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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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Fine Motor Fun: Leprechaun Edition

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March is such a fun month for Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations! Who doesn’t love to celebrate and bust out all the green for one day! In the preschool world, we are all about using our imaginations and have gotten the kiddos pretty excited to try and catch leprechauns! There are so many cute ideas out there to try and catch the tiny green leprechauns by building your own leprechaun trap! The children absolutely love creating their own models.

It is very easy to find things around the home to have your child construct and design their own trap. Allowing your child to build their own trap independently is so beneficial to their fine motor and creative development. Here are a few of the materials we had around the house that I gave my preschooler: paper, tape/glue, an old box, rubber bands, paperclips, and scissors. Get creative! Find fun things around the home that they could use to recycle into their trap!

Using all these materials will strength their fine motor skills, which are crucial for improving their writing abilities. Using scissors to cut, gluing independently, and drawing are all fine motor skills that are important to have when entering kindergarten. While at preschool, we practice these actions daily! Adding in fun projects like this, gives them the opportunity for additional practice at home.

Allowing your child to create on their own design gives them the chance to go through the artistic and design process. They will run into stopping points where something might be a struggle, they will have to work through the process of problem solving to get an end result. I set out the materials for my preschooler on the table and told him to use what he wanted to make something that could possibly catch a little leprechaun. He has read the book How to Catch a Leprechaun and really loved the idea to build his own.

While building, he did come to some areas of the process where he got frustrated. For example, when he was trying to think of a way to get the lid to shut, he tried glue a paperclip to the box to make a hook. As he found out, the glue would not hold. He then asked me what to do and if I could help him. I walked him over to our sliding door and showed him how the latch was a hook and he noticed how some of the end had a curve to it. I explained that he should try to recreate that for his trap. At this point he surprised me by bending the paperclip (so it matched the curve as the door hook) and got very excited! We kept talking and making connections before we worked out a plan to stick the paperclip through the box to make the hook catch the rubber band. It was so awesome to talk it out with him and find a solution together!

Creating fun projects like a leprechaun trap from simple items around your home is an easy way to keep your preschooler busy, make fun memories, and build upon their fine motor skills in an entertaining way! We can’t wait to set the trap up, set out the paper gold coins he cut, and see if this is the year we trap a leprechaun!

-Ms. Whitney
Curriculum Coordinator
Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

Keeping Up With School Routines While on Break

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Spring break is coming up quickly. When students are on breaks, they tend to back slide in their routines. Families spend more time together and stay up later. Kids have more time to play and lounge around the house too. This can reek havoc on a parents sanity and on the child’s typical schedule.

I don’t know about you, but my work schedule stays the same while my kids are on break. This makes it easier for me to keep up with their morning and evening schedule. My kids love to stay up late on nights when they know they don’t have school. Instead of letting them stay up late, we have started to let them have a sleepover in each other’s room and have some screen time before bed but they still need to be in bed on time. Bedtime stays the same on week nights because they still have to get up in the mornings for care while I am at work. By changing the rule slightly but keeping up with the everyday schedule, it is easier to keep them on track for when school starts again and they feel like it is still special.

When hanging around the house more and having more time to play, things can get pretty messy. Set a timer for twenty minutes (adjust time according to the size of the mess) before the kiddos get ready for bed to have them put their toys and books away. This way, their space does not become out of control.

Homework routines are hard to bring back so instead of reintroducing it to your child’s daily routine, why not keep it. Part of our everyday lineup while the kids are in school is homework and reading. While homework is not sent home during spring break, there are ways to keep up with it. Practice math facts for ten minutes a day. They can do math pages or practice math Flashcards that are on their level. Make flash cards of sight words, past spelling words, and vocabulary to keep them in practice. Kids should also read at least 20 minutes each day. This way your child keeps up uo on their typical schedule while also getting the practice they need to continue to succeed during school.

Some fun ways to keep them invested in their education is taking them to the library to pick their own books. The dollar store has workbooks with math and literacy pages. Find a few on your child’s level then let them pick which book they like best. At the end of each day, have your child write a sentence or more telling something fun they did each day. This helps them practice their penmanship while crating a small memory journal from their time off.

Keeping up on routine can get tricky while kids are on a break from school. These ideas will help prevent back slide while also helping parents keep their sanity through routine. Good luck to you and happy spring break.

-Ms. Blair
Health & Wellness Coordinator
Lead Preschool Teacher

5 Helpful Tips to Strengthen your Parent-Child Relationship

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Parent-child relationship is often the strongest and most enduring bond we have. Yet it can also be the most complicated at the same time. 

Our children are the most precious things in our lives. It’s normal to want to be as close to them as possible.

Maintaining a great dynamic with your child may take some sustained effort. When our children start to consider us as a friend, rather than strictly an authority figure, it’s all worth it. 

Our children want someone to be there for them. Someone they can rely on and talk to in moments when they need to be heard. It’s a common lament for parents of teens that their kids don’t feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings.

As parents, not only are we there to guide our kids as they are growing up but to also raise them as confident and well-rounded individuals. Most of that development begins in the household. Strengthening your parent-child relationship is key to developing that dynamic.

Here are a few helpful tips to get you started.

Be open in expressing your love for your kids

Telling your children how you love them makes them feel valued, boosts their self-esteem, and helps them feel confident to express their emotions. 

Dr. Natasha Sharma, inventor of the Kindness Journal puts it this way, “expressing love is a monkey-see, monkey-do situation.”

This helps the children develop relationship skills and makes them learn how to identify different ways of expressing their feelings. One of those includes expressing their love. If you, as a parent, can be vocal about it, it likely will not be hard for your children to express their love.

Make Them a Priority in Your Life

Another way to strengthen your parent-child relationship is to consider your kids a priority in your life. You may be busy earning money for a living to provide for their basic needs right now, but children won’t appreciate the material possessions you give as much as the quality time they get from you. 

Time flies and kids grow up quickly. Before you know it, they’re off preparing for their college applications and moving out of the house. So make the most of your precious times together. Seize the little opportunities to bond and make your children feel appreciated. Keep them close and let them know that they matter to you as much as possible. Let them know that you are paying attention and you’ll always be there for them when they need you. 

Spare some time for fun

What kids crave is your undivided attention.

Kids love to have fun, so show them your fun side and get down to their level by getting on the floor with them and really immersing yourself in their world.

Just have fun and sing songs, play board games, tell stories, and allow yourself to be silly.

Your child will love the attention and for sure will cherish these moments with you forever. 

Allow your children to help you out

Whether you’re preparing meals, doing the dishes, or unloading groceries, getting your children involved is a surefire way to grab their attention and make them feel good about themselves.

Children are naturally curious and they want to get close to their parents, just as much as we parents wanted to get involved in their lives. Letting them assist you with simple tasks will not only make things easier, but also allow you to spend more quality time together.

Take baking for example. Letting them help out in little ways such as mixing the ingredients, cutting out cookies, and decorating them can go far and makes for an opportunity to strengthen your parent-child relationship. 

The Value of Family Mealtimes

We can’t stress enough how family mealtimes are essential for strengthening parent-child relationships.

Mealtimes are an opportunity to really come together with family. It’s a time to huddle, share thoughts, and talk about each other’s day.

So take the time to unplug and reconnect. Unplug from technology, put away your phones and turn off the TV. Reconnect with your family and teach your kids to speak their minds freely.

Looking to take the next step for your child? If you’re preparing for your child’s early education in the Colorado Springs area, Young Scholar’s Academy’s preschool programs create an engaging learning environment with fun activities that create lasting memories for your child to grow, learn and succeed in life! Call us at (719) 419-8418 to schedule a tour today!

 

6 Tips to Kick the Daylight Savings Blues

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Time change is rapidly approaching, and it might not seem like much until the hour less of sleep you get really kicks in. Then your kids won’t sleep in and the day just keeps going. So how do you overcome it.

We all know that when little people get tired it can get downright ugly. So, with the sky being sunnier earlier and longer what is a parent to do? I have had my child come to me and say “Mom I can’t go to bed yet because it’s still light outside.” I have some wonderful suggestions for preparing and making time changes a little easier for the kiddos and help us (parents) keep our sanity.

1. Keep your routine! We are all creatures of habit. If you don’t have a bedtime routine, I strongly suggest getting one. Even if it is a simple routine of putting pajamas on at the same time, brushing teeth, and then bedtime. When you keep your routine regardless of the time change it is one less thing disrupted by the schedule change.

2. A week in advance put your kids to sleep 10 minutes earlier each day leading up to springing forward. Allowing a gradual change over the week will allow the lost hour not to be so damaging. It also gives your little one’s body a chance to slowly adjust versus trying to catch up and get back on track all on the same day.

3. Control the lighting in your child’s sleep area. I suggest black out curtains a lifesaver for mid-day naps! Our bodies naturally respond to light so black out curtains help control the pouring in of light causing our bodies to stir. Daylight Savings in March means longer days, where mornings are darker longer so mornings will be a little easier. However, getting to bed may a bit of a challenge now that it will be lighter later in the day. I tell my kids the Sun is an adult and doesn’t need as much sleep and that is why it is up late. 😛

4. Keep them busy to wear them out. The day of that dredge time change keep them busy and engage. This will have them looking forward to rest time and resetting for the next day. This requires some extra work for parents too. But when they go down easy the night off it will be a welcoming reprieve.

5. Do nothing. Now this isn’t the most proactive choice, but kiddos are resilient and might adjust better and quicker on their own terms. I suggest at least letting them stay up about 30 minutes later for the next few days while they adjust to the time change. But after that they will adapt and be back on schedule.

6. Be flexible. Early on in my parenting and teaching adventures I was told there is three things children have control over: sleep, eating, and potty training. Let them still have some control and understand that they are trying to adapt to the change as well.

Good luck to everyone with the upcoming time frame!

Ms. Michaela
Lead Preschool Teacher
Child Success Advocate

The Nutrition Battle

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I don’t think anything in parenthood is as greatly debated as much as nutrition.

Breastmilk, formula, purees, table food, how much, how often, the list goes on and on. It all usually starts with some old school advice from well-meaning relatives. Feed the baby more, put cereal in the bottle, give them solids so they sleep longer, babies need bland foods because their taste buds aren’t like ours. It’s nearly impossible to navigate all the information. It’s important to follow the advice of your pediatrician, but I have some quick tips that may help. Don’t worry, we’ll talk about the older kiddos too!

In the early days, breastmilk and/or formula are all a baby needs. Infants fed at the breast will generally take in between 24-30 ounces in a 24 hour period by the time they are a month old and until right around 6 months when solids are introduced. The amount of breastmilk needed won’t increase, because breastmilk changes to meet the baby’s needs. Formula fed babies are similar, but the amounts increase as baby grows. Something I have been working to introduce here at the center is paced feeding. In short, it’s the practice of slowing down the bottle feeding so baby has more time to feel full, rather than gulping the entire thing down.

Introducing solids is where things get tricky. Some recommendations say 4 months is the time to introduce while some say 6 months. A handy list of physical milestones to watch for can help determine if your baby is ready. Sitting unassisted, loss of tongue thrust reflex and the development of a pincer grasp are some great signs to look for.

But wait, WHAT do I feed my baby? Great question! You have several options. My personal favorite is baby led weaning. Baby eats what you eat and it’s a fun, messy experience for the whole family. There are some great resources out there to get started. (I even have a book you can borrow, feel free to stop by my classroom!) Another option is starting with baby cereals and purees. (Tiny side note, we have the ability to puree fresh fruits and veggies when we have them with our school meals!) Whatever you choose, it’s important to follow your baby’s cues. Start slow and see where it takes you. And be sure to take LOTS of pictures.

After a year when breastmilk and formula have tapered out, and even if breastfeeding continues, your kiddo will be eating primarily solid foods. Current guidelines recommend that a child between the ages of 12 months and 36 months needs between 1000 and 1400 calories a day, depending on size, age and activity level. (They’re all pretty active though, amiright?) From a year to 2 years, they need 3 servings of whole grains, 1 serving (1 cup) of fruit and 1 serving of vegetables, 2 servings of protein (1 egg or 1 ounce of cooked meat), and 2 servings of milk. Yogurt, cheese, breastmilk and non-dairy milks meet that recommendation. This increases only slightly from the age of 2-3. 5 servings of whole grains, 1.5 of fruit, 1.5 of vegetables, 2-4 of protein and 2 of milk. From 4 to 5 years of age it goes to 6 servings of grains, 5 fruits & vegetables, 2 protein and 3 milk. In reality though, knowing how much they eat is typically less important that what they’re eating. A variety of healthy foods from each groups is a great way to ensure they get what they need.

Now, what about those busy nights when you forgot to turn on the crockpot, or you had an insane day and just need to grab something quick? No worries! Seriously, a meal from McDonald’s here and a couple of Chic-Fil-A nights there aren’t going to mess your child up for life. Organic? It’s nice for certain foods, but not something you necessarily need to spend all your time stressing about. Those crumbs in the back seat of your car or the snacks your child finds somewhere weeks later? No problem. Take it from me. I breastfed both of my boys for 2 and a half years each, and to my great surprise, my oldest did not die when he found a chocolate donut in his Batmobile about a week after I remember seeing it, and he ate it right in front of me. My brother-in-law was formula fed and he was the cleanest, least disgusting eater ever as a child. I was formula fed and I am completely in love with fruits and veggies as an adult! Feed your child in the way you choose that works best for you and your family. You have the information, be free to do with it what you’d like!

Ms. Amy
Infant Nursery Supervisor
Parent Connection Coordinator