Dates to Remember: Dec 1 - Date Day, Noon-4:00 PM Dec 4 - Santa visits, 10:00 AM Dec 7 - Christmas Program. Dec 14 - Date Night, 5:30-7:30 PM Dec 21 - Pajama Day and Book Exchange! Dec 24-Jan 1 - UCD Closed for Christmas Break Themes: Dec 3-7 - Twas the Night Before Christmas Dec 10-14 - Seasons: Winter Dec 17-21 - Christmas Dec 24-28 - No School! Closed for Christmas Break!! Laundry Schedule: December: Renyer January: Trumble February: Renyer Upcoming Events: Christmas Program: On December 7th, UCD's annual Christmas Program is happening at 6:00 pm. The Toddler, Preschool, and Kindergarten Readiness classes will all participate in performing an adaption of Clement Moore's Twas the Night Before Christmas. If you would like to come and enjoy the show, it will take place at 6:00 in the Church Sanctuary. Date Day: Got some Christmas shopping you still need to do? Sign up for Date Day, Saturday, December 1st from Noon-4:00 PM! Date Day childcare will include lunch, nap, and entertainment until pick up. Price to-be-announced. Pajama Day and Book Exchange: On December 21st, infants can come dressed in their favorite cozy pajamas and enjoy the day! The infant room will also be participating in a book exchange. If you would like to participate, you can send your infant in with a wrapped gender neutral book to exchange! Making Baby’s First Christmas a Safe Christmas: Keep live holiday plants out of reach. Mistletoe and holly berries are toxic, and children are notoriously curious about anything new, especially anything visually attractive. Christmas trees are not inherently toxic, but needles may choke a baby or puncture delicate tissues. Take special care if your mobile infant is apt to put anything in his/her mouth. With its lights and shiny ornaments, a decorated Christmas tree is likely to prove irresistible. Also, curious infants are apt to grab hold of low branches, possibly bringing the entire tree down on their heads. And delicate glass ornaments may shatter easily, posing an obvious risk of laceration. Be sure to screen everything that comes down the chimney. Some of Santa's toys may include small, sharp or breakable parts. Read labels and buy age-appropriate toys only. Avoid leaving plastic shopping bags or wrappings lying around. They may pose a suffocation risk. Electric decorations, and especially lights, pose potential shock hazards. Check for frayed wires poor connections or empty light sockets. Also avoid overloading outlets, or empty light sockets. Virtually any decoration may pose a choking hazard. Keep an eye out for small, loose pieces that may fall within baby's reach. Finally, lighted candles should only be used where an infant can't possibly get to them, and should never be allowed to burn unattended.
1 Comment
Important Dates: Apr 1 - Easter Apr 22 - Earth Day Apr 23 - CLOSED for Teacher Inservice Themes: Apr 2-6 - Spring Apr 9-13 - Weather Apr 1-20 - Outer Space Apr 23-27 - Earth/Recycling Apr 30-May 4 - Five Senses Laundry: April - Torres May - Ms. Alex June - Vogelsberg Everyday Ways to Boost your Baby's Brain Development: Part 2
By Claire Gagne 5. Grocery shopping When you’ve got your babe in the cart, it might be tempting to keep him busy with a phone or tablet. Instead, Shaw suggests broadening his world. “Describe the sites, smells, shapes,” says Shaw. “Let the baby touch a kiwi, and show him how it feels different from an orange.” You can also call out colours, and count fruit and vegetables as you place them in a bag. And your babe will love a game of “Where did it go!” (and you’ll love that he’s learning object permanence) you plop items in the cart behind him. 6. Taking a walk There are so many things for your baby to see when you’re out for a walk, says Shaw. Point to things like the sky, trees and birds and name them, and boost baby brain development by using words to describe the rhythm of different terrain you’re going over: “This sidewalk is bumpy” and “The road is smooth.” If your stroller can adjust so your baby is facing you, she’ll be able to watch your mouth while you’re forming words, which helps her learn to talk. 7. Mealtime There’s a universal game babies play when they’re in a high chair: Let me drop this food (or spoon, or cup, or toy) on the floor and see what happens! But it’s not just a fun—it’s another chance to learn object permanence, says Shaw. She’s also working on her pincer grasp as she picks up small finger foods, an important fine motor skill. You can also use mealtime to teach your baby new concepts, like different textures, and to describe the difference between hot and cold. 8. Bedtime Many parents include a bedtime story as part of the end-of-day routine, which is a great way to boost baby brain development, says Shaw. “Make time, right from birth, to read or just look at pictures in a book,” she says. “You don’t need to read a story from beginning to end.” The bedtime routine is also a wonderful bonding time. “We know that when babies and children have a secure attachment, they learn best,” says Shaw. Then they fall asleep and the brain gets refreshed for another day of discovery and development. Dates to Remember: Mar 2 - Dr. Seuss Birthday Mar 11 - Daylight Saving Time begins Mar 17 - St. Patrick's Day Mar 20 - Spring begins Mar 22-23 - CLOSED for Spring Break Mar 30 - Easter Egg Hunt at Washburn campus Themes: Mar 5-9 - Rainbows Mar 12-16 - St. Patrick's Day Mar 19-23 -Plants and Seeds Mar 26-30 - Easter Laundry: March - Vogelsberg April - Torres May - Ms. Rachel Everyday Ways to Boost your Baby's Brain Development - Part 1
by Claire Gagne New parents want to give their baby the best start in life, and a big part of supporting early baby brain development is stimulating your baby’s brain. It might seem like a daunting task, but boosting your wee one’s brain doesn’t need to be complicated, says Alyson Shaw, a paediatrician at Ottawa’s Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario—in fact, it can be a simple part of your new routine. Here are eight everyday activities that help your little one’s development. 1. Breastfeeding or bottle feeding Feeding your little one isn’t just great bonding time—it’s also a great opportunity to get her brain working. “When babies are born they can focus on a mother’s face from the distance they are during breastfeeding,” says Shaw. When you’re feeding, you’re looking at your baby and the two of you are making facial expressions back and forth. Respond and repeat your little one’s coos to help her learn to form words and hold conversation. If you’re bottle feeding, keep her nestled around the height of your chest to ensure she’s close enough to focus on your face. 2. Going for a drive Let’s be honest: There isn’t too much you can do with your baby while you’re in the front seat focusing on the road, and your babe is staring at the upholstery on the back of the rear seat. But singing is a hands-free activity, and one that will greatly boost his baby brain development. “When parents sing to babies, they’re often singing with a lot of intonation, which is interesting for the baby,” says Shaw. “Songs can introduce new words and repetitive patterns, which is important for language development. Singing also teaches babies about rhyming, which is important for later success in reading.” When you’ve had enough of the lullabies, sing him a little Beyoncé or Neil Young—he won’t know the difference. 3. Diaper Changing Changing a dirty diaper isn’t exactly every parent’s dream chore, but don’t dismiss it too quickly—it’s an ideal time to bring language into your baby’s life, says Shaw. Talk to him about what you’re doing, and what you’re going to do next. “Babies can come to expect certain patterns to their day. If you’re changing your baby and sing a particular song, you’re building that into your day,” she explains. 4. Bath time It’s not just bath time—it’s math and science time! Babies love to pour water from one container to another, and while your little one is happily playing in the tub, she’s also learning cause and effect, how gravity works and observing the volume of water, and “these are early math skills,” notes Shaw. Bath time also offers a great opportunity to interact with your babe: Sing songs while you’re soaping her up to help develop her language skills, and use the washcloth to play peekaboo—it’ll help her learn about object permanence, or the awareness that objects continue to exist even when they can’t see them. Dates to Remember: Feb 2 - Groundhog Day Feb 14 - Valentine's Day Feb 19 - Closed for Parent/Teacher Conferences Feb 26-Mar 2 - Dr. Seuss Spirit Week! Mixed Up Monday: Wear mixed up clothing! (shirts backwards, inside out, etc.) Top Hat Tuesday: Wear your favorite hat! Wacky Wednesday: Wear your wackiest socks Theodore Thursday: Dress like your favorite Dr. Seuss character Funny Food Friday: Wear green! Themes: Feb 5-9 - Testing Feb 12-16 - Valentine's Day Feb 19-23 - Presidents Feb 26-Mar 2 - Dr. Seuss Laundry: February - Ms. Alex March - Vogelsberg April - Torres May - Ms. Rachel 12 Ways to Support Language Development for Infants and Toddlers:
By Julia Luckenbill When you talk to your child, you support her language development. Think about what you are saying from your infant or toddler’s point of view. If she could talk, she might ask you... 1. When I point to something, tell me what it is. While you are telling me, look at it and point to it too. 2. Use a gesture along with the word you say, so that I can say it too. If you tell me it is time to eat, tap you lips. I can imitate the gesture and tell you when I’m hungry. 3. Talk to me about what you are doing. Tell me what will happen next, so I will know what to expect. 4. Talk to me about what I am doing. Using words to describe my actions and feelings helps me learn those words too. 5. Take turns chatting back and forth with me. Listen to what I am saying –then imitate my coos or babbles. If I’m older, you can reply to my questions and ask your own. I like open-ended questions that don’t have right or wrong answers. 6. Model bigger and better sentences. If I say, “Two cat,” you can say, “You have two cats on your shirt!” I learn a lot from you. 7. Sing with me. It’s easier to learn words in songs. I can learn about rhymes, the ABC song, the colors of my clothing, and the names of my friends. 8. Take me to the library. Read me a book, let me decide how you do it and when we are done. Let me mouth board books, handle them and decide which to explore. Check out the thrift store and buy me a few board books (wipe them with a damp cloth). At home, attach felt tabs to them, and I will be able to turn the pages more easily, all by myself. 9. Make books about me. When I see myself in a book, I will learn that books can be about things in my life. 10. Show me the words on things. When you point out words in books and on containers, I begin to understand how printed and spoken words are connected. 11. Be playful while I learn: I like to ask you what shape the cookie cutter alphabet has made. You can say, "You made the letter L," or ask, "I wonder what letter you made?" It’s less fun to be asked, “What’s this?” 12. Give me time to learn and explore. There’s no rush to learn the names of colors, letters, and things. I will learn them in my own time. |
AuthorMs. Kaylie is our Infant Room teacher. Archives
August 2020
Categories |