How puppets can help with social skills

Puppets are a common device for playtime, and it's easy to see how children love to play together with puppets.  Puppets are also a great example of learning through play.  But what you might not realize is how helpful puppets can be in helping to teach children social skills, such as conflict resolution.

The use of puppets can also help with modeling good classroom behaviors, like asking a teacher for help.  This great article explains how these concepts are achieved, and how teachers prepare an effective and fun puppet show for your child.  Who knew puppets could be so beneficial?


Source: "Circle Time Puppets - Teaching Social Skills" Play and Children's Learning in the Classroom, NAEYC.org. Julia Luckenbill. Web.

Rescue Han Solo!

Here's an awesome 'Lego Star Wars Science' experiment that is likely more fun than watching the
movie!  This would be perfect for Dads that love to instill a little Star Wars knowledge into their child, and a great way to have fun in preparation for Father's Day on June 15th.

Thanks to Fun-a-Day for this project!

Halloween Costume Ideas for Families

Infant Angry Birds Costume

Halloween is truly a family event, and what better way to celebrate than with themed 
costumes for the family! When your children are small, they will enjoy dressing up to match mom and dad. That won't be the case for long, parents, so enjoy it while you can!

Spirit of Halloween Alvin Costume

Here are some ideas for themed Halloween costumes:

• Angry Birds
• Raggedy Ann and Andy
• Madagascar 
• Toy Story
• Crayolas
• Peanuts
• Sesame Street
• the 60s
• Scooby Doo
• Star Wars
• Alice in Wonderland
• Grease
• A-Team
• Alvin and the Chipmunks (and Chippettes!)
• Barbie, Ken, Skipper, etc
• Tetris Blocks
• Beekeepers and bees
• Pac Man and Ghosts
• Fly Swatter and Flies
• Care Bears
• any of your family's favorite movies, games, or books!

Tetris Family Costume

Have some ideas for a great family costume?  Leave them in the comments below!

How to Teach Children to Care for Pets

This month our children are learning more about animals and their habitats. We recently invited a petting zoo to our school and the teachers were so amazed with how careful our children were with handling the animals. Many of the children at our school have pets at home and have lots of opportunities to show kindness, respect, and love towards an animal. If you are thinking about getting a pet for your child, here are a few tips.

1. Do some research about which types of pets are a good match for your child. Some pets require lots of time and attention and may not be a compatible match for your child.
2. Make your home pet friendly. Store any chemicals in a lock cabinet and remove anything off from the floors that you wouldn't want for your pet to get into. Tie up loose cords and other objects that could potentially harm your pet. It's similar to baby proofing your home. 
3. Educate your child about pet temperament and animal care. Many pet stores and animal shelters offer training. Talk to other people who have pets as they may offer a lot of insight. 
4. Help to make your child's pet transition a smooth one. Your child's pet may be frighten or apprehensive at first and your child may want to play with your pet right away. Remind your child to be patient and allow time for the new pet to get use to their new environment. 
5. Teach your child to be gentle with their new pet. This is one the most important lesson children will need to learn. A great way to teach your child to be gentle to visit friends or relatives with pets. If your child is having difficulty being gentle towards a pet, then it may not be the right time for a pet.

Teaching your child to care and love a pet is fun and a rewarding experience. It also teaches your child responsibility. 

Top Preschool Book Picks

Credit to Barnes and Noble

Our children's literature month has come to an end. The children enjoyed the Usborne Book Fair, the Dr. Seuss Birthday Bash,  and the field trips to Barnes and Noble. The children were exposed to so many wonderful book titles and here are some of their favorites.

We Are in a Book by Mo Willems

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling.  Gerald can. Gerald and Piggie are best friends. In We Are in a Book!, Gerald and Piggie discover the joy of being read but what will happen when the book ends?

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

The bear's hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear's memory and renews his search with a vengeance.  Told completely in dialogue,  this delicious take on the classic repetitive  plays out in sly illustration laced with visual humor--and winks at the reader with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the joke. 

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book instructs the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next! Children and adults alike will giggle with delight as the dots multiply, change direction, and grow in size! Especially remarkable because the adventure occurs on the flat surface of the simple, printed page, this unique picture book about the power of imagination and interactivity will provide read-aloud fun for all ages!

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

When Floyd's kite gets stuck in a tree, he's determined to get it out. But how? Well, by knocking it down with his shoe, of course. But strangely enough, it too gets stuck and the logical course of action is to throw his other shoe.  Only now it's stuck! Surely there must be something he can use to get his kite unstuck. An orangutan? A boat? His front door? Yes, yes, and yes. And that's only the beginning.

Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton

George is a dog with all the best intentions and his owner, Harry, has all the best hopes that George will be a well-behaved dog when he leaves him alone for the day. When George spies a delicious cake sitting on the kitchen tabel, his resolve starts to waver. You see, George loves cake. It's so hard to be a good dog when there are cats to chase and flowers to dig up! What will Harry say when he gets back?

Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese!

Gluten Free Holidays

Holidays are a wonderful time to gather together and share in the joy of family. This means FOOD! If you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity in your family, try this awesome baked mac and cheese recipe...they are shure to thank you!

Ingredients:

For the casserole:

12 oz gluten free penne pasta

For the sauce:

2 T light olive oil or butter

2 T sweet rice flour

2 1/2 c milk or soy milk

1 1/2 c shredded aged sharp or mellow cheddar cheese

3/4 c small curd cottage cheese

1/2 t sea salt

1/2 t Dijon or honey mustard

1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg

1-2 T dry sherry or white wine

For the topping:

1 c Crunchy Gluten Free Bread Crumbs

Sprinkle of dried basil and parsley

Instructions:

To pre cook pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and partially cook the pasta- just to al dente. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat olive oil to medium heat and whisk in flour. Cook for about 10 seconds and slowly add in milk. Keep stirring and bring it to a bubble and reduce heat to low. Add cheese, cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and mustard. Stir. Add sherry or wine. Continue stirring and heating until the cheese melts, a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine pasta and cheese sauce. Stir,

Sprinkle top of casserole with breadcrumbs and basil.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes until heated through.

Serves 4.

Thanks to the wonderful goddess at glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com for this amazing recipe!

Halloween Costume Ideas for Toddlers

With Halloween around the corner, cute Halloween costumes are everywhere! From homemade to mail order, here are some of the most adorable costumes for toddlers that we could find!

From PennyWitch on  Etsy.com 

 Etsy. com has some amazing handmade items, from hats to capes and other accessories to head to toe unique costumes for your toddler. Since the shop owners have sometimes modeled the items for sale on their own children, they tend to be a little more practical!

One Step Ahead has a pretty big selection of costumes available for order...infants and toddlers.

The Spirit of Halloween has a gigantic selection of costumes for all shapes and sizes of infant and toddler. Their costumes tend to be more mainstream, but sometimes a little guy just wants a Spiderman costume!

If your toddler doesn't really have much interest in a full costume, there are a few accessories that can bring out the Halloween spirit in even the fussiest dresser!

• Tutus and leotards
• Feather Boas
• Wands
• Crowns and Jewelry
• Crazy Socks!
• White T-Shirts and fabric markers and they can make their own!

OneStepAhead.com

The Spirit of Halloween Costume Shop

      Happy Halloween to all of our Families!

Playdough Recipes

Kids love playdough. It is a universal truth. And, just as universal truth worthy, is the fact that playdough gets left out, eaten, fed to the dogs, shoved in the couch cushions...and sooner rather than later, it's time to buy more!

But, it's even more fun to make your own- Here are some awesome tried and true playdough recipes that are  super easy to make!

Remember to store playdough in an airtight container to keep it fresh. You can also add a little vanilla to keep it smelling sweet!

Colored Playdough

Materials

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• Food coloring
• Saucepan
• 1 cup flour

Directions

1. Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.
2. Remove from heat and add flour.
3. Stir, then knead until smooth. The cream of tartar makes this dough last 6 months or longer, so resist the temptation to omit this ingredient if you don't have it on hand.
4. Store this dough in an airtight container or a Ziploc freezer bag.

Kool-Aid Playdough

Materials

• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 cups water
• Saucepan
• Food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid powder for color
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 2 tablespoons alum

Directions

1. Combine salt and water in saucepan and boil until salt dissolves.
2. Remove from heat and tint with food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid.
3. Add oil, flour, and alum.
4. Knead until smooth.
5. This dough will last 2 months or longer.

Salt Playdough

Materials

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup flour plus additional flour
• Saucepan

Directions

1. Mix salt, water, and flour in saucepan and cook over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat when mixture is thick and rubbery.
3. As the mixture cools, knead in enough flour to make the dough workable.

Thanks to FamilyEducation.com for the awesome recipes!

Summer is just around the corner! Are you ready?

Can you believe that summer is just around the corner? The Children's Center of Austin is preparing for this year's summer camp! The curriculum coordinator and teachers are so excited about this year's theme entitled, "Summer Under the Rainbow". We have planned fun and exciting field trips, scavenger hunts to places such as Bob Bullock Museum, take a dip in our school swimming pool, and reconnect with friends from last summer!  The summer enrollment packets are ready and our space is limited.

 Please stop by the school today. Our school address is 6507 Jester Blvd, Building 2, Austin, Texas 78750 or give us a call at (512) 795-8300, and reserve your spot!