Hi everyone -
Do you remember those fun games you used to play as a kid with grandma or mom and dad? I sure do! Some of my favorites are Old Maid, Skip Bo, Go Fish, Sorry, Connect Four and Uno. Well, not that this will come as a surprise to many of you, but I'm finding that the kiddos here love those classic games as well. The favorite one right now is Memory. We have a set of fish cards and we play this several times a week. My 2 year-old has become really good at this game and has great memory retention.
I'm planning a trip to the local Goodwill to pick up more of these fun games to play with the kids. Hopefully they'll have Candyland and Chutes-n-Ladders - 2 more favorites of mine!
Have a great day!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sharks!
Hi everyone -
Last week we went to the Downtown Aquarium in Denver and had a blast! I was fortunate enough to have a free pass so between the kids and I, the only thing we paid for was parking. We saw many fascinating animals such as fish, seahorses, jellyfish, ducks, river otters, snakes, frogs and sharks. One of the kids was so excited about the sharks - she was talking about them for days. In fact, the next day I took her to the grocery store (which is always very educational!) and I asked her what we would see at the store. She responded very quickly with, "Sharks!". I had a good laugh about that one:) At the end of the tour through the aquarium we got to touch some of the animals such as sea cucumbers, starfish, conch shells and sting rays. We used lots of hand sanitizer after that but it was definitely worth the experience.
The theme for last week really revolved around this field trip. We made some fish crafts, played "Memory" using my fish cards, and sang fish songs. What a fun week we had!
Thanks again for reading and have a good afternoon/evening!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Last week we went to the Downtown Aquarium in Denver and had a blast! I was fortunate enough to have a free pass so between the kids and I, the only thing we paid for was parking. We saw many fascinating animals such as fish, seahorses, jellyfish, ducks, river otters, snakes, frogs and sharks. One of the kids was so excited about the sharks - she was talking about them for days. In fact, the next day I took her to the grocery store (which is always very educational!) and I asked her what we would see at the store. She responded very quickly with, "Sharks!". I had a good laugh about that one:) At the end of the tour through the aquarium we got to touch some of the animals such as sea cucumbers, starfish, conch shells and sting rays. We used lots of hand sanitizer after that but it was definitely worth the experience.
The theme for last week really revolved around this field trip. We made some fish crafts, played "Memory" using my fish cards, and sang fish songs. What a fun week we had!
Thanks again for reading and have a good afternoon/evening!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Field Trips!
Hey everyone -
I'm so sorry I haven't blogged in a while - I will try and do a better job of this in the future!
The last couple of weeks, the kids and I have been going to several fun places in Denver and surrounding suburbs. We went to My Art Workshop, Denver Zoo, Hudson Gardens and swimming.
At My Art Workshop, they have a preschool option for 0-5 year-olds in which you pay a flat rate and they get to use all sorts of arts and crafts objects to create whatever you like. The kids were able to paint, make Father's Day cards, mosaics, create insects out of pipe cleaners and pom-poms, etc. They had a great time!
The zoo was a blast (as always!) but unfortunately, it started to rain, thunder and lightning while we were there so we had to leave early. But we did go to a wild animal show where birds of prey flew over our heads (this was my favorite thing!). The kids absolutely loved that part.
Hudson Gardens is in Littleton and is a great place to explore because of the beautiful gardens, wetlands, aquatic areas, miniature train depot and waterfalls. The kids and I found a couple of snakes, several large bullfrogs, many ducks and geese, fish and tadpoles. We also saw an older lady creating an oil pastel painting of the water lilies. Some of the staff there were cleaning out one of the aquatic areas and gave each of the kids a water lily flower. They lite up about that.
And then of course, you can never go wrong with swimming! That's always a hit. The weather here this month hasn't been truly a Colorado June so we're waiting for it to really kick in soon. Then we'll be able to go swimming more often.
Well, that's about it for now. Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
I'm so sorry I haven't blogged in a while - I will try and do a better job of this in the future!
The last couple of weeks, the kids and I have been going to several fun places in Denver and surrounding suburbs. We went to My Art Workshop, Denver Zoo, Hudson Gardens and swimming.
At My Art Workshop, they have a preschool option for 0-5 year-olds in which you pay a flat rate and they get to use all sorts of arts and crafts objects to create whatever you like. The kids were able to paint, make Father's Day cards, mosaics, create insects out of pipe cleaners and pom-poms, etc. They had a great time!
The zoo was a blast (as always!) but unfortunately, it started to rain, thunder and lightning while we were there so we had to leave early. But we did go to a wild animal show where birds of prey flew over our heads (this was my favorite thing!). The kids absolutely loved that part.
Hudson Gardens is in Littleton and is a great place to explore because of the beautiful gardens, wetlands, aquatic areas, miniature train depot and waterfalls. The kids and I found a couple of snakes, several large bullfrogs, many ducks and geese, fish and tadpoles. We also saw an older lady creating an oil pastel painting of the water lilies. Some of the staff there were cleaning out one of the aquatic areas and gave each of the kids a water lily flower. They lite up about that.
And then of course, you can never go wrong with swimming! That's always a hit. The weather here this month hasn't been truly a Colorado June so we're waiting for it to really kick in soon. Then we'll be able to go swimming more often.
Well, that's about it for now. Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Lima beans :)
Hello everyone -
I don't have much to write but I do have a story I found amusing to share with you. Today as we were getting ready to have lunch, I was telling the kids what we were going to eat, including lima beans. Normally you would think that kids would moan at the thought of lima beans, but the kids got so excited. They shouted in glee, "lima beans!". It actually made them clean up quicker and get to the table. Pretty funny! Even one of the kids who tried lima beans once before and detested them, actually enjoyed them this time. It was a success!
On a total side note, our yard is blooming with so many flowers. Lilacs, honeysuckle, columbine and roses. I love it!
Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
I don't have much to write but I do have a story I found amusing to share with you. Today as we were getting ready to have lunch, I was telling the kids what we were going to eat, including lima beans. Normally you would think that kids would moan at the thought of lima beans, but the kids got so excited. They shouted in glee, "lima beans!". It actually made them clean up quicker and get to the table. Pretty funny! Even one of the kids who tried lima beans once before and detested them, actually enjoyed them this time. It was a success!
On a total side note, our yard is blooming with so many flowers. Lilacs, honeysuckle, columbine and roses. I love it!
Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Swimming!
Hey everyone -
Today we only had one child so the two of us went swimming at the Castle Rock Recreation Center. What fun! I've been there once before and I plan on going back whenever possible. They have a great baby/toddler pool area. I should have kept count, but my little one probably went down this little slide close to 50 times today. She couldn't get enough of it! She is truly a fish :) She got very upset when we had to get out for the 15 minute safety break and I continually tried to explain to her that when we heard the whistle again, we could get back in the water. She couldn't really comprehend that but once the whistle was blown, her whole face lit up! She and I had so much fun and there were a couple of other kids there her age that she played with as well. Needless to say, she conked out almost immediately on the drive home and is now sleeping her little heart out this afternoon :)
That's it from today - I hope you all have a great holiday weekend!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Today we only had one child so the two of us went swimming at the Castle Rock Recreation Center. What fun! I've been there once before and I plan on going back whenever possible. They have a great baby/toddler pool area. I should have kept count, but my little one probably went down this little slide close to 50 times today. She couldn't get enough of it! She is truly a fish :) She got very upset when we had to get out for the 15 minute safety break and I continually tried to explain to her that when we heard the whistle again, we could get back in the water. She couldn't really comprehend that but once the whistle was blown, her whole face lit up! She and I had so much fun and there were a couple of other kids there her age that she played with as well. Needless to say, she conked out almost immediately on the drive home and is now sleeping her little heart out this afternoon :)
That's it from today - I hope you all have a great holiday weekend!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Books Galore!
Hello there -
A good friend of mine generously donated several books to Monarch Kids this past week. And the kids have been loving it (that's an understatement!) These kids truly love to read and look at books so this was a welcome surprise. Here are the names of just a couple that we've read over the past couple of days: "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse", "Wild, Wild Wolves", "Free Puppies", "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day", "Stellaluna", and many more. Today during the first part of nap time, I swapped out the existing books with these newer ones. I'm excited to see how they respond when they wake up!
Have a great day - enjoy the wind!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
A good friend of mine generously donated several books to Monarch Kids this past week. And the kids have been loving it (that's an understatement!) These kids truly love to read and look at books so this was a welcome surprise. Here are the names of just a couple that we've read over the past couple of days: "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse", "Wild, Wild Wolves", "Free Puppies", "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day", "Stellaluna", and many more. Today during the first part of nap time, I swapped out the existing books with these newer ones. I'm excited to see how they respond when they wake up!
Have a great day - enjoy the wind!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Hiking and Roses
Hi everyone -
Yesterday the kids and I made a really sweet Mother's Day gift for their moms. I got the craft idea from www.preschooleducation.com - I really love this website. They have great ideas for crafts, music, science, centers, snacks, etc. Anyway, basically you cut out the individual parts of a cardboard egg carton and paint them each inside and out with red paint. These are the "rose petals". Once they're dry you poke a hole at the top and insert a green pipe cleaner (the "stem"). Then you can cut "leaves" out of green construction paper and tape them onto the pipe cleaner. I had each child make six roses and then tied them together with another green pipe cleaner to give the appearance of a bouquet of roses. Very cute and the moms loved them!
Today we went for a long hike at Castlewood Canyon State Park, just south of Parker. Once again we saw and heard many excited animals and plants. To name a few: hummingbirds, frogs, lizard, ground squirrels, cacti, fish, swallows, larkspur, pasque flowers, etc. It was an absolutely great day for a hike. The kids had a blast and have really enjoyed getting out into nature and exploring. I love that about them!
Well, time to get some paperwork done. Have a great afternoon!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
Yesterday the kids and I made a really sweet Mother's Day gift for their moms. I got the craft idea from www.preschooleducation.com - I really love this website. They have great ideas for crafts, music, science, centers, snacks, etc. Anyway, basically you cut out the individual parts of a cardboard egg carton and paint them each inside and out with red paint. These are the "rose petals". Once they're dry you poke a hole at the top and insert a green pipe cleaner (the "stem"). Then you can cut "leaves" out of green construction paper and tape them onto the pipe cleaner. I had each child make six roses and then tied them together with another green pipe cleaner to give the appearance of a bouquet of roses. Very cute and the moms loved them!
Today we went for a long hike at Castlewood Canyon State Park, just south of Parker. Once again we saw and heard many excited animals and plants. To name a few: hummingbirds, frogs, lizard, ground squirrels, cacti, fish, swallows, larkspur, pasque flowers, etc. It was an absolutely great day for a hike. The kids had a blast and have really enjoyed getting out into nature and exploring. I love that about them!
Well, time to get some paperwork done. Have a great afternoon!
Kendall Stark
Monarch Kids Childcare Provider
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