Kimberly's Little Foot Daycare

Sorting colors

Fall is finally here and we are getting ready to watch the leaves turn from green to the beautiful hues of orange, red, brown and yellow. You can point these changes out to your little one, feel the crisp leaves in your hand, and crunch piles of leaves with your feet. The warm weather will cool off soon, the wind might pick up and they days might feel a little gray, so make sure there is a warm hat in your child's bag we just might need it.

Important Dates to Remember:

Monday, Oct. 14th- Closed for Columbus/Indigenous People's Day

Mila is ready for Take Off!

All About Mila:

Kisses with Sienna

This little cookie is such a snuggle bug. She really enjoys being around the other children and is very caring and affectionate, she loves to give hugs and kisses and is sometimes insistent that you need one even when you clearly don't want one.

She has been very busy exercising those leg muscles, I think she's trying to keep up with Kazu and Marlowe. She is standing for short periods of time without any help, she loves walking around when holding both of your hands and she has even taken a few steps all on her own. It's just a matter of time before we can really see her take off.

Making music on the piano

Mila babbles a lot, I think her favorite sounds to make is "the motor boat" or "airplane" noise where she blows from her pursed lips. She picked up the sign for "more" and uses it for anything she wants. When she doesn't want something or doesn't like what her friend is doing she shrieks or complains which sometimes sounds like laughter.

She loves to participate during Music Class and use instruments to make music. She is very enthusiastic about projects and likes to draw and get sticky with glue.

Her favorite game is opening and closing the baby gates, which she can't open, LOL. She loves being picked up and is sometimes jealous about the other little ones in our arms or laps.

All About Marlowe:

Marlowe is a curious one. She can stay behind the scenes and likes to explore on her own. She enjoys being with the other kids and playing but at the same time doesn't need to be the center of attention. She is really interested in the other kid's cups and what's in them. She's very aware of what she wants and what she doesn't. She's really friendly and ambitious.

Marlowe gets around very well on her feet, Kazu is really trying to master the walking skills that she has and Mila is trying to follow in their footsteps.

She loves to dance to playing music, is more interested in the instruments themselves instead of using them and likes to answer you with smiles.

Favorite Game: Peek-a-Boo!

We recently took Marlowe to Stow Lake to feed the ducks, she loved walking along the path like a big girl and munching on the duck food, LOL. She is such a sweetie pie and can light up any person's day.

We are currently working on laying down in bed for nap. She loves to stand up in bed and rile herself up, it's fun and exciting, so exciting that sometimes she forgets why she is in bed. So for now, we are laying her down and sitting with her while she gets used to this "new" form of getting ready for bed, but I can tell that it won't be long before she wants to do it all by herself. She also hates getting her hands and face wiped with a passion, but she's warming up to the idea of getting her face cleaned and hasn't complained about hand wiping this whole week!

All About Kazu:

Kazu, where are the birds?

This little guy is pretty happy about all the pretty ladies around, can you blame him? He is smitten
with himself when he can share a toy one of them might request, is enjoying showing off his new moves and is becoming quite the little helper and really likes to clean up. Keely, our music teacher is thrilled to have him help put all the egg shakers, drum sticks, xylophones, and streamers away.

His Favorite: Miso soup w/ Tofu

He really wants to talk! He is constantly babbling and we're pretty sure we've heard him utter a few words. He uses the signs for "more", "milk", "water", "cracker", "down", "all done", "eat", "sleep", "pacifier", "open", "please", "Thank You"and "bird".
He is spoon feeding himself now and loves to get around on foot, although he occasionally likes to crawl when his legs are too tired. He is developing a strong will and isn't afraid to let you know he's unhappy these days.

Kazu has two new molars and is working on two more. When the tough get going he turn to milk, cuddles and frozen teething rings.

All About Sienna:

Sun screened Sienna, watering the kids

This little one can be such a tough cookie, but the sweet yummy one you just can't get enough of. She is definitely testing the elastic on the boundary belt both at home and at day care. Terrible twos? Not so much. She's currently trying to figure out her role between the babies and big kids. She really wants to be independent with the benefits of being a baby, LOL, so do I!

She likes being the one to watch but also likes to sink into the background. When she's excited about something it's really hard to peel her away. She loves to paint, draw, get sticky with glue and let's not get started on water, LOL, she can make any small amount seem like 5 gallons!

She is getting pretty good with simple puzzles and naming her colors. She just discovered pretend play. She is a master at the 5 minute sharing rule and still enjoys policing the younger ones. She's an all for one or not a all little lady.

We're working on getting Sienna interested in the potty and losing the pacifier at nap. She's practicing with the potty at home and has even done #2! The pacifier issue started almost by accident, we took it away one day so that she could concentrate on putting her blanket on but when we offered it back to her she stubbornly refused and has so for a week now.

Sienna is becoming pretty clever and is really thinking about what to say to get the answer she wants without directly asking you. She's pretty cute when embarrassed!

All About Claire:

Our Claire Bear has certainly matured over the past few months. She isn't afraid to speak up and tell her friends what she doesn't care for. She is so comfortable in her body these days; she's running out her energy, jumping like crazy and climbing up the tallest ladders at the playground. She is such a sweet heart, is always looking out for the younger ones and likes to help others.

Claire's imagination is running wild and she is so clever that she is really starting to think outside the box.

You got it, Claire!

Claire can put together really elaborate stories and adventures. She is really blossoming and is ready for preschool. Claire just celebrated her 3rd Birthday. We moved her birthday celebration from Sept. 26th to Wednesday October 2nd so that she can celebrate with her grandparents who are in town. She's been out playing hooky with Baba and Jaja for a whole week!

Claire will be with us for the first two weeks of October and then she'll embark on the next step: Preschool. We wish her all the best of luck, we will truly miss her and hope that she visits us often.

All About Mateo:

Leaves are falling!

Mateo has been keeping me pretty busy. He is settling into preschool and we are hearing "I don't like that place" less and less. He does, however, wish I was his preschool teacher and is constantly trying to convince me to teach there. He is slowly making friends and is starting to name some of his classmates.

Tuesdays are pretty hard for us, it's the first day of the week that he is with us, and he is having a hard time balancing what is appropriate and what isn't around the younger ones. He sees himself as a kid much older than his age, which is challenging when he just won't take no for an
answer.

Come on, let's get on the train!

Mateo is having a blast getting funny reactions out of the kids and dictating who and what games and activities we play. Eh, maybe this won't be so bad, I can live with him being a teacher in the future : )
He is getting really good at letter recognition and is doing better with numbers. We are working on opposites, waiting our turn
to interrupt a conversation and using nice asking words.

Snap Shots

A little Side Walk Yoga by Sydney

Can you believe that it's September already? We don't either. It's been awhile since our last newsletter and so much has happened since. There are way too many photos to share with you for those last few months, that we weren't about to use my lab top but it has been fixed and, we are happy to update you on what has happened.

Tyson scooting on the car like a scooter!

Important Dates to Remember:

Monday, Sept. 2nd - Closed for Labor Day
Thursday, Sept. 26th - Claire's 3rd birthday!

First, Graduation. Thursday July 18th, Mateo and Sigal graduated from Kimberly's Little Foot Day Care. We decorated by hanging streamers in the doorways, up on the ceiling, and walls. We had balloons, posters for the graduates, and hung butterflies made by the children. It was a pretty exciting day, it was also Sigal's last day with us. We invited all of the Little Foot families for this special event. Maacah, Sigal's Mom, prepared a healthy snack for the kids. We had a short ceremony where the kids climbed through a tunnel during a butterfly poem to receive their diploma, courtesy of Dina, Kazu's Mom. It was great having everyone together. Who needs "good-bye"s when "see you laters" are even better. We wish Sigal and her family all the best!

Sigal at 18 months old

Sigal 2 months shy of 3 yrs. old

Mateo at 9 Months old

Mateo started attending Little Bear School, a preschool I taught at for 5 years, in August for 3 days a week. He is with us for 2 days and is still getting used to it. He still identifies himself as an authoritative figure and we are slowly working on that. I'm really excited that he's at Little Bear, it's such a great school, and I can't wait for all the fun he'll have and friends he'll make there.

Last week of Day Care together

Unexpectedly, three of our students got a call from a Preschool they were on waiting list for, for next year. Syndey, Tyson and Claire will be attending the same program in September or October. We are saddened by their early departure but it gets their foot in the door to the preschool program next year. This opens up three spots at Little Foot.

We have so much fun and these three have had so much growth in the past year. We are really going to miss them. We are really confident that they are ready and will do well with this next step in their lives, we hope that their transition is smooth, and that we keep in touch.

Watching a motorcyclist drive away

One of her favorite activities.

Mila, 13 months, just started in August and we are already in love with her. She adjusted really well, keeping close her first week. She loves playing with Kazu and exploring our environment. She eats really well, has quickly moved from 2 naps to just 1, and likes her routine. She is very excited about our cat Luna, enjoys being around the other children, and is already responding to the English language; her spoken language at home is German.

Kazu has been working on improving his leg muscles, he has been walking longer and longer distances, usually 6-8 steps in a row. He is currently teaching with his first set of molars, all at the same time. He is really trying to communicate verbally and likes to babble and point at things. I swear I heard him say "look, eyes" today, but it could just be wishful thinking although I'm sure words are just right around the corner. His sign language skill are getting better and we understand what he is trying to communicate. He is very intelligent and follows and listen to instructions very well. He is very sweet, affectionate and inquisitive.

Hugs for Claire!

Claire, everyone loves Claire. As you can see from this picture everyone is taking turns to show her some love. Claire has a great imagination and she often gives us great ideas. She is very much into pretending that she is an animal, usually a cat, bird or fish when she is with us. We have been exploring the habitats, foods, behaviors, descriptions, and type of animals these are. Claire is very purposeful in her play and has a difficult time understanding that the babies aren't actually aware that they are getting in her space or disrupting her play. She is a magnet and the other kids truly adore her. Claire has been potty trained for the last two months. September will be her last month with us.

Here is a glimpse of what we've been up to the last month or two:

Playdough