ChildVisions

Every 3 months we as registered childcare providers have to practice severe weather alerts.  We designate a safe spot for our children to go.  I  have them lay down on their hands and knees and cover their faces with their hands. I then cover them with a sleeping bag.  I explain to them that I will try to keep them safe and this will  all help.  I turn out all the lights and there are no windows  so it is pitch black. I turn on flashlights and hand out glow sticks.

The 1st few times a child does it they are frightened but with practice they realize it’s going to be okay.  Living in Texas I have had to take them there twice for a real tornado warning.  Here they are, doing a practice.

For the week preceding Earth Day we always talk about taking care of the Earth and how we can all help. We learn about Reduce Reuse & Recycle, about not wasting water and electricity. We made some beautiful bracelets out of toilet paper rolls and we made new crayons out of old broken ones.

The children have been learning about how tadpoles change into frogs.  Several weeks ago we ordered a tadpole and the children have been eagerly awaiting it’s arrival.  Luckily when we got the kit it explained, with pictures, that it cannot be too hot or too cold for the company to ship the tadpole.  Our weather here in north Texas has been a little crazy lately, like 40 one day and 89 the next.  But we did get our tadpole yesterday.  Luckily I checked the mailbox,  about 5.15,not something I usually do until after the children have left.  There was the box, clearly labeled in 2 different spots, DO NOT LEAVE IN MAILBOX, LIVE TADPOLE.  The mailman missed both spots and yes yesterday was 89 degrees.  He was fine, if not a bit warm.

Anyone who has been in childcare for any length of time knows how fun bubbles can be.  The children NEVER get tired of them, you can NEVER have too many bubbles, and it is endless inexpensive fun.  It’s even fun for infants, they can lay on the floor and you can have a sensory enriching experience for them letting them land on their legs or arms and try to track them with their eyes.  For some reason the only pictures I have doing bubbles is with my 2   23 month old twins.  They really love them.  The other day it was too cold to do them outside so when I said bubbles they instantly ran to get the towels we put on the floor for bubbles. Tell me this doesn’t look like fun.

I am very lucky to have one of my daycare Mom’s profession be an Emergency Disaster Preparedness Director.  At the end of March we learned about Community Helpers and asked this Mom if she could show the children her emergency vehicle she drives and what all of the many gadgets are on it.  On that particular day it was cold and windy.  She showed up the other day as we were getting back from a walk and volunteered the tour of her vehicle then.  The children just absolutely loved it, except her own 7 month old who didn’t think much of the siren, poor baby was scared and put on his biggest poutty face ever and screamed. Thank you so much Miss Tonya!

Whoops, I forgot, it wouldn’t be Easter without Miss Nancy coming with Easter treats.  The children see her van pull up and run to open the door because they know she has pretty treats.

We dyed Easter eggs yesterday so the Easter bunny could hide them today. ( I’m very close with the Easter bunny and santa, they come whenever I tell them to.)  It is always fun when you have a child doing it for the 1st time and yesterday was Charles 1st time to dye eggs.  I always have them go last so they can see the older children do it. He didn’t even want to mess with the wire egg holder or plastic spoon, he just used his good ole fingers. (That’s why he had green fingers yesterday Mom)   Anyway, they all had fun.  With William I explained and demonstrated how to CAREFULLY lower the eggs into the dye and not splash or plunk them or they will break.  He broke every one of his 5 eggs.

This weeks pick for a recipe was homemade ice cream sandwiches.  We bought the ice cream but made the sandwich part from a recipe I had.  It was quite simple, just a box cake mix that you add water and eggs to and make large type cookies instead of  a cake.  The children had fun making them but next time I will add more water than it says to make them thinner so that they can better fit the end product into their mouths. But they sure loved them.

We have a wonderful book called “Thunder Cake”  by Patricia Polacco.  She has written many childrens books and this is one of my favorite.  It is about a little girl visiting her  Babushka, Grandma, on her farm and gathering the items needed to make a thunder cake by the time the storm hits so it is a true thunder cake.  More than that, one of the hidden meanings isa bout overcoming your fears, in this case, about thunderstorms. It is a beautiful story about family closeness and wonderfully illustrated.  Whenever we have a good ole Texas storm roll through we make a thunder cake and read the book.

I serve very few sweets in my daycare, but for holidays I will splurge for my kids.  On the other hand, my daycare children eat really healthy food and learn how to make healthy choices.  The other day I asked if they wanted corn or salad for a veggie for lunch.  They all shouted  ”salad”.  And I’m not talking iceberg lettuce salad, I make salad with romaine, spinach, napa cabbage, carrots ect.  Here they are eating their Valentines treats my sister-in-law Nancy makes, cake pops.  Then there is a picture of them eating another favorite veggie, edamame.  They even take them out of the pods themselves, and there is never any leftovers.

Kymora eating a cake pop

Charles

Beautiful cake pops

Kymora shelling her edamame

Adam and William shelling their edamame.