LADYBUG NEWS

Educating and Car ing For Your Chi ldren For More Than 32 Years July 2013

Thank you for being part of

our Ladybug family. Ladybug

teachers are pleased to cre-

ate this monthly newsletter

for you because you are

important to us and we truly

appreciate you. Please feel

free to share this newsletter

with friends and family.

Happy reading!

Mark Your Calendars!

July 4th–

Ladybug closed to observe Inde-

pendence Day

July 17th–

Lemonade Social

August 20th–

Preschool Gradu-ation

Mission

At Ladybug Child Care

Center, our mission is to

provide a joyful

learning experience for your

family that empowers your

children to reach their

educational and personal

potential while lovingly

nurturing their self-confidence

and self-esteem.

Make Fami l y T ime Count Life is busy. When juggling your family's packed schedule, it can often feel like you hardly have time to breathe -- let alone spend quality time with your family. If you’ve been feeling like you can't do it all, read on to discover how to make family time count.

1. Make a meal together

If dinnertime is your window of opportunity to connect with your family, don't just eat together -- make a meal together. Not only can it be fun, but it can also be a great opportunity to talk to each other about what's been going on in your lives.

2. Make a date with your family

Many adults make time for date night, so why not do family night? Pull out the calendar and commit to a certain number of nights per month dedicated exclusively to family bonding.

3. Talk in the car

A lot of underutilized time is spent with family in the car -- en route to school, practice, rehearsal -- you know the drill. Instead of focusing on getting from point A to point B, start a tradition that makes car rides the time when you share the highlights of your day.

4. Walk instead of drive

Next time you need to run an errand that's close to home, leave the car in the garage and put your walking shoes on. Something as simple as taking a walk together is a great way to feel connected as you walk, talk and observe the world. So grab the family and hit the pavement.

5. Tuck your kids in

Bedtime can very easily become a blur of activity as you're trying to get the kids to sleep. Is the homework done? Are their teeth brushed? Did the lunches get packed? But this can also be a great chance to spend quiet time with your children. As you're putting them to bed, let them stay up a few extra minutes to talk to them, read to them or bond with them in your own way. Even spending 10 uninterrupted minutes together can help you grow closer.

6. Plan a vacation

Decide as a family where you'll take your next vacation. Involving everyone in the planning process can be a fun way to find out more about what your children like and to share your likes with them. The planning can be just as much fun as the trip itself.

It's not about how much time you spend with your family, but how you spend the time you have. Whether you have 15 minutes or five hours, just remember to make that time count.

Time spent with FAMILY is worth every second! ! !

At Ladybug Child Care

Center, we will prepare

your child’s heart, mind,

and body to ensure their

success as a life long

learner.

859 Vista Boulevard

Waconia, MN 55387

952-442-5057

www.ladybugcc.com

Management Team

Stacey Knickrehm

sknickrehm@ladybugcc.com

Katie Klover

kklover@ladybugcc.com

Katie Rickert

krickert@ladybugcc.com

Corporate Office

Connie Kraus—President

Michelle Kraus- Vice President

mkraus@ladybugcc.com

Stephen Kraus- Vice President

skraus@ladybugcc.com

Julie Kauffmann -

Accounting Associate

jkauffmann@ladybugcc.com

How to make a Water Blob

1. Fold the plastic sheeting in half and tape the three open sides with duct tape (it helps to have assistance) but leave open a small hole for the water hose. I also added some bright blue food coloring just for that wow factor. Next time we’re going to add glitter but you could also add confetti or small gummy items like worms or fish for a

theme party. Just make sure the items are very soft with no pointy edges.

2. Put the water hose in it and let it fill. When it’s totally full, tape the small opening shut and let the kids loose.

Join us for a

Lemonade Social

July 17th

3:00pm - 5:00pm

We hope to see you there!

Got A Hankerin’ for a Burger?

Refer a friend or family member to Ladybug by July 31st and

receive a $100.00 Von Hansen’s gift card.

Nursery

“For The Love of Children”~ Miss Katie

INFANT SUN SAFETY Now that it is nice out, we have been going outside a lot. If you would like your little “bug”

to wear sunscreen, please bring it in and fill out a medication form. We apply it in the after-

noon and if you would like them to have it on in the morning, apply it before you come to La-

dybug.

For babies under 6 months of age, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has two recommendations

to prevent sun exposure. The first is to avoid sun ex-posure. But, if that is not a possibility, the second is to

dress infants in light-weight long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and brimmed hats that shade the neck to prevent

sunburn. However, when clothing and shade are not available, parents can apply a very small amount of sunscreen

with at least a 15 SPF to small areas such as the infant’s face and back of hands.

For older children, the best line of defense against the sun is to cover up. Wearing a hat will help protect a

child’s face and neck. Sunglasses (look for glasses that block 99-100% of ultraviolet rays) are also recommend-

ed.

Whenever possible, stay in the shade and limit sun exposure between the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Apply sunscreen, both on sunny and cloudy days, 30 minutes before exposure.

Reapply sunscreen every two hours, or after swimming or sweating.

www.babycenter.com

Classroom Tidbits-

*Don’t forget to take a look at our art work dis-played around the classroom from your lit-tle bug!

*Have you been working on your sign Lan-guage at home too? We are working on our baby sign language every day. The infor-mation is posted by the parent board. Take a look at it to see what we are working on this month.

*Don’t forget to check the bottom of your baby’s daily sheet to see if any supplies are needed.

LOOK at all the fun we’re having at Ladybug!!!

Playroom

“For The Love of Children”~ Miss Ana

New “bugs” to the Playroom

Wow! Last month was very busy in the Playroom! We had four brand new “bugs” start and two have moved up

from the Nursery. Welcome to the Playroom: Ivet, Mason, Marsadies, Jacob, Mauri and Dominic. I am very excited to have you in my class.

Look what we are learning in July

This month we will be working with our sense of sight. We will be looking through color paddles to see the world in different colors. We will also be work-ing on getting to know our colors through color cards and painting.

Other fun things we have planned are playing with flashlights. Our little “bugs” love chasing the light around the room. We will also be doing lots of danc-ing with flags. This will help us with our large and small motor skills.

Wave Your Flag

JoAnn C. Leist

Wave your flags,

Wave your flags

As you march

around,

Wave your flags

High in the air,

Don’t let them

Touch the ground!

Learning How To

Communicate: Signs we are

learning this month!

Flash your

Light

Sung to “Row Row Row

your boat”

By: Jean Warren

Flash, Flash

Flash your light

Flash it all around

Flash it high

Flash it low

Flash it on the ground.

Flash, Flash

Flash your light

Flash it here and there

Flash it high

Flash it low

Flash it everywhere.

FOURTH OF JULY CRAFTS FOR

INFANTS

Ice Cube Water Colors

Simply squeeze several drops of food coloring (red & blue) into a different compartment of an ice cube tray, cov-er it with water, and freeze. Then en-courage infants to play with these ice cubes on a piece of paper. As the ice cube melts, it will make interesting and colorful designs that the infants will enjoy. Even better, the ice cube will cool off the infant on a hot sum-mer day, so try this activity outdoors if possible.

Toddler A

July Goals and Concepts

Math: Young toddlers will be intro-

duced to basic, simple counting skills.

Older toddlers will begin to count objects up to three. This will be

introduced during group, table, outside and free play

times.

Language Arts: Younger toddlers will learn to sit

and listen in group time.

Older toddlers will repeat songs, stories and words in group time

that are familiar.

Personal and Social Growth: Younger toddlers will explore

and learn about their new envi-ronment and friends.

Older toddlers will role play and imitate adults in the dramatic

play area.

“For The Love of Children”~ Miss Misty

Summer Time Is Here, At Last!

Toddler A is getting ready to have a lot of fun in July with our month long unit called

“Water Wonders”. What lives in water, different bodies of water, and what we can do

with water is what the toddlers will be learning about.

The toddlers will spend a lot of time exploring sand and water, too. We will work on pouring sand from one con-

tainer to another, making sand castles and splashing in the water.

Water Day!

Every Friday in July is water day in toddlers. Please bring in a swimsuit and a labeled towel for your toddler. All

the kids have similar towels and swimsuits which makes it difficult since they all know how to undress. Please

also remember to apply sunscreen before arrival...especially on water day! Thanks!

Toddler A Tidbits

We spent a lot of time in June with our “Things that Move” unit. We learned all about different types of vehi-

cles, animals and how they move from here to there. We also did a unit called “Teddy Bear Pic-nic”. Everyone enjoyed playing “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around. We al-so had a great time listening to music and dancing with our bears.

I LOVE SAND!

(sung to the tune of “Three

Blind Mice”)

Sand, sand, sand. Sand, sand, sand.

I love sand, I love sand.

It’s fun to squish it between my toes,

Or build a mountain as high as my nose,

Or dig a tunnel that grows and grows,

‘Cause I love sand!

Water, Water Water, water everywhere. On my face and on my hair, On my fingers, on my toes.

Water, water on my nose!

WELCOME

to Toddler A:

Ruth, Betsy, Isaac and Mauri

Toddler B Tons of learning and Fun

Last month we had fun learning about the outdoors. The kids

enjoyed bug hunting! Oh boy, the bugs these kiddos found! (Most were

specks of dirt, but we’ll keep that our little secret-shhhh.) In June we

focused on sorting by color, counting to 10, sitting nicely in group, and

identifying objects by size. I am so proud of all my Toddler B “bugs”. Each

day they surprise me with how much they are learning and growing!

THIS IS WHAT SUMMER IS ALL ABOUT!

Water Wonders is all about water both inside and out! We

will learn about things we might see in the water and all about

what lives in oceans, lakes and rivers. The toddlers will also be

cooking and eating some yummy treats! Cooking is so fun and

teaches math skills!

Summer Fun is all about the fun things we do in the sum-

mer! What do you like about summer? What does the sun do for us

in the summer? What do plants do in the summer?

Saw a Crab

Sung to: “Clementine”

By: Cindy Dingwell

I went walking

I went walking

Saw a crab

Right on the beach

Saw a crab

Saw a crab

Walking this way

With its feet. (walk sideways)

Reminders

Please clean out cubbies every-

day.

Leave large backpacks and dia-

per bags at home.

Read daily sheets everyday to see

if your child needs supplies.

Read the teacher board everyday

to see what we did and if there is a reminder on there about what’s

coming up.

If anybody has any extra plastic grocery bags at home, we could really

use them.

For The Love of Children ~ Miss Katie K.

Look What We Will Be Learning!

Math:

*Identify sets by shapes, size and color

*Review all shapes

*Review all colors

*Introduce sets as: empty, larger than,

less than or equal

Language arts:

*Be able to demonstrate reading skills

by imitating an adult reading

Music:

*Be able to sing, play, move and create

music expressive of individual

imaginations

Personal and Social Growth:

*Be able to identify themselves by name

*Be able to use appropriate manners

*Be able to use words instead of

aggression

*Be able to use indoor voice while

inside

Physical:

*Enhance fine motor skills by: cutting,

painting and etc. (daily activities)

*Practice jumping without falling.

Proddlers July’s Goals and Concepts:

Math

Review Colors

In/Out Concept

Practice simple patterns

Count 0-20

Language Arts

Participate in discussions

Name letters in own name

Discussion on animals at

the circus and in the woods

Discuss things at the

beach

Music

Use Rhythm Sticks

Experiment with Rhythm

and Beats

Explore different musical

instruments

Personal & Social Growth

Practice throwing and

catching

Identify own body parts

Use indoor voice while in-

side

Practice hand washing cor-

rectly

Other

Use 5 senses to learn about

the environment

Fine motor skills – cut along

a line

Follow simple directions

For The Love of Children ~ Miss Andrea

July Themes

Going to the Beach: We will spend two weeks talking about the beach! This would be a great time to plan a family day at the beach! During this

unit, we will discuss everything you may see at the beach from fish to beach balls. We will create many art projects, have a couple of experiences with water, and make tons of fish! Water Day is also every Friday in July.

Going to the Woods: When visiting the woods to either go hiking or camp-ing, what would you see? Of course you would see many different animals and trees! We will be going on nature walks to see what we find in our own “backyard” and having pretend campouts in the classroom.

Going to the Circus: Have you ever gone to a circus?! Well, if not, we will have quite the experience learning all about the circus. From clowns and ani-mals to special tricks and silly clothes! We will also try to do a puppet show in the room with the many puppets we will be making. This would also be a great

time to look around the area and see if there is a Circus to go to for a family outing. So Come one, Come all to the Circus in Proddlers!!

Circus Song (sung to the tune of “Mary had a Little Lamb”)

Let’s all go to the circus tent, circus tent, circus tent.

Let’s all go to the circus tent, to see what we can see.

We will watch the elephant march, elephant march, elephant march.

We will watch the elephant march around the circus ring.

PARENT REMINDERS

WATER DAY IS EVERY FRIDAY IN JULY!!!!!!

Remember to bring your child’s swimsuit, towel, and shoes that can get wet. PLEASE LABEL EVERYTHING!! with your child’s name so it does not get mis-placed.

Please apply sunscreen to your child in the morning. I will re-apply it in the after-noon.

Please check your child’s bathroom basket and make sure they have seasonally-appropriate clothing.

Show and Tell is every Friday. Please bring something from home to show or share. And please keep the object for show and tell to a size that can be kept in their cubby!

Preschool

For The Love of Children ~ Miss Stacey

Preschool Fun

Where does the time go? I can’t believe that it is July already! We have been having so much fun playing outside and doing our little field trips-it keeps us busy. The kids are all having so much fun doing our mini crafts and going on our little walks. Our garden is also keeping us busy. The kids love to go out every day and help water and weed it. They are waiting for the day they can ac-tually pick and eat something out of it. It won’t be long!

June Goals and Concepts

Math:

The children will demonstrate an under-standing of the knowledge that numbers are used to tell how many members there are in a set.

The children will know that a written symbol for a number is called a “numeral”.

The children will understand that ordinal numbers designate an object’s position in the set.

The children will be able to label an object’s position in a set using the correct ordinal number.

The children will be able to successfully identify set sizes from one to five, using the correct numeral for each.

Language Arts:

The children will discover three principles about writing forms:

*Recurring Principle-idea that writing consists of recurring figures and moves.

*Generative Principle-idea that, with a limited number of letters combined in different ways, one can generate an unlimited number of words.

*Flexibility Principle-idea that the same letters can be written in different ways, but that there are limits to the acceptability of letter recognition.

Music:

The children will be able to play simple rhythmic-melodic patterns on classroom instruments.

Personal & Social Growth:

The children will assume responsibility for themselves which means that they will be held accountable for all of their actions and all of their reactions.

Other:

The children will develop their fine motor skills:

-control pencils/scissors/ crayons

-practice holding a pencil with an appropriate grip

The Rainforest

Who inhabits it and why it is called a rainforest.

The Jungle & The Delta

Lions, Tigers, and Bears-Oh my!

The Ocean

Out to the deep blue to see what lives in the ocean.

July Themes

Tidbits and reminders:

*Please check your child’s extra clothes bucket-bring in

those summer clothes-take home the winter ones!

*Sunscreen may be brought in. Parents are responsible

for the initial application-we will re-apply it in the af-

ternoon.

*Show and tell is every Friday. Each child may bring in

one item to share with their friends. It must be small

enough to fit in their cubby.

AdventureCentre

For The Love of Children ~ Miss Kayla

July Themes Week 1

Uncle Sam’s Birthday Bash Red, white, & blue is what this week is about. We will get to see a real live volcano. Well, the one you make from baking powder, water and vinegar. Some of the new games we will learn this week is capture the flag, knee baseball, line switch, Charlie over the water, and many more.

Week 2

Zoo Doings We will bring the zoo to our classroom by making all different kinds of zoo animals. This week we will be making cartoons with animal crackers. I can’t wait to taste an elephant ear that the class will be making. No, not a real elephant ear, the kind you make with pie crust, sugar and cinnamon.

Week 3

Wild, Wild West Graveyard Scavenger hunt time. We will be going to the graveyard, breaking up into different groups, and looking for clues and different things. We get to eat cow pies for snack. No, not the real cow pies, the ones you make with chocolate.

Week 4

Palm Trees and Coconuts Rrr mattes, a treasure hunt we will go on during this week. We will learn about pirates and make a treasure map of our own.

Week 5

Under the Sea We will be making day old bath water as well for snack, mmmm it is sooo delicious. This week we will learn about the creatures under the sea and make awesome replicas!

THE SCOOPTHE SCOOP

Classroom Tidbits

*Don’t forget to check your parent cubby everyday.

*Keep a close eye on the parent board. It is loaded with information about the week, up coming field trips, and activities that we did

through out the day.

*Every Friday is show and tell day. If your child would like to partici-pate in show and tell day, have them bring in a toy that is not elec-

tronic!

*Does your child have sunscreen at Ladybug yet? If not, please bring some in. We have a lot of outdoor activates planned for the month

of July.

*Do you have extra games/toys lying around that your children don’t play with anymore? Ladybug will gladly accept all donations of any

kind.

*If you have any questions feel free to ask me in the morning or give

a call during the day!

Bounce House Fun!

Holding moths and cockroaches with Bruce the Bug Guy!

Making beach bags for the beach and catching fish with our hands at the beach.