Author: Brooke Hackmann

April-June 2025

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Literacy Corner

Infants
Play a copying, turn-taking game. When you hear your baby coo or babble, position yourselves face-to-face and imitate that coo or babbling sound. Then stop and wait, giving your child time to make another sound for you to repeat. Continue your back-and-fourth “copycat chat” as long as your baby enjoys it.
Does your baby smile or chuckle when you sing a particular song? Sing it again and again. Pause at different points in the song to wait and see if your baby coos or babbles in response. Say, “More singing? Okay!” and continue the song.
Does your baby enjoy the experience of shopping with you? On your next trip to the grocery store, point out produce signs to your baby and read them aloud. Show the grocery item and say an read its name. Ask your baby to touch the item.
Provide alphabet blocks for your baby. Name the letters and make the sounds of the letters as your baby explores an plays with each block.
Toddlers
Fill a pillowcase with everyday objects such as a spoon, a comb, a ball, and more. Ask your toddler to reach in without peeking, touch and handle one of the objects. Let him/her describe it or name it. Then he/she can pull it our and see if the guess was correct.
During daily routines, ask your toddler to name things that are part of that activity. At bath time, for example, you might ask “What is this? Soap! That’s right!” For an older toddler, it could become a guessing game: “Can you find something that makes suds?”
Make homemade play dough with your child point to the instructions and pictures on a printed recipe as you let your child pour and mix ingredients.
Join your toddler in having fun with play dough. Encourage him/her to squeeze, twist, and mold the dough into all sorts of shapes. This kind of play strengthens the same muscles we use to draw and write.
Pre-school/Pre-K
Try out new ways to let your child help you prepare a meal. Pouring? Sifting? Sprinkling? Stirring? Setting the table? Encourage your child to talk about what you are both doing as you work together.
While riding together in a car, ask your child about the signs your child see. Play “ I Spy,” pointing out familiar signs and asking your child what they mean. For example, “ I spy a big green sign. Do you see it? What do we do there? Yes, we get gas there.”
Hide one of your child’s favorite treats and create a treasure map for finding where it’s hidden. The map can have simply drawn pictures and words for clues to help you child search for the treat. Help your child “read” the map. It can be fun to pretend to be pirates or explorers as you search for the treat.

April-June
CLOSINGS
April 18th
Good Friday
May 26th
Memorial Day
Early Release
June 6th
Spring Picture Day
Tuesday April 29th

Family Involvement Activities
Easter Egg Hunts
Thursday April 17th
Spring Picture Day
Tuesday April 29th
Paint as a Pair
Friday May 16th
Friday June 6th
10:00am-11:00am Ice cream and toppings will be served to enjoy with your child.

Question of the Quarter

Why is my child just “playing” all the time? What should he/she child be learning?
Play is essential in the development of a child’s learning and brain development. There are 6 important reasons that play should be utilized as the main learning opportunities for young children:
1. Play builds imagination and creativity.
2. Play fosters cognitive growth by strengthening and increasing neural connections in the brain used for thinking. Children are introduced to various cognitive concepts with their environment through play: colors, shapes, numbers, letters, etc.
3. Play delivers emotional and behavioral benefits by working in groups, learning how to share, negotiate, solve conflicts, speak up for themselves and build empathy through understanding of feelings/emotions.
4. Play improves literacy. Children learn about communication by practicing back and forth conversation as well as sharing stories in books and through pretend play which help children understand who they are and know their roles in the community. Children participate in songs/finger plays/poems which connect syllables to beats. Children lean new words when teachers describe what they see and point to words within the environment. Children play with small toys that build their fine motor skills that will eventually lead to writing skills. Games such as “I Spy” help support reading comprehension skills.
5. Play encourages greater independence –don’t fret if your child is engaging in solitary play. This helps to improve a child's sense of independence within their environment. They will be more willing to take on difficult tasks and figure out how they fit in. Play allows children to be a leader. While following rules and routines of the class throughout the day, this is their time to shine and choose what is happening.
Play promotes physical fitness. It helps children to sharpen reflexes, work on movement control, develop balance, build strong muscles, improves bone density, increase cardiovascular function, and improves overall gross motor skills
Protect Your Child’s Skin This Spring
With the weather getting warmer please remember to send sunblock with your child. According to the Mayo Clinic, the most important factor about sunscreen at any age is that you use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor, or SPF, of at least 30.
When reading labels, look for sunscreen labeled with the words "broad-spectrum." This means the sunscreen will protect against both types of ultraviolet, or UV, rays: UVA and UVB. UVA is the wavelength of light that can penetrate to the deep layers of skin and lead to skin damage over time. UVB is the wavelength of light that penetrates the skin more superficially and causes sunburn. SPF is the measure of how well a sunscreen blocks UVB rays. Currently, most dermatologists recommend you have a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 or higher. SPF relates to how long it will take the sun's UV rays to burn your skin. Experts agree that an SPF factor of 30 is the minimum needed to prevent skin damage from UVB.
Another factor with the weather getting warmer is bugs. Please remember to send bug spray with your child. The forms for sunscreen and bug sprays need to be signed and updated yearly. Also, please label with your child's name. Spray sunscreens must be used for ages 1 or older. Creams may be used for infants.
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic.org