Today’s post is by Brad Guoan, Young Fives Teacher at GH-Mt. Vernon.

Hi everyone,

Lately the Dragonflies have been interested in playing “store.”  We have recently introduced play money and a cash box.  For small group time we worked in small groups and opened up our own stores.  One of the groups opened a store called Trader Joe’s which sold food and coffee.  Another group opened a store called Great Bill’s which sold phones, cameras, and dress-up clothes. The last group opened a store called Great Pets which sold all different kinds of animals.  This was a great opportunity for them to build relationships, communicate ideas, and make decisions together.  They had fun going around to each other’s stores and buying things from each other.  I even saw one group buying something from one store and then selling it at their store with a small price increase!!  One child even tried to use a credit card!

Some Key Developmental Indicators demonstrated during these activities are:

• Planning
• Building relationships
• Number Words and Symbols
• Communicating Ideas
• Community Roles

-Brad

It’s that time of year – we will switch to our fall/winter menu on November 7th. Many of the meals are the same throughout the year, but seasonal availability and colder weather dictate some changes.

We put a tremendous amount of consideration and research into our menu. In addition to meeting the guidelines from the Children’s Nutrition Council and the American Academy of Pediatrics, we make every effort to select recipes that reflect cultural diversity and the NAEYC meal guidelines.

We do our best to provide as many fresh ingredients as possible and to choose organic foods when they are available and within our budget constraints. Our cooks try out the recipes and teachers and children give feedback on which meals pass the taste test. Our final step is to have the menu approved by a certified Nutritionist.

Another change that will go into effect on November 7th is a new morning breakfast schedule. We have found at many of our centers, children were filling up on our morning snack and not eating the more nutritionally important lunch. We have changed the menu to include a heartier morning snack, and it will be served earlier, around 9:00 a.m. Breakfast will still be available for those who arrive early, from 7:15 to 7:45 a.m., but it will be a limited choice of cereal and milk. Please note that exact times may vary between centers. Your child’s teacher will share the new schedule with you.

Our center in Lansing uses this daily routine, and they find that children are able to make better choices at both snack and lunch. We will closely monitor this and will keep you posted on how the change is working in your child’s program. If you have any questions, feel free to speak with your child’s teacher or your center Director.

We value your input and hope this change works well for you and your child.

Sincerely,

Heidi McFadden
Executive Director

Sticking to a child-initiated curriculum can be especially challenging with traditions for which we have our own fond childhood memories. But as adults, we’ve got to be willing to give up some of our  expectations if we are going to truly be able to follow the children’s leads. In order to explain how we approach Halloween and other holidays at Gretchen’s House, we’d like to share some of the research behind our approach.

Research about intrinsic motivation is an integral part of our HighScope-based curriculum. Intrinsically motivating activities are those in which people will engage for no reward other than the interest and enjoyment that accompanies them. Research tells us that extrinsic motivators such as praise or stickers may lead to short-range activity while actually reducing long-range interest in a topic. It’s important that we keep this in mind when trying to support our children’s interests. When extrinsic motivators are not tied to intrinsic motivators, the result is likely to be a reduction in the very behavior we want to promote. [Malone and Lepper (1987)] We often see this with potty learning. The first week of stickers or M&M’s brings on a lot of interest in sitting on the potty and then the child often begins to avoid the bathroom all together. (For more on potty learning see my post here as well as our Purple Page on the subject).

Some of you may have completed an activity at curriculum night that asked you what characteristics you wanted to support the development of in your child. I’ve done this several times with my parenting classes and typical answers are things like: “Good problem solving, creativity and independence.” In the past, early childhood curriculum was often centered on teacher interests especially around holidays like Halloween and Valentines Day.  You’d commonly see things like Halloween parades, where all the children were expected to dress up and walk in a straight line around the building or pumpkin carving, where all the children sat at a table and watched as a teacher carved a pumpkin. If we apply what we now know about both, the importance of intrinsic motivation and the characteristics we want to support, neither of these activities (planned by adults, focused on adult expectations, completed with lots of adult direction) give children an opportunity to solve problems, be creative or to independently carry out an activity. Nor do they take into account what the children may actually be interested in at the time.

So what sort of fall activities are you likely to see at Gretchen’s House? Well, that depends on which Gretchen’s House you attend and which room your child is a member of and which kids they play with and what is important to that group of children. Perhaps one of them will have an older brother that is excited to wear his Batman costume for Halloween and wears the costume as often as he can. If that were the case, you might see a lot of super hero play in your child’s classroom and the problem solving that goes along with bad guys and good guys. In another classroom a girl visited a pumpkin patch with her family last weekend. This week you might observe a lot of gardening role-playing and pretend pumpkin picking and the creativity that goes along with imagining that this basket of balls really holds pumpkins. In another room a child just welcomed a new baby sister to her family. In that room you might observe children playing baby and reading books about babies and the exploration of the independence that comes along with practicing to be a big sister.

Of course, our outside environment is relevant to all of us and will impact all the classrooms. Talk of harvesting the final vegetables from the Gretchen’s House gardens, having to wear warmer clothing and the changing of the fall leaves will be ubiquitous. For many children the memory of trick-or-treating with their families will impact their play in the weeks following Halloween. We fully expect to support a variety of fall interests that the children bring to our classrooms. This means setting aside our own plans so that we can be fully prepared to capitalize on the wonderful and unexpected ideas that your children will bring to us each day!

– Beth

We are pleased and proud to call your attention to a local art show by GH-Stadium Head Teacher Laila Kujala.

The show features Laila’s Nature Mandalas. From October 17 through December 5, 2011, you will find her work on display in the Gifts of Art Gallery – University Hospital Main Corridor, Floor 2, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109. It is open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

A brief bio: Laila Kujala was born and raised in Finland and spent four years at the Art Students’ League in New York City. In her Nature Mandalas, the photos of which were all taken in Ann Arbor, Kujala combines her love of spirituality and nature. She explores the idea that the visible and invisible worlds meet at the center point of the mandala. The word mandala comes from Sanskrit meaning circle. The circle is a symbol of unity and wholeness worldwide, and it has been used to create sacred spaces and as an aid in meditation.

Three cheers for Ya-Ya, as the toddlers often call her!

The upcoming films in this monthly series include:

• Sunday, November 6 at 1:30: WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971)
• Sunday, January 8 at 1:30: HE MUPPET MOVIE (1979)
• Sunday, February 5 at 1:30: CURIOUS GEORGE (2006)
• Sunday, March 4 at 1:30: RANGO (2011)
• Sunday, April 22 at 1:30: CHARLOTTE’S WEB (2006)
• Sunday, May 20 at 1:30: HOOK (1991)

You can learn more about these “soft skills” and read and/or listen to the piece on NPR’s website. Click here for Preschool: The Best Job-Training Program.

Thank you to John Stafford Carpentry, Design Works, and our own maintenance crew of John Davis and Tim Stuck.

Beginning in October the Stadium location will begin the reaccreditation process again.

–Heidi

This vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses: an H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the H1N1 virus.

Dates and Locations:

• September 20th 2011: GH Oak Valley, 2340 Oak Valley Drive; 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.

• September 21st 2011: GH Dhu Varren, 1580 Dhu Varren Road; 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Cost: $30 per person, unless you are insured by one of the following companies (remember to bring proof of insurance):

• Blue Care Network
• Priority Health PPO and HMO
• Health Alliance
• Medicare Part B – Seniors
• Medicare – Advantage

If you plan to participate, please sign up at your center by Wednesday September 14th for either clinic.

–GH Admin

• GH-Dhu Varren is hosting a Pancake Dinner on Tuesday, September 20th, from 5:45 – 7:00 p.m. All proceeds will go to the March of Dimes. Through fundraisers over the last two years, we have raised over $600 for this cause.  Please contact Megan Haight at Dhu Varren if you are interested in more information. Hope to see you there, but if you can’t attend, donations are still welcome!
• Several teachers from Oak Valley and Dhu Varren will participate in the upcoming Big House-Big Heart run that starts and ends at the UM Football Stadium on October 9th. If you’re interested in joining a GH group, please contact Susan Petit or Beth Renner (Oak Valley) or Megan Haight (Dhu Varren) for more information. The Big House-Big Heart run benefits several charitable organizations – you can choose where your donation dollars go.

Thank you to all the families and staff who have supported our efforts in the past, and thank you in advance to everyone for considering this request!

– GH Admin

Now’s the time to:

• Adjust Sleep Schedules. Most schoolage children function best with 8-11 hours of sleep, more for teens. Figure out what time your child needs to wake up in order to have stress-free schoolday mornings, and work backwards from there to find an appropriate bedtime. Blackout shades or curtains help during the September nights when the sun stays up pretty late. Shifting dinner earlier, and doing a calm activity such as reading, coloring, or playing board games inthe hour before bedtime will help your child relax.
• Establish Grooming Routines: Some kids do better showering at night, others need to shower in the morning to wake up. Figure out the best way to balance the needs of all your household members and set up a schedule that will be as low-stress as possible. Build in time for slow movers and switching gears. A kitchen timer will help kids limit their shower time to five minutes or fewer.
• Establish a well-stocked homework area and routines/expectations. Some children need to decompress after school, others do best if they address homework right away. Most children need a light snack to stay energized and focused in the time between school and dinner. Establishing good homework rituals early in the year is one of the best things you can do to support your child’s academic development.
• Pack backpacks the night before to avoid morning chaos. This includes homework, books, notes, supplies, and gym clothes if needed. Have your child choose and lay out their clothing the night before.
• Stock your pantry and fridge with healthful, convenient foods for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Pre-washing and cutting produce makes it easy to grab and go. Choose satisfying breakfasts such as oatmeal, yogurt, and high quality cereal to help your kids face the day with enough nutrients to sustain them until lunch. Steer clear of empty calorie convenience snacks such as chips or sugary snacks and opt for fruits, veggies, cheese, and whole-grain crackers. Also make sure you have reusable containers, lunchboxes & bags, and any other supplies to pack food efficiently.
• Walk through the first day of school transitions to ease your child’s jitters. Before the Friday before Labor Day, try to do a dry run. Whether you’ll carpool or bus, show your child where they’ll wait to be picked up and dropped off. Stop by the school — teachers are often unpacking their classrooms in the days before school starts. You can walk your child through the building to his or her classroom, and if you’re lucky, say hi to the teacher! (Just remember these are busy days for staff so try not to be disruptive).

Whatever you do, remember the golden rule of parenting: do not project any worries you might have about back-to-school onto your child. Kids have enough to process during the first days of school without having to worry about mom or dad falling apart. Emphasize the opportunities that lie ahead, rather than what you’ll miss about the summer or preschhool or anything else they’re leaving behind. Convey a positive, confident attitude about the transition and your child will follow your lead. (You can cry — or cheer! — after the bus pulls away or they’re safely ensconced in their new classroom.)

Good luck!

– Hope Vestergaard