Mrs. Lillian’s class is learning the letter ‘K’ this week, and so, they decided that the perfect family activity would be to make kites and fly them during the Week of The Young Child! They read the book “Who Said Red?” together and learned about the different parts of a book. Mrs. Lillian gave each of the parents a flyer with 6 Tips On Introducing Books To Your Child.

Mrs. Lillian says: “Today was awesome! The parents, volunteers, and children seemed to have had a good time. The flyers reinforced the presentation and made it “real” for those tactile learners. Thanks for the kites and all of your support!”

To help us gear up for celebrating the Week Of The Young Child (April 19-25), the Bumblebees class made “Number Art” which is now on display at the Lehigh Acres Post Office.

We have learned so much recently about the importance of play for young children that many families may overlook how meaningful work can also nurture development.

Young children flourish when allowed to enter the world of real work that surrounds them - from picking up toys or feeding the cat to grating carrots for salad. In the company of family or other adults, children eagerly engage in work. They want to ‘help’ with the pursuits of adults, and this work can be a crucial part of their early learning.

If you shield young children from a whole category of activity simply because it is called ‘work’ and not ‘play,’ you may be limiting their developmental opportunities.

On the other hand, if you invite children to participate in work and play, you give them many more ways to grow and learn.

Through work that is meaningful and a real contribution to the family or group, even young children can gain a sense of purpose, and come to feel more a part of the family.

With proper adult supervision, there are many types of chores that families can consider for young children, which can help them begin learning about responsibility, independence and caring for themselves. Here are a few examples:

• Gathering, preparing, and cooking food
  Even when they are too young to help with lunch or dinner, children can play a role in preparing snacks. And by taking your children to the grocery or market, you can help them better understand where food comes from and how we buy it.
• Running errands
  Letting young children run errands conveys your feelings of trust in them. When you need something - another family member or the phone or a sponge - tell one of your children you need help.
• Caring for younger children
  Even simple tasks (like reading or singing to younger family members) help older children learn about responsibility and sharing.
• Housekeeping
  Children can help set the table and serve themselves at meals. If you are vacuuming the carpet, you can empower your child by letting him run this most-adult-of-all housekeeping tool.
• Caring for animals
  Pets and livestock require water, food and clean environments. Young children can learn valuable lessons by caring for animals.
• Gardening
  Nurturing plants helps children learn about the wonders of nature. If you don’t have space for a garden, a small window planter can bring opportunities to explore.

In all of these activities, it’s important to remember several points:

• Keep in mind what your children can accomplish, and how much you need to supervise to make sure the activity is safe.
• Even young children can tell the difference between busy work and real work.
• Also, remember that many chores actually take longer with the help of young children, but a little patience and a few extra minutes lets them reap real benefits from assisting the family.

By matching your expectations to their abilities, encouraging and approving their efforts, and allowing plenty of time for the performance of each task, you can give your young children many opportunities to learn and grow through work.

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Excerpted from “More Than Line Leader and Door Holder: Engaging Young Children in Real Work,” by Christine A. Readdick and Kathy Douglas - an article in the NAEYC journal, Young Children.

Open Doors Preschool has achieved the distinction of becoming a dually accredited Gold Seal Quality of Care child care center! Because of this, our school has been sought out by other preschools interested in learning the Gold Seal process. Our school has become a place of learning for everyone! See what our trainees see in a typical tour.

That’s right, Harvest Party time is here!  We will be holding our Harvest Party on Friday, October 31st this year.  Parents are welcome to bring in treats for their child to share with his/her class.  Please keep in mind that healthy snacks are encouraged, such as fruit, veggie sticks and dip, or cheese and crackers.  We understand that “Trick or Treat” time offers lots of sweets as well and they are not prohibited.  

As always, we will not be wearing costumes as they make restroom breaks very difficult, not to mention that we wouldn’t want anyone to ruin their costume before the children have their chance to go trick-or-treating, friday night.  Please keep your costume safe at home:)

Don’t forget that Open House/Parent Night is coming up on Wednesday, October 29th.  Your child’s teacher will be available to have a parent conference, as well as review samples of you child’s work.  Please make a point of stopping in your child’s classroom on the afternoon of October 29th so that you can share your perspective with your child’s teacher.  Your input is important in the formulation of our goals and objectives for your child in their classroom experience.