Judy's Little Gems December 2015 Newsletter

Hi Everybody!  The lights are up, the decorations are hung.........let the crafts and baking begin!!
We have some fun days planned this December and we are hoping that the kids have so much fun creating gifts for those they love <3   We will be learning some Christmas songs, thinking of others and spreading joy and light wherever we go!

Dec 1:  Snowflake day :)
Dec 2:  Christmas Trees
Dec 3:  Ornaments
Dec 4:  Home made Gifts

Dec 7:  Elf Day
Dec 8:  Gingerbread Cookies
Dec 9:  Wreaths
Dec 10: Candy Canes
Dec 11:  Snow Globes

Dec 14: Christmas Cards
Dec 15:  Reindeer Day
Dec 16:  Santa Beards
Dec 17:  Snow Dough
Dec 18:  Stockings

Judy's Little Gems will be closed Dec 19 to Jan 3.  for holidays.

Wishing you and your families a wonderful and happy holiday season!!
Judy and Keanna.

November 2015 at Judy's Little Gems

We have had a fun and busy Fall so far!  We've made new friends and enjoyed some really beautiful fall weather.  Dress up was so much fun last month!  Face Painting, crafts, Judy's Little Gems 4th Birthday, nature walks and Halloween were definitely a highlight for us. 

 This month we will be exploring the following themes:

• Mammals: rabbits, bears, wolves, whales, dolphins, deer, bats, beavers, squirrels
• Time: day, night, morning, afternoon, evening, bedtime, clocks
• Healthy eating: soup, salad, sandwiches
• Kitchen safety
• Grocery store
• Magnets
• Months of the year
• Types of art: portraits, still life, landscape, drawings
• Poppies

As the weather gets more wet and cold this month, please ensure that your child has:

• rain gear including rain pants
• rain boots
• hats and mittens

Wishing you a happy November with your families.  Thank you so much for bringing your little Gems to me

<3  Judy.

September 2015 at Judy's Little Gems

It's amazing how fast the time goes when you are having fun!  Here we are mid September and rolling into Fall with lots of Joy and Enthusiasm.  It has been so enjoyable getting to know our new children.  We are all settling into a nice routine and spending time enjoying the last days of summer weather.   What an amazing Summer!!
Thanks to Linden for installing our new outdoor Tire Toy.  The kids are busy exploring different ways to play on it.  It has been great for jumping, climbing and recently as a car race track, using the mats around the outside.  Thanks Keanna for taking this neat video of the kids!

This month our themes are Back to School, Nursery Rhymes, Outdoor Preschool Activities, Friendship and Team Work.  We will be playing Board Games, learning new sight words, Practicing our Good Manners, learning about the Changing Seasons and listening to Classical Music.  We have some fun new activities to try for developing our fine motor skills.  Our cooking activities are Banana Muffins   (They turned out super moist and yummy!)  and this week we are going to make Apple Pie!

I will be sending home a Kindergarten Readiness Checklist this week.  It is an overview of the skills that we will be working on throughout the year.  We approach these skills in a playful and relaxed manner, using fun games and activities.  

Thank you to my amazing Families.  I love you and appreciate your support in providing the best care  possible for our little Gems!  Every year it becomes more and more clear to me how lucky I am to do the work I do.  <3  Judy.

   

August at Judy's Little Gems

I am so excited to be back after a lovely trip through the Rockies, an awesome day at the West Edmonton Mall and then checking out gorgeous Banff and Lake Louise.  Canada has some truly stunning natural scenery!  

Since we had so much fun last month with the theme days, we decided to try some more!! Some of the days were such a hit that a re-do is a must!  (ICE CREAM DAY!  Picnics, Playground trips, Nature Walks, Art in the Park and Water Days)  We will also keep adding to our word wall in both French and English.  We have been having fun incorporating our themes into our letter and number of the day.  I can't wait to try some new outdoor activities!  YoYo painting, Ice Chalk creations and Water Squirter Paintings sound so much fun!!

This month we will be doing some Walking Trips to various parks, playgrounds and trails.  Running Shoes will be the best foot wear for these outings since the kids will be walking/playing on different surfaces and we need to protect their feet!  Bathing Suits and Towels will be needed for our Water Days. 

Here are this month's Special Summer Days:

Tuesday August 4:  Safari Day/Walk
Wednesday August 5:  Sports Day
Thursday August 6:  Wacky Watermelon Day/Water
Friday August 7:  Snow Day!

Monday August 10:  Friendship Day
Tuesday August 11:  ICE CREAM DAY!/Water
Wednesday August 12:  Super Hero Day/Face Painting
Thursday August 13:  Airplane Day/Playground
Friday August 14:  Eye Day/Art in the Park

Monday August 17:  Blue Day.  Wear Blue?  Share Blue?  Hair Blue?!
Tuesday August 18:  Carnival Day!
Wednesday August 19:  Minion Day!
Thursday August 20:  Doll Day/Water Play
Friday August 21:  Pet Day/Field Trip to Woofy's

We will be closed Monday August 3 and August 24 to 28 for holidays.  (Judy's Staycation!)  We do live in the best place in the world!!

I can't wait to see everybody on Tuesday.   I wonder if your little ones will notice what is different about our front yard when they arrive?!  I hope you all have a super fun long week end!

Judy.

July 2015 at Judy's Little Gems: Fun Theme Days of Summer!

Hi Everybody!  I hope you have been having fun in this amazing summer weather.  This is the sunniest June that we have experience in many years!  We are loving the extended hours of play outdoors and have really enjoyed bringing a couple of our indoor activities outside:  Snack and Art.

I would like to Thank all of you for being so flexible and patient as our renovations were being completed.  We once again have a great play space and nap room for our little ones.  Please use the downstairs door for drop off and pick up.  The sign in/out sheets are back and so are the coat hooks :)
Thanks also for providing your kids with sunscreen, hats, running shoes, sandals, and extra clothes.

 This month we will be doing some Walking Trips to various parks, playgrounds and trails.  Running Shoes will be the best foot wear for these outings since the kids will be walking/playing on different surfaces and we need to protect their feet!  Bathing Suits and Towels will be needed for our Water Days.

July will be all about Fun Theme Days! 

Wednesday July 1:  Closed for Canada Day.
Thursday July 2:  Crazy Hat Day.  Bring your own and make a Fabulous Hat at Craft time.
Friday July 3: E's Birthday!!.  Water Day! Bring your bathing suit and a towel.  We will be getting Splashy today!!
Monday July 6:  Sunglasses Day. Bring your Shades and we will head to the Playground today.
Tuesday July 7:  Closed
Wednesday July 8:  Face Painting and Snack Making.
Thursday July 9:  Tie Dye Day.  We are going to create some awesome Field Trip T-shirts.
Friday July 10:  Picnic/Playground Trip
Monday July 13:  Fruit Salad Day.  Bring a fruit to share :)  Water Day.  Bring Bathing Suit and   Towel.
Tuesday July 14:  Smiley Day.  Smiles and Friendship today :)  Trip to the Park with Organized  Games.
Wednesday July 15: N's Birthday!!  Ice Cream Day.  Yay!!
Thursday July 16: Nature Soup at the Playground.
Friday July 17:  Orange Day!!  Do you have anything Orange to Wear, Put in your Hair or Bring to Share?
Monday July 20: Show and Tell Day.  Water Day.  Bring your Bathing Suit and Towel.
Tuesday July 21:  Wacky Hair Day.  Stories in the Park.
Wednesday July 22:  Pajama Day
Thursday July 23:  Camping Day.  Making Trail Mix today.
Friday July 24:    Dinosaur Day!!Nature walk. 

July 27 to August 3:  Closed for Holidays.
August 24 to 28:  Closed for Holidays.

Happy Summer and Thank You So Much for Bringing Your Little Gems to Me,
Judy.

June 2015 Newsletter Judy's Little Gems

Hi Everyone!  I am super excited to get started with June activities.  I have missed my little Gems so much!!
First of all Thank you so much for your Patience and Kindness over the last couple of weeks, starting with our downstairs flood and then my time off for surgery.   Your families are amazing and I truly appreciate it!!

 I am all fixed up and ready to go, but our downstairs is not!  Insurance claims and restoration are a process and I am super thankful to have a great team getting our house put back together.  These things take time.  I am so grateful that we still have upstairs and outside to use for childcare, so we are still up and running!!  Please bring your little people to the front door for drop off and pick ups.  I will put the sign in/sign out sheet on the wall inside the door.

Since the weather has been so fantastic, I thought we would try some new outdoor games:
Hula Hoop Fun: Put colored hula hoops on the ground. Give instructions such as “run to the red hula hoop and pretend to be a car,” or “hop over to the green hula hoop like a bunny.”
The Run-Around: One person gives directions such as “run to the sandbox, and come back,” or “run over to the slide, go down one time, and come back” or “hop on one foot to the fence.” Great not only for gross motor skills, but for listening and following directions.
Balloon Toss:  Blow up several balloons and toss them back and forth. Try using different body parts or blowing the balloon up in the air. See how many times you can bounce the balloon up before it falls to the ground.
Doggy Doggy Where’s Your Bone:  In a circle take turns hiding the “bone” from the doggy, who tries to find it. It helps to have a defined hiding area, and be sure to offer hints if the child gets frustrated finding it. Chant:Doggy, Doggy, where’s your bone?Somebody stole it from your home.Guess who! Maybe you . . Maybe the monkeys from the zoo.  Wake up doggy, find your bone.
Egg Races:  Using plastic eggs, race from one end of the yard to the next holding the egg on a spoon. See how far you can get without dropping/breaking an egg. Try not to focus on “winning,” but on having fun while walking with the egg. A fun alternative is to have the children push the plastic eggs from one place to another using only their noses!

Themes and Ideas we will explore this month are: Outdoor Games, Ocean, Father's Day, Farm, Canada and Summer.   We will also be learning about Money, Patterns, creating a Word Wall, Science: Sinking and Floating.

Special Days: June 1, Donut Day.   Thursday June 18, Picnic Day.  Wednesday June 24: Field Trip to Hands on Farm. June 25: Eric Carle's Birthday, Outside Circle Time.  June 30:  Canada Day Backyard Parade.  Happy Birthday to A, C and Judy this month.  Happy Graduation to: Z this month.  So excited for you that you are starting Kindergarten in September!!

I would also like to formally welcome Keanna, who will be assisting me with our preschool program in the mornings, Tuesday through Friday.  She is wonderful with the kids and we all love the time that she spends with us.

Thank you for bringing your little Gems to me.  

Judy.

We have a whole lot of celebrating to do this lovely month of March!

Dr. Suess Day March 2

Rainbow Days March 5&6

                                                                                                                  

Pocket Day March 10

Wear Green on March 17

First Day of Spring, March 20.
Yay! Let's Celebrate!!

Hoppy Easter!

March Preschool Lessons

• Letters:  P,Q,R,S,T
• Numbers:  11,12,13,14,15
• Shapes:  Oval, Raindrop, Shamrock 
• Colors: Colors of the Rainbow
• Character Education: Patience

Wishing you so much fun and happiness this month as we celebrate literacy, curiosity and wonder, beauty, nature and new beginnings.  

Thank you for bringing your little Gems to me.  They brighten my days with their smiles and laughter.  They show me that Every day is brand new and exciting.  I love their singing, the characters they play, the things they say, their bouncing expressive ways.  I love their stories, their creations, their enthusiasm and especially their hugs!!!  Your children are absolutely amazing.