Aurora Child Development Center January 2014 Newsletter

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Aurora Early Learning Center A program of One Hope Uni525 College Ave., Aurora, IL 60505 630. 256.77

MonthlyNews Bulletin

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Toys from Throwaways: BoxesHave you ever seen a child unwrap a gift, thenplay more with the box and wrappings thanwith the toy? Its no surprise that children cannd ways to play with many kinds of household

items that you might otherwise throw away. Youcan be kind to the environment and encourageyour preschool childs imagination by recyclingboxes that you no longer need (see IllinoisEarly Learning and Development Benchmark12.E.ECb). Here are some ideas to get youstarted. The possibilities are endless!

Practice safety rstMake sure all materials to be used by childrenare clean and free from sharp fasteners orsharp edges. Avoid boxes that contained food,such as meat containers. Wrapping paper orpaper towel tubes are ne but, for sanitaryreasons, avoid using toilet paper rolls.Build with boxesUse different shapes and sizes of boxes forbuilding. Discuss what children might wantto makea robot, a car, a housethen helpthem decide what boxes they will need. Boxescan be glued or taped together and then paint-ed. Large open-ended boxes can be tapedtogether end-to-end to make tunnels for children

to crawl through. Smaller boxes or cardboardtubes can be made into tunnels for toy cars.

Try a trainWork with your child to make a box train.Boxes with open tops, such as shoe boxes,work well. An adult can cut the top off ofclosed boxes, such as tissue boxes, to create

an open side. Let your child decorate the boxwith scrap paper, markers, or crayons. Pokea hole in the ends of each box, and then tiethe box train cars together with yarn. Young

children enjoy lling boxes with blocks or toythen pulling the train along. As you talk withthem about the train, introduce related wordsand sounds. Suggest reading a book abouttrains together.

Turn a large box into a televisionscreenCut out a large opening and draw on controlPosition it so a child can stand behind it withher head showing in the screen. A small boxcan be colored to become the remote controlShe might want to give a weather report ornews story on a recent family event. Your chilmight prefer to use a puppet or a doll as thereporter.

Make some musicAlmost any box or container can become adrum. Children can use a wooden spoon as adrumstick, or they can drum with their hands.Make a shaker to add to the music by placingsmall beads, buttons, gravel, or dried beans

inside a covered container and taping the lidon rmly. Try a rubber band banjo. Stretchseveral different rubber bands across an openshoe box. You can also cut these bands fromthe wrist of an old rubber glove. Try varyingthe width and tension of the bands to producdifferent notes.

YOUR TRUSTED PARTNERIN EARLY CAREAND EDUCATION

Source: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/toys-boxe

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Winter CelebrationFamilies gathered in the gym for a celebration of winter.Parents and children participated in a variety of activi-ties. These activities foster creative thinking and lan-guage skills as children describe what they make. Manycreative play-dough snow pals were decorated, and

children shook their snow globes to see the glitter thatthey added sparkle! Families also had opportunity fortake photos to remember how rewarding it is to shareactivities with their children. It is wonderful to seefamilies taking the time to enjoy each other!

NAEYC AccreditationOur center has ofcially been notied that we haveachieved NAEYC (National Accreditation for theEducation of Young Children) accreditation! This is aNAEYC accreditation is the gold standard of quality forearly childhood programs, and less than 10% of early

childhood programs nationwide have achieved thislevel of recognition. The credit for this achievement lieswith the staff of the Aurora Early Learning Center, whovalue quality care and have the knowledge and profes-sionalism to meet these high standards. We are eagerto involve families in our plansand to provide informationabout NAEYC standards.More information to come!

Healthy Lifestyles Family RafeLook for a free rafe for several slow cooker appliancesand an easy recipe book.

Everyone gets so busy especially during the holidays.Meals often end up being last minute fast food. Wewant to make it easy for our families to prepare healthyand easy meals. Look for the yer, and see the frontdesk for a ticket (one per family please). The winnerswill be posted at the center.

Thanks to Our Creative Stafffor Decorating the Center!Several staff helped decorate our center with snowcreations. Our children and families have commenteon the creativity!


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Kindergarten Visit from the CommunityKen Maurice, the development coordinator from the city of Aurora Youth and Senior Services, visited with ourKindergarten children. Ken explained some of the youth programs that are available in Aurora, as well as whahe does. Ken oversees recreational programs for the youth and seniors of Aurora. The Kindergarteners wereeager to learn about different jobs within the city as part of the social studies component of our Curriculum.We want to expose our children to the many occupations that are present in the community, as well as what is

available in their community.

Outdoor Fun

with the Toddlers and TwosEven though we have had just a few days to enjoy theweather this month, the Toddlers and Twos have beenable to explore the snow. This is a great experiencefor the children as fresh air is so benecial, even for ashort time!

Holiday Gifts for Families

Thanks to all families who took the time to write athank you note to donors who provided gifts forour families. Look for a donation of pajamas comingsoon! We are fortunate to belong to an Agency(One Hope United) that has strong ties with donorsand values meeting the needs of our clients.

Reminders When dropping off your child in the morning,

please put your childs belongings (coats, hats,bedding, etc.) in their individual cubby in theirclassroom.

If our center would have to close due toinclement weather, please check the followingwebsite or tune in to WGN television station.

www.wgnradio.com/news/closings


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MonthlyCalendar

February 2014SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

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2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 Centerclosed: StaffProfessionalDevelopmentDay

18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27

District 131School AgeProgram from11:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m.

28

Full-daySchool AgeProgramDistrict 129and 131

Center Closings Please note the upcoming center closings.Feb. 17, 2014 Staff Professional Development Day

April 4, 2014 Staff Training Day (2 p.m. closing)

May 2, 2014 Staff Training Day (2 p.m. closing)

May 26, 2014 Memorial Day

June 6, 2014 Staff Training Day (2 p.m. closing)

Documents

Aurora Child Development Center January 2014 Newsletter