April is a special month for young children! It is a month of celebration! National Week of the Young Child is April 11-15th. We will be having a Fiesta Party to kick off this special celebration! We will be sending out more information about our Fiesta very soon! Now that the weather is warming up, the children will be spending much more time outdoors. For your child’s safety, please do not send him/her to school with open toed shoes. This will help prevent injury’s while running and riding the trikes. Please also send sunscreen that we can keep here at school for your child. We will also be spending a lot of time on our gardens. Earth day is coming up…the classrooms will start by cleaning out their garden boxes and planting there seeds, plants or flowers. Be sure to check in with your child towards the end of the month to see how their garden is coming along.
Sincerely, Stephanie Gill/Principal
Dates to remember in April
April 06 Raffle baskets items due
April 7-14 Scholastic Book Fair
April 09 FIESTA PLAYDAY 10:30am-12:30pm
April 13 Fiesta musical dance party @ 10am
April 15 Performance by a Mariachi band @ 10am
April 18-22 classrooms will start their gardening/planting projects
April 22 Earth Day
PLAYDAY! It’s time for a FIESTA!!! Join us on Saturday April 9th from 10:30am-12:30 pm for a morning full of fun! We will have lots of games, raffles, prizes, pony rides, a petting zoo, great food and much more. We will also be selling tickets for our raffle baskets in which items were donated to us by all of our lovely Merryhill families.
Here is a schedule of events during the Week of the Young Child-April 11th-15th:
Monday April 11th –the children get to take home a special treat at the end of the day
Tuesday April 12th– The children will have Taquito Tuesday-special lunch!
Wednesday April 13th-the children will have a musical day a Fiesta party, and then they will each get to take home their own mini maracas at the end of the day!
Thursday April 14th– the children will get to take home a treat at the end of the day
Friday April 15th–A special performance by a local Mariachi band @ 10am
During Week of the Young Child your child’s teacher has planned special activities to celebrate with us as well!
Raffle Baskets Please check your child’s classroom doors for items that need to be donated for our raffle baskets. All items are due to your child’s teacher no later than April 6, please. THANKS!!!
Scholastic Book Fair We will be having our annual Scholastic book fair during the Week of the Young Child, April 7-14. You will be able to purchase books for your child and for our classrooms. Merryhill gets 50% of the profit made in books back to the school. You are able to purchase books using a credit card, check or cash. Thank you for supporting books for kids!
From our Education Department
Linking Learning with Nature Spring is here! Flowers are blooming, days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer. Now is a great time for children to explore these environmental changes happening in the world around them.
Not only are children curious about nature, but research shows that it has a profound influence on their problem solving skills, creativity, imagination and cognitive ability. Because of this, our teachers incorporate nature in all aspects of our Links to Learning curriculum.
Below are ways we connect learning with nature, as well as activities you can do with your child at home.
INFANTS/TODDLERS:
In the classroom: After reading a book about springtime, teachers bring children outdoors to explore and investigate objects in nature. The children have fun crumbling leaves, smelling flowers and looking at clouds.
At home: Take tummy time outdoors and allow your infant to explore different sights, sounds and textures. Encourage him to move and grab things by placing objects just beyond his reach. For toddlers, ask questions like, “Who made that chirping sound” or “Can you point to the flowers?”
Recommended reading: Wake Up! Wake Up! A Springtime Lift-the-Flap Book by Kathryn Davis, Welcome Spring by Little Scholastic
BEGINNERS (ages 2-3):
In the classroom: Our Beginners read books about seasonal changes, then bring the story to life by going outdoors to find real-world examples.
At home: Help make your child aware of the seasonal changes going on around him. Talk a walk with him and ask questions such as “Why do we see flowers growing now?” or “What do flowers need in order to grow?” Encourage him to use his creativity when answering.
Recommended reading: Over in the Meadow by Olive Wadsworth, Mouse’s First Spring by Lauren Thompson
INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4):
In the classroom: Students plant seeds in their school garden and learn about the importance of caring for them. Through this activity, they practice math skills such as measuring, sorting, counting and making predictions.
At home: Set up a bird feeder outside a window that your child can easily see. Let him help you fill it with birdfeed. As the birds come to eat, ask your child to talk about them. “What color are they?” “Are they big or small?” “What are they doing?”
Recommended reading: Little Seed by Eric Carle, Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (ages 4-5):
In the classroom: Pre-K and Pre-K 2 students explore the sounds they hear in nature while playing outdoors. They then use recycled and natural materials, such as string and pine cones, to make their own wind chime.
At home: Reuse junk mail for a fun arts and crafts activity with your child. Encourage him to look through flyers and magazines to find words and pictures that he recognizes. Then, ask him to create a collage by cutting and gluing them to a piece of paper or poster board.
Recommended reading: And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, About Springtime, Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
We provide many opportunities for our preschoolers to think creatively and imaginatively about the world around them. By setting this foundation, children build confidence in their own unique thoughts and maintain a thirst for learning as they enter elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director of Early Childhood Education
April Newsletter
April is a special month for young children! It is a month of celebration! National Week of the Young Child is April 11-15th. We will be having a Fiesta Party to kick off this special celebration! We will be sending out more information about our Fiesta very soon! Now that the weather is warming up, the children will be spending much more time outdoors. For your child’s safety, please do not send him/her to school with open toed shoes. This will help prevent injury’s while running and riding the trikes. Please also send sunscreen that we can keep here at school for your child. We will also be spending a lot of time on our gardens. Earth day is coming up…the classrooms will start by cleaning out their garden boxes and planting there seeds, plants or flowers. Be sure to check in with your child towards the end of the month to see how their garden is coming along.
Sincerely, Stephanie Gill/Principal
Dates to remember in April
April 06 Raffle baskets items due
April 7-14 Scholastic Book Fair
April 09 FIESTA PLAYDAY 10:30am-12:30pm
April 13 Fiesta musical dance party @ 10am
April 15 Performance by a Mariachi band @ 10am
April 18-22 classrooms will start their gardening/planting projects
April 22 Earth Day
PLAYDAY! It’s time for a FIESTA!!! Join us on Saturday April 9th from 10:30am-12:30 pm for a morning full of fun! We will have lots of games, raffles, prizes, pony rides, a petting zoo, great food and much more. We will also be selling tickets for our raffle baskets in which items were donated to us by all of our lovely Merryhill families.
Here is a schedule of events during the Week of the Young Child-April 11th-15th:
Monday April 11th –the children get to take home a special treat at the end of the day
Tuesday April 12th– The children will have Taquito Tuesday-special lunch!
Wednesday April 13th-the children will have a musical day a Fiesta party, and then they will each get to take home their own mini maracas at the end of the day!
Thursday April 14th– the children will get to take home a treat at the end of the day
Friday April 15th–A special performance by a local Mariachi band @ 10am
During Week of the Young Child your child’s teacher has planned special activities to celebrate with us as well!
Raffle Baskets Please check your child’s classroom doors for items that need to be donated for our raffle baskets. All items are due to your child’s teacher no later than April 6, please. THANKS!!!
Scholastic Book Fair We will be having our annual Scholastic book fair during the Week of the Young Child, April 7-14. You will be able to purchase books for your child and for our classrooms. Merryhill gets 50% of the profit made in books back to the school. You are able to purchase books using a credit card, check or cash. Thank you for supporting books for kids!
From our Education Department
Linking Learning with Nature Spring is here! Flowers are blooming, days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer. Now is a great time for children to explore these environmental changes happening in the world around them.
Not only are children curious about nature, but research shows that it has a profound influence on their problem solving skills, creativity, imagination and cognitive ability. Because of this, our teachers incorporate nature in all aspects of our Links to Learning curriculum.
Below are ways we connect learning with nature, as well as activities you can do with your child at home.
INFANTS/TODDLERS:
In the classroom: After reading a book about springtime, teachers bring children outdoors to explore and investigate objects in nature. The children have fun crumbling leaves, smelling flowers and looking at clouds.
At home: Take tummy time outdoors and allow your infant to explore different sights, sounds and textures. Encourage him to move and grab things by placing objects just beyond his reach. For toddlers, ask questions like, “Who made that chirping sound” or “Can you point to the flowers?”
Recommended reading: Wake Up! Wake Up! A Springtime Lift-the-Flap Book by Kathryn Davis, Welcome Spring by Little Scholastic
BEGINNERS (ages 2-3):
In the classroom: Our Beginners read books about seasonal changes, then bring the story to life by going outdoors to find real-world examples.
At home: Help make your child aware of the seasonal changes going on around him. Talk a walk with him and ask questions such as “Why do we see flowers growing now?” or “What do flowers need in order to grow?” Encourage him to use his creativity when answering.
Recommended reading: Over in the Meadow by Olive Wadsworth, Mouse’s First Spring by Lauren Thompson
INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4):
In the classroom: Students plant seeds in their school garden and learn about the importance of caring for them. Through this activity, they practice math skills such as measuring, sorting, counting and making predictions.
At home: Set up a bird feeder outside a window that your child can easily see. Let him help you fill it with birdfeed. As the birds come to eat, ask your child to talk about them. “What color are they?” “Are they big or small?” “What are they doing?”
Recommended reading: Little Seed by Eric Carle, Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (ages 4-5):
In the classroom: Pre-K and Pre-K 2 students explore the sounds they hear in nature while playing outdoors. They then use recycled and natural materials, such as string and pine cones, to make their own wind chime.
At home: Reuse junk mail for a fun arts and crafts activity with your child. Encourage him to look through flyers and magazines to find words and pictures that he recognizes. Then, ask him to create a collage by cutting and gluing them to a piece of paper or poster board.
Recommended reading: And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, About Springtime, Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
We provide many opportunities for our preschoolers to think creatively and imaginatively about the world around them. By setting this foundation, children build confidence in their own unique thoughts and maintain a thirst for learning as they enter elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director of Early Childhood Education