our newest Fox) says you love your family everyday even if they don’t buy you
yogurt.
Bella helped her mom clean her room because she loves her.
Garrett- You really, really care about someone like my family and my friends and my dog.
Kailey loves playing tickle with her mom and dad and sisters.
Elysia- Love is when you give a Valentine card to someone like my mom.
Mya loves to snuggle with her family and write them “feel better” notes.
Luka- Love is hugging my mom and my dad and my sister and saying I love you.
Holidays, birthdays and celebrations make February a busy, sweet month because Foxes
want to do it ALL! We will start the month making groundhog tunnels with blankets and
doing underground drawings, then we’ll move on to QUILTS. This is a special project that
we need your help with. Send in an old article of your child’s clothing, an old sheet, blanket
or pillowcase, or other fabric that we can cut a 10”x10” square from. Also feel free to send
in quilts, quilted items, wall hangings, books, or pictures of quilts. If you, a relative, or a
friend quilts, and would like to share with us, please let me know. We will explore lots of
things about quilts and end up making a class quilt. This project will continue off and on
through the winter. In February we will of course celebrate Valentine’s Day, review our
addresses, and talk about our love for family. Winter is an important time to learn how we
can keep ourselves healthy so we will stress proper hand washing and how to catch those
germs when coughing and sneezing. Dental health will also be a part of that.
Below are some special days that you may want to make note of.
 Feb 13 - AM and PM classes to Heritage House at 9:15. The Kindergartners have no
public school that day so they can enjoy a morning at Heritage House.
We will also celebrate Valentine’s Day together. Please encourage your child to sign and
“address” each card. Your child’s class list is below. Watch for a sign-up sheet for
ingredients to make chocolate fondue. YUM!
 Feb 16 - All Foxes here. No public school. Sounds like a good day for PJS, baking
cupcakes for all the famous February birthdays, and winter videos.
CLASS LISTS
AM: Barrett, Bella, Garrett, Elysia, Mia, Mikhail
PM. Andi, Kailey, Luka, Mya, Ryan
Explorer / Investigator Newsletter
February 2015
Well, it has been a rather cold winter so be sure that your child has gloves and a hat to wear outside. We
do go outside on a daily basis when the temperature is above 25. Don’t forget… if school closes, bring in
snow pants and boots.
February 2:
We will celebrate Groundhog’s Day. We will create shadows and make a special treat.
Don’t forget… the last one out of bed is the groundhog!
February 3 – 12: We will study the heart. We will focus on eating healthy and exercise. We will also
share about what makes us be a good friend.
February 13: The afternoon kindergarteners will be going to school in the morning, so the Investigators
will be going to the Winter’s Heritage House (leaving at 9:15).
In the afternoon we will have a Valentine celebration; a sign-up sheet will come later. At
the bottom of the newsletter is a list of names for anyone who would like to bring in
Valentines. You may bring them for your child’s class or for both classes. Feel free to bring
them in any time during the week of February 9th.
February 16: There is no public school. We will celebrate the Presidents’ birthdays.
February 17 – 20: We will study healthy teeth. There are some great science experiments we will do.
February 23 – 27: Author study of Pat Hutchins - Her books have some great math and language
activities. Book titles include Don’t Forget the Bacon, Changes Changes,
The Doorbell Rang, The Wind Blew, Rosie’s Walk
You may have noticed some new furniture arriving in our room. We are very thankful for the new
supplies. They were purchased with grant money from Keystone STARS.
Explorers’ class list
Kathryn
Daniel
Sagen
Trevor
Addisyn
Bradyn
Aaron
Avery
Sophie
Investigators’ class list
Mitchel
Taylor
Isabella
Gretchen
Colleen
Christopher
Austin
Kolby
E-TOWN BEARS FEBRUARY 2015 NEWSLETTER
During the month of January, Christmas continued for the school age
children! Our center has been very fortunate to receive a grant from Keystone
STARS so we can continue to enrich each classroom’s learning environment.
Our school age children have been learning and discovering while playing with the
items we have purchased through this generous grant. Through their play, they
are actually covering academic topics such as math, science, social studies,
reading and writing. They are also learning how to problem solve, respect each
other’s opinions, and cooperate. Ask your children what new items they have been
playing with lately in the school age program. Thank you, Keystone STARS!
We are super excited to start our bi-monthly boxed lunches for ECCC
families as well as for our teachers to purchase to support our community service
project. The children who have volunteered to help with this project have been
busy with planning the menu, advertising the lunch sales by making flyers, and are
looking forward to preparing the meal. They have picked Friday, February 13 for
the lunches to be picked up in our morning program. It’s the day before
Valentine’s Day. What a fantastic way to express a little love by supporting the
Elizabethtown Community Cupboard. Thank you for your support!
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
February 13: Early Dismissal
February 16: No School (ECCC Open)
February 23, 24, 26: ECCC Conferences with Mrs. Yvette (Look for a
conference sign-up sheet to discuss your child’s developmental profile in our
school age program)
FRIENDLY REMINDER:
The following are the technology game ratings:
1. M = Mature: Absolutely not permitted in our program! Any children that
have games on their own Kindles, DS, iPods, etc. that are rated “M”
will not be allowed to play their electronic devices while in our
program!
2. T = Teen: We highly suggest the children should not be exposed this rating
as well. “T” games must be played at the table and no other children can
watch.
3. E = Everyone: “E” games can be played in other areas and other children
can watch.

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