October 2023
Peek Inside our Children’s House Community
BOBCAT
Hello Bobcat Families,
Happy Fall! We would like to welcome Naseeb to the Bobcat Children’s house!
This month, we also welcome 3 lovely new birds in our classroom. Their names are Sparkles, Eva, and Rossie. The children and us have enjoyed their presence in our classroom. The children have volunteered cleaning the cage up (wearing gloves) as well as feeding them. This is a great opportunity to cultivate empathy and to be consider and caring towards others.
Empathy plays a big role in a child’s social and emotional development. A child developing empathy is also more likely to show compassion. Empathetic children are willing to listen to their peers, have a better understanding of feeling and are open to compromise. I would like to share with you this resource by Harvard Graduate School of Education. It has great tips that we can use with our children.
https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/resources-for-families/5-tips-cultivating-empathy
A friendly reminder to please label all your child’s belongings and if necessary send or change your child’s extra clothes.
May this fall be loaded with smiles and love,
Ms. Hany and Ms. Joselyne
CACTUS WREN
Dear Cactus Wren Families,
It has been an amazing October, and we are excited for the colder mornings, with the children enjoying the outdoor environment. This past month, we have been learning about the parts of the pumpkin. The children have also been practicing hammering wooden golf tees into pumpkins. This work is great for both fine and gross motor skills development. The children also loved counting the seeds in the pumpkin, especially skip counting, by 2s, 5s, and 7s.
The children have also been thrilled to bake cornbread for class snack this past month and sharing it with each other. Below is the recipe for the cornbread for your family to enjoy at home!
Corn Bread
½ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk
1 large egg
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and coat the inside of a 9-inch pie plate, cast iron skillet, or 8x8 casserole dish with non-stick spray (or butter for more flavor)
In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and oil.
Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until everything is moist. Avoid over stirring. It is okay if there are a few lumps.
Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top and edges are golden brown. Cut and serve.
It also has been wonderful meeting with families for our Fall conferences. This is a fantastic opportunity to talk and discuss your children’s progress with you and all the exciting things they have been learning in class. If you have not had a chance to sign up, please follow the link below. There are still a few remaining dates available.
https://app.planhero.com/gatherings/19292-cactus-wren-fall-conferences-2023
Thank you, families, for all your support and letting us be a part of your child’s journey!
Warmly,
Ms. Laura & Ms. Tania
GRAY FOX
Hello Gray Fox Families,
As we bid farewell to September and welcome October with open arms, I am excited to share the highlights of this fun-filled and exciting month in Gray Fox. The changing seasons have brought cooler weather and new opportunities for learning and exploration.
Exploring the World of Vegetables and Fruits:
This month, we delved into the fascinating world of vegetables and fruits.. October is the perfect time to celebrate the abundance of squashes, gourds, and pumpkins. Beyond the familiar produce in our local grocery stores, we talked about few different types of gourds such as ridge gourd and bottle gourd ( Indian varieties)
Inspired by this experience, we've planted our own peppers, tomatoes and melon in our outdoor environment and are eagerly anticipating a bountiful harvest in the weeks to come.
Cultural Exploration and Food Sharing:
We're always enthusiastic about introducing our children to new foods. This month we baked corn bread. We all enjoyed this recipe. If your child has access to seasonal, culturally specific, or exciting ingredients that offer learning opportunities (while considering allergies), we welcome your contributions.
Here's another simple and delicious recipe for "Pumpkin Spice Muffins" that you all can enjoy with your family this Fall.
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves).
-In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, water, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
-Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are okay.
-Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with the muffin batter.
-Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
-Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
-Enjoy your homemade Pumpkin Spice Muffins with a warm cup of apple cider or your favorite hot beverage!
These Pumpkin Spice Muffins are perfect for celebrating the flavors of fall.
Songs About Vegetables and Fruits :
Our children have been singing delightful songs related to vegetables and fruits. You might recognize these tunes from home:
Mango Fandango song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pj_tYoejiU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Y3bYRC5QU&t=24s
Transitioning to Cooler Weather:
With the changing seasons, it's time to dust off jackets and warmer clothing. We encourage our children to practice essential life skills such as zipping and buttoning independently. This practice not only fosters self-sufficiency but also ensures they are well-prepared for the changing weather. Please note that we do not store jackets or clothing items outside of your child's cubby overnight. If your child brings a jacket to school, kindly ensure they take it home daily to maintain ample storage space.
Thank you for your support.
Warmly,
Ms. Rama and Ms. Rocio
JACKRABBIT
Hello Jackrabbit Families,
What a great month we had at the Jackrabbits, we hope everyone had a fun and restful Fall Break. Now that the weather is changing, the children have been enjoying more our beautiful outdoor environment, as well as spending time gardening and taking such care of it. We now have a couple of strawberries and watching the children’s faces spotting strawberries is heartwarming. We have been reading about pumpkins, and we also have on our museum table some types of pumpkins which the children have been studying them.
Thank you to each one of our lovely families and to our amazing parent helpers (Alexis, Lynn, and Marie) for all your support for our “Disco Charity Event” that helps raise funds for our “Esperanza Charity Foundation”. Your help is so appreciated. The event was a huge success. The children enjoyed working on the auction project, they painted the wood panels, the pumpkin decorations, and string the beads for the lemonade stand. The basket “Family night in” was amazing, thank you families for all your contributions.
The children have been baking Corn Bread, here is the recipe if you would like to bake at home with your child.
Corn Bread
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and coat the inside of a 9-
inch pie plate, cast iron skillet, or 8x8 casserole dish with non-
stick spray (or butter for more flavor).
In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar,
baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and oil.
Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry
ingredients and stir just until everything is moist. Avoid over
stirring. It's okay if there are a few lumps.
Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for about 20
minutes, or until the top and edges are golden brown. Cut into 8 pieces and serve.
A few reminders:
-The children need to bring back their clear plastic work folder after they empty it at home once a month.
-Tablet for sign in / sign out is a legal document, it should be used only by adults.
-If your child was sent home with a bag of wet/dirty clothes, please bring back the next day a change of clothes for your child (all clothes need to be labeled with your child’s name).
- If your child would like to bring a Show and Share on Fridays, it should be something meaningful, and they should be able to answer questions like who, why, what, where? (No toys please).
Our conferences have started, and it has been wonderful to share your child’s progress. We want to thank each and every one of you for your trust and support, we feel grateful to be part of your child’s journey.
Thank you Jackrabbit Families!
Kindly,
Ms. Yadira and Ms. Karen
