The newsletter of the Florida State University’s Childcare & Early Learning Programs Volume 38/Issue No. 6 March 2016 Infant & Toddler Center, Page 4 Children’s Center , page 7 Inside this Issue Parenting Tips,Page 9 Menus are online http://childcare.fsu.edu/For-Parents Online Comments/ Suggestions Box https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_8A44fzs9taRgnnn Around town, Page 12 Celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday! The FSU Childcare Program would like to thank the FSU Bookstore to partnering with us to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birth- day on March 2nd. Families enjoyed carnival games and carnival treats. As a special treat the FSU Basketball team, FSU Track Team and FSU Cheerleaders read Dr. Seuss books to the children. The children also en- joyed a special surprise from their favorite regular reader, Shannon Stat- en, Executive Director for University Housing. We would like to thank all the volunteers and staff that came out to create a great festival for the Little ‘Noles and their families. For more pictures, keep reading!
Transcript
The newsletter of the Florida State University’s Childcare & Early Learning Programs
birthday! The FSU Childcare Program would like to thank the FSU Bookstore to partnering with us to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birth-day on March 2nd. Families enjoyed carnival games and carnival treats. As a special treat the FSU Basketball team, FSU Track Team and FSU Cheerleaders read Dr. Seuss books to the children. The children also en-joyed a special surprise from their favorite regular reader, Shannon Stat-en, Executive Director for University Housing. We would like to thank all the volunteers and staff that came out to create a great festival for the
Little ‘Noles and their families. For more pictures, keep reading!
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FSU Child Development Programs Monday-Friday 7:30 AM- 5:30PM Associate Director, Tiffany Karnisky 850-644-5664 [email protected] Program Associate, Brenda Thompkins Grants Analyst, Bill Stacey Little Noles editor, Lavorian Smith Telephone: 644–7970 157-01 Herlong Drive Tallahassee, FL 32310-4174 Infant and Toddler Center DCF License #C02LE0260 Monday-Friday 7:30 AM- 5:30PM Center Director, Dana O’Connor Telephone: 644-0003 330 Pennell Circle #1 Tallahassee, FL 32310
Children’s Center DCF License #C02LE0519 Monday-Friday 7:30AM- 5:30PM Center Director, Beth Roberts Telephone: 645-9576 169 Herlong Drive Tallahassee, FL 32310 The Little Noles is a monthly publication of The FSU Child Development Programs, 942 Learning Way, University Housing, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4174, (850) 644-7970. The information contained herein is considered adequate notification of activities, tuition notification and policies and procedures. The Little Noles is also available in alternative for-mats upon request. Material submitted for publication must be type-written and submitted by the 15th of each month. The Little Noles is distributed to the parents of The FSU Child Development Programs, selected university admin-istrators, staff, and support personnel.
FSU Childcare & Early Learning Programs
Tuition and Program Fees
Program fees Effective September 1, 2015
Annual Registration Fee Charged at Enrollment & $20
Late Tuition Fee Tuition paid after the 10th $10
Returned Check Fee/Insufficient Funds
$25
Late Pick-up Fee Any portion of first 5 $5.00
Per minute after 5:35 PM $1.00
Tuition Rates Effective September 1, 2015
Alumni/Community Full cost of care $817
Faculty & Staff 8% off full cost of care $749
FSU Student 18% off full cost of care $670
Military Connected student family
26% off full cost of care $603
Pell recipient/eligible stu-dent
34% off full cost of care $536
Children’s Center
Alumni/Community Full cost of care $885
Faculty & Staff 27% off full cost of care $644
FSU Student 39% off full cost of care $540
VPK Wrap Around Rate
Alumni/Community $593
Faculty & Staff $352
FSU Student $248
Infant and Toddler Center
Withdrawal Notices A thirty day written notice must be given to avoid incurring tuition fees past the date you plan to have your child participate. The notice must be submitted online or by paper form available at the center or at FSU Childcare & Early Learning Programs Office, 157-01 Herlong Drive. Online forms are considered valid and binding once submitted. Paper forms must be signed and time/date stamped by a program staff member to be valid. Other notifications such as verbal communication with a staff member will not be considered valid notices. Once a withdrawal form has been submitted, changes to an earlier date will not be accepted. Failure to give the required 30 day notice will result in monetary charges for a full month’s tuition ir-respective of whether the child attends or not. This allows the centers and families adequate time to prepare for the child’s departure from the center and new families adequate time to enroll.
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Tuition Rates. Tuition rates are assessed according to parent status. Non-refundable registration fee $10 upon enrollment and each Sept. 1, thereafter. Tuition is calculated on 44 weeks of care or 11 months. Tuition is not charged in August. Tuition is due on the first day of the month; late by the 10th day. Student Rate Undergraduate parents must be registered for a minimum of 6 hours and graduate student parents must be registered for a mini-mum of 3 semester hours. During the summer semester, if a student parent is not enrolled, to receive the student rate during the summer semester, the parent must be registered at as student for the preceding spring semester and upcoming fall semester. Pell Recipient/Eligible student (under Infant and Toddler Center CCAMPIS Grant) To receive the Pell Grant student parent rates, the parent must be eligible to receive or be receiving Pell Grant funds. Military Connected Family student (under Infant and Toddler Center CCAMPIS Grant) To receive the Military connected student parent rate, the student must be in veteran or active duty status or have a spouse in veter-an or active duty status. Faculty/Staff Rate Parents must be employed as an FSU faculty member, OPS,
USPS or A&P staff member, FSU Visiting Scholar/Researcher /Post Doc. FSU employees enrolled as special students or as a student using the university tuition waiver will receive the Facul-ty/Staff rate. School Readiness Subsidies. Parents will be responsible for paying the full amount of tuition at the stated rate above before the 10th of each month. Any sub-sidies from the School Readiness Program will be applied as a credit to your account when it is received from the agency. School Readiness Program provides tuition assistance to eligible families who are working and/or attending school for a mini-mum of 20 hours per week.
The NAEYC for Families website at http://families.naeyc.org/ offers a wealth of information and resources for parents of young children. Families Today features articles from Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and Dr. Joshua Sparrow. Dr. Brazelton, re-nowned pediatrician and behaviorist and child development ex-pert, and Dr. Sparrow, child psychiatrist, offer parents reassuring information and tips on the developing child.
Announcements & Reminders
Semester Semester Dates Closures
Spring January 6th—April
29th May 2nd—May 6th
Summer May 9th—August 5th May 30th, July 4th, August 8th—26th
Fall August 29th—December 9th
September 5th, November 11th,
November 23rd—25th
Semester Calendar * The centers follow the University calendar and are closed when the university is
closed.
VPK Withdrawal Deadline To avoid extra fees, submit withdrawal before or on March 29th. Forms lo-cated online, at centers or main office Be prepared We need a change of clothes for each child. Make sure your child’s extra set
of clothes is appropriate for the weather. Safety The safety of your child is one of our greatest concerns. Please be reminded that the security codes provided to you are for your use only. Please do not
give your child your security code or allow them to enter the code on the keypad. Parent Column Contact directors if you wish to submit a column for the Lil Noles Newsletter. Submissions due a month in advance.
Tuition reminder and requests for posting
tuition early Tuition is posted to student accounts by the 1st of each month and considered late after the 10th. If you have a special circumstance that requires your tuition to be post-ed prior to the 1st of each month please email your request including when you need the tuition posted and the reason for early posting.
Page 4 Little Noles The Infant & Toddler Center
Last month we welcomed the year of the mon-key and celebrated Chinese New Year. We also worked on Valentine’s Day for the first half of the month. We painted and colored with pink and red. We dis-covered when we finger painted hearts with red and white that when you mix the two together it makes pink!! We en-joyed our Valentine’s celebration, thank you to all of the parents who brought in treats for us. For the second half of the month we worked on Community Help-ers. This is always one of our favor-ites!!!! We loved dressing up like mail carriers, fire fighters and truck drivers in Dramatic Play to name a few, but the best part was when the fire truck came to visit!!!!! We got to hear to sirens, see the lights, climb through the fire truck and watch the big ladder go up 10 stories high!!!! It was so exciting!
For the first part of this month we will be working on Rainbows, St. Patrick’s Day and the color green. When we come back from Spring Break we will be working on Spring has Sprung and Bugs and Butterflies. This will include bunnies, chicks and Easter Eggs!! We will paint and color with all of our colors to make rainbows and things. We will play with our plastic eggs in the sand box. We will sponge paint with green, make shamrock people and make shamrock collages. We will make handprint bunnies and cotton ball chicks. We will experiment with different colors when we color eggs. We will go on Spring nature walks and en-joy this beautiful spring weather outside. We will sing songs like “I love you”, “I’m a little shamrock”, and “Ten Little Butterflies.” We will read some of our favorite books in-cluding Spring Has Sprung, What Makes a Rainbow, and Thumpity Gets Dressed. We hope everyone has a wonderful Spring Break!!
*Don’t forget to make sure your child has an appropriate change of clothes for the warmer weather.
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Page 6 Little Noles Books to Read
Page 7 Little Noles The Children’s Center
February was a blast at the Children’s Center! Not only did we learn about germs and hygiene, but we also celebrated Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day! A very special thank you to our parents for shar-ing their cooking expertise with us. The children loved making dumplings with you!
March begins with a weeklong birthday party for Dr. Seuss. In honor of Dr. Seuss birthday we are go-ing to be reading many books authored by him. One of the Center’s favorite weeks of the year is “Wacky Week”. It is a week filled with the staff and children wearing wacky hair, clothes, shoes, socks and hats. The days correspond with the Dr. Seuss book of the day. We will also host a Family Event celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2. More details to follow.
These are some of the books we will read:
The Foot Book ABC’s Book Hop on Pop Green Eggs and Ham The Cat in the Hat The Lorax
In the art center we will measure our feet using cubes, design cat in the hat necklaces, create a Lo-rax and decorate a wacky sock!
We will have loads of fun celebrating
St. Patrick’s Day, including a visit from some special mystery leprechauns! Dur-ing this week we will review all of our colors with an emphasis on the colors of the rainbow. We will explore what causes the rainbow effect. In the art center we will create rainbows, leprechauns and shamrocks.
March will conclude with a dinosaur study. We
will learn about dinosaurs, birds, amphibians, and vol-canoes. During this time we will be making our own fossils, investigating bones, and creating our very own volcanoes. As for the alphabet and writing, we will finish up the stick letters and venture into letters with curves, specifically P, B, and D. As always, please help your child with the Letter Bucket and practicing writing and spelling his or her name!
Wishing each you a restful and enjoyable spring break!!
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Page 9 Little Noles Parenting Tips
Throughout the year our centers plant gardens, children can learn new skills, have fun, play and de-velop self-confidence by spending time in the garden tending plants and growing their own food. Most chil-dren enjoy being outdoors and love digging in the soil, getting dirty, creating things and watching plants grow. You can get seeds from The Leon County Pub-lic Library Seed Program. Children learn from growing things People of all ages can enjoy gardening, but children in particular will have lots of fun and gain special bene-fits. Gardening is educational and develops new skills including:
Responsibility – from caring for plants Understanding – as they learn about cause and effect (for example, plants die without water, weeds compete with plants) Self-confidence – from achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown Love of nature – a chance to learn about the out-door environment in a safe and pleasant place Reasoning and discovery – learning about the sci-ence of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition and simple construction Physical activity – doing something fun and pro-ductive Cooperation – including shared play activity and teamwork Creativity – finding new and exciting ways to grow food Nutrition – learning about where fresh food comes from.
Getting children interested in gardening Some suggestions to get children involved and interested in creating a garden include:
Keep it simple. Give children their own garden space. (This does not have to be big. You can start with a large con-tainer or a few pots.) Involve older children in the planning and design of the garden. Use lightweight, easy-to-handle, correct-sized tools and garden equipment. Encourage children to dig in the dirt. (Younger children love making mud pies)
Grow interesting plants such as sunflowers, corn, pumpkins, tomatoes and strawberries. Use a trellis or teepee to grow beans or sweet peas. Plant flowers that attract butterflies, ladybirds and other interesting insects or birds. Make a scarecrow. Install a water feature, a birdbath or a sundial. Set up a worm farm. Visit community gardens, children’s farms or bo-tanic gardens for ideas.
Child safety in the garden
To make the garden safe for children: Select the correct-sized tool. Keep sprays and fertilizers out of reach. Do not use chemicals. Garden organically when-ever possible. Provide safe storage for equipment and tools. Secure fences and gates. Provide shade in summer with umbrellas or shade cloth. Make sure that where it’s appropriate, children wear a hat, sunscreen, suitable clothing and gum-boots. Do not leave buckets of water unattended around very young children and toddlers.
Plant selection for children Children like large, brightly colored flowers and vegetables that grow quickly. Plants such as sun-flowers, corn and pumpkins are good examples. Continued on page 11
Two little children planting seeds and weed beds in the field Source: http://www.123rf.com/photo_13318382
Gardening for growing minds
Page 10 Little Noles Nutrition
Our children were involved with gardening from an early age, and it was gratifying to watch their interest and self-esteem grow as their gardening ef-forts yielded good results. Although there are many crops suitable for the young gardener, here are our "top 10", which are relatively easy to grow, have short growing seasons and are fun to harvest. Sunflower A must for a child's garden. Plant just one or two, since they take a lot of room. Sunflowers will sprout in 1 week, become a small seedling in 2 weeks, and should be 2' tall in a month. In 8 weeks, the buds will flower revealing hundreds of seed ker-nels. Be sure to gorw 'confectionery' sunflowers, the type grown for food. They will dry naturally in the late summer sun; the seeds, rich in protein and iron, can be roasted for snacks. Save a few for next summers' planting.
Lettuce/Mescluns A quick and reliable crop to give the child fast results, and also a good way to interest kids in salads. Lettuce likes part
shade; keep soil moist especially during the first two weeks. The seeds will germinate in 7-10 days; grow-ing season is 40-50 days. You can grow 'head' (space 8" apart) or 'leaf' (space 4" apart) varieties; the leaf varieties will mature sooner, about 30-35 days. Radishes Quick results for the young gardener. Radishes germinate in 3-10 days, and have a very short growing season of 20-30 days. They can be planted closely, 4-6" apart. Plant in cool weather for a mild radish, or hot weather for a hotter radish.
Snow peas A quick-growing early crop, and fun for kids to eat right off the vine. They take about 10 days to germinate and mature in about 60 days. Peas prefer cooler, partial-ly shaded locations in the garden; they
should be sown closely, about 1" apart at most. Snow peas are popular because the pod is edible and since they are a dwarf plant they can be grown without a
trellis. Cherry tomatoes Gotta have 'em! These may be the most fun crop for a child, aside from strawber-ries. Plant in full sun and use seedlings rather than planting from seed. Put in a 2' stake along-side each seedling; they need to be tied loosely to stakes as they get taller. Add lots of compost. Water at ground level, trying to keep leaves dry. Growing sea-son is 50-75 days. Cherry tomatoes can also be grown in containers.
Nasturtiums These flowers are easy to grow and yield results quickly, which encourages the young gardener. Nasturtiums bloom
about 50 days after the seeds are planted, with orange, yellow and red flowers. They prefer sunny, dry loca-tions and do well in poor soil. Choose the shorter vari-eties for garden beds. Nasturtiums are also pest re-sistant, which ensures a successful planting. The flow-ers are also edible, and can be used to add color to a fresh garden salad. Bush beans Fast, easy, high yield and, because they do not grow tall, they are easy for kids to harvest. Bush beans germinate in 4-8 days, and mature in 40-65 days. It's best to plant a small patch, then another in a few weeks. This will extend the harvest. When choosing seeds, select the "low bush" varieties because these will be easier for children to harvest. Plant closely spaced, about 4" apart. Grow in direct sun; water the soil but try to keep the leaves dry. Bush beans don't need poles or trellises to grow. Carrots Seeds can be sown directly into soil; car-rots prefer cooler temperatures. They can be slow to germinate, so be patient. Carrots will mature in about 60 days. The soil should be free of rocks and easy for the carrot to grow 'down'. Keep well-watered and thin to every 3" because crowding will produce foliage but no root. Small varieties are recommended for children,
Continued on page 11
What to plant - Top 10 crops for children
Page 11 Little Noles Nutrition
Continued from page 9
You should also consider using varieties of plants that have sensory and textural qualities as well. Examples of great sensory plants include:
Bright color – daffodils, rainbow chard, mari-golds, pansies, sunflowers Sound – corn, bamboo and grasses rustle against each other when the wind blows.
Different-aged children in the garden Toddlers, preschoolers, primary-school-aged and old-er children will all have different expectations and will learn different things in the garden. Younger children will require careful supervision during activi-ties. Suitable tasks for younger children include water-ing plants, harvesting produce and planting seeds. Older children are physically capable of handling a greater variety of activities, like digging, carrying, planting, mulching and pruning.
Activities for a child in the garden Choose activities that suit the child’s age. Suggestions include:
Watering the garden Digging Picking flowers Planting vegetables, fruits and flowers in the cor-rect season Feeding the worms and using the ‘worm tea’ from the worm farm as fertilizer Picking vegetables and fruits when they are ready to eat Preparing healthy food, such as making salads and preparing school lunches Craft activities using harvested seeds, plants and flowers Composting, recycling and mulching Weeding Gathering seeds and dried flowers Deadheading flowers Preparing the soil with organic fertilizer Replanting and re-potting.
Continued from page 10
as they're easier to grow and more fun to eat. Potatoes A 'never-fail' crop. You can plant red or white varieties; red will mature faster. Children seem to favor the red variety. Cut seed potatoes into chunks with at least 2 'eyes' per. Plant in furrows, about 12-15" apart, with eyes pointing upward. Mound soil up around plant as it grows; harvest when plant collapses. Pumpkin A 'must' for a child's garden, if you have the room. Plant seeds in a small hill; poke three holes in the hill and put one seed in each hole. Seeds will sprout in about 1 week; after a few days, vine leaves begin to form and creep along the ground. Once there are 3 pumpkins on the vine, pick off any new blossoms. Pumpkins take 80 - 120 days to harvest: it's ready when it feels hard on the outside and sounds hollow when tapped. Let an adult supervise the cutting, using shears. Seeds can be dried to eat, or save for future planting. The meat can be used for pies, and the pumpkin for carving. Tips for gardening with children: Give them their own garden beds. Whether you use
raised beds, containers or ground plots, be sure to give each child his or her own separate plot.
Give them serious tools. Let them use your tools if need be; in this way you're acknowledging the im-portance of the work they're doing.
Start from seeds. While it's a convenient shortcut to buy starters, children will learn more by seeing the growing process as it begins, from seed.
Cheat a little. Depending on the age of the child, you may need to help out a little 'behind the scene'.
When all else fails, make a scarecrow. This activity is still a contribution to the gardening effort and adds another layer of interest to the garden scene. It also reminds the child of the importance of the gar-den crops.
Show off their work. Attention given o their work is the best motivator.
Page 12 Little Noles Book Review
Little Red Hen is a time-tested cautionary tale about how we reap what we sow. When the hen asks a cat, dog, and mouse for help planting some wheat, she gets no takers: "‘Not I!’ said the cat. ‘Not I!’ said the dog. ‘Not I!’ said the mouse." They won’t water, cut, or
grind the wheat . . . or help bake a cake with it, either. So guess who eats the cake by herself in the end? The Caldecott Honor artist Paul Galdone’s delightfully de-tailed ink and wash illustrations—packed with charm-ing details—add plenty of sly humor to the well-loved story that not only offers a sage message but also shows children what it takes to make a cake from the ground up! A Chinese-American girl and her mother grow a vege-table garden in a neighborhood where everyone else grows flowers. The girl thinks their plants are ugly compared to flowers, but soon learns that vegetables can make a very delicious soup one that the whole neighborhood wants to try. Soon everyone is growing Chinese vegetables as well as flowers. A recipe for "Ugly Vegetable Soup" is included. Lin's brightly col-ored gouache illustrations perfectly match her story, creating a patchwork-quilt effect as the neighbors' backyards all converge. Families of all kinds engage in all sorts of activities while children play happily together. Each double-page spread is a different color with a different pattern scattered lightly across it, serv-ing as a frame for the illustrations and as background for the text. A lovely, well-formatted book with an enjoyable multicultural story.
Page 13 Little Noles On Campus & Around Town
Imagination Fountain Nighttime Show
Have you seen the water, music and light show at Imagi-nation Fountain yet!?!? Check it out on Fridays and Sat-urdays at 8, 8:30 and 9 pm! Be sure to call or check the Facebook page to confirm that there is no interruption to this regularly scheduled program.
When: Friday, March 18, 2016, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Where: 1001 S Gadsden St Tallahassee, Florida 32301
For more information, call (850)891-3816
Tallahassee Downtown Marketplace
The Market will open its 22nd season of bringing fresh farmed goods, home made treats, art, books, entertain-ment and more to our Downtown patrons! Join us each week March through November
When: Saturday, March 19, 2016, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Where: 115 East Park Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32303
For more information visit www.downtownmarket.com
Toddler Time at Sky Zone
Toddler Time is designed to give children ages 4 and younger a safe and fun experience at Sky Zone!
When: Tuesday, March 22, 2016, 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Where: Sky Zone Tallahassee, 1925 N. Monroe St. suite 109, Tallahassee, FL
Cost: Toddler Jumpers ages 4 and under: $7 per toddler
For more information visit www.skyzone.com
Easter Bunny Pictures at Giggles
Free pictures with the Easter Bunny with your pur-chase of an all day play pass for $9/child.
When: Saturday, March 26, 2016, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Where: Giggles Indoor Play Center, 3441 Banner-man Road, Tallahassee, FL
For more information visit www.gigglesindoorplaycenter.com
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Page 15 Little Noles Holiday History
St. Patrick’s Day
Saint Patrick was a priest and former slave and who is known converting the Irish to Christiani-ty. St. Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland.
St. Patrick used the three-leaf shamrock to ex-plain the Trinity to non-Christians. The leaves stood for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
At the age of 16, St Patrick was taken prisoner and made a slave by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.
After more than six years as a slave Patrick escaped. According to his writing, he was guided by a voice that had spoken to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.
· For many Christian con-gregations, the first Easter ser-vice for the year is the Service of Light. The worship typical-ly starts in dark-ness on the pre-ceding Saturday night or early
Sunday morning. Light is brought into the church with candles to signify hope based on the
resurrection. The service culminates with the lighting of a paschal candle, signifying Christ.
· Easter eggs represent new life and also sym-bolize the shape of Jesus' tomb.
The colors for Easter are white and gold. Easter lilies are popular decorations in American churches. These white blooms are one of the earliest flowers to bloom in the spring and symbolize beauty, purity, and holiness.
Good Friday is observed as the day that Jesus
was crucified. This day is celebrated is a number of different ways, from taking down the cross in the Orthodox faith to recounting the story of Je-sus' last days, which is called the Passion of Christ. For many churches, Good Friday is the final service of Holy Week, following Holy Thursday and Palm Sunday. Other churches hold an Easter Vigil on Saturday night to bring the light of Christ back into the church.
One tradition on Good Friday is to make and
eat hot cross buns. The bread, which is slightly sweet, has a cross on the top that represents the crucifixion. It is thought to be an English tradi-tion that dates back 500 years.
