Wishing you Peace and Joy this December!

This is a beautiful time of year!  I feel so thankful that I spend my days with young children who show me how to live a meaningful life from one moment to the next.  They see beauty in things that adults sometimes overlook.  Children find peace and joy in the simple things that hold the most meaning:  A smile, a hug, sparkly lights, a funny sound, moving their body through space, creating something new, snuggling up with a good book, music, kindness, love and laughter.  They know that life is meant to be enjoyed!!  We do a lot of celebrating around here, your children have been teaching me well what really matters :)  This month we are celebrating life, family and friends.



I have many sensory experiences planned for our Gems.  Hand and Foot Print Crafts, Snow Dough, Cinnamon Stars, Candy Cane Sensory Table, Ginger Bread People, Reindeer Food and So Much Glitter!!!  We will be learning some Christmas action songs and learning to play Jingle Bells on our Hand Bells.  We will focus on the  numbers 5,6,and 7 and letters E,F and G.  Our colours will be Red, Green and White and shapes will be Triangle, Oval and Diamond.  We have an abundance of fun books to read together this month.  Some favorites of mine are:  The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett, The Christmas Adventure of Space Elf Sam by Audrey Wood and Moostletoe by Margie Palatini.  It was really hard to stop there, but I could fill the rest of my post.  I love reading with children!!  I am also really looking forward to creating MistleToes, mess and memories!

 We have been discussing generosity and doing random acts of kindness this November and we will build on these concepts in December as we think of ways to bring joy to others this holiday season.  There is deep satisfaction in serving others, and being glad for their good fortune.  It feels good to give our time and our love.

Judy's Little Gems will be Closed December 22 to Jan 2 for Holidays.  We re-open Jan 5, 2015.

Wishing you Peace and Joy with your family this month  (and always!!!)
Judy.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Blast Off!!! November 2014, at Judy's Little Gems

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom,We're Going to the Moon!!

This month I am excited to say that we are going to explore our solar system.  From Rocket Ships to Moon Rocks, Astronauts to Aliens, we will get messy, get active and learn about our amazing world and beyond!

Back on earth, our yard is muddy!  We are going to take advantage of this amazing stuff and create an outdoor kitchen to make mud pies in.  We will paint with pine cones, make some garden decorations, plant some bulbs, make muddy boot prints and take a walk with our umbrellas.  If your child owns an Umbrella, please send one Tuesday November 4

Other special days this month:  Friday November 7, Hug a Bear Day. Does your child have a Teddy Bear that they would like to bring in?  We will have a beary fun day! :)  Wednesday, November 12, CRAZY HAIR DAY!!  I think there is probably no need for further explanation here!  Thursday, November 20 is National Child Day.  Some ways to celebrate?  Attend a special event with a child, donate time or money to a children's charity, send toys, books, clothes or food to children in need, read a book with a child, write a story together and listen carefully to what a child is saying.  Check out our National Child Day poster which states Children's rights in child friendly language.  

We will be closed November 11 for Remembrance Day. 
Some virtues we will touch on this month will be Peacefulness, Respect and Curiosity.  We will be making Helping Hands and doing random Acts of Kindness.

I am really looking forward to a fun month with our little Gems.
Happy November Everybody!
Judy.

Judy's Little Gems Newsletter October 2014

October has been all about fall leaves, sensory experiences, fire safety, earthquake drill,Thanksgiving, pumpkins, weather changing, and Halloween themes.  Judy's Little Gems also celebrated it's 3rd birthday!  We have focused on finishing up our alphabet letters learning a new letter each week up to the letter Z this week.  We have also been counting by 10's each week and next week our focus will be 100!  Do you have a collection of 100 child friendly items that you could share with our group?  Stickers, raisins or cereal, crayons, keys, fingerprints etc? 

I really like incorporating the interests of our kids into our days.  Our kids have been interested in weather; lightning and thunder, construction vehicles, and this week the book "Who Lives in a Tree" sparked interest in learning more about the animals and the sounds they make.  

In our sensory table this month we have explored corn, leaves, blocks and this week we had fun with scrap paper!  We've had fun practicing our scissor skills, searching for shapes, and crumpling, ripping and tossing the paper.  

Getting out the dress up costumes has been super fun!  I love to see the joy the kids have when they surprise each other or their parents.  The skill building aspect is great too, as they learn to right inside out clothing and zip up the zippers.  This week we will have our Halloween Costume Parade on Thursday October 30 and Friday October 31.  

I love Family Childcare.  I am so fortunate to be surrounded by amazing families who are committed to their children and are so supportive of our daycare.  Thank you for entrusting  me with your precious children.   Happy Halloween!

Judy.

September 2014, Judy's Little Gems Update

Horne Lake Caves

It is September and with my oldest child turning 18 this month, I have been on a trip down memory lane.  My children are an amazing gift and it is indescribable how much I love them! Watching them grow and change year after year has made me so proud of all that they have achieved and excited for their future.  It won't matter how old my kids get, I will always be their proud Mama and biggest fan.

 2014 has been filled with significant milestones for us as a family.  My youngest became a teenager, middle child a 16 year old who will soon be driving, and now Linden is turning 18.  We celebrated 2 graduations:  Kaiya, from elementary school and Linden has now graduated high school and completed his first year of college.  I had my 20 year reunion with my fellow graduates of the Early Childhood Education program this summer.  I also turned 40!!

At Judy's Little Gems this month we have a big milestone for the Twins who are graduating from Preschool and are off to Elementary school!! I have been lucky enough to care for them since they were 3 years old.  Congratulations Girls!   This month our themes will be Back to School, Friends, Fall, and 5 Senses.  We will learn about the numbers 10,20, 30, 40, 50 and letters s, t, u, v, w.  Colors this month are silver, teal, brown, red, and yellow, shapes are star, triangle, +, square and octagon.  We will be focusing on sensory experiences, developing caring friendships, learning to hold a pencil and print our names, tell a short story, telling time and letter sounds.

The seasons are changing and our young ones are noticing.  The mornings will be getting cooler and we will soon change our routine so that we begin our day indoors.  We will continue meeting outside for the first two weeks of September.  The children will be needing sweaters, coats and rain gear as we move into Fall.  I am really looking forward to sharing the activities that I have planned for this month!

Watch for the summer photos that I will be posting soon on our Facebook page :)

Wishing you a lovely Back to School and Fall, with a focus on all of the Beauty this Season offers.   Thank you for bringing your little Gems to me <3

Summer Fun at Judy's Little Gems

Happy Father's Day 

What a beautiful June we are having!  

First off, I am so thankful for Dads!  I must say that our Dads here at daycare are definitely Super!  It makes me so happy to see the amazing relationships our little Gems have with their Dads.  You guys are so patient, loving, playful, respectful and supportive.

This month we started out with a fun week learning about the Ocean.  This is definitely something that we will revisit since it has been fascinating and so fun.  We are learning letters H, I, J, K, L and numbers 30, 11, 12, 13.  We will put some focus on the teen numbers this summer.  We will continue with our French, Spanish and Music Bells.  We are learning to play Row, Row, Row your boat and it is so fun!!   This week our theme is Father's Day and we will be celebrating Dads.  The week of June 16 to 20 we will Monkey around with a Jungle Theme. Does your child have something fun they would like to bring to show our group that ties in with our Jungle Theme?   Friday June 20  we celebrate the First Day of Summer. Please bring a bathing suit, towel and water shoes.  We will have a Backyard Picnic too!  June 25 Yellow Day (a celebration of all things yellow!) Please wear or bring something yellow.  June 23-27 Summer theme. June 30 Canada Day.  We will have our 2nd annual Backyard Canada Day Parade!! We will finish off June starting a new Construction theme that will take us into July. We are closed July 1 for Canada Day. 



 *Important Info* Sunscreen: Please ensure that your children have sunscreen to keep at the Day Care. Please label your child’s sunscreen. Sunscreen permission forms have been going home. Sun Hats: Please ensure your child/ren has a HAT at Day Care each day for all outdoor activities to protect them from the sun. Appropriate Foot Wear for Outdoor Play: Running shoes and Sandals with good grips and secure fitting front and back straps, to ensure they do not come off while walking, climbing, and running etc. PLEASE…… NO CROCS or FLIP FLOPS

June is a busy and exciting month!  On top of all of our busy plans for this month, we have 3 birthdays! Happy Birthday!

Thank you, Fabulous Parents for bringing your little Gems to me!!

April Showers Bring May Flowers! Judy's Little Gems Spring Update

Happy Spring Everybody!!  I hope you are enjoying our lovely spring weather......sometimes sunny........sometimes rainy :)  Sometimes dry.....sometimes muddy!  We've been busy in the backyard yard lately, making a new strawberry patch, digging in the dirt for worms and building a new sandbox!  I am super excited because 2 yards of play sand is going to be delivered this Wednesday morning :)  It has been really fun getting out to the playground with the kids, taking walks and looking for signs of spring.  Since we have been lucky enough to see beetles, ants, caterpillars, butterflies and bees in the backyard, we will continue with these as one of our themes for the month of May.  Spring is a wonderful time for sensory experiences: Bubbles, dirt, mud, sand, water, worms, wind, sun and a flower pot sensory play tub :)  Other themes we will be exploring for May will be baby animals, Gardens,  Mother's Day, Letters C to G and numbers 24 to 28 and Shapes.  If your child would like to bring in a show and tell object that reinforces our learning about shapes we would love to see it!  Also, for our baby animal theme it would be great if we could invite a guest who might have baby kittens, puppies, rabbits etc to visit us........let me know if you have any leads!!  Our color this month is pink.  

Thank you for ensuring that your children have a variety of changes of clothes to suit our unpredictable weather! Sunscreen permission forms will be going home shortly to be signed and returned with a bottle of labeled sunscreen for your child.  

As always, I am so grateful to care for your children.  They are so special to me and make everyday bright and sunny!

Judy

February 2014 Newsletter, Judy's Little Gems

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.

Mother Teresa

                                         

I love February!  This month our themes will be Love, Valentines, Feelings, Music, and since Love begins in the home we will spend some time exploring the theme In The House.  We will discover different types of homes, for both people and animals, how they are built and cared for and exactly what makes a house a home?  To me home is where my family is, where I work, play and invite my friends to visit.  It holds so many amazing memories.  Home is cooking and cleaning, hobbies, reading, pets, comfort and security. They say home is where the heart is.  

In January we introduced the numberline: 0-100.  We have counted up to 50 in English and have now counted up to 30 in French and 10 in Spanish.   This month we will learn our numbers to 20 in Spanish. Our Alphabet game is a favorite everyday.  The kids are often able to find the letters using the name and sound  and do not need the picture clue!  I am really impressed!  Our Colour this month is Red and Shape is Heart.  We will continue learning to spell and print our names and reviewing our phone numbers.  Since we have been practicing counting by 5's we will use this to learn to tell time.  Last month we began learning how to count by 2's to 10.  I am looking forward to introducing the children to some new musical instruments, including a piano keyboard.  

Thank you so much for all of the support, kindness, and good memories that you bring into my home everyday.  I hope that my home is place of comfort, security and good memories for your little Gems.  

Judy.

January 2014 Newsletter: Happy New Year!

Happy 2014 to all of my daycare families!  I hope you have had a wonderful time with your families over the holidays.  :)  I am so excited to see all my Gems this week. We are so lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Looking back at photos we have taken over the years makes me realize that we have so many amazing places to explore with our families year round. I am really looking forward to getting outside with the kids to do some fun activities. This month we will be learning about Winter, Polar Animals, Winter Fairies, Good Deeds and Opposites.  Our Academic learning themes will use our new number line, focusing on counting to 60 by the end of the month.  Letters: M,N,O, P.  Writing Names, numbers 9-12 and drawing symbols: x,+,O,#.  We will learn our middle names, birthdays and color White.
Special Days: Shiny Day, January 15.  Opposites Day, January 24.  

I am so thankful for the opportunity to care for your children. I am so lucky to have a job that I love. This quote by Confucius sums it up!  Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
See you soon!

Judy.