Midland
County Family
Activity Guide
Winter 2017
WINTER 2017TABLE OF CONTENTS
1STEDITION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HEALTHY FAMILIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LANGUAGE AND LITERACY . . . . . . . . . . . .
MATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SCIENCE , TECHNOLOGY , AND THE ARTS
EVENT CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
Hello Families!
Happy Winter Midland families! You've probably noticed your child hasalready learned so much this year. This guide provides some quick tipsfor learning at home and fun FREE Midland County events. In this guideyou will find:
Kindergarten Readiness Teachers at Midland County Great Start ReadinessPrograms and Head Start use a tool called Teaching Strategies GOLD to keep
track of your child's progress throughout their time in preschool. Teachers go over
this information at parentteacher conferences with you, but you can ask to be
updated any time. Each page of this guide contains a checklist for the skills we are
building to help your child prepare for kindergarten and beyond.
Home Connection A child's family is their first teacher. Families are busy, andpreparing for kindergarten can be overwhelming. Each box labeled "home
connection" has free, easy, and fun ideas that fit into your daily routine. Have fun
learning while playing "I Spy" in the car, pretending to be a "clean up robot" or
making a healthy snack together.
Community Connection Have you ever heard the African proverb "It takes avillage to raise a child?" Midland County certainly understands that philosophy. In
the bottom right hand corner of the page, you'll find FREE community events for
your family to attend and resources to help your child grow. Research shows
children who participate in community events have higher achievement and school
success. Have fun learning and explore all of the exciting resources Midland has to
offer!
KindergartenChecklistHealthy Families
Home Connection
Cooking Matters Recipe:Peanut Butter Banana
Pockets
MSU Extensions: Cooking Matters
Get Out and Explore!Chippewa Nature Center offers many FREE family events
including nature hikes and snow shoe walks with free rental.
Bundle up and enjoy some fun exploring Midland! See page 7
for a full list of details.
1. Stand on one foot for at least 8 seconds
2. Do a somersault and hop
3. Walk up and down stairs without help
4. Walk forward and backwards easily
5. Peddle a tricycle
6. Copy a triangle, circle, square, and other shapes
7. Stack 10 or more blocks
8. Use a fork and spoon
9. Dress and undress, brush teeth, and take care of other
personal needs without much help
Taught by a chef and nutritionistFREE GROCERIESMake theserecipes at home!FREE COOKBOOK
Cooking matters is a free 6 weekclass that offer information onhealthy snacks, shopping smart,planning balanced meals, andeating out
Did you know your preschooler needs at least 60 minutes of physicalactivity a day? Running through the snow, building snowmen, climbingsnow piles, and exploring what nature has to offer are great ways to giveyour child the physical activity they need to grow into happy and healthyadults. Aside from physical activity, there are other benefits too! Beingoutdoors boosts your child's immune system, stimulates their imagination,promotes problemsolving and provides essential Vitamin D that promotesmemory, mood, and healthy energy levels.
According to ahealthiermichigan.org, as a rule of thumb, you should usethe windchill as the best judge on if it’s too cold to play outside. Ingeneral, when the windchill is 32 degrees and above, it’s safe to beoutside. In temperatures 13 degrees to 31 degrees, indoor breaks shouldhappen every 2030 minutes. For windchills of 13 degrees and below, youshould move activities indoors and outside of the cold as frostbite can setin very quickly.
Winter is a Great Time toPlay Outside!
3 ripe bananas3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter1½ teaspoons honey¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon4 (8inch) whole wheat flour tortillasNonstick cooking spray
1. Peel and slice bananas about ¼inch thick.2. In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, honey, and cinnamon.3. Lay tortillas flat. Spread about 1 Tablespoon of the peanut buttermixture on one half of each tortilla.4. Divide banana slices evenly among tortillas. Arrange in a singlelayer over peanut butter mixture. Fold each tortilla in half.5. Coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat overmediumhigh heat.6. Place folded tortillas in the skillet. Cook for 1–2 minutes on eachside, or until golden brown.
For information on CookingMatters Classes, please visitgreatstartmidland.org or visit theMidland County Great StartCollaborative Facebook page.
KindergartenChecklist
Social Emotional
1. Controls strong emotions in an appropriate manner most
of the time
2. Manages classroom rules, routines, and
transitions with occasional reminders
3. Engages with familiar adults as resources, to share ideas,
and interests
4. Identifies basic emotions of others and their causes
accurately
5. Initiates, joins in, and sustains positive interactions with a
small group of 23 children
6. Initiates the sharing of materials in the classroom and
outdoors
7. Suggests solutions to social problems
1/19/17 6:30PM8:30PM Chippewa Nature Center CampfireUnder the Stars
1/21/17 10:00AM4:00PM Kid's Day at Midland Mall2/1/17 9:45AM & 10:45AM Circle Time at Grace A DowLibrary
Your Community
Community events are fun and exciting opportunities for
children to learn, make friends, and practice the social
skills they're working to develop at home and school.
Check out some of the free upcoming events below and
page 7 for a full list of events.
Adapted from Teaching Strategies Gold
Home Connection
Conscious Discipline BreathingIcons
The first step in any conflict is to take a nice, deep, long breath from yourbelly. Why is it so important? It actually shuts off the "flight or fight" responsein our bodies that makes us want to fight or hide during conflict! Check outthe strategies below to learn how Conscious Discipline makes calming downfun.
Children learn how to calm themselves and handle difficult situations basedon the strategies they see adults in their life using. To teach your child thesedeep breathing skills, we use these strategies and pictures in the classroom(preschoolers are very visual). You can find bigger pictures of thesebreathing strategies for free on the Conscious Discipline website(consciousdiscipline.com) Teach your child these skills whenthey're calm, that's when they learn best, try practicing in the car or atbedtime!
jStanding up, cross your ankles. Now crossyour right wrist over left, turn your hands soyour thumbs are facing the floor, put palmstogether and interlace fingers. Bend yourelbows out and gently turn your hands downand toward your body until they rest on thecenter of your chest. Put your tongue on theroof of your mouth. Relax and breathe.
Pretzel
Place your hands on top of your head andinterlace your fingers. Breathe in throughyour nose as you raise your arms, inflatingan imaginary balloon. Release the air in theballoon by pursing your lips, exhaling slowly,lowering your arms and making a“pbpbpbpbpb” sound (the sound a deflatingballoon makes).
Balloon
KindergartenChecklist
Smile, Take a deep breath And Relax.Encourage belly breathing where the tummygoes out when the air goes in, and in whenthe air goes out. Also help children learn toexhale slower than they inhale.
S.T.A.R.
DrainExtend arms out, pretending your arms arefaucets. Tighten arm, shoulder, and facemuscles.Exhale slowly making a “sssshhh”sound and release all your muscles,draining out thestress.
To register for upcoming Conscious Discipline classes please visitgreatstartmidland.org or visit the Midland County Great StartCollaborative Facebook page
KindergartenChecklist
Language and Literacy
1. Follows directions of two or more steps (ex. put your
food in the trash and rinse off your plate)
2. Uses complete 46 word sentences
3. Tells stories about places and past events in a logical
order that includes major details
4. Matches beginning sounds of some words
5. Recognizes name and as many as 10 letters
6. Produces correct sound for 1020 letters
7. Orients book correctly, turns pages from front to back,
recognizes familiar books by their cover
8. Identifies storyrelated problems, events, and
resolutions during conversations with an adult
9. Pretends to read using some of the language from the
text, describes action across pages using pictures
10. Writes strings of letters, not necessarily words
Free Story Time!Check out page 7 for more details on the events listed below:
Adapted from Teaching Strategies Gold
Home ConnectionThe Lending Library:
Story Stretchers and Activity Bins
Midland County's Lending Library is a great way to promote language andliteracy, while making reading time interactive at the same time.
Story Stretcher Totes include a reading book plus a toy or stuffed animalto engage your child while reading together. There is also an activity cardwith ideas for how to use concepts and themes from the story throughoutthe day.
Each Activity Bin has its own specific theme and includes multiple activitiesgeared to reinforce those themes with your preschoolers. The LendingLibrary includes more than 50 of these tubs, with themes including Weather,Space, Opposites, Nursery Rhymes, Zoo, and Music & Movement.Specifically, the Language & Literacy Activity Bin is full of games, puzzles,and other activities and is a great resource for reinforcing these conceptswith your children.
January, February, MarchStory Hour at ChippewaNature Center FREE Chippewa Nature Center
Every Saturday at 11:00AM Barnes and Noble StoryHour FREEBarnes and Noble at Midland Mall
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a nonprofit organization
that promotes early childhood literacy by giving free age
appropriate books to children through age 5.
To enroll your child in Midland County Imagination Libraryor for more information please call Christine Rutledge at9894927702 ext. 1101.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Circle Time, Discovery Depot, and more!Grace A. Dow Library
KindergartenChecklist
1. Identifies numbers to 10 by name and connects each number to an object when counting2. Counts groups of 610 objects and labels which groups have less, more, or the same number of objects3. Uses and responds appropriately to positional words indicating location, direction, and distance (under, over, between, close, far, behind, in front, etc.)4. Identifies 2 and 3 dimensional shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle) and describes them (round, has four sides, has 3 corners, etc.)5. Compares and orders a small set of objects according to size, length, weight; knows usual sequence of basic daily events 6. Uses numbers to compare, knows the purpose of standard measuring tools 7. Extends and creates simple repeating patterns
Math in the Mail
Math in the Mail is FREE to families who qualify, and
focuses on developing math skills in threeyearolds by
providing tools needed for families. Math in the mail
packages include:
Adapted from Teaching Strategies Gold
Home Connection
Cooking together is a great way to introduce
early math! Have your child help measure the
ingredients and use the easytomake recipe
below:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
3 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)
food coloring (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a bowl. Add boiling water.
Knead until smooth.
Use a deck of cards (or numbers 110 written on
pieces of paper). Have your child pick a card and
tell you what number they drew. Have them pick
up that many items, then you draw a number and
do the same. (If your child draws a 5, they pick
up 5 items)Take turns until cleanup is done!
Materials designed for hands on play
A book
Ideas for handson activities using the provided
materials
Ideas for extension activities using items found
in any home
"Tools for Talking", a guide on how to use the
materials provided
To enroll in Math in the Mail:
Visit www.mathinthemail.org
Call (989)7379532 to enroll over the phone
Ask home visiting partners, Head Start, and
GSRP Preschool teachers and staff for help
Homemade Play Dough
Let's Clean Up With Math
For this game, you need a programmer, and a
robot. The programmer picks a toy that needs
to be picked up. The robot follows the
programmers directions. For example, "Okay
robot, I want you to pick up that truck. Take 5
steps forward. Take two steps to the left (if
you need to remind your child which way is left
through pointing, or your child points while
they are the programmer, that's okay). Okay,
now bend down to pick the toy up, and deliver
it to the toy box"
Robot Clean Up
Clean Up by NumberMath
If families do not meet eligibility requirements to receiveMath in the Mail for free, they may subscribe for a fee
KindergartenChecklist
Science, Technology, Art
Explore Science and the Arts!
Adapted from Teaching Strategies Gold
Home Connection
2/1/1710:00AM Tunes for TotsTUBAMidland Center for the Arts
Every Wednesday and Thursday in January9:45AM10:15AM and 10:45AM11:15AMMusic on the GoGrace A. Dow Memorial Library
2/25/17 10:00AM11:00AM, 1:00PM2:00PM,3:00PM4:00PM Snakes Alive! Discovering theWonders of SnakesChippewa Nature Center
3/4/1710:30AM12:00PM Lego at theLibraryGrace A. Dow Memorial Library
1710 W St Andrews Rd, Midland, MI
48640
1. Explores dance and movement concepts2. Explores the visual arts3. Explores drama through actions and language4. Demonstrates knowledge of characteristics of living things(pretends to feed a baby doll or animal, puts baby doll to sleep,etc.)5. Understands physical properties of objects (heavy, light, rough,smooth)6. Demonstrates knowledge of Earth's environment (seasons,weather, day and night)7. Demonstrates scientific inquiry skills (observing, planning,predicting, sharing ideas about what happened, using tools suchas magnifying glasses, rulers, scales to make observations)
Midland has many FREE opportunities for you and your
child to explore science and the arts. Check out some of the
events happening this winter at Dow Gardens, the library,
and Chippewa Nature Center! (See page 7 for a full list)
Play it in the car, on a walk, at
breakfast...this classic game builds your
child's observation skills and knowledge of
the world, skills they will need for
kindergarten! As a bonus, play with letters
and numbers on labels at mealtime. To
play simply say, "I spy...something blue" or
"I spy...the letter A can you find another
one?"
I Spy
Explorers, Artists, andScientists, Oh my!
While you're preparing dinner, mix spices
you are using (or spices in your cupboard)
with a small amount of water on a plate. To
make the paint thicker and go further, you
can add flour or more spice. Let your child
smell the paint, and use their fingers or
paint brushes on newspaper, coupon flyers
or paper.
Spice Painting
Children can develop this math skill while
listening to music. Take turns clapping,
stomping, or using spoons on pots and
pans to create rhythms. Take turns
copying patterns. Start with five or fewer
beats before moving on to longer
patterns, or simply play along to your
child's favorite music.
STOMP
Add a little bit of body text
January February March
Free Community Events
1/8/172:00PM4:00PM Wigwam in the WinterChippewa Nature Center 400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
1/8/174:00PM5:30PM & 1/14 10:00AM11:30AMSnowshoe Hike If you need to borrow snowshoes, please call989.631.0830 to reserve a pair. If snow conditionsare unfavorable, the hike will be cancelled (basedon the discretion of CNC). Chippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
1/14/171:00PM2:00PM Families In Nature:Winter Shelters Chippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
1/19/17 9:30AM12:00PM Story Hour: Stars Chippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
1/19/17 6:30PM8:30PM Campfire Under theStars Chippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
1/21/17 Searching for Rainbows in WinterChippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
1/22/172:00PM3:00PM Creatures of the Night!Live Noturnal Birds and MammalsChippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
1/23 10:00AM4:00PM Kid's Day at the MidlandMallMidland Mall6800 Eastman Ave, Midland, MI 48642
1/7/1710:30AM12:00PM Lego at the LibraryGrace A. Dow Memorial Library1710 W St Andrews Rd, Midland, MI 48640
EVERY MONDAY 7:00PM7:30PM Music forMunchkins Grace A Dow Memorial Library1710 W St Andrews Rd, Midland, MI 48640
EVERY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY9:45AM10:15AM and 10:45AM11:15AMMusic on the Go Grace A Dow Memorial Library1710 W St Andrews Rd, Midland, MI 48640
2/1/1710:00AM Tunes for TotsTUBAMidland Center for the Arts1801 St Andrews St, Midland, MI 48640
2/1/174:00PM5:30PM & 2/5/16 1:00PM2:30PM Snowshoe Hike If you need to borrow snowshoes, please call989.631.0830 to reserve a pair. If snowconditions are unfavorable, the hike will becanceled (based on the discretion of CNC).Chippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
EVERY SATURDAY 11:00AM BARNESAND NOBLE STORY TIMEBarnes and Noble at Midland Mall6800 Eastman Ave, Midland, MI 48642
EVERY SATURDAY 11:00AM BARNES ANDNOBLE STORY TIMEBarnes and Noble at Midland Mall6800 Eastman Ave, Midland, MI 48642
EVERY SATURDAY 11:00AM BARNESAND NOBLE STORY TIMEBarnes and Noble at Midland Mall6800 Eastman Ave, Midland, MI 48642
2/2/17 9:30AM10:30AM & 11:00AM12:00PM and 2/4/17 9:30AM10:30AM StoryHour: Owl MoonChippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
2/11/17 1:00PM2:30PM Families in Nature:Snowshoe HikeChippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
2/16/17 9:30AM10:30AM and 11:00AM12:00PM Story Hour: A Rock is LivelyChippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
2/25/17 10:00AM11:00AM, 1:00PM2:00PM,3:00PM4:00PM Snakes Alive! Discoveringthe Wonders of SnakesChippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
2/1/17 9:45AM10:15AM and 10:45AM11:15AM Circle Time Grace A. Dow Memorial Library1710 W St Andrews Rd, Midland, MI 48640
2/2/17 9:4510:15AM and 10:4511:15AMMusic for MunchkinsGrace A. Dow Memorial Library1710 W St Andrews Rd, Midland, MI 48640
2/8/172/21/17 ALL DAY Discovery DepotGrace A. Dow Memorial Library1710 W St Andrews Rd, Midland, MI 48640
1/23/173/26/17 Cooking Matters Class 9:00AM10:30AMLongview Early Childhood Center337 Lemke, Midland, MI 48640
3/3/174/16/17 Butterflies In Bloom (Free for 5and under, kids 617 $1.00) Dow Gardens1809 Eastman Avenue, Midland, MI 48640
3/4/1710:30AM12:00PM Lego at the LibraryGrace A. Dow Memorial Library1710 W St Andrews Rd, Midland, MI 48640
3/2/17 9:30AM10:30AM & 11:00AM12:00AM and 2/4/17 9:30AM10:30AM StoryHour: Little CloudChippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
3/16/17 9:30AM10:30AM & 11:00AM12:00PM and 2/4/17 9:30AM10:30AM StoryHour: Maple TreesChippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
Every Saturday and Sunday in March 1:304:30PM An Afternoon at the Sugar HouseChippewa Nature Center400 S Badour Rd Midland, MI 48640
These materials were developed under a grantawarded by the Michigan Department of Education
and Great Start Parent Collation