bridgeport child development center february 2014 newsletter

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Bridgeport Child Development Center A program of One Hope Uni3053 S. Normal Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616 312.842.55

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YOUR TRUSTED PARTNERIN EARLY CAREAND EDUCATION

February 20

Its happening again! Youre runningerrands with your children and suddenlyyoure stuckin trafc, at the clinic, inthe checkout line. Many parents nd thatplayful learning activities can help keepchildren engaged when they have to wait.

Too much time in a car seat or stroller canmake a child irritable. How can you helpyour child nd a little freedom of movementin a conned space?

Snuggle Up!Sometimes, hugging is the best physicalactivity. Invite your child to pretend you arepuppies or other animals as you give eachother lots of hugs.

Time to Play!Simon Says and Mother May I? aretimeless games that let children move in asmall space. Fingerplays, clapping games,and songs get hands moving. Try old

favorites like Patty-cake, Miss MaryMack, or Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.

Lets Pretend!If your child still has energy to burn, trysome of these activities: Flop your bodies like rag dolls. Then be

stiff like robots. Stretch your necks like

giraffes, or be shy turtles pulling headsand limbs in toward your bodies. Pretento dig holes or pour cereal. With veryyoung children, decide together what toact out, then nd different ways to do it.As your child learns the game, she canplay a part while you guess what she isdoing. Then switch roles.

Be athletes in the Finger Olympics.Use hands and ngers to show skiing,skating, pole-vaulting, or other sports.

Play the mirror game. This activity works

when you can face each other. Whenyour child is the leader, he can make ankind of motion suitable for the spacearm movements, funny faces, silly walksImitate his movements as if you were amirror image. Trade places often!

Challenge Time!Make up physical challenges for each otheBe sure your challenges t the space anddont interfere with anyone else. For examp

Try standing on one foot while I count to10. Can you touch your nose with yourelbow? Can you lift the cereal box overyour head 10 times? Which letters canwe make with our ngers?

Things to Do While Youre Waiting:Physical Activities

Source: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/physicalactivities.h


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Classroom StoriesRoom 1 students completed their study of emotions. Studentsexpanded their vocabulary by learning different words tohelp express their emotions. Children role played differentsituations in the classroom and matched their feelings to thenew words they learned. Both teachers and parents were ex-cited to hear new words like Frustrated, upset, surprised

and excited. Room 1s teaching team also supported thechildren in learning ways to calm themselves down and askfor teacher support if needed, during times of stress. Teach-ers introduced several ways to regulate emotions like deepbreathing and walking away from the situation.

Room 5 enjoyed celebrating theNew Year. The students practicedwriting 2014 and learned a newsong for welcoming in the NewYear. Children also learned how todo a New Years Eve countdown,from 20 to 1. As the cold months

continue, Room 5 will began theirstudy on winter and what hap-pens to animals during the winterseason.Childrenwill inves-tigate thedifferent

types of winter weather all overthe world. They will also learn howcertain animals survive in the coldwinter weather.

Room 4 continued to work ontheir tree study. They exploredmaterials in the classroom thatare made from trees, such asinstruments, building blocksand chairs in the dramatic playarea. Children also discusseditems located in their homesthat they believe are made ofwood and trees. Please take thetime to view the students artwork of their tree study dis-

played in the classroom. Withall the discussion of wood be-ing used to makes homes andother buildings, the transition toa building study was easy.

On Dec. 20, Bridgeport I andII put on a great parent/child activity, the Winter Carnival. Thechildren and parents from both centers came to Bridgeport Isgym for an afternoon of fun. Children were able to play gamesand earn winter prizes as well as take turns jumping in two

bounce houses. Parents were

able to enjoy this time with theirchildren and each other. Therewere also healthy snacks in thelunchroom for families to enjoy.Each center was able to rafeve Target gift cards to families.The Winter Carnival was a success and a wonderful way tocelebrate the Winter Season!

Special Visitors to BP IDuring the winter season, BP I has had two very special

visitors. KidFit Specialists are from Youth Fitness ConsultantInc. This team of physical education professionals have beand facilitating 30-minute preschool-friendly, large-motor-group activities for your children. They bring with them newmaterials, games and music for the children.

We have also had a musical visitor by the name of JD, he comto us from the Childrens Music Source. JD visits each of theHead Start classrooms and presented a 30-minute musical ses-sion. He sings songs with the children and also plays his guitarHis interactive sessions also involve dance and movement. BothKidFit and JD are great addition to our daily programing.

February Focus:Oral Health for ChildrenHow Do I Help My Children Care for Their Teethand Prevent Cavities?Teaching your child proper oral care at a young age is aninvestment in his or her health that will pay lifelong dividendYou can start by setting an example; taking good care ofyour own teeth sends a message that oral health is somethinto be valued. And anything that makes taking care of teethfun, like brushing along with your child or letting them chootheir own toothbrush, encourages proper oral care.

To help your children protect their teeth and gums andgreatly reduce their risk of getting cavities, teach them tofollow these simple steps: Brush twice a day with an ADA accepted uoride

toothpaste to remove plaque-the sticky lm on teeththats the main cause of tooth decay.

Floss daily to remove plaque from between your teethand under the gumline, before it can harden into tartaOnce tartar has formed, it can only be removed by aprofessional cleaning.


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Eat a well-balanced diet that limits starchy or sugary foods,which produce plaque acids that cause tooth decay. Whenyou do eat these foods, try to eat them with your meal in-stead of as a snack-the extra saliva produced during a mealhelps rinse food from the mouth.

Use dental products that contain uoride, including toothpaste. Make sure that your childrens drinking water is uoridated.

If your water supply; municipal, well or bottled does not con-

tain uoride, your dentist or pediatrician may prescribe dailyuoride supplements.

Take your child to the dentist for regular checkups.

What Brushing Techniques Can I Show My Child?You may want to supervise your children until they get thehang of these simple steps: Use a pea-sized dab of an ADA-accepted uoride tooth-

paste. Take care that your child does not swallow thetoothpaste.

Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, brush the inside surface ofeach tooth rst, where plaque may accumulate most. Brushgently back and forth.

Clean the outer surfaces of each tooth. Angle the brushalong the outer gumline. Gently brush back and forth.

Brush the chewing surface of each tooth. Gently brush backand forth.

Use the tip of the brush to clean behind each front tooth,both top and bottom.

Its always fun to brush the tongue!

When Should My Child Begin Flossing?Because ossing removes food particles and plaque betweenteeth that brushing misses, you should oss for your childrenbeginning at age 4. By the time they reach age 8, most kids

can begin ossing for themselves.

How Important is Diet to My Childs Oral Health?A balanced diet is necessary for your child to develop strong,decay-resistant teeth. In addition to a full range of vitamins andminerals, a childs diet should include plenty of calcium, phos-phorous, and proper levels of uoride. If uoride is your childsgreatest protection against tooth decay, then frequent snackingmay be the biggest enemy. The sugars and starches found inmany foods and snacks like cookies, candies, dried fruit, softdrinks, pretzels and potato chips combine with plaque on teethto create acids. These acids attack the tooth enamel and maylead to cavities.

Each plaque attack can last up to 20 minutes after a meal orsnack has been nished. Even a little nibble can create plaqueacids. So its best to limit snacking between meals.http://www.colgate.com/

Greetings from School Age!The School Age children had a nice and relaxing winter break.Their days were lled with, cooking projects, trivia games, andSTEM activities to keep the learning process going. The School

Age teachers would like to take the time to remind you to dresyour children appropriately for the winter weather. Please maksure to send your children to school with boots, gloves, hats,and warm coats. We spend a good amount of time outdoors,and we would like to keep the children healthy and safe in thibitter winter weather.

From the Desk of the DirectorDear Parents,

As you know we are in the midst of the cold and u season.Please remember when your child shows signs of illness, theyshould remain at home. Parents you will be notied if yourchild becomes ill at the center. One of our primary concernis welfare and comfort of an ill child, but we also have aresponsibility to protect the health of the other children andadults in the group from contagious illness. Therefore, werequire a child be picked up within one hour of notication.

Also, if your child has a fever of 100 degrees or more, he/she should remain home until your childs temperatures returnto normal for at least 24 hours without medication. Thank yofor helping us in our efforts to keep everyone as healthy aspossible. For more information refer to your parent handboo

Just a reminder, Bridgeport I has an open door policy. Wewelcome you as parents, grandparents and caregivers to visand volunteer in your childrens classrooms.

Best Regards,Norma Moore

Family SupportTeamOn Dec. 12, our center hosted aMale Involvement Activity calledSCIENCE NIGHT WITH DAD!One of the best ways for bothchildren and their parents to learnis to get involved with a fun hands-on project. The project was forboth children and their fathers (grandfathers, uncles, mothers,etc.) and was to make a paper airplane and a paper cylindetogether. Then launch both creations to see which ew farther

This science experiment was selected for its simplicity andinexpensive materials (two pieces of paper). It also allows theparent and child to ask questions like: Which will y farther, tpaper airplane or paper cylinder? Families had an opportunitto state their hypotheses or educated guesses (I think the papeairplane will y farther than the paper cylinder), and test thehypotheses (ying both the paper airplane and paper cylindein unison and measure which ew further). Everybody had funmaking and ying their paper airplanes and paper cylinders.

At the end of the evening, each family that attended the MaleInvolvement Activity received a LEGO set to take home.


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February 2014SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

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2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12CPS CLOSED- Full DaySchool AgeProgram

13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25BPI ParentMeeting

26 27 28 HeadStart TrainingDay, all 35year old

classroomsare closed.Regularprogrammingfor Twos andAfter SchoolClassrooms.

bridgeport child development center february 2014 newsletter

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