Medfield Children’s Center
Pleasant Street
MAY 2009 NEWSLETTER
www.medfieldchildrenscenter.com
Theme…GOOD HEALTH!
J Great books about food…
The Seven Silly Eaters
by Mary Ann Hoberman
illus. by Marla Frazee
Just like you, Mrs. Peters is one of the sweetest moms we know. And just like some of you, she has picky eaters…
“What a fussy bunch of eaters
Are all my lovely little Peters.”
But don’t give up! Keep exposing your children to healthy foods that their growing bodies need. They may not eat it the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th…time they have it on their plate. It could take up to 12 times of having it on their plate before they may even attempt a nibble. If food issues are not made into power struggles, but simply a choice of the children to make, they may venture a taste and discover how delicious healthy foods are! If they are given only healthy foods to choose from, then they will have to eat healthy. Save those yummy, not-so-healthy foods for once-in-awhile treats!
I Will Never Not Ever
Eat a Tomato
by Lauren Child
Hope your kids love to eat “moonsquirters, orange twiglets from Jupiter, cloud fluff, ocean nibbles…”
Whether they do or don’t, this is a fun book! So, grab a carrot to munch and get reading!
Fast Food
by Saxton Freymann
Who says don’t play with your food? Not Saxton Freymann.
This book’s about the fast food you’ll want your kids to eat!
This book is fun, creative, and yummy. We hope you’ll “race” to read it!
Mark Your Calendar…
Class Photo J
Nursery…Thursday, April 30th
PreK…Friday, May 1st
Mother’s Day Tea
at 10:45
Nursery…Thurs., May 7th
PreK…Fri., May 8th
No Lunch Bunch
Memorial Day
School Closed
Monday, May 25th
FUTURE DATES…
Last Day of School
PreK Graduation – Wed., June 10th
Chicks
It happened so early in April, but we can’t forget about our adorable, fuzzy little friends! We are so thankful that Farmer Cronin let us share in the amazing experience of watching the beauty and miracle of life, as 10!!! chicks made their way into the world by cracking their shells and pushing their way out! We could hear chirping from inside the shell as they were hatching! What hard work it was for the chicks! We had fun watching them sleep, and in only a couple of days, grow into chirping, fast little bundles of energy! They even liked to play. A piece of cardboard fell into the box, and the chicks had a great time chasing each other and trying to take it away!
We miss them, but by the time they left, they were already too big for the box.
We’re sure they’re having lots of fun outside on Farmer Cronin’s farm!
Creepy-Crawly Critters are Coming
We ordered some caterpillars and are awaiting their arrival (they’re due to arrive May 4th)! We will watch them eat and grow, spin a chrysalis, and see them emerge as beautiful Painted Lady butterflies! What an amazing transformation! Make sure to ask your little scientists all about it!
2009-2010 Enrollment
Please spread the word…we have 2 openings for our PreK program next year.
Although we would love to have afternoon classes, we don’t yet have enough interest. So, if you know anyone who may be interested in an afternoon class (12:30-3:00) for their child, please let them know. We’d love to welcome new friends to our school! Thanks!
Firefighters
Thanks to Firefighter John and Firefighter Scott for visiting our school on April 6th and 7th. They talked to the classes about what to do if they’re ever in a fire, showed them the equipment firefighters wear so the kids won’t be scared if they see them dressed in an emergency situation, and what number to call if there’s an emergency. They also let them try on their fire hats and heavy coats and talked to them about practicing fire drills at home and having a meeting place. Our meeting place at school is by the play yard fence! Where’s your home meeting place?
Please be sure to…
Hopefully we will NEVER have to experience the horror of any life-threatening situation, but in the unthinkable event that we do, it is important to be prepared! Children are so smart! Having this knowledge could save a life!
The Incredibles (Disney/Pixar Movie)
FREE (all brand-new) for anyone who may be interested…
A friend of the school gave us brand-new, “The Incredibles”, party goods. They’re looking for a home, so if you have a superhero who loves “The Incredibles” and you’d like the party goods, please see Sharon. Thank you!
Inside Dismissal
When we have inside dismissals, please wait in the downstairs hallway (come all the way down the stairs and wait inside the church rooms or along the hallway leading to the bathroom). For SAFETY, and to make it easy for families to exit, the stairway needs to be clear.
We do our best to dismiss the kids as quickly as possible. We will try to call the child whose parent is closest to the door so that family can go up the stairs, which then makes room for the next family, etc. It will keep everyone safe and hopefully help with the flow of “traffic.”
Miss Elaine (Nursery)
Miss Elaine sang lots of fun weather songs. She brought her big rainbow umbrella so the kids could hide from the rain! Then they sang “Rain, Rain, Go Away” so the sun might come out.
And guess what…it worked! Then they skipped around the room singing “Mr. Golden Sun.”
And, oh the feathers! Miss Elaine brought a pile of colorful feathers so the “wind” (your child)
could blow them around! Miss Elaine caught one on her nose, her head, her back, her belly…!
Where did your child’s feather land? Oh, the fun!
Miss Lorraine
One of our favorite visitors will be here May 5th (Nursery) and May 6th (PreK)…
Miss Lorraine from Dental Associates of Walpole! She teaches us lots about how to keep our teeth and smiles healthy. And her puppets are so silly, they always get the kids laughing HYSTERICALLY!
Her visits are memorable, so hopefully your child will tell you all about it!
If not, be sure to ask!
Sandbox
Yay! The sandbox is here and ready! The kids had loads of fun digging, building, driving trucks, and playing with friends! What better way to enjoy the warm days of spring than with sand between our toes (I should say, with sand in our sneakers…so you may want to empty shoes before they go in the house. J)!
South Street’s Summer Program
Summertime fun is still available at our South Street school.
If you’re interested in summer program information,
please see Sharon Maillet!
Stony Brook (PreK)
Miss Sara was here to talk about “Winter Sleepers”, to make up the class we missed because of the snow day in March. Can you name any winter sleepers? Ask your child if you’re right!
Sara was back for “Amazing Amphibians” for April’s class. When I heard a collective, “Whooooaa”, I just had to peek into the classroom. Miss Sara was showing a picture of a HUGE frog! Did you know that frogs drink through their skin? That would be like us putting our arm in a glass of water to quench our thirst!
Sunscreen
Hot, sunny days are here! Please apply sunscreen so your child can enjoy fun in the sun in the play yard with no worries! Thank you!
Xaverian Students
We can’t believe how fast six weeks goes by! May 6th and 7th will be Andrew, Nolan, and Robby’s last days at our school! The kids LOVED having them here! They took the time to talk to each child everyday and made each feel special! They will be missed!
We wish Andrew, Nolan, and Robby a wonderful graduation from Xaverian and all the best in the future!
Birthday Wishes
Happy birthday to our friends Charlie (5/4) and Marisa (5/19), who celebrate their birthdays this month! Hope all your birthday wishes come true!
Kid Quotes
A PreK boy had colored only half his fish. When a teacher asked him to finish it, he said, “I’m too darn tired!”
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CLASSROOM CORNER
PreK
MRS. BAKER
The month of April began with great excitement and new life in our classroom. The arrival of chick eggs was a sight to be seen by all. We were so fortunate to witness the hatching of ten baby chicks and realized that it’s a lot of work hatching from an egg. We enjoyed three days of observing the chicks sleep, eat, and grow (wow, do they grow fast!). Although it was sad to say good-bye, we all understand that the farm is the best place for chicks to grow up.
It’s always exciting to begin a new month and a new theme. “Under the Sea” has been an interesting unit where we have learned about different kinds of fish, looked at different types of sea shells and enjoyed learning about sea life. With lots of painting inolved, the children created an “Under the Sea” mural which includes sharks, whales, jellyfish, seaweed, and sand. Creating such a beautiful sene was a group effort enjoyed by all.
We learned about the letters Q,R,S and T, creating a Quilt, coloring with Red, and gluing Squares and Triangles. It’s hard to believe that we are almost to the end of the alphabet.
Special events included a visit from the Medfield Firefighters, a visit from Stony Brook and of course our fabulous performance of the “Bunny Pokey”. I am looking forward to the month of May and beginning our “Good Health” unit (one of my favorite units) as we learn about ways to stay healthy and how to make good choices.
As our year nears to an end, I can’t begin to tell you what joy your children are to work with each day. They are an incredibly kind and caring group of children and I will cherish the next several weeks with them!
MRS. MARTIN
April’s “Under the Sea” theme was fun! The mural that the children painted is beautiful with all the fish, sharks, whales and starfish that cover it. We introduced the letters Q, R, S and T. There were many sunbathers at the beach in dramatic play (Yes, they put their sunscreen on!). Some even worked at the “Snack Shack”, while others enjoyed dining. Thank you for arriving early to see the spring “Bunny Pokey” performance. Didn’t the children do a terrific job decorating their bunny ears? I hope you all enjoyed your April break. We’re ready to learn about Good Health and celebrate a very special day with Mom’s in May!
Nursery
MRS. MARTIN
The “Under the Sea” theme for April kept us busy and we sure did learn a lot! We painted beautiful ocean pictures and added assorted fish to them. The jellyfish that we painted with watercolors look great hanging in our classroom. We feel like we’re swimming in the ocean when we walk in. The children enjoyed sunbathing at the beach in dramatic play. Some worked at the “Snack Shack”, while others relaxed and enjoyed their meal. Everyone seemed to enjoy performing the Bunny Pokey to celebrate spring. Thank you for arriving a little early to see it. I loved the colorful bunny ears that everyone decorated. I hope that you all had a fun April break. The warm weather is finally here! We’re looking forward to learning about Good Health and celebrating a special day with Mom’s in May!
MRS. RULL
Spring fever is here! We have had picnics, sunbathed and had some delicious snacks at our classroom beach! We have enjoyed learning about creatures that live in the ocean this month including starfish, jellyfish, sharks and crabs. Our special visit from the Firefighters this month gave us some very important insight into such safety concerns as the 911 emergency number, smoke detectors and how to recognize a firefighter in their uniforms. There were many adorable bunnies hopping around the classroom singing our Bunny Pokey song! What great singing! Thank you so much for all the yummy treats and contributions for our Spring Party. Music with Miss Elaine this month was once again fantastic! We went under her umbrella, sang some songs about rain, and had a blast pretending to be wind and blowing some feathers around the classroom. Happy Birthday to Charlie and Marisa! Moms, we look forward to celebrating with you on our upcoming Mother’s Day Tea!
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World of Whimsy and Wonder!
From our classroom to yours…
Did you make “Magic Muck” or grow beans? Who had more fun…the kids or you? J
Here’s another FUN experiment we did earlier in the year. The kids LOVE this project and never have as much time as they would like at school to experiment, so we thought we’d send along the idea to try at home. We hope you try it! It’s SO EASY and so much learning is sure to happen! Have fun!
1. Fill an ice tray ½ way with water.
2. Add food coloring to some of the squares.
(ex. drop of red in one square, drop of blue in
another…)
3. Use a dropper to experiment with the colors.
What happens when you add RED to BLUE? What happens when you add RED to PURPLE?
Drop the colors and find out!
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This is a fun song we’ve sung throughout the year (it’s more of a chant…ask your child to help…or a teacher)! It gets pretty tricky and very silly, so take a deep breath and get ready…
Hello, My Name is Joe
(at school we say “Hi”!)
Hello, my name is Joe
and I work at the button factory.
One day, my boss said,
“Joe, are you busy?” I said, “No.”
He said, “Good, turn this button
with your right hand.”
Hello, my name is Joe and
and I work at the button factory.
One day, my boss said,
“Joe, are you busy?” I said, “No.”
He said, “Good, turn this button
with your left hand.”
Don’t stop now, the song keeps going! Say the verse and push a button with your…right foot, left foot, head, and tongue! Remember…you have to turn and push all those buttons at the SAME TIME!
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Book Nook
More wonderful books…Oh, I wish I had more room on the page!
(“Toodle-oo!” Which character says that? You’ll have to read the 3 books to find out! J)
A Frog Thing
by Eric Drachman
illus. by James Muscarello
You won’t see a cuter frog! I just love this sweet little story about Frank!
“Frank wanted to fly.
But he was a frog.
And frogs can’t fly.”
But can Frank?
Too Many Frogs
by Sandy Asher
illus. by Keith Graves
Another adorable frog to read about! He visits Rabbit every night…just in time to hear a story! But does Rabbit enjoy the visits? Maybe…maybe not! Hope you’ll read it to find out! I just love this frog and book, too!
Big Al
by Andrew Clements
illus. by Yoshi
Oh, I forgot about Big Al until I heard Mrs. Baker reading it as part of the Under the Sea theme. It is a great book about a big fish named…you guessed it…Big Al! If you get the chance, dive into this book and meet the big, not so scary, Big Al…you’ll love him!
His story teaches the importance of not judging a fish based on the way he looks!
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We can’t believe there is only one month left of school!
We’re going to keep loving very minute!
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Our South Street school sent this with the May newsletter, just in time to celebrate mothers this month. We wanted to share it with our wonderful, “mean” moms, too!
Enjoy! And Happy Mother’s Day!
Someday when your children are old enough to understand the
logic that motivates a parent, tell them, as my mean Mom told me: I loved you
enough ... to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be
home.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend
was a creep.
I loved you enough to stand over you for 2 hours while you cleaned your room, a
job that should’ve taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes.
Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even
when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough ... to say NO when I knew you would hate me
for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in
the end you won, too. And someday when your children are old enough to
understand the logic that motivates parents, you’ll tell them.
Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest
mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to
have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch,
we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that
was different from what other kids had, too.
Mom insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts
in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with
them.
She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for
an hour or less.
We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws
by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook,
vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I
think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.
She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes
in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!
Mom wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to
come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when
they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.
Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.
None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or
ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.
Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our
best to be mean parents just like Mom was.
I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough
mean moms!