Hi everyone -
Well, today has been a bit different for me. Because of various circumstances, I ended up not having any kids today. I've been making good on this "day off" to catch up on paperwork, organizing and lesson planning. The most exciting thing so far today has been replacing the current toys with some that have been downstairs. I think its important to give the kids variety in what they play with, and this will certainly help! So I put away some existing toys for a while and put out some different things. For example, I found a play drum set that also has some maracas, tambourines and flutes. This will be great for our music time during the day. There is also a play microphone that the kids can sing into! I found other toys that I know the kids will enjoy as well.
Well, its time to get back to the paperwork and lesson planning. As always, thanks for reading!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Snow Days!
Hi everyone -
Well, this past week was a little unusual for us here. We had a major blizzard in Denver and the surrounding suburbs last Thursday and Friday. So many of the kids were picked up early on Thursday and were not able to come in on Friday due to being snowed in. I certainly missed the kids but it was good to catch up on some planning and general upkeep!
I mentioned the CAEYC conference in a post a couple of weeks ago. I officially registered today and am now trying to decide what breakout sessions to attend. There are so many choices - there are some tough decisions but I know that whatever session I go to, it will be very beneficial to myself and the children.
One last thing. I have a great children's book to recommend to all of you. It is called Ish and the author is Peter H. Reynolds. I have had several of my friends read this book and we all agree that it is so touching and has such a good take-away message for young children. So if you get a chance to read this one, it will certainly be worth it!
Have a great day and thanks for reading!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Well, this past week was a little unusual for us here. We had a major blizzard in Denver and the surrounding suburbs last Thursday and Friday. So many of the kids were picked up early on Thursday and were not able to come in on Friday due to being snowed in. I certainly missed the kids but it was good to catch up on some planning and general upkeep!
I mentioned the CAEYC conference in a post a couple of weeks ago. I officially registered today and am now trying to decide what breakout sessions to attend. There are so many choices - there are some tough decisions but I know that whatever session I go to, it will be very beneficial to myself and the children.
One last thing. I have a great children's book to recommend to all of you. It is called Ish and the author is Peter H. Reynolds. I have had several of my friends read this book and we all agree that it is so touching and has such a good take-away message for young children. So if you get a chance to read this one, it will certainly be worth it!
Have a great day and thanks for reading!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Friday, March 20, 2009
Castlewood Canyon State Park
Happy Friday everyone!
It's been a great week here at Monarch Kids. We've had such amazing weather and have made sure to take advantage of it while it lasts. As those who live here know, it could be 70 degrees and sunny today and then snowing tomorrow!
Today we went to Castlewood Canyon State Park. This is one of my favorite places to hike here in Colorado. The canyon, pine trees, hawks, etc. are incredible. Even though its warm out today, its not quite warm enough for many animals to be active just yet. But the kids were very interested in the millipedes. We talked about the differences between a centipede and a millipede (what they eat, differences in body type, where they live, how they move...). By the end of the hike, if they found a millipede, they would move it off the trail to a safe place so they wouldn't get stomped. Kids after my own heart!!!!
This week, we've also started reading "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White. This was one of my favorite books as a little girl so I know that the kids will love it too! We're slowly making our way through it. I like to stop along the way and ask them questions to see what information they're retaining. Sometimes I get some really great answers!
Okay - signing off now. As always, thanks for reading and following the exciting tales of Monarch Kids. Have a great weekend!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
It's been a great week here at Monarch Kids. We've had such amazing weather and have made sure to take advantage of it while it lasts. As those who live here know, it could be 70 degrees and sunny today and then snowing tomorrow!
Today we went to Castlewood Canyon State Park. This is one of my favorite places to hike here in Colorado. The canyon, pine trees, hawks, etc. are incredible. Even though its warm out today, its not quite warm enough for many animals to be active just yet. But the kids were very interested in the millipedes. We talked about the differences between a centipede and a millipede (what they eat, differences in body type, where they live, how they move...). By the end of the hike, if they found a millipede, they would move it off the trail to a safe place so they wouldn't get stomped. Kids after my own heart!!!!
This week, we've also started reading "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White. This was one of my favorite books as a little girl so I know that the kids will love it too! We're slowly making our way through it. I like to stop along the way and ask them questions to see what information they're retaining. Sometimes I get some really great answers!
Okay - signing off now. As always, thanks for reading and following the exciting tales of Monarch Kids. Have a great weekend!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
CAEYC Conference
Hey all!
It's nap time right now and I'm getting caught up on some things. I'm currently looking into a training coming up in about one month here in Denver. Its the CAEYC 2009 Spring Conference. This stands for Colorado Association for the Education of Young Children. They have some amazing breakout sessions scheduled. Some of the categories include: music and movement, curriculum, physical health, sign language (very excited about this one!), science, literature, phonemic awareness... It will be difficult to choose which ones to go to! I'm excited to get signed up for this conference and become a member of this great organization.
So we're all a little sad today. One of my kids went back to school so we are really missing him. He had been with us for 3 weeks while he was off-track. We've been thinking of him a lot and hoping that he's having a great day back at school.
We did some watercolor painting this morning, which is always tons of fun. One of the girls really enjoyed mixing all of the purple, brown and black colors to make a big blob on her page. Then she started a new picture and this time had an ocean and beaver on there. She's very creative. I, on the other hand, had fun painting an apple tree and a boy flying a kite (my husband really is the artist but its a joy to paint anyway!).
We'll be playing outside once nap time is over - its a bit chilly but with the proper clothing and attire, it'll be just fine. Have a great day!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
It's nap time right now and I'm getting caught up on some things. I'm currently looking into a training coming up in about one month here in Denver. Its the CAEYC 2009 Spring Conference. This stands for Colorado Association for the Education of Young Children. They have some amazing breakout sessions scheduled. Some of the categories include: music and movement, curriculum, physical health, sign language (very excited about this one!), science, literature, phonemic awareness... It will be difficult to choose which ones to go to! I'm excited to get signed up for this conference and become a member of this great organization.
So we're all a little sad today. One of my kids went back to school so we are really missing him. He had been with us for 3 weeks while he was off-track. We've been thinking of him a lot and hoping that he's having a great day back at school.
We did some watercolor painting this morning, which is always tons of fun. One of the girls really enjoyed mixing all of the purple, brown and black colors to make a big blob on her page. Then she started a new picture and this time had an ocean and beaver on there. She's very creative. I, on the other hand, had fun painting an apple tree and a boy flying a kite (my husband really is the artist but its a joy to paint anyway!).
We'll be playing outside once nap time is over - its a bit chilly but with the proper clothing and attire, it'll be just fine. Have a great day!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Monday, March 2, 2009
Its gorgeous outside today! The kids and I went to a park today and enjoyed the beautiful weather. After nap time, we are heading to a small pond to do some nature investigating. Its a little too early for many things, but you never know what we might find! We read "Monster Count" (Scholastic) before nap time. This is a good book for those that are beginning to count. I had hoped it would be a little bit longer, but other than that, it was a good read. Hope you all get to go outside some today - enjoy it while it lasts!
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