Week of 10/7/2013

This week was a blast back to summer.  With two half days for the school age kids, it was fun all around!

Announcements:  There have been 2 incidents of lice in our after school program.  As both of these kids attend Irving I am sure it is coming from there, but none the less please check your child's head thoroughly.  Here is a helpful link to checking heads: http://www.wikihow.com/Check-for-Lice

Little Friends

Thanks to Elli and her Dad for the monster teeth...they were a big hit all week long.  Many never even made it out of the back packs, so they kept coming out each time any of the kids were near their back packs.  If you haven't found your red monster teeth...check the pack packs!

This week we welcomed Nicky to our group.  He was here over the summer so many of the kids already know him.  Welcome Nicky!

Preschool Pals

We had a short but fun week with our preschool pals! We are studying the letter C, the #5, the color purple (and the idea of mixing colors), and circles. We practiced tracing circles, we made cookies, read and sang the story of the 5 Little Monkeys, made circle prints with different sized jar lids, and a caterpillar counting craft. And we welcomed our friend Nicky into our preschool group this week!

This week we will remain on the letter C. Our activities include working with clay, counting corn, and mixing colors. Miss Lauren does a wonderful job picking out books to go along with our themes each week and the kids really look forward to story time at the end of preschool. Thanks!

Ms Chloe and Ms Lauren

School Time Friends

This week was spent outside.  The kids did a great job managing their homework, so we could spend a good amount of time outside!  Can you believe it is October?  Speaking of homework, if there is anything specific you would like us to focus on with your child, please let us know.  We try really hard to make sure that all kids are getting their homework done.   Please make sure to double check their work, and to have their reading done.  We usually do not have reading time so please make sure that gets done at home.

The Zoo outing was amazing.  Miss Lauren and Miss Chloe did a great job getting the kids through the zoo...by the end of hearing about it from the kids, I couldn't believe they had see so much in 3 hours!  Make sure to ask them about the snow leopards...it sounded fun!

Jam and pickle making on Friday was so cool.  The younger kids helped to hull and cut and smash the strawberries.   The middle kids helped make the pickles we will eat in daycare, and the older kids pulled them all together!  For those of you who were here Friday, please look for the jam coming home.  And a huge thank you to Miss Chloe for showing us all how to can...it was so fun!

Week of 9/30

Little Friends

This week we had fun working on counting with apples, matching letters making paper chains as tall as they are, and just having fun!  A trip to Wonderworks with Miss Lauren was also on the agenda this week.  Check out the photos section to see pictures from the trip. 

Preschool Pals

Last week was a blast! We were able to explore different ways to paint by using balloons as paintbrushes and painting by blowing bubbles. It was a lot of fun, and the kids’ pictures turned out really cool! The kids were able to practice their handwriting more, working on writing their B’s. One of the many books we read last week was Jack and the Beanstalk, and our pals did some counting using the beans, as well as created some artwork. They also made their own bumblebees and Letter B butterflies; super cute!

This week we are moving on to the Letter C, and since this week and next week are short weeks, we will be exploring the letter C the week of the 14th will continue to develop their handwriting and counting skills, as well as explore our shape of the week, the circle. Even though the week is short, there will still be plenty
of awesome artwork coming home!

We know a lot of our friends have been singing our circle time songs at home, so here are some links to our Days of the Week and Months of the Year songs, if you wish to learn them too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPzIbbvoiMA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5enDRrWyXaw

To another week fabulous week!

Ms. Chloe and Miss Lauren

School Time Friends

This week we spent building...building the tallest building possible with marshmallows and tooth picks, building lego marble mazes, build balloon powered lego cars...somethings worked better than other, but check out the pictures to see the marshmallow buildings...that was fun had by all!  The lego cars were super fun, but frustrating to Peter as we could not figure out how to consistently make them work...oh for longer day when we can really spend some time on it.

Week of 9/23/2013

A few things are on the horizon that I wanted everyone to be aware of.  The week of October 7th, the school age kids have half days on the 10th and the 11th, and a day off on the 14th.  We are full on the 10th, and will be headed out to the zoo or a forest preserve for a hike.  On the 11th we have 8 spaces left and will be making jam, tomato sauce and pickles and canning them.  On the 14th we have 7 spots left and we will be going to a pumpkin patch.  In order to go on the field trip though, your child needs to be here by 9 and not have to be picked up until after 3:30.

In order to reserve a spot (unless you have already told me), please use the paypal button to the right.  The spots are first come first serve for all the spots.  Once paid your spot is reserved.  If you have questions please email me.

Little Friends

Last week we spent time looking at trees, identifying different leaves and smelling bark.  I know this last one is kind of strange, but we encountered a tree that looked like it was growing vanilla beans, so we smelled it to see if it smelled of vanilla.  It was great that all the kids were able to identify a ginko tree by the end of the week.

This week we will be continuing to work on our leaves, as well as playing with all sorts of sensory items.  Finger painting, sponge printing (to make stained glass) and we continue to use scissors, so this week we will be making paper chains.

During circle time we are learning sign language as we sing the ABCs....ask you kids to share with you.

Ms. Talley


Preschool Pals

 We had a great week with our Preschool Pals! We made our 3 Little Pigs houses, our Brown Bear masks, our Triangle fish, and our Big Green Monsters! The kids also worked on cutting shapes and they are getting much better with the scissors. All our pals are becoming more vocal during our sing-alongs. You may be hearing some of our songs at home as well! We try to fit in our Days of the Week and Months of the Year songs each day, along with other song requests.

This week, we will continue exploring the letter B with bubbles, butterflies, bumble bees, balloons and counting with beans! In addition to practicing our counting, we will work on writing our letters each week. Enjoy this beautiful week!

Ms Chloe and Miss Lauren

School Time Friends 

In school time friends melty beads took over.  It was either melty beads, or the playground.  It has been so fun to see all the kids come together, and this was that week.  If you have kids that need a little more help with their homework, or you would like them to be doing more homework, please let me know...I really see our job as helping you have time with your kids when they leave here, so anything I can do to make that time more meaningful, please let us know.

Ms. Talley

Week of September 16, 2013

Well it was indeed all about apples last week.  Every craft and snack and activity had to do with apples or fall.  The pictures were fun...some of the best was making the apple exploding sidewalk paint with the after school kids, working with the little friends on using sizzors and glue, as well as just being outside in the glorious weather. 

More fall to come...

Miss Talley

Preschool Pals Week of 9/23

Last week was a great success! The kids made some amazing apple artwork. They used apples as paintbrushes, made little apple trees, and practice their cutting skills while making their letter A apples. We used apple counting sheets and played Hi-Ho Cherrio so the kids could further develop their counting abilities. For the kids who came on Friday, we were able to make it out to Thatcher Woods to observe the changes in nature, as well as take in the wildlife by the river and Trailside Museum. All and all, it was a lot of fun. This week our activities will focus around our letter and number for the week, which are the letter B and the number 3. Going along with the number 3, our shape for the week is the triangle. One of our crafts will be an adorable picture of a fish made entirely of triangles (and one circle for the eye). The other crafts we have planned are based off of our selected readings for the week, which include: The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? We will continue to build upon our knowledge of the weather and the calendar during our circle time, as well as expand our musical library of songs we all enjoy to sing together. Happy Fall to All!

Miss Chloe and Miss Lauren

Sickness Reminder

As many of you know there has been the runny nose going around.  I always classify this as the beginning of the school year cold.  We have had a few extensions of this to possible strep and the tummy bug.

Please be vigilant and if your child is not feeling well please keep them home, or take them to the doctor.  If the mucus is no longer clear, please keep your child home or have them checked out...it usually means there is more than a cold happening. 

If you happen to find out that it is more than a cold, please let me know the diagnosis and symptoms so I can alert others to be on the look out...I would like to move through it a fast and healthy as possible.





Here is our sick policy in case you need to see it:

Children should not come to care if they have any of the following:

• Fever over 101 F, uncontrolled diarrhea, vomiting, mouth sores with drooling, rash with fever, conjunctivitis (pinkeye), scabies, head lice, TB, impetigo, strep throat (until 24 hours after beginning antibiotics), chicken pox, etc.  If you have a questions please call and ask…Please be prepared with back up care in case of a sick child.
• If you are notified that your child is ill, please pick him up as soon as possible, or designate an alternative person to pick up your child.
• Should a child get seriously injured during care and require medical treatment, I will notify the parent as soon as possible.  In life-threatening situations, I will first call 911 and then notify the parent as soon as possible.  If the parent can not be reached, I will provide the signed Medical Authorization For to medical personnel.

Thanks for your attention.

Talley

Apples, Apples, Apples

This past week was the week we all finally settled in.  It was the first full week for us all, asides from the beginning of school, and it was the week that Preschool Pals began for the non- nappers.  It was an exciting time for many of the kids.  Please keep in mind, those children who are napping are still building on many pre-school skills during our morning time, and that when they are finished with their naps, they will transition over to Preschool Pals in the afternoons with Miss. Chloe and Miss. Lauren.

Our outing on Friday to the trip to the Jonamac Orchard was fabulous.  Many had been apple picking before, but some had not and we talked about how to find the best apples, and to tell which ones were good for baking and which ones for eating.  We also had run of the place as it was a weekday and most school age kids were in school.  Check out the link to this week's pictures to see the fun we had.

The has been an incident of head lice in two kids in daycare.  Please check your child to make sure that they do not have any...if you have any questions please take them to Hair Butterflies in Oak Park to be checked.

Please note that our late payment policy is posted on the website.  There have been many families that may be confused by the invoices and reminders, but it seems to be a pattern developing.  Please make sure to pay your invoice either via PayPal, Check or Cash, by Thursday, midnight.  Unless you have talked to me previously I will have to charge you the late fee of $37.   If you have questions please let me know.

Miss Talley

Preschool Pals Week of 9/16

This week we have a lot of fun crafts planned, mostly centered around apples and fall, so be prepared for your kids bringing home some amazing art work at the end of the week! We are going to be making paintings using apples, constructing our own apples and apple trees, as well as using apples to practice our counting. We will be exploring shapes this week, working on patterns, including a craft based off of one of the stories we will be reading, Go Away Big Green Monster. The kids will be making their own big green monsters while learning and using a lot of different shapes.  During circle time this week, we will be building upon our usual routine, using our big board to discuss the weather and the calendar, as well as singing our favorite songs, including our greeting song. We will be learning two new songs, one about the days of the week and one about the months of the year that we think the kids are going to really enjoy. All in all we are going to have fun, so here’s to another great week!

Miss Chloe and Miss Lauren

And the school year begins

Welcome back!  This week was a transition week for all of us.  New faces are present and we are all trying to find our rhythm.  It was nice to give each other the space to learn about our new friends and just play, after being in school for the whole day.  Every few weeks we will have a new theme that will help us focus our activities.  For the next few weeks we will be getting to know each other.

A few things I want to make sure you see:

• Reservations for days off, or half days will be on a first come first serve basis.  Please use the PayPal button to the right to reserve those days.
• Days off are listed to the right
• Please fill out the contact list so that we have your up to date information.  If you do not want it shared please let me know
• Weekly schedules for all three programs
• Pictures from camp and the past week
• School Calendars

As always please let me know if there is anything I can do to make this a good experience for you and your family.

Talley

When The Boys Are Away...

It has been almost a month since I last updated the blog...I guess I too had a learning curve on how to fit this all into my busy schedule...but this weekend Rob, Elliot and Thomas are away in Michigan on Indian Guides camp out. Greg had a lot of homework and so I was finally able to get all the pictures up, and comment on them, find new and fun Halloween crafts for us the next few weeks...and add a few pages to the blog I have been meaning to add.

Even though I may be behind in adding a post here and there, the menu is updated each week...so feel free to check back and at least see what we are eating:)

In the next few weeks and plastic or glass jars, cardboard egg cartons, or gallon milk jugs would be helpful...and let's hope our school age kids get all that homework done so they can work on these cool crafts I have planned!

***Reminder I am closed Friday the 19th and Monday the 22****

T

Arts and Crafts Oh My!

This week Olivia began Pilgrim for her last year before kindergarten and so now we have fallen into our groove.  This week we will be focusing on tactile fun...lots of arts and crafts experiments...all we will do during the day with the younger crew and after school with the school age kids...a few things we need for the week:

1. Plastic jars with screw top lids
2. Diamond Glitter
3. Glow sticks
4. Bars of Ivory Soap

If you have any of these lying around the house send them in...if not we will gather them up.  Thanks to Lydia's mom, Katharine, for the yummy blueberry muffins.  Here's to another great week!

Talley

Back in the Swing

Now that we have one full week under our belt things are starting to fall into place.  We had a great time at the zoo...who knew that 9:30 was the best time to go...all the animals were out and being fed and the kids had the run of the zoo...we got to see the kangaroos hopping all around, including babies.  Hypos that were almost close enough to touch, bears sunning themselves in the water...and dolphins and seals...Maya and Lydia loved anything swimming!  Ethan's favorite was the bears...Once we figured out how to turn the water on at Anderson it was so fun...with the park right there they ran and played in the water, and then to the park and back again.  My favorite was all the girls hanging their heads upside down in the fountains, Lydia's hat even stayed on with her head upside down!

Next week we begin the trek north to Pilgrim nursery school for Olivia.  We will be leaving around 8:30 Monday through Thursday. Pick up from Pilgrim will be at 11:15 am each day...then we will come back for lunch..or a picnic there on the lawn..depending on the weather. 

For the school age kids it has been a great week getting into the grove of homework and after school.  One thing I love is that I get to see what comes home from almost every teacher in the school...that being said, please let me know how you would like me to handle your child's homework.  If there is a special event in the evening, or you specifically need something to be completed please let me know.  In addition, if there is something you think your child needs extra attention to please let me know and I will do my best to help out there as well. 

That being said, I am trying this school year to make it a little more fun after school...so beginning this week, or the week after, we may have extra activities, or projects that they can choose to work on, or not.  After being in school for 7 hours, unwinding a bit is always a nice touch...and as the kids have gotten older, hanging on the playground is not what they want to do all the time...so having the option to do art, science experiments, or just build something might be a nice change...we will see how this goes.

This week we will celebrate Lia and Grace's birthdays on Tuesday...cupcakes again...

Please don't forget to fill out the contact form at the right if you want your information included...and check the menu and schedule each week...and as always, please let me know if there is anything I can do to make your time away from your kids easier.

Talley

Welcome Back

Summer seemed to fly...we were so busy that we had no time to even chronicle the summer...hopefully I will be able to do that in the next few weeks.  Most of you know, but in case you did not, the Murphy family (Joe, Jame and Jack) have moved on and are staying home with their Mom, Meg.  After taking care of the family for the past 4 1/2 years it was hard to say goodbye, but I am sure we will see them around the parks and school!

We have added one new little one...we welcome Lydia Klette to the mix...that makes Lydia, Maya and Olivia my only full timers as Thomas has even moved on the Kindergarten!  What a change from so many boys, to three girls...and Ethan...This week we say goodbye to Ethan Wojcik (Grace and Maeve's brother).  He has been with us all summer and we have enjoyed having his wonderful brand of make believe in the mix.  He goes out with a bang this week as we celebrate his 4th birthday on Wednesday.

I know often times families would like to contact each other.  If you would like to be included on a contact list of families, feel free to add your information...it will be available on the blog and updated as I get your information.

A few other things that I have added: A weekly calendar of meals and activities for the full timers.  Once we settle into a routine I will post a loose daily schedule, a link to each school's calendar, vacation days for 2012-13, and a schedule for the after school program.

I know many of you have been so wonderful in passing my names along to other families.  As of now I am not taking any more full time children, as we will have a new baby beginning in January, and another one beginning in the late Spring.   I do still have a few spaces after school open, but Tuesdays I am full.  So if you, or anyone you know needs a day here or there feel free to pass my name along.

Have a great week!

Face/body painting

Since they were all trying to draw dragon scales on their hands with permanent markers like Miya....I decided face paint was a better option....of course they took it a bit farther!

The week that has past

What swimmers we have! All the kids have made such great strides....Olivia was freely going around the baby pool and even putting her face in during simon says, Jimmy started running full face through the fountains...not minding at all that his face was wet, Joe started jumping in and swimming back tot he walk all by himself!, Thomas has now refused to wear swimmies, and so is trying to swim all around the big pool...even though he can't quite. As for the big kids Zeno has totally taken to the water...swimming all by himself, where last year he wasn't even sure he would get in the water! Maeve and Grace have almost every stroke, and are just working on mastery, which I have to say has put a fire under Elliot's belly to learn his strokes...and Miya was not in swim lessons this week as she helped out in the Right Brian Studio and took a doll making class...what cool dolls she made...the boys called them Zombie dolls...not sure how she liked that but they were really cool.

Here are a few things to ask the kids about from swim lessons:

Preschool and younger:

Ice Cream scoop arms
Doggie paddle
Popsicle Stick legs
Blowing bubbles

School Age

Laps were the name of the game for all but Zeno and Thomas...
Learning how to use the leg buoys
All the strokes, Freestyle, Breaststroke, Back Stroke and Butterfly
Front and back blast offs into strokes
Going off the diving board

This week we will work on diving for the big kids and strokes for the younger guys...

This week it will be hot...please remember to send the following:

Water Bottles
Books
Library reading logs
Library Cards if they are allowed to check out books

We will also start keeping a journal for the next three weeks, so let them know there will be a bit of writing coming their way. For the preschoolers we will be focusing on our letters and numbers....identifying as well as writing them.

As always...have a great week...I know we will!

Talley

Recent hapenings...

Well so much has happened since the past post that I am not sure where to begin...the end of tball season really threw our family for a two week whirl wind...and just now are we getting back on our feet....the butterflies arrived, Joe and Olivia got married, we went to Navy Pier, and swim lessons started! Check out the new links to the photos to read all about it...one of my favorite things so far has been the paper mache the school age kids did...they had to have a moving part...Miya had a head, with a mohawk, Grace had a soccer ball with flowing flames, Zeno had a telescope, and Maeve made an army truck with wheels that moved...great job!

Anne is our swim teacher for the next few weeks. The little guys, or group one, will be on Mondays, and they had their second lesson today...she was so impressed with all the improvement in just 4 days! Way to go...ask the kids about blowing out the candles under water (blowing bubbles), ice cream scoop arms, and Popsicles legs, and the noodle train we made today.

Anne will work with group 2 on Tuesdays...but let them know...Maeve and Grace did laps today with their intro lesson!

I have updated the summer schedule to include the swim lessons...

As always, please let me know any questions you have, suggestions, and how the summer is going...specifically how you like or dislike the summer experiment with PayPal...

Talley

The Week in Review

Digging in the dirt! So fun....at least the took it from one side and put it on the other...

Paper mache galore...Zeno even tackled his dislike of the feel to make his! The goal...make a paper mache sculpture with a moving parts with things you can find in the house...look for them coming home soon...fun all around!

Light saber battles galore since the street is closed...extra battle space!

On Friday Thomas started the Santa game...he sat in a stack of chairs, and Joe, Olivia and Jimmy pretended to sleep, and "Santa" delivered presents to them...only after they navigated the stack of chairs to sit in Santa's lap!

Another trip to the Library!

Today was another trip to the library. I think we have probably been to the Maze or Main library every day since school has let out. Though I wish our street was opened...it is fun to run, bike, pogo stick and give piggy backs on...this was the prefered method of travel for the preschoolers, but of course the big kids had already walked to and from Lincoln and played for at least an hour...they were troopers...maybe tomorrow will be warm enough for the pool! Father's day presents are made...just have the finishing touches to put on them...and then we start the art project for the week...paper mache scupltures...we will see what they build...they challenge...it has to have a moving part (for the older kids of course)

Here's to another day!

Father's Day Week

This week is all about the Dad's...at least that is how we will start out the week. We will be making gifts for each of the dads and coming up with our plan for the summer. My goal for the older kids is to have them work on a project all summer long, or a few smaller ones. For instance Greg has become really interested in helping feed the hungry, so we are going to focus a lot of his work around that desire. Hopefully we can find something all the big kids want to learn more about, and something that has a service aspect to it.

Grace and Maeve Wojcik join us this week. They will be here Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays of most weeks. It will be nice to have a group of older kids to work with all summer...We will have a blast at the pool and working with all the little guys.

As for the little guys, we started work on our preschool workbooks...some pages were a challenge, but others were surprisingly easy...it is really neat to see what they can do when presented with workbook pages so foreign.

Again, please make sure to have the following:

Pool Passes
Towels
Swim Suits
Sun Lotion (if not already donated)
Water Bottle
Books (for older kids)

The menu and summer schedule is posted and updated.

Have a good week!

Musings from the Week of November 1st

Can we just say how lucky we are this week for this wonderful weather! Last night was so fun...with it getting dark so early I was worried it would be hard to sneak in outside time and get homework completed...I am sure we shorted homework a bit with the older kids, but what fun they had learning how to play ghosts in the graveyard...and kick the can is on the schedule for this evening!

For the younger group, as soon as they were finished snack Marisol took them down to the park...and they ran around at the park until it was too dark to see their noses! This fall has provided such a great time for spontaneous out door play. Our favorite game so far was taking all the toys bins and using them to collect the leaves in order to dump them on a blanket and the together throw them up in the air and see where they land. This game looked like so much fun many of the neighborhood kids joined in too. Check out the pictures!

I am constantly amazed at how the older kids will take the younger kids under their wings and help them in whatever game or activity we are doing. Now that is not to say that when the older kids have built a huge, magnificent train track they are fine when Jimmy comes by and tears the bridge down...but they do usually build Jimmy his own to play with!

With winter around the corner we will still be outside, so please make sure your kids have the clothes to play outside...I am looking forward to what games they will come up with this year. Last year we had such a fun time with building tunnels and forts that I hope we can continue the fun...and don't forget the sledding we did! Looking forward to it.

In the coming weeks I will be returning to a bit more structured learning for the preschool/toddler kids since the weather will be turning and we will are likely to spend more time inside. I will coordinate a project each week, that will go along with the theme for the younger kids, that the older kids can do if they want, or not. I firmly believe kids need time just to be kids, and what more fun than to have that time when you are around other kids.

As always, if you have suggestions for activities, field trips or even meals/snacks please let me know...mixing things up is always fun.

Musings from the Week of October 18, 2010

What week...with the school age kids having two half days for teacher conferences, the week proved to be busy and exciting. What a great time all the older kids had creating towers and tracks with the little guys.

The older kids took a field trip to the Notebaert Nature Museum this Thursday...what a fabulous museum...for young and old. We had the chance to see two exhibits. Ask them about lock and damns....they had such fun experimenting how to move a boat through a lock without it capsizing and really how to flood a neighborhood with a damn...Liam and Olivia really were able to fill every crack and get the water quite high...

Joe and Olivia continued to have a blast at Preschool, even saying that they wanted to stay on Thursday when we had to drop Thomas off...instead we came home and had a tea party!

Jimmy continues to defy gravity...he's one to keep an eye on...anything he can climb he will...maybe a lumber jack is in our midst?

This week we welcomed back Sierra and her brother Kegan. They will be with us on and off in the afternoons till the Holidays. Olivia and Thomas were particularly excited to see Sierra again...and Elliot quite happy to have Kegan join Zeno, Viveck and he in their imaginative play...

Here's to another week...if you have not let me know that you need care on the 5th for school age kids please do....our spots are limited because Marisol is taking a much needed vacation for the 4th and 5th of November.

Talley

The First

As many of you know I have been trying to play around with the media to find a fun and easy way to communicate. Also a place to post pictures and upcoming events. As the year moves on and we get into our curriculum for the younger kids, and projects for the older ones, this hopefully will provide a forum for reminders and pictures.

I have included a link to the weekly menu on the side bar, as well as a link to the former website on Shutterfly, so that you can return to see the pictures. If you had family that had subscribed to the site, I will send them an invitation to this site as well.

If you have suggestions or ideas for this let me know.

Enjoy!

Talley