Fun Pancake Ideas

Happy National Pancake Week! For families who love pancakes, here are some fun ways to spice up your Sunday breakfasts with different add-ins to your fluffy stack of 'cakes.

Batter Add-Ins:

• Apples
• Chocolate Chips
• Food Coloring: Just a few drops can make the breakfast a specific theme!
• Oreos
• Almonds & Oats
• Bacon
• Bananas
• Blueberries
• Sausage
• Almond Extract: It takes like cherry pancakes!

'Cake Toppings:

• Honey
• Sautéed Apples
• Yogurt
• Cinnamon Syrup
• Powdered Sugar
• Pie filling: Whichever you fancy!
• Pecans and Maple Syrup
• Peanut Butter
• Chocolate Sauce
• Jelly/Jam

Sunday breakfasts at our house are a yummy excuse to wake up happy with family and end with a full belly. Take the time to really put your imagination into it (or your kid's) and allow breakfast to go way into the afternoon. Happy Pancake Week!

Letter from Ms. Jenn - Process vs. Product Art

What does process vs. product mean?   It basically means that we encourage the children to use their creativity to create whatever they feel instead of making a model of what we want.  It means no “cutsie” things coming home.  It may not look like much when it comes home but this is how children grow in this area, by working at their level of development and creating things that interest them.  Which means your child can choose their materials and how they want to use them at the art table.

The following comes from NAEYC’s TYC publication about Process vs. Product:

Characteristics of process-focused art experiences

• There are no step-by-step instructions

• There is no sample for children to follow • There is no right or wrong way to explore and create • The art is focused on the experience and on exploration of techniques, tools, and materials • The art is unique and original • The experience is relaxing or calming • The art is entirely the children’s own • The art experience is a child’s choice • Ideas are not readily available online

• What children might say:
“Look what I made!” “I’m going to do another!”
“Can I have more time?”

Characteristics of product-focused art experiences

• Children have instructions to follow
• The teacher created a sample for children to copy
• There’s a right and a wrong way to proceed
• There’s a finished product in mind
• The children’s finished art all looks the same
• The children experience frustration
• The teacher might “fix mistakes”
• The whole class took part in an art project at the same time
• Patterns and examples are readily available online
• What children might say: “Can I be done now?” “Is this right?” “I can’t do it.”
“Mine doesn’t look like yours.” 

We want children to feel proud of their own work and confident on what they have made on their own.

- Ms. Jenn

Valentine's Day Crafts & Activities

Happy week of Valentine's Day! This holiday full of love and affection is such a great excuse to spend extra time together as a family and less time in front of a screen. Below are just a few of our favorite (and easiest) crafts to do for Valentine's Day. Enjoy this fun day! 

• Heart Shaped Crayons: All you need is a silicone muffin tin in the shape of a heart, old crayons (with all the paper off), and an oven. Break up the crayons and fill each heart up with different crayons. Melt in the oven on 230° for 15 minutes and you have easy colorful crayons to share!

• Heart Tube Stamping: Take a toilet paper tube and bend it in the shape of a heart. Dip it in red and pink paint and let your child stamp all the paper they want! 

• Beaded Hearts: Let your child string some beads on a pipe cleaner. Once they're finished, bend the pipe cleaner to make the shape of a heart. This can be attached to a string to make a necklace, an ornament, or a key chain. 

• Heart Shaped Cookies: go to town like it's Christmas and make all sorts of decorated cookies. All you need is some cookie dough, a heart shaped cookie cutter, and some icing/sprinkles. An afternoon of baking = a delicious dessert after dinner!

• How to Cut Out a Heart: Lots of kids don't know the trick of folding a paper in half, cutting out half of a heart, and unfolding to discover a whole heart. Teach your kid this cool trick and they'll be showing it off!

• Footprint or Handprint Art: If you'd like a keepsake craft, stamping their feet or hands in paint and then on paper in the shape of a heart is always an easy one. For older kids, they can do this themselves. For younger ones, not that much. Let them get their sensory on while making cute crafts!

If you're on Pinterest, you'll already know that that's always a great resource for more fun ideas. If you're not, get on the bandwagon with us! 

POTM: Daily Schedule

The following is taken directly from our Handbook. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Our daily schedule is as follows: 

Preschool 
7:00-8:15-Drop off, breakfast, choice time 
8:15-11:15-AM preschool, AM recess, and AM snack 
11:15-11:20-Clean up 11:20-11:45-Large group and music 
11:45-12:15-Lunch 
12:15-12:45-Getting ready for nap (potty/diaper, wash hands and face, brush teeth, read book) 12:45-2:30-Nap and/or Quiet time 
2:30-5:30-PM preschool, PM recess, and PM snack 
5:30-6:00-Small group 
6:00- Pick up 

Infant/Toddler 
7:00-8:30-Arrivals, breakfast, plan, sensory, and free choice 
8:30-11:15-Plan, art, and small motor (with rotating AM snack and recess) 
11:15-11:20-Clean up 
11:20-11:35-Group time (science and music) 
11:35-12:15-Lunch and review 
12:15-12:30-Getting ready for nap (potty/diaper, wash hands and face, book or quiet toy on cot) 12:30-2:30-Nap time 
2:30-3:00-PM snack and brush teeth/gum wipe 
3:00-5:30-Rotating recess, sensory, free choice 
5:30-6:00-Free choice (or continuing recess) 
6:00-Pick up 

This is a schedule that we typically go by, but teachers will allow the schedule to be flexible based on the needs of the individual child or group.

Preschool time starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m. During this time we have certain topics that we plan to discuss with the kids. Everyday the kids will have science, math, sensory, art, music, dramatic play, block play, social and emotional, cognitive, large and fine motor skills that they can engage in. We encourage the children to visit all the different stations set up but they are never forced to do something they don’t want to. The children make their own choices on what they want to do. 

Before nap each child will go potty, brush their teeth, get tucked in, and be read to. Light music and a sound machine will be on during nap time. A teacher will be with the children at all times while they nap. Each child will have their own cot or crib. We are required by law to allow a tired child to sleep. We cannot wake a child up early from nap. When a child is done napping or if the child is school age and does not nap, they can do quiet activities and have snack until all of the other children are awake. Quiet activities include puzzles, board games, manipulatives, books, or tablets. Tablet time is limited to one half hour a day. 

Group time is when all the kids come together to do an activity like play a game or do a science project; something where they need to work as a team. 

Everyday we will be going outside. Each child spends at least one hour out in the morning and one hour out in the afternoon. Please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather each day. This includes hats, boots, gloves, and snow pants in the winter and cool clothes, hats, swimsuits and towels (for water play) in the summer. Jellybean Daycare & Preschool will apply sunscreen before going outdoors when it is sunny. If there is extreme weather conditions, outdoor time may be shortened, but there will be large motor activities planned for indoors.