Parker-Chase Newsletter Page 2

NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)

Easy Homemade Playdough

As all of you are already aware, nine Parker-Chase staff members will be traveling on Friday, November 9th to attend the NAEYC conference in Atlanta from Nov. 7-11. The theme for the conference this year is Developmentally Appropriate Practice in the 21st Century.

There is a wonderful line up of conference sessions this year!Highl ighted speakers and p r e s ent e r s i n c l u de m a n y world-renowned early childhood educators!

Some notable sessions include: Uniquely preschool: Vygotskian and post-Vygotskian approaches to scaffolding the development of imagination. Lev Vygotsky viewed imagination as the main developmental accomplishment of preschool-age children. The authors of Tools of the M ind w i l l i n t roduce participants to theories of

imagination and by using classroom examples, show the impact of teachers’ support of mature make- b e l i e v e p l a y o n y o u n g children’s developing imagination.

Approaches to learning: How did you learn at school today? Young children develop positive approaches to learning in an environment that supports their emerging sense of themselves as doers and thinkers. Participants will share ideas and strategies to provide children with experiences that develop their initiative and the skills to solve problems with confidence, flexibility, and persistence.

The closing session is titled: Sing! Dance! Move! Celebrating music in early chi ldhood education. Children's music plays a vital role in the early learning classroom, c r o s s i n g a l l a r e a s o f development-cognitive, language

and literacy, physical, social, and e m o t i o n a l . J o i n u s f o r performances by Ella Jenkins, and Steve & Greg.

We are off to a great start on our fundraising efforts, and we only have two more fundraisers to go:

*Parent’s Night Out Friday, October 19th Saturday, October 27th

*Garage Sale at Ms. Jaynes Saturday, November 3rd

With nine teachers heading to the conference on Nov. 9th, we could use your help in a couple of ways: Take the day off and do fun

stuff with your kiddo. Pick you child up as early as

possible to help with breaks and end of the day staffing.

Volunteer to work in a classroom as needed.

ALL of the teachers and the Parker-Chase Parent Organization would like to thank you in advance for your assistance and support.

Ingredients

1 cup Flour 1 cup Water 2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar 1/3 cup Salt 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil Food Coloring

Instructions

Mix together all the ingredients, except the food coloring, in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over low/medium heat, stirring. Once it begins to thicken, add the food coloring. Continue stirring until the mixture is much thicker and begins to gather around the spoon.

Remove the dough onto wax paper or a plate to cool.

Parker-Chase Newsletter Page 3

Establishing Routines & Encouraging Safe Exploration & Play

Establishing Routines: One toddler knows it is nap time because his mom sings a song and closes the curtains, as she always does. Another toddler knows it is nearly time for her dad to pick her up because her child care provider gives her juice and crackers. Positive daily routines make children feel more secure because they know what to expect from their environment and the people around them, These repeated happy experiences help build strong relationships which are important for building a sense of self, a sense of trust , the ability to regulate emotion and behavior as well as cognitive skills necessary for school readiness.

Encouraging Safe Exploration: Children learn through play and by exploring. A simple game of “peek-a-boo” helps a baby learn that objects are permanent-even when she can’t see them. A toddler playing with stacking cups learns about size, color, and shapes. Help your child learn through play be interacting with him. “Can you put the red cup in the blue cup?” But also allow your child to explore on her own-let her crawl or walk around the room, touch things to see how they feel, push them to see if they roll, shake them to see if they make a sound.

Watch your three-year old run away from your at the park, always looking over his shoulder to make sure you’re still there. And hold out your arms for a big hug when he goes a step too far away and runs back for reassurance.

Hello, Parker-Chase Community,

My name is Jean Underwood, and on Sunday, November 4th, my husband, Joe Zipper and I will be participating in the 2012 Buddy Walk for the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas, at the AT&T Plaza at Victory Park. The Down Syndrome Guild is an incredible organization that helps to provide support and services for families and caregivers of people with Down Syndrome.

Our son, Brayden, is 5 years old and in Pre-Kindergarten at Parker-Chase. We found out that Brayden was going to have Down Syndrome when I was only sixteen weeks pregnant, and while Joe and I were upset at first with this news, knowing his condition before-hand allowed us time to prepare for what was ahead. Down syndrome occurs because of the presence of a third copy of the 21st chromosome in each cell of a person's body (typically developing folks have two copies). This can cause several conditions such as heart defects and cognitive delays.

Brayden has been full time at Parker-Chase since Lower Preschool and has attended, on and off, since Infant Two. We had always planned on having him attend Parker-Chase since it was such a great experience for his older brother, Keigan. Everyone at Parker

Chase has been great with him. Brayden has been blessed with very good health and while his speech is delayed, he seems to be keeping up wonderfully with his class.

We would like to invite you and your family to join us to be a part of Team Brayden’s Buddies. We are raising money for the 2012 Buddy Walk and if you are able to make a donation, please click HERE. If you would like to join us as we walk the one-mile fun walk as a team, please let us know– we would love to have you! A $25 donation qualifies you as a participant and scores you a T-Shirt! Contact me by 11/30 with your shirt size(s) and I will be sure to have your available. The days activities will begin at 11am and the one-mile fun walk starts at 1pm. Buddy Walk par-ticipants will be able to take part in some great activities, including: bounce houses, rock climb-ing wall, games, DJ music and more! Kellie Raspberry & Big Al Mack (Kidd Kraddick in the Morn-ings) are serving as the Honorary Chairpersons and will start the walk with the families. It is sure to be a day filled with wonderful memories, and we truly hope that you are able to join us!

Thank you, Jean and Joe junderwood7@yahoo.com

2012 Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas Buddy

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NAEYC Accreditation of programs for young children represents the mark of quality in early childhood education. NAEYC Accreditation began in 1985 with the goal of providing an accrediting system that would raise the level of early childhood programs. NAEYC accredited programs invest in early childhood education because they believe in the benefits to children and families. Early childhood experiences—from birth to age 8—have an enormous impact on children’s lifelong learning and positively contribute to their health and development. Early childhood education programs with the mark of quality benefit children with greater readiness for and success in school. It is for this reason that parents and families are seeking out NAEYC-accredited programs. Parents choosing an early childhood education program can be overwhelmed by trying to find the highest-quality program for their child. NAEYC Accreditation is the mark of quality that families are looking for. NAEYC Accreditation helps to build a stronger team of teachers, administrators, and families working together to improve quality for children. It improves the standards for the overall program.

In NAEYC-Accredited early childhood programs, you will see: Frequent, positive, and warm interactions among teachers and children. Happy, relaxed children who enjoy

themselves as they play and learn are signs of a quality program. Teachers and staff with professional qualifications and training. Well-prepared teachers have a better

understanding of how young children grow and learn. Planned learning activities and materials appropriate to children’s age and development. With appropriate

materials and expectations, quality programs help young children learn how to learn and nurture their social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.

Communication with families. Families should be involved in the program, and the teachers and staff should welcome your interest.

Enough adults to respond to individual children. The ratio of teachers to children helps determine how much individual attention your child will get.

A healthy and safe environment for children. A clean, well-supervised program is essential. Nutritious snacks and meals. Good nutrition is a key part of a young child’s development.

Why Choose a NAEYC Accredited Preschool?

We are still collecting Box Tops and participating in the Box Tops for Education (BTE) program. The BTE program is fun and an easy way for us to earn extra funds for special programs and/or equipment for the kids here at PC. Check out www.boxtops4education.com for more info on products and companies involved with the program. Box Tops gives up approx. .10 on every box top turned in! The box for our Box Tops is in the lobby. You can just drop the labels in the tui-tion basket, or grab one of the “fun sheets” to put your box tops on.

Q: For the third time this week, my child told a lie. They weren’t big ones, but how can I get her to stop? Why is she doing this?

A: Young kids have vivid imaginations and are learning the difference between fantasy and fact. Talk with your child about what’s real and what isn’t. “Do talking purple dinosaurs really exist? Let’s look up dinosaurs on the computer to find out”. Kids also lie to avoid embarrassment. Confronting your child about eating a cookie without permission may prompt her to say a monster ate it. Remind them to tell the truth, even if they've done something they should-n’t have. “It’s fun to pretend there are monsters, but they aren’t real. What is the rule about having snacks before dinner?”. Pointing out when your child tells the truth will help build honest behavior. Write down when they admit to doing something wrong or tells you about what they have done before you are aware of it. Review the list with them, and tell them that you’re proud of their honesty.

Telling the Truth

BOX TOPS for Education

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See We see the leaves change colors from green to yellow to orange to red.

Hear We hear the leaves crunch under our feet.

Smell We smell pumpkin pie baking in the oven.

Taste We taste hot cinnamon apple cider.

Feel We feel our soft sweaters and warm boots that keep us from the chill in the air.

By the Light of the Harvest Moon by Harriet Ziefert As the harvest moon shines down, the wind picks up, sending orange, yellow, and crimson leaves dancing, until they settle in a pumpkin patch. One-by-one, leaf people emerge to celebrate the autumnal equinox. As the harvest moon shines down, the wind picks up, sending orange, yellow, and crimson leaves dancing, until they settle in a pumpkin patch. One-by-one, leaf people emerge To celebrate the autumnal equinox.

Duck & Goose, Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills When Duck and Goose decide to get a pumpkin of their own things don’t go well at first. On their way to the perfect pumpkin they must first look in a few of the wrong places. As the hunt continues babies and preschoolers will be fascinated with Duck and Goose’s quest and will want to help them find the way to the perfect pumpkin.

Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall This is the best of the fall books about what kids can "do" with fall leaves (ie: jump in big piles of them, rake them up, collect and label them, even make pictures with them.) When fall comes, two brothers enjoy catching the falling leaves, stomping on them, kicking them, jumping in piles of them, and using them to make pictures. Includes a description of how leaves change through the year.

The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margaret Wise Brown "Once upon a time in a cornfield there lived a scarecrow and his scarecrow wife and their little scarecrow boy." So begins Margaret Wise Brown's long lost treasure about a little scarecrow boy and the lessons he learns from his scarecrow father every day of the world, until the time he decides to test his knowledge and himself. Published here for the first time as a picture book, The Little Scarecrow Boy is a timeless story about the things children cherish: family, home, and their place in the world. Tender and funny, it celebrates the tradition of passing knowledge from one generation to the next, and the exuberance that comes with reaching one's full potential. Known for his stunning design and breathtaking craftsmanship, Caldecott medal recipient, David Diaz declares an entirely new direction with The Little Scarecrow Boy. He perfectly captures the essence of this all-but-forgotten gem of a story with a bright palette and a remarkably fresh, childlike view of the world.

Great Books for Fall

Sensing Autumn