School So Far...

What fun we have had these first few weeks at school!! We have learned all about our school and our friends. The "Me" posters have been so much fun to have the students present to their small groups and it is so much fun to look at them decorating our walls. 

Exploring our school has been taking up most of our time when we have free choice. The circle room is always a popular place to meet up with friends and build/create together!

When it is not raining, we are enjoying the last warm days outside! You can find lots of climbing, sliding, bike riding, truck pushing, and digging going on.. and, of course, tons of smiles!

Circle time is so much fun, especially when there is a birthday in the school! Singing, dancing, talking, and reading with these kids is a huge highlight of the day.

We are learning so much and really enjoying ourselves at Harmony every day. What an excellent way to start the year!

School Lunches That Kids Will Enjoy

School lunches can sometimes be a pain. I have heard so many parents asking what they should / can pack and looking for ideas for what to pack. Here are just a few ideas to hopefully help with lunch packing woes.

One of my favorite sites I look at when I need some lunch inspiration is here.

Here are some of the great ideas she shares
 - Chicken/tuna/egg/salmon salad with crackers (and a little fork to spread)
 - Salad with a favorite meat, veggie, and/or fruit
 - meat and cheese roll ups (with or without a tortilla "shell")
 - fruit/veggies with a nut (or nut alternative) dip (or hummus)
 - meatballs
 - chicken nuggets
 - pancakes (try tossing in a scoop of protein powder to your normal pancake recipe)
 - stir fry
 - soup in a thermous
 - hard boiled eggs
 - taco salad
 - quesadilla
 - yogurt parfait
 - pizza
 - dinner leftovers

This list is just the non-sandwich list!! Add in a couple sandwiches and you could have a different packed lunch every day for weeks!

Then just toss in a favorite fruit and/or vegetable and maybe a cracker or cheese or yogurt or popcorn and you are good to go!

Also, never underestimate the power of a cute cookie cutter, note, or little fork/pic! I like to buy seasonal cupcake liners with the cupcake pics - they are perfect for mini kabobs (I usually snip off the sharp end and always remind my little people to stay sitting while they are eating!). The liners are a cheery way to partition off the food too. We have a set of silicon cupcake liners so we are not throwing away paper every day too.

Smokey The Bear!

Smokey the Bear and his forest firefighter friends made a spectacular visit to Harmony Preschool!  Preschoolers enjoyed spraying the fire hose, exploring the fire truck, handling fire tools and visiting with Smokey the Bear.  Please enjoy a few of our favorite moments from the day.  

Tricky People

With Health, Safety, and Community Helpers coming up next week, it is a great time to start (or continue) a conversation about personal safety with your little people. "Stranger Danger" is a cutesy rhyme, but that is mostly all it is. Did you know that 90% of childhood sexual abuse occurs by someone with whom the child knows and has a trusted, established relationship, not by a stranger?

Instead, of teaching kids to beware of strangers, teach your kids about "tricky people". A tricky person can be someone you know well, don't know at all, or know a little bit (a mailman, a familiar face at the park, the ice cream truck driver).  Teach your kids that it's not what someone looks like that makes them "tricky," but what they ask your child to do.  Tricky people do tricky things, such as offering children bribes-candy, or money; asking for help (grown-ups typically ask other grownups for help); being secretive; or asking kids to break their parents rules.

One of the best ways to talk to younger children about any danger is by sorting through hypothetical situations wtih them.  Throw out various "what would you do if …?" scenarios (if they throw a ball into the road, if a person asks them to go for a ride without their parents permission, if someone tells them you sent them to pick them up). Instead of lecturing your kids, have them brainstorm ways they would respond and start a dialouge about what the consequences of those answers would be.  The goal is to lead them to have the correct instincts when it comes to potential dangers. These 10 rules are short and sweet and to the point. They are easy to understand for our children and they are easy to remember. 

For even more tips and information, check out the  Safely Ever After Program.

Back To School!

We are ready to kick off this school year! With our first weeks already behind us, we are so excited to see what fun this year brings! First, check out some of the awesome kids that we get to share our days with!  We are so so so lucky!

Thank you Harmony parents for letting us have the honor of playing with your kiddos each day!