October 2015 Newsletter

September was full of numbers, letters, and shapes here at Little Foot!

Not only did the kids work creatively during project time, but throughout the day Kimberley has also been pulling them aside individually to begin teaching them how write!

Most of them have conquered A and 1. There B’s are also starting to look like a B!

It is incredible to watch how excited they become when they look down to see that their shape looks like the example.

As always, when they learn something new they can’t wait to show their Mommies and Daddies and so we hope you are enjoying their excitement about writing as well.

On the 15th we introduced them to measurements by finding out how tall everyone is. They also counted how many blocks tall they are. Then we traced their bodies and let them color themselves in!

On the 22nd they learned about squares. They each cut out their own squares, in many different colors, and then made a pretty picture out of the shape they had just learned about!   

on the 10th we did an ocean project. It was great to be able to talk to them about all of the sea creatures that they see in cartoon form within their books. We brought out books for older kids, and side by side with the books they know and love, we showed them what the real-life version looked like! Then they made their ocean in a bottle. We hope they are still enjoying making waves as they turn it upside down!

We also went to The Academy of Science and The Zoo! Field-trips always make for wonderful days. There is so much stimulation and excitement when they get to travel and learn with their friends!

The weather has begun to change and so this month has also been full of projects, games, songs, and talks about Autumn. 

All of the games that involve the changing leaves are out at Little Foot. The dress up clothes have also been out for some time now and as you've all seen; they can't seem to get enough of playing make-believe with dresses, hats, and gloves! 

You can expect more fall projects next month and of course all kinds of spooky Halloween fun! 

Theresa and Lavina are also now part of our group and the older kids love playing with them and giving them kisses! And the babies are always so happy to play with them as well! 

Theresa is loving it at Little Foot! 

And we're loving her too! 

Lavina is a bit to young to interact yet, but she does love watching all of fun take place around her!

                         Learning about measurements! 

Kimberly found out how tall everyone is by having them stand against the wall and using the measuring tape. 

Then they stacked the colorful blocks and found out how many blocks tall they are.

And then the tracing began! Juliet's pigtails even showed up in her outline! They all had a blast seeing their bodies shape and then coloring it in. 

Anna did the project a few days later and she invited all of her friends to color in her body!  

Squares!

First their was a talk about shapes and what makes a square a square.

And then they cut and glued!  

                                     Ocean in a Bottle!

           We talked about the the ocean and all of the creatures that live within it! 

                                                    They added the water...

And then the oil...

And the waves started crashing!

                              Other September Activities.. 

            Fun-filled learning at The Academy of Science!

Anna's 3rd birthday!!! 

Z is for Zoo!

             We hope you all had a lovely September.You can look forward to your                             little ones bringing home all kinds of fun projects in October!

September 2015 Newsletter

Children remember to stop and smell the roses. They also watch planes move across the sky and butterflies get lost within the leaves of big trees.

Every single thing they do is an opportunity for them to learn about the world they are a part of. Each experience they have shapes their perspective which ultimately defines their character as a human being upon this lovely earth.

We understand that there is nothing more important to you than making sure that your child receives everything they need to become the best version of themselves. We hope that you find comfort every day in sending them through Kimberley’s front door into a home away from home.

While your little ones are at daycare they are constantly being supported into bringing their daydreams to life through inventing their own games, learning what it means to be a good friend, and being praised for their individuality!

The time has come for Kimberley and I to work together. We will be welcoming your children into adventurous mornings and then sending them home in the evenings with full hearts and a little more understanding than they had the day before.

She and I never had the opportunity to work together before her maternity leave, but in just these first couple of days together I am standing witness to the blossoming of the truly incredible team she and I will make.

Each person has a different purpose for their life. Kimberley and I have both made very conscious decisions to keep an innocent perspective as we maneuver through this world. We have chosen to nourish our gentle nature and with a loving approach to everything we do; your children’s well-being is one of the top priorities in both our lives. We so eagerly invite each of them into our arms and into our hearts.

Kimberley has been working with children for more than ten years and her patience and kindness towards our small group is truly mesmerizing. All of the kids wholeheartedly trust her and believe in her to be their leader. I am so thankful to have her presence back within our day to day experiences.

I had very large shoes to fill while Kimberley was away and of course I could never run her daycare the way that only she can. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for being so understanding during all of the changes that have taken place over the past few months. I genuinely appreciate everyone’s support as you welcomed me into your child’s everyday life. 

As we move forward, with everything in its place at Little Foot, you can begin to feel at ease with the consistency of the teachers schedules. Kimberly and I will be in the classroom Monday through Thursday and for the time being LaLa will be subbing in for Kim on Fridays! You will primarily see me for drop-offs and pick-ups because as a mother herself Kim too has to pick-up and drop-off Mateo.  

Kimberley is once again creating the calendar and so you can count on the projects, field-trips, and activities being very balanced. Oh the places we will go!

This monthly newsletter is remaining my responsibility. While I was finding my groove within this community, and during all of the changes that were consistently taking place; I found it most beneficial to use this blog as the space to explain the thoughts and actions that were happening from within. I will continue to keep you updated on the overall atmosphere of your child's daycare. However, now that everything feels at peace I would like to begin stepping back during the day and taking close-ups of the special moments your child is having while at school.

Every day I watch magic light-up within your little ones eyes. Whether it is excitement from learning something new or climbing to new heights at the playground; I see them growing towards their potential.

It will be my pleasure to show you all of the incredible things they dream-up while they're here at their home away from home!

Here are a few shots from our small August group:

On one of our afternoon walks the girls stopped to smell roses!

They also took a few moments to check out the view!



Follow the magic Saparya!

It was so beautiful to catch these girls in a brief moment of contemplation while they watched the playground from above

The best-est of friends!

Hard at work!

Powerful Little Saparya 

 

The Pigtail Princess 

 The Amazing Anna Banana

Precious Mila

  

Take care and we will see you soon!

August 2015 Newsletter

It appears that all of the little ones enjoyed their summer vacations! There were treks taken across the country and abroad and two of our friends are moving houses; one within San Francisco and the other to one of our neighboring states. It’s a real pleasure to hear about each of their adventures from their sweet and innocent perspectives.

July was a very short month at Little Foot and there were again transitions to be made. Although everyone wishes they had a few more days with their Mommies and Daddies, as suspected they were all very happy to spend time with their friends again. It’s so heartwarming to watch how much they truly care for one another.

We are pleased to say that our baking projects have been a huge success! There is a lot of sensory learning that takes place while each child adds and mixes the ingredients. I have also witnessed pride in their eyes as they eat what they’ve made and offer it to their families.

Most of their glass containers have now been made. However, they were a trickery project than imagined. It ended up that they spent more than a couple of days creating these keepsakes. They will begin being sent home with a weekly treat by the end of this month!

For August’s projects we plan to continue with the baking, add an on-going gardening project, and get back to our numbers and letters! The weather has been so absolutely beautiful that our calendar is also full of walks, bug hunts, and other outside activities.

On Thursday July 30th we said farewell to Dylan who is moving to Portland. His amazing demeanor and cute little scoot made saying goodbye to him a great challenge for all of us. However, with lots of hugs and kisses our group thanked him for being a part of our lives and wished him well into his future!

We were all excited for Kimberley to have a few months off with her new baby, but the months have passed and we can all begin looking forward to welcoming her back at the start of next month!

We are also thrilled to share with you that Lala will be continuing on with us! She has formed a great relationship with each of the kids as well as with each of us. Let’s be thankful not to have to say farewell!

We wish you all a happy August, and you can be certain that we will be having fun filled days here at Little Foot!

Our good friend Mila made an appearance for a week in-between her travels!

The kids were absolutely ecstatic to see her! 

Always so cute in her pigtails! 

Luna is there to keep an eye on us!

There is always so much love being shared. 

This was our first baking project...

Zucchini muffins!

Park Play! 

We will miss you Dylan!!! 

This was the final round of painting their keepsakes. It took a couple of tries to find paint that didn't wash off! They had so much fun!

Like all of the kids, Anna missed her Mommy a ton the first few days back, but within a couple of hours she was happy to share her beautiful smile, as well as other funny faces, with the camera! 

Such lucky kiddo's to have a view like this while they play!

Take care everyone!!!