The Tot Spot Times
July 2018
The Tot Spot Early Education Academy
Mr. Mike's Email: Michael@ilovethetotspot.com
Ms. Alisha's Email: Alisha@ilovethetotspot.com
Ms. Le Andra's Email: Leandra@ilovethetotspot.com
Ms. Katie's Email: katie@ilovethetotspot.com
Ms. Danielle's Email: Danielle@ilovethetotspot.com
Ms. Allison's Email: Allison@ilovethetotspot.com
Teacher's Email: totspot.teachers@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter: thetotspotschool
We have a YouTube Channel!! Add The Tot Spot Early Learning Academy!!
Email: contactus@ilovethetotspot.com
Website: ilovethetotspot.com
Location: 11540 Fishers Drive, Fishers, IN, United States
Phone: 1-317-849-3235
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTotSpotSchool/
Twitter: @TotSpotSchool
"Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely."
Hey Tot Spot Family,
- Though we have sunscreen to reapply throughout the day, please bring your child already wearing it that way we have more time for outside adventures :)
- Make sure your child is in closed-toe shoes for their safety and health.
- July 4th we will be closed!
Center Update
- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US! One year in the center!
- We are in the midst of exciting changes for some of our ones, twos, and now three year old kiddos! We are on the move! Many of our friends are moving into new classrooms this month and next month. Check out our posts and celebrate with us for these birthdays!
Communication
- Make sure you save The Tot Spot's number so you know when we are calling you and you can reach us at the center: 1-317-849-3235
- If you have any billing or vacation questions contact Mr. Mike at Michael@ilovethetotspot.com
- For any other questions besides billing or vacations contact Ms. Alisha at alisha@ilovethetotspot.com
- Ms. Le Andra is our administrative assistant so you will be getting e-mails from her at Leandra@ilovethetotspot.com
- Ms. Danielle and Ms. Katie can be reached at Danielle@ilovethetotspot.com and katie@ilovethetotspot.com
- Teachers can still be reached at totspot.teachers@gmail.com
Special Events and Birthdays!!!
Josie: July 4th
Mason: July 6th
Ms. Mikayla July 10th
Lilly: July 16th
Ethan: July 19th
Eleanor: July 22nd
Grant: July 23rd
Ms. Crystal: July 23rd
Jackson: August 10th
Current Events:
July 4th: Closed
July 27th: Supply Fees due
Future Events:
August 8th: HSE starts
August 13th: First Day of Preschool
August 31st: Annual physical due
Themes - Zoophonics Friend of the Week
We will be focused on individual class themes - mostly about Spring and Summer.
In the Classroom!
The Smalls
Sensory, Art, Science:
The kids will play with ice, dry and cooked noodles, cotton, tissue paper, chalk, glue, and droppers. We will use play-doh, sand and water. We will continue to let our babies play with their food!
Math:
There is always opportunities to use math in everything we do. Two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears....The Smalls will sort and categorize objects into groups of twos. The Cheerio Count book is in the classroom, we will have fun reading this during snack.
Dramatic Play:
As the big kids anticipate meal times, we use this opportunity to pretend and prepare the food with the kids. We will mix and pour and serve up our food. We are playing hide and go seek, and peek a boo more. Watching ourselves make silly faces in the mirror, and seeing our friends reflection is going to "silly". We are pretending to be lot of animals, by sounding like them, and crawling around. We will be using a phone to order pizza, and talk to our friends.
Social-Emotional:
We like to talk to the babies as soon as possible on things that we know they will be practicing soon. We will also continue to work on our sign language. We have been trying to set boundaries, and use consistency in rules. The word "no" is being used in order for the babies to understand wrong choices. If this is a concern, or you would rather your child not have this reinforcement, please address it with us. we have been using
Gentle touch, and sit on our bottom as reminders to the older Smalls.
Gross Motor: Pushing physically abilities is challenging and rewarding. We will use our muscles and energy to stay active. Baby Yoga has been entertaining. The bicycle, dog, and a whole lot of rolling around have been our favorite.
Zoophonics:
We use the tone of our voice to emphasize the letter sounds.
The Junior Scouts
Week Two: Dinosaurs. ROAR!!! We will get to explore what its like to be a dinosaur. We will go on a dino egg hunt and be archaeologists.
Week Three: The Farm. Who's in the barn? Is it a cow? a chicken? a pig? I guess we will just have to wait and find out! We will be rounding up the sheep and getting stuck in the mud.
Week Four: The Rain. From puddle jumping and rain dancing to exploring what a rain cloud looks like and seeing whats at the end of the rainbow. So exciting!
The Scouts & Stuarts
Sensory, Art, Science:
In the month of July we want to make a firework painting for Fourth of July. We are also going to be doing a lot of different colorful science and art activities. Since it will be how water days will be essential and we will be exploring with ice too and seeing what is inside our colorful ice blocks!
Math, Color, Sorting shapes:
For math we will be counting pompoms and sorting them by colors. For shapes we will be identifying them in a fun way by going on a shape scavenger hunt
Social-Emotional:
We are really tackling going potty, using kind words, and using table manners.
Zoophonics:
We will be reviewing the entire alphabet of our zoophonic friends.
In our first week of July, expect to see lots of red, white, and blue! We are going to be talking about flags, fireworks and things that we are all looking forward to seeing on the 4th.
For the rest of July we will be talking all about the weather. We are planning some awesome science activities to help us visualize the different kinds of weather. We are also going to make new weather themed sensory bottles and bins. We will even be trying out some awesome new slime recipes. Hopefully the actual weather will work with us and give us some cooler days to play outside. We will still be doing water days when the tempture permits so be sure to keep your cubbies stocked with extra clothes. For this month we will be learning some new songs in class. We are going to have lots of dancing time if it gets too hot to go out.
Sawyers
July continues our Summer themed weeks. We will be discussing various activities and important points about summer and ways to fully enjoy it.
- Please bring in sunscreen to reapply throughout the day, please bring your child already wearing it that way we have more time for outside adventures
- Please be sure your child has a water cup for our extra active days in the spring/summer sun on the playground!
Our science experiments this month will include dinosaur excavation, walking on eggshells (literally), elephant toothpaste, football catapults, DIY helicopters.
Sherlocks
The Sherlock's have had such a great month! It is hard for me to believe that it is already almost time for school to start and the GRADUATES will be moving on to another chapter of their lives! While we try to savor the last full month of our time together, we will be doing lots of fun things to fill up those remaining moments! This month our themes range from discussing our country in celebration of The Fourth of July to fun summer activities like camping and going to the zoo. We will also be discussing our emotions! These themes are such fun because most of them correlate with the theme of SUMMER FUN and gets the kids excited about summer adventures while learning about a multitude of ideas. The days may be getting hotter, but that doesn't stop the Sherlock's from living each day to the fullest!!!
-Mr. Andy
Fundraising
Fundraising Report
Healthy Start Wisdom
Seasonal July Cooking!
Here is a recipe for Red, White, and Blue Double Berry Coconut Pops! Something cold and healthy(ish) for the summer heat.
Healthy Start Wisdom From Ms. Alisha
Family Fitness Ideas for 4th of July
With the hot dogs, burgers, and beer that often come with 4th of July celebrations, packing in extra calories is a piece of (cheese)cake. This Independence Day, instead of a hot dog eating contest as the only family activity, why not bring the gym to the great outdoors?
Here are some of our favorite outdoor activities, complete with strategy and tips to help get the most out of a patriotic day in the sun:
Three-legged Race
Get a partner and try not to fall! This classic race mixes cardio, balance, and (perhaps most importantly) teamwork.
- The Greatist Way: Be sure to grab a partner around the same height for better stability. For balance and speed, wrap an arm around each others' waists and start off with the “third” leg. Make sure the knees are slightly bent and both partners are running at the same pace toward the finish line.
Sack Race
Ditch the potatoes and grab some burlap, because this race is bound to get the heart pumping.
- The Greatist Way: In the fitness world, this could even count as plyometric training, harnessing the explosive action of jumping to build strength and speed. Hop to victory by minimizing time on the ground for maximum speed.
Freeze Tag
Run, freeze, run, freeze! Freeze tag reminds us of interval training, and for good reason.
- The Greatist Way: Constantly running, stopping, and dodging “tags” taxes the cardiovascular system and also demands more than a smidgen of agility. To add a special touch to this classic, try to play at night with different colored glow stick necklaces. Just make sure the field of play is free of an major obstacles. Like glow stick-loving bears.
Soccer
The world's most popular sport, soccer (er, fútbol) can builds endurance and coordination with every kick.
- The Greatist Way: The virtually non-stop running game can burn hundreds of calories and involve up to 6 miles of running over the course of a standard game. The backyard version might not result in the same distance covered, but it still packs a lot of potential for both fun and fitness. And the only thing needed to bend it like Beckham is a ball and makeshift goals.
Wheelbarrow Race
Try power-walking on the hands and not be sore the next day.
- The Greatist Way: Wheelbarrow racing builds shoulder strength and stability and is often used as a warm up drill for many sports teams. Try incorporating some creative strategies like these to win the race.
Tug-of-War
From legs and abs to arms and back, this ex-Olympic sport is a test of full-body strength.
- The Greatist Way: To dominate the competition, be sure to have an underhand grip with arms fully extended (as opposed to wrapping it around the arms). Tug-of-War is a game of push, not pull, so concentrate on pushing with the legs to drag the rope. To the victor go the spoils (aka the bragging rights)!
Getting everyone involved in physical activities is a great bonding experience and could even help alleviate those post-dessert woes. At least a little.
The Book Nook
2 and Younger: See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book, by Roger Priddy
There's lots for baby to explore in See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book. This sturdy board book, with bright photgraphs of happy babies, is specially designed to stimulate curiosity through sensory play. Each page has a colorful picture activity that invites baby to touch and explore. There are raised textures to feel, finger trails to follow, and a shiny mirror to look in to. Can they follow the swirl on the snail's shell. Can they tap the drum?
As your baby grows, See, Touch, Feel will help your child develop language recognition and motor skills, as they learn to interact with the book in new ways. With lots to explore together, See, Touch, Feel is an ideal first book to share with your baby.
2-3 year olds: All by Myself (Little Critter) by Mercer Mayer
Sawyers & Sherlocks: Dragons Love Tacos By Adam Rubin
Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You’re in red-hot trouble.
The award-winning team of Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri has created an unforgettable tale of new friends and the perfect snack.
The Parent's Spotlight!
Thank you!!!
- paper
- gardening supplies
- sunscreen
- grocery bags
Would you like to donate?
- Sharpies or Permanent Markers
- Fun duct tape
- Toilet Paper Tubes
- Shaving Cream
- Old Towels
- Cotton Balls
- Sand
- Gardening Supplies
The Teacher's Spotlight!
Question: If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would do and why?
- Ms. Alisha: Pay off this building, give almost everyone and raise and go on vacation before designing the new perfect tot spot. It would have gigantic rooms, a natural play world, doors and restrooms that operate perfectly, and bathrooms and laundry areas inside every room.
- Mr. Mike: take a vacation
- Ms. Danielle: I would travel for a couple of months. Just by myself. There’s a company that sends you to to secret places and that would be really cool. Like places you don’t think about. Greece is my number one place though, I’d definitely go there.
- Ms. Allison: Good bye student loans! I would pay off all debts because OBVIOUS! Then make sure family was also secure, buy a house, and invest!
- Ms. LeAndra: First I would go buy a pink Jeep wrangler. Then I would take my best friends and family on a huge shopping spree to thank them for everything they do for me. I would pay all my bills and I would book a week or 2 long vacation as well and finally be stress free!!
- Ms. Katie: If I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is take a vacation to either Disney or New York City. My son wants to see the ocean and is obsessed with New York.
- Mr. Andy: Pay off all debts!
- Ms. Crystal: I’d pay off all debt, buy a house and save the rest. I’d still live the same way I do now so I wouldn’t be tempted to have all the extravagant things that people have purchased with lottery winnings.
- Ms. Jacanda: I would take Jeremiah to the top doctors and clinics for Cereberal palsy. I would take him because I just want him to have the best chance at an independent life and great quality of life.
- Ms. Stacey: The first thing I would do after calling my financial advisor would be, Ask my 24 year old son and my 20 year old daughter, Who was it that has made an ever lasting impact on them through out school. We would give them a surprise.
- Ms. Hailey: buy a house so I don’t have to pay rent anymore!
- Ms. Corrine: Purchase a home because I am currently searching for a house.
- Ms. Mikayla: The first thing I would do is buy a car that I know will last me for a long time. Then I'd enjoy spoiling myself and my family.
- Ms. Emily: Take my kids to Disneyland because that sounds like a blast!
- Ms. Ericka: I would secretly write a check to every single person that has ever done anything for me. And never tell them I sent it. (They'd probably still find out) I've met a lot of people that inspired, influenced, and helped me a lot. And to help them the way they helped me would make me happy.
- Ms. Maggie: If I won the lottery I would donate it to Speical Olympics so that everyone that wants to go to the Summer Games in June they can. Even though we provide dorm rooms some families can't stay in the dorms due size, disability or health reason and cannot afford a hotel room.
- Ms. Erin: Give 1/2 the money to my parents, because they've done a lot for me.