School for Young Children
Inquiring Minds June 2018
From the Director
Where has this year gone?! It's hard to believe we are at the end of another school year.
Thank you to the families who completed the yearly NAEYC surveys. We take ideas and suggestions shared by families seriously and with much reflection. A common thread that is often revealed is the methods used to communicate information about daily activities with families. During Professional Development Days in June and September we will discuss methods currently used among classrooms as well as new strategies to improve in this area. We value the importance of communication and connecting with families and are constantly looking to strengthen skills in this area.
Looking forward to the upcoming year. We are interested in increasing attendance at the PAC meetings. We will hold meetings at 7pm in the fall to make the meetings more accessible to all families in the school. Attending the meetings and working with others in the SYC community allows families to make connections and also make a difference in our program. I hope you will consider sharing your time and talents to benefit the program and the good work done at SYC. If you have any suggestions regarding activities the group plans, please feel free to share them with me.
I hope you find time during the summer to enjoy nature, relax and enjoy the wonderful weather!
Family Picnic
Bring your dinner and a blanket and join SYC families for the end of the year picnic!
An ice cream truck will be coming to provide sweet treats for all!
Friday, Jun 8, 2018, 05:30 PM
Taylor's Field at SYC
Last Day of Preschool and BackPack
Tuesday, Jun 12, 2018, 07:45 AM
SYC
Camp Session 2 "Mix It Up"!
Children love to cook and create. This session combines the best of both. Campers will mix, measure, stir, and cook tasty snacks. Opportunities abound to make different concoctions used to sculpt, paint, create and explore.
Please see the Main Office for registration forms. Space is limited.
Questions?
Contact Jackie Sanderson 860.231.5569 or jsanderson@usj.edu
please note, there will be no camp on July 4th.
Monday, Jul 2, 2018, 07:45 AM
SYC
Camp Session 4 "On the Move"!
Hop, skip, and jump your way to this popular session of camp. Children will enjoy a bike rally, obstacle course, and activities on the field. Special moving objects will visit...a fire engine, street sweeper, and a limousine-just to name a few!
Please see the Main Office for registration forms. Space is limited.
Questions?
Contact Jackie Sanderson 860.231.5569 or jsanderson@usj.edu
Monday, Jul 30, 2018, 07:45 AM
SYC
SYC End of the School Year Candids!
PAC NEWS
A huge thank you goes out to Maggie and Kate Roberts and all the families who supported the activities that made staff appreciation week a success!
Another year comes to an end at SYC. We want to genuinely thank all the parents and families who volunteered their time and efforts to make all the PAC events such a success. The community of parents here at SYC is one of the reasons that this school is so special.
In the coming days, you will receive information about volunteer opportunities for returning families. If there is something you have either enjoyed being a part of in the past or are interested in getting involved with, now is a great time to sign up!
Happy summer to all and congratulations to those of you graduating from SYC. You will be missed!
See you next year!!
Emily Safino and Melissa Bowman
10 Ideas to Get You and Your Child Exploring Outdoors
1. Go for a nature scavenger hunt.
Find something that:
- Is a certain color
- Is dry, wet, shiny, or pretty
- Is tiny or huge
- The wind blows
- Crawls
- Has no legs, four legs, or six legs
2. Put a twist on your scavenger hunt:
- Find 3 flowers that are different. Smell the flowers. Close your eyes and see if you can identify the flowers by smell.
- Find a fuzzy leaf. Find a leaf that releases aroma when crushed, such as sage.
- Try finding things in categories, such as items with bark, items that are high, or items with branches.
3.Observe and Sketch:
Examine items carefully and draw what you see. For example, find flowers of different colors and point out the petals and other parts. Or find a variety of leaves and observe the different shapes, colors, textures, and veins. You are your child can imagine you are scientists, observing and documenting what you see.
4.Follow an ant trail:
Look up and look down, look all around, and feel free to crawl on the ground. Place a small piece of food nearby and watch what happens.
5.Observe a tree throughout the seasons:
Watch for leaf and flower buds bursting in the spring, insects buzzing in the summer, and leaves changing colors in the fall. During all season, watch for visitors to the tree-birds and small animals looking for food or a resting place.
6.Find nature in surprising places:
Look for places to explore near where you live. Nature can hide in the cracks of a sidewalk, under the stairs, in abandoned lots, or on the edge of manicured lawns. Don't worry if you don't live near an open field, a forest, a desert, or a seashore.
7.Press flowers and leaves:
Find flowers and let them dry, pressed between the pages of a heavy book. Once they are dry, use them to make crafts. For example, put clear contact paper over the flowers to make a placemat. In the fall, try the same activity with leaves. Find orange, yellow, purple, red, or brown leaves. Find a dry leaf and crunch it!
8.Explore holes and mud:
In an out-of-the-way corner, dig a hole and pour water in it to see what happens. Ask your child where he/she thinks the water goes. Play with the mud, squish it between your toes, and jump over or in the hole. When you are done, fill the hole with dirt again, and check it later to see what's growing there.
9.Explore seeds:
Find some weeds! How are their seeds dispersed? Do the seeds cling to your clothes, are they carried by the wind, or are they flung when the seedpods are touched? Ask your child what he/she discovered during this investigation.
10.Collect conservatively.
Discuss collecting with your child. If the ground is carpeted with acorns or flowers, it's probably okay to take one unless it's on a refuge where collecting is prohibited. Examine something for a few hours and then let it go again. Keep fireflies in a jar and release them the next morning. Transfer fish, turtles, or frogs to an aquarium for a night. Some fish will survive in an aquarium if you transfer them with the same water from where you found them.
by Donna J Saterlee, EdD, Child Development Teacher in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Aug 13-17: Shut down week: SYC closed
- Aug 20-24: Shut down week: Office Open
- Aug 22 : New Parent Orientation 7pm
- Aug 29 : Classroom visits (with Children) Time TBD
- Aug 29 : Curriculum Night (Adults only) 7pm
- Aug 30 : First Day of Backpack and Preschool
School for Young Children at the University of Saint Joseph
Website: schoolforyoungchildren.org
Location: 238 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT, USA
Phone: 860.231.5560
Facebook: facebook.com/schoolforyoungchildren