EARLY CHILDHOOD NEWSLETTER

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS Yoga with Leah– Monday’s in June (No Class June 14); 10:00-11:00am @ Pikes Peak Community Club in Divide and via zoom. Limited

class size ~ first come first served ~ doors lock at 10am. Bring your own mat and props. Contact Jamie for more information: Jamie@cpteller.org or 686-0705.

Kid’s Summer Movies– Wednesday’s in June; 10:00am @ Gold Hill Theatres in Woodland Park.

Yoga with Teresa– Wednesday’s in June (No Class June 2); 10:30-11:30am @ Mountain View United Methodist Church in Woodland Park. Limited class size ~ first come first served ~ doors lock at 10:30am. Bring your own mat and props. Contact Jamie for more information: Jamie@cpteller.org or 686-0705.

Spanish Storytime– Wednesday, June 2nd & 16th; 10:00am @ Woodland Park Public Library Rotary Terrace (Weather Permitting). Sing and hear stories in Spanish! Geared for preschool/younger elementary children and parents.

Circle of Parents Kinship Connection– Thursday, June 3rd; 5:00-6:00pm via zoom. Are you raising your grandchildren or kin? Do you feel like you are raising them alone? A place where you can find and share support. Contact Amy Stewart to RSVP: AmyS@cpteller.org or 686-0705.

FREE Fishing Weekend– Saturday & Sunday, June 5-6th. Colorado Parks and Wildlife are inviting resident and nonresident anglers of all ages to participate in its annual Free Fishing Weekend. Park Admission Required. https://cpw.state.co.us/free-fishing-weekend

Teller County Sheriff’s Office Open House– Saturday, June 5th; 10:00am-3:00pm @ 110 West Midland Avenue in Woodland Park. Family’s Welcome! Swing by, have a burger, and kid games. Stop by the CP table and say hi!

Outdoor Family Fun Day– Saturday, June 5th; 10:00am-3:00pm @ Dinosaur Resource Center. Fun filled day on the outdoor plaza with your friends and family. FREE activities. For a complete list of booths visit: https://www.rmdrc.com/whats-happening/

Live Outdoor Summer Fun: The Scarecrow Dances with Dogs– Saturday, June 5th; 10:30-11:00am @ Ute Pass Library in Cascade. Joey & Kira discover that a scarecrow comes to life whenever there’s a full moon. They dance and do dog tricks until the sun rises. For all ages, bring lawn chairs or blankets. Registration required: https://ppld.librarymarket.com/live-summer-fun-denise-gard-scarecrow-dances-dogs-1.

Embossed Foil Fish Puppets– Wednesday, June 9th; ALL DAY @ Woodland Park Public Library Rotary Terrace (Weather Permitting). Family’s Welcome! Supplies and directions provided. For more information contact 687-9281 x 112.

“Tails & Tales” with Joey & Kira!– Thursday, June 10th; 10:00-10:30am @ Woodland Park Public Library. Wag that Tale with Border Collies! Denise Gard and her Border Collies Joey & Kira create a tale that contains tails! Appropriate for all ages.

Crossroads of Parenting & Divorce– Friday, June 11th; 9:30am-1:30pm via zoom. Teller County court approved divorce seminar. Registration fee required. Contact Amy Stewart to RSVP: AmyS@cpteller.org or 686-0705.

Dive-In Movies– Saturday, June 12th; 4:30-6:30pm @ Woodland Aquatic Center. Swim, float, or lounge poolside and enjoy a film. Regular daily admission will apply. Popcorn and concession items will be available for purchase. This is a first come first serve event. For film schedule, please call Woodland Aquatic Center 687-5233.

Father’s Day– Sunday, June 20th; 10:00am-5:00pm @ Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park. Father’s are free with one paid adult or child’s regular admission.

Ann Lincoln's Marvelous, Amazing and Magical Animals– Thursday, June 24th; 10:00-10:45am @ Woodland Park Public Library. Magic, juggling and comedy performance with real and pretend pets! The performance highlights stories and routines about animals, kindness and caring for pets, and how to learn more about earth’s creatures by using resources at the library. All ages welcome.

**All events and programs are FREE and for all ages, unless otherwise noted**

Monthly Focus: Motor Development June 2021

Donuts with Dad Playgroup

Saturday, June 12th; 11:00am-12:00pm @ Memorial Park in Woodland Park.

Join us for donuts, games and a craft to honor male caregivers.

All Ages Welcome.

Contact Jessica for more information: Jessica@cpteller.org or 686-0705.

Outdoor play is important to your child’s development in many

ways—it has benefits for their motor, cognitive, and social-emotional

skills. Playing outside has been shown to improve concentration,

lower stress and reduce bullying. Young children who play outside

even do better on standardized tests.

Your child uses their senses when they dig in the mud or cold snow,

walks barefoot in the grass or meets an earthworm. Nature offers

plenty of free props that inspire pretend play—pebbles become

money and leaves are served as tacos.

For many families, it may be a challenge to find safe, nearby natural

spaces where your child can play freely. Young children today are

six times more likely to play a video game than to ride a bike. But

there are lots of ways you can encourage pretend play in the great

outdoors.

Look for spots with lots of features—both manmade and natural.

Experts have found that children are more active when there are

more things to interact with.

• Swing sets and jungle gyms are great for active play.

• Animals and insects, dirt sand and other natural elements spark

children’s interest.

• Trees, large rocks and water encourage pretend play. (A leaf is

a boat traveling across a puddle.)

• Patios, sidewalks and even picnic tables become stages for

dramatic play. (The picnic table is a school bus.)

Offer tools that encourage your child to interact with the

environment.

Shovels, sand toys, balls and trucks help your child use the nature

around themselves. They also invite them to discover new ways to

pretend.

Look for new play options. If you regularly visit the same spot, try

to mix it up. New places present different possibilities for pretend

play.

• Visit a local beach, pond, trail, or garden.

• Talk about what your child might want to pretend when you get

there. (Should we be explorers in the jungle when we check out

that new trail?)

Prompt active play when you’re outdoors. Not all kids are active

when they head outside. But you can motivate your child to let all of

that boundless energy out.

• Point out interesting things in nature. (Look at that squirrel!)

• Ask questions to stimulate thinking and pretending. (What would

you eat if you were a squirrel? Can you show me what a squirrel

eats?)

• Teach words that help your child identify things in nature.

Describe what they’re seeing and experiencing.

Let your child get dirty, tired, and muddy! Dirt washes off. But the

creativity and motor skills they build in the outdoors will benefit for

her years to come.

Pretending in the Great Outdoors

There is no greater stage for make-believe play than the outdoors. Spending time outside stimulates creativity and exploration.

THANKFUL TIDBITS

At bedtime, take turns with your child listing

things you’re thankful for. Here’s an easy one

to start with, “I’m thankful for you!” Then, help

them think of something they’re thankful to

have in their life. See how many times you

can go back and forth.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

Every back and forth conversation builds your

child’s brain. After saying something, repeat it

back in complete sentences. And did you

know that paying attention to what’s positive

in your life has been shown to lead to more

happiness and satisfaction? For both of you!

www.vroom.org

GO ACTIVITY: THROWING AND

CATCHING

BALLOON CHALLENGE

On your “Go” signal, have the children try

various challenges using their balloon:

• Hit the balloon gently and keep it in the air.

• Bounce the balloon on the floor and catch it.

• Toss, clap once, and catch the balloon.

• Hit the balloon with your head.

• Hit the balloon with other body parts.

• Bounce, turn around, and catch the balloon.

https://catchinfo.org/about

Challenge Course: Moving and Developing

Coordination

What do we have?

• Indoor or Outdoor area large enough to create an obstacle course.

• Objects for crawling under, and going around, through and over (furniture, large boxes, trees, balls)

• Picture books or magazines

How do we do it?

1. Talk with your child about obstacle courses. Ask them to help you create a course.

2. Let your child decide where the course will start and how they will move through it.

“Should we go under the table or around it?”

3. Have fun moving through the obstacle course.

4. Use position words as your child moves through the course. “You are under the

table. Will you go around the table next?”

5. If your child gets moving too fast, remind them to be safe. “Go as fast as your

body will let you so you don’t fall down.”

6. Play as long as your child is interested. Encourage them to think of other ways to

move through the same course.

What’s in it for us?

Motor

• Children build gross motor strength and coordination when they move their bodies

through the course.

• With practice, children will learn how to respond to an obstacle by making their

bodies stop and move in a different direction.

• As they grow, children develop a sense of timing within their bodies known as

temporal awareness. This helps them coordinate more complex movements.

Connecting across development

Language: When children hear words like “Go around!” they listen and then challenge

their bodies to carry out the command. They interpret language and put the request

into motion.

Social Emotional: You are creating a partnership with your child as you create the

course together.

Cognitive: Following a list of instructions engages working memory. First the child

remembers the directions and then does them in order.

Memorial Park Balloon Race Playgroup April 2021

If you need any of the supplies for the virtual playgroups please reach out to Jessica@cpteller.org or call 719-696-0705

Teller County Playgroup is FREE to any Parent or Caregiver with children ages 5 & under.

Location: Mondays Virtually and Wednesdays at Memorial Park unless otherwise stated

Facebook: www.facebook.com/playgroupndivide Website: www.cpteller.org

Monday – Virtual Wednesday – Divide This month’s in person playgroup activities

and discussions will focus on Motor Development.

Motor development refers to the development of a child's bones, muscles, and ability to move around

and manipulate their environment. Motor development can be divided into two sections: large

or gross motor, and fine motor development.

2. Memorial Park WP

Get Up and Move Dice

10:30AM

How can we hop like a dog? Or twirl like a frog? Let’s take a look together as we explore our body movements in a fun, silly way. This fun activity also helps improve our little ones’ motor

planning skills!

7. Zoom (Click here for link)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

10:30AM

Introduce your child to the wonderful world of reading with well known author Eric Carle. Join us as we share our favorites with

an “All About Me Caterpillar”, learn about the lifecycle of a butterfly, and incorporate movement through songs.

9. Memorial Park WP

Challenge Course

10:30AM

Using all of the fun playground equipment we will create a challenge course to work on those gross motor skills! Children

will practice using those gross motor muscles and problem solving skills as they move their bodies through the course.

14. Zoom (Click here for link)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

10:30AM

We will use the story of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to learn about the importance of sequencing and repetition in your child’s

literacy journey and do a fun sorting activity.

Materials: A spoon, 7 cups, bowls, or small containers,

Small items totaling 10, ex. marbles, cotton balls, coins

16. Memorial Park WP

Raining Grains: Create Your Own Sensory Bin

10:30AM

Sensory bins are a great way to encourage both gross and fine motor development! This activity encourages little ones to coordinate their large and small motor movements as they

scoop and pour the grains in their own bins.

21. Zoom (Click here for link)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

10:30AM

Come explore early reading skills with letter recognition and

matching. We will use our fine motor skills to create a simple

caterpillar craft with a pipe cleaner and a popsicle stick.

Materials: 1-2 Popsicle sticks, chop sticks, or small sticks

and 1-2 pipe cleaners, or pieces of string, or yarn

23. Memorial Park WP

Hula Hoop Fun!

10:30AM

We’re going to practice strengthening our core muscles and our gross motor mastery with fun Hula Hoop games! Come join us

as we explore this super versatile toy!

28. Zoom (Click here for link)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

10:30AM

Join us in the movement fun of Cosmic Kids Yoga as we read along to “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. We will learn about healthy food choices and the delicious rainbow of fruits and

vegetables available in the Summer.

30. Memorial Park WP

Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course

10:30AM

Let’s get together and have some fun! We’re going to work on those gross motor skills with an easy, fun, fully customizable

obstacle course.

Contact Information: Jessica 719-686-0705 or jessica@cpteller.org

Divide Playgroup Calendar

June 2021

https://www.facebook.com/playgroupndivide/