Recipe Book

Good Afternoon,

     This is a reminder that we sent home a notice last week asking for a pumpkin recipe that you enjoy so Julie can put together a pumpkin recipe book. If you do not have one, this would be a great opportunity to ask family members (Grandmothers love to share recipes).  If you have not received a copy of the letter, here is a copy of it. 

Thank you to those who have brought one in, and we cannot wait to see what other recipes we get.

To the parents of Peek-A-Boo! Daycare,

I would like to invite you all to bring into Peek-A-Boo! Daycare a copy of your favorite pumpkin recipe to share with the other families in Peek-A-Boo! Daycare as soon as possible.

Julie Leishman (student teacher)

Wendy and Jennifer

Upcoming Schedule.........

Hi,
  I cannot believe that we are nearing the end of October.  That means that Halloween is NEXT WEEK!  We are going to have a low key, no costumes Halloween party on Wednesday.  We will create a list of what  everyone can bring and send it home by this Friday.

  Days off in November:

  November 12:  Veterans Day
  November 22:  Thanksgiving
  November 23:  Day after Thanksgiving

Thank you so much,
Wendy and Jen

Upcoming Holidays.........

Hey everyone,
    It has come to my attention that I have not done a recent post about upcoming holidays.

October 8:  Columbus Day, we are closed

West Nile Virus in Southborough

Dear families,

     We have all heard about the West Nile Virus, but now it has been detected here in Southborough.  They will be spraying between 7:30pm and midnight on Monday, September 10th from the side of the road, according to the automated message we received on Sunday.  We had our yard sprayed already, shortly before we learned this information and they sprayed all the way down back as well.  We will not be applying bug spray on the children, but if you would like to do so, please apply it before you come to daycare.  They say that the best type is the one with DEET.  The following is from the post that copied and pasted from mysouthborough.com

 

Thanks,

Jen and Wendy

 

 

Mosquitoes infected with West Nile have been found in Southborough

by susan on September 6, 2012

 

     The Central Mass Mosquito Control Project announced today mosquitoes infected with the West Nile virus were found in Southborough. The virus was detected in mosquitoes trapped on Newton Street on August 28. No cases of human infection in Southborough have been reported.
In coordination with the Southborough Board of Health, CMMCP has scheduled spraying of the area around Newton Street for Monday, September 10. CMMCP notes that while spraying can reduce the threat of mosquito-borne illness, it does not eliminate it. Residents are still urged to take precautions both before and after spraying.
     The detection of mosquitoes infected with West Nile in Southborough was perhaps only a matter of time. West Nile had been found earlier this summer in nearly all of our neighboring communities, including Westborough, Northborough, Hopkinton, Ashland, and Marlborough.

The following streets will be sprayed:

Autumn Hill Ln	Howes Ct	School St
Boston Rd	Ledge Hill Rd	St Marks St
Common St	Lyman St	Upland Rd
Cross St	Main St	Walker St
E Main St	Marlboro Rd	Whistler Ln
Framingham Rd	Newton St	Winchester St
Hillside Ave	Overlook Dr	Wyeth Cir

Fingerpainting is so much fun

I just could not resist posting this.

     No matter how big or small you are, fingerpainting is still fun.  It provides for a wonderful tactile experience.  At some point during the next week, sit with your child and break out the paints.  We want to hear about this experience.  (Don't forget to get your hands dirty too!)

Introducing Julie!!!

To The Parents of Peek-A-Boo! Home Day Care:                                                         September 6, 2012

 

            I wanted to take a few moments to re-introduce myself to those of whom I met at Wendy's Daycare on Wednesday September 5^th 2012.

            Over the next several months, I will be student teaching with Wendy and Jennifer, working towards my Associate degree in Early Child Care.

            Now, for some information and history when it comes to childcare and my positions held. I started in 1986 as a live-in nanny for a family in Watertown, Ma.  I worked for the family taking care of 1 child at first, then the second child was born some time later. I then worked for several other families in different areas in Massachusetts until about 6 months after my husband and I got married during the summer of 1992. I have been a licensed childcare provider since 1997. My husband and I have two children ages 14 and 11 years old.

            I appreciate you taking time out from your busy schedules to read my letter. I look forward to teaching your children. I feel that teaching is also a learning experience for both teacher and children alike. I look forward to getting to know your children as well.

 

Julie

The Holidays..........

     The holidays are quickly approaching and it came to our attention that we had not yet picked our Christmas schedule.  So, after much thought and a quick poll,  we decided to take the day before Christmas off.  Thank you for your imput.

     While we are on the subject of holidays, we would like to ask that you please let us know as soon as you make your final plans if you will be taking any days off during this time. This makes it so that when we are preparing projects, we do not create too many and do not waste materials for the activities that we provide.   We have the added responsibility of making sure we have the right number of supplies for our new student teacher (who you will read about in another post and some of you have met her) during this Holiday Season so that she can bring the proper number of supplies per child per activity for the activities that she provides.  She has to have a certain number of children included in her teaching so we need to schedule her days when we have the most children. 

     We take pride in including everyone in the holidays.  This year we are celebrating Halloween... (We know it is not an official holiday, but we cannot ignore it), Thanksgiving and Christmas; then nothing until Valentines Day and Easter.  Is there something your family celebrates that we have not mentioned?  All celebrations are simple and we do a few projects during the week leading up to the holiday.

Thank you so much,

Jen and Wendy

Need Immediate Responses PLEASE

ITEM 1

     Christmas 2012 is on a Tuesday.  We close either the day before or the day after.  This year we are leaving it up to a parental vote.  Do you want Christmas Eve day to finish your shopping and wrapping or the day after Christmas to unwind and let the children play with their new toys?  We will be making the decision based on your votes no later than tomorrow at the close of Daycare.  Please respond to this or text WENDY.

ITEM 2

     Please take a green food program application, fill it out and send it to the address listed in the paperwork.    I need one filled out and returned for each child enrolled in the Peek-A-Boo! Home Daycare.  Please send this form to:

Bay State Child Care Food Program 

345 North Lake Ave.

Worcester, MA 01605

  

Thanks,

  Jen and Wendy

"Look before you lock"

This has been a big thing in the news lately, and I would like to share this information with you.  This information was sent via email to Wendy and goes into further detail at this website listed in the following article.  I urge you to please pass along the information to anyone else who has children.  I know you guys are awesome, but it is always a good reminder.

Thanks,
Wendy and Jen

"A hot car can be deadly! Always be sure to look twice. It’s easier than you think to forget your baby in the backseat. "

A total of 15 children have already died in 2012 from heat stroke after being left in unattended vehicles. In 2011 a total of 33 similar deaths were confirmed.

In an effort to increase public awareness about the safe transportation of children, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Safe Kids USA have joined together to implement the "Look Before You Lock" campaign.

The "Look Before You Lock" campaign promotes the importance of double-checking cars, vans, and buses for children who might have been left behind. The campaign includes safety tips for parents, families, child care providers and other caretakers of children. To access these materials, visit: http://www.safercar.gov/parents/heat-involved.htm.

The Department of Early Education and Care has also developed a training presentation on ensuring the safe transport of children. This training is intended to increase awareness in all adults, including parents and caregivers, about the risks of hyperthermia in vehicles and best practices to prevent this from occurring. The presentation is available online at: http://www.eec.state.ma.us/docs1/Workforce_Dev/20120502-look-before-lock.pps.

What back to school means for us......

Good Afternoon,

    School is starting in many communities over the next few weeks.  For some of us that means back to homework and for others it means adding a few extra minutes to the commute.  For us, that means that we are sending our 4 and 5 year olds off to preschool and kindergarten.  We truly have had a blast watching these youngsters develop into self confident individuals who have their very own personalities.  It has been rewarding working with them over the past few years.  Not only did we teach them, but they taught  us.  Owen will be graduating today, and Jackson and Raegan will be graduating next Friday.  We will continue on with all of their siblings, but the older kids will be moving on to new adventures.  Though we pass them off reluctantly, we pass them off with confidence, knowing that this is only the beginning of great things that are sure to come.

*Correction, Jackson is celebrating is graduation on Thursday, instead*
   
    Both of us want to take this opportunity to express how much we appreciate the trust that you have given to us to ensure that your child has spent his/her time while you are at work in a safe, loving and learning atmosphere.

Kids can be mischievous

     Sometimes children can be mischievous.   Remember to take an extra deep breath, live in the moment and appreciate their creativity and curiosity...... Sometimes very difficult to do!

(Yes, this is Laura at age 2)

Zoo Field Trip

     Hi everyone, we went to the zoo on Friday!  We had so much fun.  Thank you for making sure your children had sunscreen on upon arrival.  We know it added an extra thing for your already hectic morning, but it did make it so we could get right out the door!
    The kids were very surprised when we stopped off for breakfast at Mauro's Cafe, a real restaurant.  They used their restaurant manners that we have been practicing.  The waitress was SO impressed with our lovely group of 8 children!
    When we got to the zoo, they were very excited to get a map.  Owen was especially excited when he noticed that the big map that is posted was the EXACT same one as his!  As we went along, the kids were a little disgusted to learn about some of the things the animals ate, such as owls eat small animals like mice.  However, they were fascinated to learn that many of the animals eat vegetables, just like they do.  It was very hot, so many of the big animals were resting, hiding from the heat, but the smaller ones were out and some were very funny.  Jackson was obsessed with trying to figure out which animals can bite; with each new animal, he asked, "Does this one bite?"  Wendy and Laura kept responding, "All animals can bite!"  The piglets were very funny running through the mud.  Ella could not take her eyes off of them, however, she was especially excited when she spotted the zebras.  The deer were a big hit with some of the kids, but Raegan preferred the animals who could NOT touch her.  I have not seen her jump that high in a long time. She preferred the baby mandrill, BEHIND the glass window.  While some kids fed the deer, others clung on to me for dear life.  Then there was Laura, who found this really big rock, bigger than her in the deer forest and that is what she remembers most about the zoo.  Colin was much more comfortable in the stroller, no matter how many times Wendy tried to get him to walk with the rest of the group; maybe he thought he could get a better vantage point that way.  Evan was also laid back taking in the scenery, but was very vocal when he saw a BULLDOZER working on a new exhibit!  Quinn tried talking to the monkeys, but they did not respond.  So he screeched a little (o.k. much) louder, but still to no avail as the monkeys refused to even look up.  It was nice to see that everyone could enjoy the zoo in their own way.
    Even though it was a very hot and muggy day, we had a very successful day and all the kids seemed to have a great time.  We hope to make at least one more trip to Southwick's Zoo before the end of summer.

Welcome!

     Hi everyone!  Welcome to our BRAND NEW blog!  As you know, I am enrolled in college courses and am currently in a class learning about young children and how we can use technology appropriately in our classrooms as a tool to benefit our young learners.  One of my assignments is to begin a blog for my daycare families.  I have thought long and hard about how we can use this blog as a benefit to our program.  I have decided to use this blog as another way to keep everyone informed of upcoming holidays and vacations, field trips, things we are learning about and activities you can do at home to build on the skills we are learning here at Peek-A-Boo! Home Daycare.  In my spare time, I hope to add events happening in the surrounding communities and articles to read related to young children.  Please feel free to comment or add to the information, especially if you know about an event happening for young children that families can do on the weekend.  Thank you so much for being my "guinea pigs!"