DIRECTOR S DESK. Chris Herrmann. August 2008 In this Issue: Toddler Room Water Wednesdays Art and sensory curriculum experiences

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1 DIRECTOR S DESK As summer is quickly fading I hope everyone has time to squeeze in some last minute fun before a new semester starts. I want to start by thanking those of you who took time out of your busy summer schedule to join us during our family gatherings. Attendance was great and it seemed like everyone enjoyed the potluck dinner and the chance to make a frame for your family photo. The goal for most of our events is to get some great photos, so mission accomplished! We also hope you had the opportunity to have some fun with your children and meet some other families who attend CCC. We are still waiting to hear the results of our NAEYC Accreditation visit from May; we hope to hear something soon. Everyone worked very hard to meet the criteria required for Accreditation and we felt the visit went well. We will let you know as soon as we hear anything. Carys busy at work matching her colors! Our summer program is about to end and fall semester is just around the corner; that means we have another Interim coming up. Remember you have to sign up for care during these times (between semesters). Also keep in mind that classrooms will be combined due to the lower number of children enrolled and teachers will be scheduled out of the classroom at times to prepare for the fall semester, attend meetings, etc. Our entire staff will be meeting on Friday, August 15 to help us prepare for the upcoming year. We have some exciting goals planned for the year ahead and we will be off to a busy start as of fall semester. We first plan to celebrate our 30th anniversary; the center opened in 1978! We have invited those who are alums of Campus Child Care to send in a recent photo, along with a blurb about their current age and interests, so we can display them on a bulletin board. Please help us out by encouraging anyone you know to contribute a photo along with an update of what they are doing now. We will also be hosting an Open House in early October and will be doing lots more to celebrate. As we reflect on the turbulent happenings of the previous year, we hope this upcoming year at NIU is more peaceful and uplifting. We hope to do some things to help contribute to a better year for everyone and we look forward to welcoming all students back to NIU. August 2008 In this Issue: Toddler Room Water Wednesdays Art and sensory curriculum experiences Two / Threes Room Water Wednesdays Literacy and science in the classroom Other Summer time Fun photo collage Good-bye to those of you who are headed off/back to school; we will miss you! Enjoy the remainder of the summer and good luck with exams. Chris Herrmann

2 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR S DESK Hello families! It is very hard for me to believe that our summer is winding down. We have had a great semester so far not too many days that were over 90 degrees. As Chris mentioned, we are waiting to hear about our Accreditation visit. The teachers worked very hard at creating a detailed and comprehensive classroom portfolio and are taking a break this summer from this huge documenting process. We are all anxious to hear back from NAEYC. The parent programs were a wonderful success. We decided to hold them indoors this year to avoid the heat and possible threat of unpredictable weather. The potlucks were a hit and families seemed to enjoy the family photo frame make-and-take. It was so interesting seeing how possessive the 2/3 s children were of their frame and family photo. They were proud to show it off to everyone in the room; but they did not dare let anyone touch or hold it! I asked a couple children that night if I could take their picture ; meaning, can I take your picture with my camera of you holding your frame. My request sent two children clutching their frames to the chest tightly and running to the parents telling me NO! I finally got it they thought I wanted to take their picture frame from them. No wonder they were running to their parents! We appreciate everyone taking the time to join us for this night. For the upcoming fall semester, there will be some changes in staffing for the younger classrooms. Kellie and Carol will be the teachers in the infant room; Jen and Sarah moved up with their babies to the toddler room (and they are definitely not babies anymore!); Kathy and Stefanie will be in the 2/3-1 classroom; and Barbara will be moving up with some of the toddlers to the 2/3-2 classroom with Sherie. I know there will be some happy children to see the return of their teacher Barbara from her summer off. I am excited to start a new school year; especially with the special milestone of Campus Child Care celebrating 30 years. We have received some pictures from a few alums of the program hard to believe so much time has passed. Diane Coleman (Pre 1) and I were co-teachers at our former location in Gabel Hall and we have enjoyed looking back at so many past photos of the children we cared for over the years. My goodness, how things have changed! Enjoy the rest of the summer and I ll see many of you in the fall. REMINDERS The last day of summer semester is August 7. Full day child care is available during Interim (Aug ). Enrollment is past due so talk with Janene ASAP if you need interim care. The center will be closed on Fridays through Aug. 15. Fall semester starts on Monday, August 25. Child care rates for the fall semester are posted on our Website ( These rates become effective August 25. Remember to pay your child care bills in a timely manner. Anyone who misses a payment will receive a written notice. Missing a second payment will result in termination of child care and the inability to enroll for future semesters. We will be holding an Orientation for new families on Thursday, August 21 from 9:00 11:30 and 2:00 4:00. Currently enrolled families are welcome to bring your child(ren) for a visit during this time. We especially encourage you to attend if your child will be with different teachers in the fall. Lisa Schmidt 2

3 TODDLER ROOM It s hard to believe that August is here already, and we have only one week of summer semester left! We have enjoyed the warm, but mostly not too hot weather we ve had so far. The next two weeks will be interim and we will be staying in the toddler room, which should lead into a nice transition to the fall semester. Thank you for attending the Family Night! We enjoyed meeting new family members and seeing familiar faces. We hope you had a good time as well being able to spend time with your child in the classroom and seeing other families. We look forward to having another Family Night in the fall and hope you can all attend! Water Wednesdays have been a great experience! All of the children have enjoyed some part of these days. We have had water tubs and a water table where the children have used scoops to scoop and pour out the water. They have filled small buckets with water. We have used turkey basters to squirt water. We ve splashed and splashed using our hands. The water mat and sprinkler have both been popular. The children try to catch the water either with their hands, their mouths, or a scoop or bucket. One week we painted during our outdoor time and then had to be washed off using the hose. I was a little hesitant spraying them with the hose, but they kept coming back for more! We let them take turns holding the hose and it was fun watching them try to get the other children wet. We ve been doing a lot of art and sensory experiences in our classroom. The children are showing interest in many activities that we ve been offering. We ve explored shaving cream. We squirt it on the table in front the children and let them explore it. Some children are hesitant and just look at it before touching it, while others immediately put both hands in it and start moving it around. Before we know it, it seems like someone is completely covered in shaving cream! We ve also explored white mud. When you mix cornstarch and water together it has a unique consistency similar to quicksand. At times it feels like a solid and can also feel like a liquid. We fill a tub of this and let the children explore with their hands and with scoops. For more information on this you can visit: You ve probably seen a lot of sticker art coming home! Picking the stickers of the sheet requires fine motor control and good hand-eye coordination. We ve been helping by the folding the sheet so that half the sticker is popped up making it easier to grasp. We re also working with language and colors by telling them the different colors they re choosing and by asking them what sticker they would like next. Thank you for a great summer in the toddler room! We re looking forward to the fall semester and will be welcoming some new and returning friends! Enjoy the rest of your summer, and as always please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Jen Young Head Teacher 3

4 TWO/THREE S ROOM Wow! Talk about a wonderful way to celebrate summer. Water Wednesday! The photo with Matthew's expression tells it all. The children have run through a sprinkler, slid down a slide into a shallow pool of water, made water wheels spin by pouring water into them, rolled balls down a waterfall-type canal,and painted on the cement with buckets of water and paint brushes. These are a very busy mornings. The children have often requested that we read the book The Carrot Seed. Another book entitled The Enormous Carrot was introduced. After that we took the literacy experience a step further and turned it into a natural science experience. Carrot seeds were planted in a pot. Our children take turns "sprinkling the ground with soil". We are waiting to see the carrots "pop" out of the ground. As we look forward to more summer days we will be investigating simple ways to count objects and rote count. Books such as Ten In The Bed and Ten Little Fish will be read individually and at Group Times. We will do the forever popular finger plays/chants "Five Little Monkeys" and "Johnny Pounds With One Hammer". You may want to ask your child to repeat these at home. Repetition is a great way to learn; especially if it can be done in a fun and interesting way. We will continue to read, read, read! This group really enjoys being read to and Stefanie, the student workers, and I will gladly do. The books on the shelf are always available. New age appropriate books will often be introduced at group times. Our goals are to help the children develop an interest in books, learn to appreciate books as a valuable learning tool, further develop receptive and expressive language skills, and develop and maintain a warm positive relationship with the adult who reads to them. Reminders * Please keep toys and other personal items at home or in your car. It is difficult for a child to leave a toy in their cubby. It is like having candy and not being able to eat it. * If you have not done so, please bring a 4'X6" family photo. These are treasured and help our children keep connected with home during their school day. * It is always appreciated when parents call to let us know if their child will be late or absent. * Keep checking and sending in extra clothes when needed. It helps us keep the children comfortable. Thank You * Our "Family Gathering" was well attended and enjoyed by all. We know it isn't easy giving up a routine on a week night with young children. * We value and will use the information shared with us during our In-Take Meetings. It was also nice to get to know our parents a little better. Enjoy the rest of summer! Kathy Cregier Head Teacher 4

5 Summer-Time Fun! 5