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Young Scholars Academy

Where Children Develop a Love of Learning

 5815 Tutt Center Point - Colorado Springs, CO 80922
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Sweet Summer Fun

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Finally! Its summer y’all! Have you been counting down the days like we have?! As the cold days become fewer and fewer, my family is in the mood for sunshine and fun. I have begun planning mini vacations, weekend trips, and the day to day activities. I think these will be great to do this summer. In previous years, we have had a ‘go with the flow’ type of schedule. On the weekends we would go to the pool and try to catch things that were free around town. While that has been great, I wanted to try something new this summer! We are making a summer bucket list! This list is going to have daily goals and also BIG summer fun goals included. Here are a few tips and some of the ideas that my kids and I have come up with!
 
Depending on the age of your kiddos, you may need to make separate goal sheets for each child. My vision for this is to include daily goals they can accomplish easily. And also family goals or a summer bucket list. I feel having this tool for the summer will help keep us busy and have a more organized schedule. Because truth is, I say that I want to do these ‘things’ over the summer and I either end up forgetting what I wanted to do (seriously…) or I get lazy and take the easy way out and make park and pool trips. Which is totally fine. But it means that I never followed through with what I wanted my kids to experience over the summer.

Daily goals

Depending on age, these are simple things that they need to get done daily. You could turn this into chore type activities. Or small learning activities that will help keep those brain cells busy in the summer months. My preschooler has 3 daily goals:
  • to read 30 mins total (with sissy or a parent),
  • feed the dog dinner (he picked),
  • and play a writing/letter game with mom.
So, this is a combination of chores and learning. It is important to include your kiddo in making these decisions. It makes them feel the responsibility of making a choice. These goals will most likely get switched up during the summer. This way, he can focus on other things he needs to work on and will be involved in that process too. Now, I have thought of also doing a reward system for this…but decided against it. I want these goals to really feel important to him and not become something he is doing for a sticker/toy. This means working with my preschooler so he understands the concept a bit more. I want to pump him up so he meets his goals and feels proud.
Little boy with summer bucket list
A well thought out summer bucket list

Family goals or Summer Bucket List

This is a concept that I came across online, but I put my own spin on it. Online, the picture had all the places they wanted to go visit. While that will work, I just wanted to be more specific and expand it a little. So, for our Summer Bucket List we are coming up with a list of things that we really want to do/see/explore and also some kindness activities. I picked a few items on the list and I let each of my kiddos choose things to add. Most of the things we added are things that we are surely able to accomplish and will be awesome to be able to cross them off.
Some of the ideas my kiddos came up with fall into the ‘we will sure try’ category. While I am not sure if we will be able to do some of the items, I still wanted to include them. I think it is also important for them to see what happens when goals are not met as planned. That way, they get to have conversations and examine their feelings on it and grow from it.
 
I really feel this system will make a positive difference in our summer adventure. I want them to really have a busy, fun, and engaging summer! Having a small outline of what this will look like will help keep us all accountable. I also recently read a quote online that said “You only get 18 summers with your children, that’s it. So make it count.” Boom. Right to the feels for sure. Being a kid is such an experience that can be truly magical. MY daily goal is to act like a kid and have fun, that way my children will have the most memorable summer ever!
 
-Ms. Whitney
Lead Prekindergarten Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator

Things To Do For Father’s Day 2019

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We all love dad. Wrestling, playing video games, cooking at the grill, and hanging out are some of the fun things he does with us. This Father’s Day. show dad you care by giving him the gift of time. Take him to one of these fun places.

Peak into Pikes Brewery Tour

On June 15, from 12:00-5:00 pm, the Pikes Peak Brewing Company is hosting “Peak into Pikes Brewery Tour.” This is an hour-long tour that gives some history and facts about brewing beer. They take guests through the back part of the brewery, give a 10% off coupon for their merchandise, and give each guest a tour exclusive pint glass. The price is $20 per person. They are located at 1756 Lake Woodmoor Drive, Monument, CO, 80132 719-208-4098 https://pikespeakbrewing.com/event/brewery-tour-3/

Pikes Peak Celtic Festival

The Pikes Peak Celtic Festival is being held June 14-16. Come out and enjoy Celtic music and dancing, living history, authentic Celtic cuisine, bag pipe competitions, Highland Athletics, Whisky tasting, Braveheart 5K, and more! A weekend pass is $25 for adults and $10 for kids age 6-17. For a single day pass it is $15 for an adult and $5 for kids. Whisky Tasting is $48.75 and the Braveheart 5K is $46.80. Both events include an adult weekend pass. Western Museum of Mining & Industry 225 North Gate Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. For more information or to buy tickets, please visit https://pikespeakcelticfestival.com/

Mesa Drive-in Theater

The Mesa Drive-in Theater is open seven nights a week. They provide that old time feel of driving in to watch a movie. Admission is $10 for ages 12 and older. Children under 12 are free. This price includes a double feature. Concessions range from $1.50-$8.75 per item. This month their family friendly double feature is Aladdin and Avengers Endgame. Located at 2625 Santa Fe Drive, Pueblo, CO 81006.

Annual Starlight Spectacular

June 15, Garden of the Gods is hosting the 25th annual Starlight Spectacular. Enjoy a 4, 16, 21, or 23-mile bike ride through and around Garden of the Gods Park beginning at 9:00 PM. Adults are $48 and children 6-15 are $28 children under 6 are free. There are rules and regulations you must adhere to for safety, so be sure to check that out before registering. 1805 N 30th Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904. To register, go to; https://www.trailsandopenspaces.org/…/starlight-spectacular/

Time is the greatest gift to give to your father. Find something to achieve this goal and have a Happy Father’s Day!

-Ms. Blair
Lead Early Preschool Teacher
Wellness Coordinator

4 Reasons To Not Compare Your Children

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The definition of “compare” according to the Webster dictionary is estimate, measure, or note the similarity or dissimilarity between two or more things. In today’s world we can’t help but be competitive and compare our accomplishments to others. This also includes our sweet children’s accomplishments as well. The problem with comparing our children to other children or even their siblings is that every child is very different and hits milestones at various stages. Such as one child could have walked at nine months and the other child not till fourteen months. But on the flip side the first child didn’t talk till thirteen months and the other at ten months. You cause stress when you compare your children.
We all internally know this right? Yet even as adults we’re constantly comparing areas in our lives to others. Just as a reminder, here’s 4 Reasons To Not Compare Your Children

Don’t compare your life to others. There is no comparison between the Sun and the Moon. Both each shine when it’s their time.

1. It breaks down a child’s confidence and causes self-doubt.

When a child hears you say look what she is doing already. Why can’t you do that? It breaks them down and makes them question their abilities. It is very hard work to rebuild a child’s self-esteem. Especially when it is broken down by someone they trust and love. This can be just as damaging if it is between siblings. Instead of doing a direct comparison find strengths that each child has and highlight those special abilities.

Jealousy comes from counting others’ blessing instead of our own

2 & 3. Jealousy and Negativity.

Jealousy will eventually rear its ugly head. It is human nature to want praise and acknowledgement. Even at a very young age a child wants to know they have done good or hear how amazing they are. When we compare that blacks out the child’s accomplishment and over seats their confidence. With a child constantly being compared to a sibling or another child they begin to envy and resent the other child. The child that is always thought of oh look what that kid can do why can’t you, starts to think negatively and why even try if it isn’t ever going to be good enough.

4. It damages the parent and child relationship.

What kid hasn’t tried to please their parents? We want to impress and get praise from the get-go with our parents. But if a child is always being compared and brought down, they let that negativity take over. They also don’t connect and seek shelter and acceptance elsewhere.
As a parent we all want our child to be exceptional. However, we need to embrace their talents at their own levels and time. Every child shines, just not at the same time.

While there’s no rule book to parenting, this an extremely important concept to consider in everyday activities. The hope that one day all children will be able to shine instead of compared. Thank you for reading!

-Ms. Michaela
Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
Social Emotional Coordinator

Crushing the Playroom Chaos

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kid showing a thumbs up
An organized kid is a happy kid

As our kiddos get older it seems that more toys magically keep appearing. From birthdays, holidays, and random trips to the store-there seems to be an endless stream of toys and tiny pieces entering my home. As my youngest child reached a point where the baby toys I had been saving from the first no longer were in play, I started the process of decluttering. It can be such a struggle to make the time to do this, its truly the last thing you want to spend time on. But it MUST be done, or else… the Playroom/toy situation can become a horrendous hurricane of a mess with no end in sight!

The best thing that you can do to regain the order of the play room is to sort all the toys. Here are a few steps to help you get organized.

Step 1

Sort the toys into these categories: keep, store, donate, or trash. After my youngest turned about two, I started to go though all the toys and got rid of all the cute baby age play items. If you plan to have other children, store them away in Rubbermaid containers and LABEL them! Label, Label, Label! Don’t think you will do it later, because you won’t! As soon as the lid goes on, label them-Keep/Toys/Age: Birth-2(or whatever title is appropriate). After the first sorting process you then move onto step 2.

Step 2

Sort the sorted toys! Deal with the donate and trash first, I put all of these in trash bags and use a sharpie to label them. The donate bags immediately go into my car that day. Trust me, I have let donate bags sit by the door for a week or more… so just put them in the car right away. Because, when you know you must go to the grocery store later that day or in the week it forces you to make the drop off, ha! With the toys you are going to store-sort, label, and then put away. Now you have plenty of working room in your playroom/toy area for all the toys you are keeping.

When sorting the toys your kiddos will be currently playing with you have to do it how it will best work for your family. I suggest looking online for inspiration for different ideas depending on the space and number of toys you have. For us, we have a small room that is for the kids and all their toys. Investing in some storage shelving has really made organizing the toys a lot easier. Looking online on used furniture sale sites and going to thrift stores is a great place to look to save some money. We then sorted our toys by toy type: all the dinosaurs, Legos, action figures, costumes, Disney characters, and cars each have their own clear box. We use clear plastic boxes, storage containers and baskets to hold the toys. You could even print labels and attach to the bins to take the organization a step further. Check out your kiddos classroom to see how YSA organizes their toys, labels and pictures in every room. This is so doable at home as well!

Step 3

kid putting toys away
Teach them to organize shelves

The most important! Train your kiddos to put stuff away! Once you have your playroom/toy storage system in place, teach your children how to clean up after themselves. My kids usually only take one or two buckets out and then will clean up and move on. Any more than that, it takes them eons to actually clean up. It should not be your job to clean up their mess every time. It can be a frustrating task a first, but it really pays off once they get the hang of it. My 3-year-old can put everything away on his own now and it is amazing! I don’t have to get on my hands and knees crawling all over the place. It is teaching them so much responsibility! But, be consistent. Every time, they are the ones that put the stuff away, even if a buddy comes over. Make sure you are upfront and explain to friends that they will be responsible for helping too.

About every 2 months, I try to get in there and make sure everything is put away correctly and reorganize where it is needed. The kids are responsible for helping during this also. Taking the time to organize and teach your children how to clean up properly really helps take the stress off the playroom chaos. It teaches responsibility and care of their things. They do this at school, so they should totally be able to do it at home! Here’s to not stepping on tiny Legos in the dark ever again!

Ms. Whitney
Lead Prekindergarten Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator