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Young Scholars Academy

Where Children Develop a Love of Learning

 5815 Tutt Center Point - Colorado Springs, CO 80922
 (719) 522-9099
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Marshmallow Caterpillar

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Painting with food--how fun is that??!!
Painting with food–how fun is that??!!

The Summer Camp class Safari had a lot going on with their curriculum, and this gem came out of the classroom last week!

With their overall curriculum theme being “Insects” and a side lesson of the kids studying different textures and tastes, our amazing teachers went ahead and incorporated both!

Here are the steps used; this would be a great activity for a camping trip, a night around the camp fire or if you’re just feeling crafty!

Supplies:

  • 1 bag of Jumbo marshmallows
  • Paint (assorted colors)
  • Paint Brushes & Paper

Instead of using the paint brush as you would normally, have your kids put the marshmallows on the other end! Pour paint onto plates or bowls so the kids have access to multiple options. Now to allow creativity to happen we recommend you pull up a picture of a caterpillar or some other insect (if your child wants) and have them create it! They will make it look as they see fit, and that’s the beauty of it all!

Just something super easy and super cute, plus you’ll have more than enough marshmallows so be sure to make s’mores for some S’MORE memories (ha get it?!)

Don’t sizzle out on Summer Reading!

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With summer pushing half way over it’s time to renew that drive to keep reading! Like many goals, it’s easy to become tired of our goal and feel like quitting. We don’t feel like it’s getting us anywhere or we are just bored with the same old routine.  Now is the time to change things up a little to keep from getting tired of our goal to read every day.

Make time to read together this summer!
Make time to read together this summer!

Maybe now would be an appropriate time to read aloud to someone instead of reading alone to ourselves. If you’ve been spending time reading aloud to your children, maybe it’s time to add reading a book for yourself. Change things up completely or just add something new to your routine.

Look for a new author that you’ve never read before or pick up a book from your favorite author that you haven’t read in a while. Try an old classic or maybe even the latest trend in books. Even apps such as Audible are a great tool for busy parents!

Most of my life, I’ve read the same four authors or so. I really enjoyed their books and would switch between them. In high school, however, I was “forced” to read outside my box and I really thought each time that I would hate the book because it wasn’t by one of my favorite authors.

I was surprised each time because I found that I liked the classics. “Where the Red Fern Grows”, “The Scarlet Letter”, and “To Kill a Mockingbird” were all books that I thought I would hate, but ended up loving!

Every now and again a series of books come along and everyone wants to read them. I’m not one to follow the crowd and many don’t appeal to me but once I tried a popular series and loved it. My son wanted to read the Hunger Games series and I wanted to know what he was reading. The series seemed to be interesting and so I read it along with my son. We both ended up loving it and because we read it about at the same time we had something to talk about together. If you have teenagers or remember being a teenager then you know, having something to talk about with your teenage child can be remarkable.

Trying something new renews your goal to read every day and it may give you something to share with someone you love. It’s hard sometimes to keep up with long term goals; short term goals are generally more rewarding, or at least they feel like they are.

In truth, though, following through with a long-term goal can be even more rewarding. It gives you more of a sense of accomplishment then short-term goals do. Maintaining a long-term goal, such as reading every day, helps you feel good. It helps you to realize you are doing something good for yourself and others if you are reading aloud to someone.

In June, I challenged you all to read every day this summer and to encourage your children to do the same. June is over, and July will go just as fast! Before you know it we all will be back into the school routine with our children and may feel that there is less time.

Take this time to stay in the routine of reading every day and you will find that it is easier to continue come this fall. Do not let boredom with your routine get you down, change it up. Keep it interesting and keep reading.

Ms. Cheryl
Literacy Leader, Early Childhood Educator
Young Scholars Academy

Art In Our Daily Curriculum

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A Big YES To ART EVERY DAY!

At Young Scholars Academy, we incorporate art into our daily curriculum to help facilitate comprehension of the varying ways art can be applied. Did you know a whole curriculum can be centered just on one piece of art?

Although Spring has officially ended, the kids were so interested in all the types of bugs they were finding on the playground and ESPECIALLY the bees they found near the greenhouse we have on the playground!

Bzzzzzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzzz!
Bzzzzzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzzz!

The Pre-Kindergarten class decided one afternoon to make their own bumblebees, but the teachers ensured it was something just for them, and something they could just do! Crafts, which typically are very teacher-directed, don’t have to be; you can help kids do it all themselves!

Here are the steps to create your very own:

1. Have the kids cut out their own oval. Find an oval shape to help guide them, prepare yourselves for a shape that will look nothing like an oval!
2. (Parent) Place masking tape in rows, leaving enough space in between for noticeable stripes
3. Have children paint over the whole taped area, then allow paint to dry.
4. Have the kids remove the tape (this is great for their fine motor skills!)
5. Additions you could do are googly eyes, wings, pom poms for the bumblebee fuzz effect etc.

Tada! Just goes to show that any everyday experience can turn into a learning lesson for the kids. Let them do it themselves as much as you can; their sideways artwork will one day be something you look back on and get teary eyed!

What’s for lunch?

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It’s hard to believe that summer 2017 is nearly winding down! Summer fun is at an all time high, and we’re maybe a little tired or even looking forward to the more structured day that school brings.  I’ve always been a person who craves routine and structure, and school provided that for me, so as a kid I always looked forward to going back to school to see my friends and continue learning!

Lunch needs to be nutritious--and fun!
Lunch needs to be nutritious–and fun!

However, there was one thing I didn’t look forward to…school lunch! I definitely preferred a homemade lunch box full of goodies than cafeteria food, but I also didn’t want a plain ol’ PB&J with fruit snacks each day! In fact, it wouldn’t have been healthy nor beneficial intellectually to eat such a limited diet.

According to David Just, a doctor for behavioral economics in child nutrition programs, proper nutrition effects more than body composition. “For example, iron deficiency, even in early stages, can decrease dopamine transmission, thus negatively impacting cognition” (Just, 2014).

Additionally, many different vitamins and minerals provide the brain with the ability to reason, concentrate, and perceive information. These are all necessary cognition skills needed to perform positively in the classroom! It’s also no secret that malnutrition, or a poor diet, can lead to different behavioral problems.

Have you ever experienced being “hangry” (hungry/angry)? I know I have! Now imagine your school aged child feeling that way in the middle of class, but maybe not understanding that she may just be hungry! Being hungry can create a wave of emotions that young children may not be able to fully grasp. So what kind of foods can we provide our kids with that will benefit them the most? A lunch box should always contain a good source of protein, a healthy fat, fruits and veggies, fiber, and a complex carbohydrate.

That’s a lot of information, and possibly overwhelming, but don’t let that scare you! You can provide healthy, and interesting, lunches a lot easier than you think! There are many great resources for parents out there on how to do so, but a personal favorite of mine is www.rockthelunchbox.com.

Four different organic food companies have teamed up to provide you with information on how to keep the lunch box simple, creative, and most importantly, HEALTHY! They offer some great advice from experts around the nation- other parents.

So, as we’re wrapping up summer fun and thinking about back-to-school shopping soon, I encourage you to go ahead and start practicing making lunch! By the time school starts, you’ll be a pro at rocking the lunch box, and you could even share your ideas at rockthelunchbox.com. Remember, it’s more than a meal, it’s fuel for your child’s growing brain! Have fun and good luck!

June is National Great Outdoors Month! Tips on How to Celebrate it with Your Children

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June is National Great Outdoors Month, and what better way to create great summer memories with your family than by experiencing the beauty of nature together? But how can you, with little ones in tow, take advantage of all that June has to offer? Here are five fun suggestions to engage even the smallest of outdoor adventurers.

  1. Take Advantage of Your State Park’s Programming!

National Great Outdoors Month | Young Scholars Academy in Colorado
Playing outdoors is great fun

Your local state park is a treasure trove of fun, family-friendly activities. Consider going to a Firefly Walk! June is a particularly active season for fireflies, known for dancing through the night air with their magical twinkling. If your family plans to go firefly-spotting, plan ahead! Some parks, such as the Smokey Mountain National Park, are in such high demand that you must enter a lottery for admission to the perfect viewing ground. If parks strike your fancy, be sure to pick up a “Park Passport” from the park gift shop. Your child will not only be able to keep memories from your trip, but will delight in collecting unique stamps in their passport from all the parks you visit.

  1. Find Treasure….Go Geocaching!

Any child can tell you that there is a thrill in searching for buried treasure, but who would have thought that it could be educational experience? Geocaching is the perfect fusion of technology and nature. Using a downloadable phone app or GPS-supported device, your task is to navigate your way to a hidden box containing a “treasure” left by the last Geocacher. If you decide to take the treasure you find home, you must leave something of equal value for the next group to discover. And who knows where your hunt may lead you? Cache boxes may be hidden anywhere from a friendly suburb to a mountain summit! When home, you and your little adventurer can log your finds on geocaching.com together.

  1. Unplug with a Creative Camping Experience Your Kids Will Love.

Throwing the good ‘ole tent and cooler into the back of the car can be the start to the perfect family weekend. There is a reason that traditions like eating s’mores with sticky fingers are passed on through generations — they’re too good to let go of! There’s plenty of variety in the camping scene that can add color to this classic summer staple. For starters, think about trading out the tent! If your family become guests at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia, for example, you have the option to stay in a cozy furnished yurt. Yurts typically accommodate up to six guests and include access to your own personal fire ring and a shared bath house. Or if riverside is more your fancy, stay in a family-sized “treehouse” over the Edisto river in South Carolina.

  1. Teach Your Child Your Favorite Outdoor Pastime.

Nothing beats seeing your child enjoy something that, as a child yourself, used to create dirt under your nails and laughter for days. Were you an avid kayaker in your youth? Rent a two-person kayak and teach your novice paddler under the safety of your gaze. Are you keen to hit a forested trail? Have fun building your own personalized trail mix with your little ones, then strap on your hiking boots together. What could be better way to foster a love of nature in your kids than by introducing them to your favorite way to get out there and play?

  1. Start in Your Own Backyard.

National Great Outdoors Month | Young Scholars Academy in Colorado
Backyard play is awesome

Though this commemorated time comes but once a year, you can feed your child’s love of outside play all year long. Even if you don’t have much space to create a garden, buy a few washtubs or large planters. Tomatoes, cucumber, and squash are great starter plants you and your child can grow, even in confined space. And as a bonus, you can break out the paint and decorate the planter pots together for a sweet memory that will last well after summertime.

There you have it, five ways that you and your children can soak up the sun and build appreciation of Mother Nature this June. May this fuel your inspiration to get out and go! Whether you enjoy PB&J sandwiches on the front lawn or drive hours to explore a new-to-you state park, you won’t regret embracing National Great Outdoors Month with your great kids.