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Click the Gourmet Gorilla logo above to be directed to their website.
Did you know they cater for children special occasions and birthday parties and to elementary schools! |
 Quick Reminders
The center will be closed on the following days during the month of December
Thursday, December 24 (Center will be open
7am -1pm)
*late fees will apply after 1:05pm
Friday, December 25, 2009 |
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if you have not already! | |
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Greetings!
December chill is very much in the air and we are looking forward to this tremendous time of year. Our goal is to introduce our young ones to the many diverse cultures and traditions around the world.
We look forward to all of the fun activities and inspiring moments which are generated throughout this special month.
Enjoy!
Elizabeth |
Our Staff is Growing!
Sarah Stiltner, Assistant Director of Education
Little Green Tree House would like to take the time to welcome four of our newest staff members. Adina, Kayla, Abbe, and Lauren joined Little Green Tree House in November and brought a caring and loving energy with them. We are thrilled to have them on board and excited to share a little bit about each teacher with all of our parents!
Abbe is our newest Infant Lead Teacher. She is a Chicago native with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern Illinois. Her major is in Early Childhood Education and Family and Consumer Science. She has created a warm and cozy environment in the Juniper room where the children are growing and developing before our very eyes. The infant sign language that Miss Abbe integrates into her lesson plans is received well by her students.
Lauren is the Assistant Infant Teacher in the Juniper room. Lauren graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her major is Child Psychology. Her gentle nature and positive attitude is just what the Juniper room needs as all of the infants explore the world around them.
Adina is the Lead Teacher in the Aspen Advanced Toddler classroom. Adina came to Little Green Tree House with over 18 years of knowledge and experience. Her previous positions as an Assistant Director and Lead Teacher make her a quality educator for two year olds. The children in her classroom adore her and it is obvious the feelings are mutual!
And Lastly, Kayla is the Assistant Teacher in the Aspen Advanced Toddler classroom. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana State University with a major in Psychology and a concentration in Family and Consumer Science. She and Adina are a great team and work well together in a fun loving atmosphere.
Little Green Tree House is a school with continuing growth and we will continue to introduce the new teachers to all of our parents as we expand!
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Transition from Toddler to Advanced Toddler
Erin Lyon, Director of Education
As your child grows and develops in our care at Little Green Tree House it is important to keep in mind the changes that are occurring and the differences from one classroom to the next. The differences are especially evident when you observe the difference between a toddler and an advanced toddler. The toddlers range in age from fifteen months to twenty four months and the advanced toddlers range from twenty four months to thirty six months. During this time of growth from a toddler to an advanced toddler, children undergo dramatic changes and need different classroom structures to accommodate for these differences.
During their time in the toddler classrooms the teachers focus heavily on the skills that help build your child's independence and enable them to be less dependent on adults for basic needs. During this time the teachers work on showing them how to eat and drink on their own, soothe themselves to sleep without assistance, comfort themselves and others and help clean up after activities and play time. They teach them to share with their friends, participate in group activities, and take turns and to learn their colors, shapes numbers and more advanced skills as well as sign language. At this age their language is also beginning to explode and they are more and more capable of expressing themselves verbally. Some of the toddlers are even beginning the toilet training process with the help of their teachers and families.
In the advanced toddler classroom the routines and structure are much different. While some may still need help building their independence and learning skills like putting on their shoes, zipping their coats and taking them off on their own, the majority are working on more advanced skills. The classroom is now following a preschool structure and because they have already started the process of learning how to work as a group they now focus more heavily on helping each child grow in this area. They do increased large group and small group activities; they spend more time in circle time and focus more on specific academic skills and areas.
With this group it is important for the teachers to give each child the independence they need to explore and grow but also provide structure and routines. Now more than ever children at this age push the boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable and need the teachers to direct them towards good choices and guide their learning. |
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Lesson Plan-at-a-Glance
Erick Evans, Assistant Teacher, Advanced Toddler (24 months - 36 months) Spruce room
The following unit was utilized during our celebration of the fall season. The students were thrilled and had a great time!
Unit Title:Thanksgiving Fun!
Objective:Students will be able to act out a simple story.
Developmental Focus:
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Personal Curiosity/Autonomy #4 - Finds own play areas or activity
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Senses #7 - Begins to develop senses of touch, smell, taste, and hearing
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Creativity #15 - Shows simple symbolic play (pretends block is a cup)
Special Skill Focus:
Improve children's self help skills by teaching and encouraging children to take out only the toy/manipulative they choose to play with:
1. Grab an item from the basket using your hand
2. Use the item to build or play
3. Put the item back in the basket when done playing
Literature:
1. I Love You by Billy Crystal
2. I Loved You Before You Were Born by Anne Bowen and Greg Shed
3. I Used to be the Baby by Robin Ballard
4. The Worm Family by Tony Johnston and Stacy Innerst
5. Daddy's Lullaby by Tony Bradman and Jason Cockcroft |
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Procedure:
- Sudents will gather on the carpet by sitting in a circle on the floor.
- Begin by singing, "Who, Who, Who Are you" to signify the start of circle time. The song is sung several times until each child's name has been used. Every student should have the opportunity to choose whether or not they would like to put their own name on the felt board. The following are the lyrics to the song sung to the melody of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
"Who, who, who are you?
It would be so fine
If you tell me what your name is
I will tell you mine.
- Address the changes made on the calendar by saying for example, "Today is Monday November, 9 2009" while pointing at the calendar. Use this opportunity to practice counting and number recognition. Practice the days of the week by singing, "Days of the Week." The following are the lyrics to the song, which change slightly according to to the Month:
"Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
The month is November Thanksgiving is coming soon."
- Encourage students to observe the weather for the day. Choose a student to look out the window, describe, and pick from weather cards, which include sunny, cloudy, rainy, and snowy. Display the weather card for all students to see and sing the following weather song.
"What's the weather like today?
Like today
Like today
What's the weather like today?
On this Monday."
- Present or play special activity. This opportunity provides the time to reinforce the objective and provide students the opportunity to practice. Using the teacher made felt pieces, display the big and little item of each set for students to see. Ask a student volunteer, based on desirable behavior, to identify the big item and little item. Try to do the activity several times to reinforce student comprehension. Use the big and little sets on the following days:
Monday: Squares
Tuesday: Numbers
Wednesday: Triangles
- Choose a student to pick a song from the selection on the felt board. Make a decision based on ideal conduct (i.e. sitting, listening, and participating) in order to positively reinforce desirable behaviors.
- Provide instructions on today's special activity.
- Monday: Family Collage - Students will discuss the members of their family and glue a family picture to a teacher "Tom the Turkey." Hang the mural for all to see!
- Tuesday: Family Bowling - Using recycled bottles as bowling pins, teach children to role a ball in order to knock over the pins and develop gross motor skills. Give each child several chances to try.
- Wednesday: Thanksgiving present - Give each student a small wooden decorative piece. Tell the student to decorate the piece using the provided art materials for their special relative or family friend. When finished, cut and stick a small piece of magnetic tape on the back of the wooden piece. Send the craft home with student families!
Tap the triangle three times, which signifies the conclusion of circle time. |
Extensions:
Encourage your child to pick their own play activity, use their imagination, and use their five senses to explore the environment around them in order to reinforce the developmental focus of the week. Be mindful that students will be talking a lot about the Thanksgiving holiday; therefore, it may be beneficial to talk about topics such as Thanksgiving food, turkeys, and family at home to test student knowledge. Students are also being encouraged take out only the toys they choose to play with. For example, we prefer students to play with the five Lego's they build a tower with as opposed to pouring all the Lego's out of a basket and only using five to play with. As a result, students would not have such an overwhelming mess to clean when finished playing. Please encourage your child to do the same at home. Doing these activities will help your child grow and learn.
Erick Evans' credentials include a State Teacher Certification: Provisional Early Childhood Teaching Age 0 - to Grade 3. He graduated Cum Laude from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a Major in Early Childhood Studies.
Once our Three Year Old room opens Erick will then be the lead teacher of that classroom!
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Elizabeth Geldhof, Director of Business Operations
Erin Lyon, Director of Education
We would like to remind you as the cold and flu season is well underway of a few policies in which the Little Green Tree House needs to operate to keep everyone as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
Parents must remember to be aware and considerate of other children, families and teachers. It is very natural for the illness of your child to be a stressful time for any parent. Not only are you concerned about the welfare of your ill child, you also are concerned about the time you will have to miss from work because your child-care center will not care for your child when he or she is ill. Child-care programs have sick child policies in place for the safety and protection of all the children they serve - and those policies protect your child from other sick children when the roles are reversed. It is also very important to keep in mind all the hardworking teachers that are with your child every day. When they get sick, they too must miss work and will not be present to care for your children.
It is the policy of the Little Green Tree House that all children are kept home from school until they are symptom free for a period of 24 hours. If your child returns with symptoms, a note from your child's doctor indicating the diagnosis of the illness or symptoms and clarification that the condition is not contagious will be required. (Refer to the Family Handbook for further details)
The following are symptoms that will require your child to stay home from school.
· Fever (in excess of 101 degrees) - until child is fever free for 24 hours.
· Two or more loose stools, or one diarrhea - until 2 solid BM's.
· Vomiting - until child is free of vomiting for 24 hours.
· Skin rash - until rash is gone or with a doctor's note saying it's OK to return.
· Strep throat - child may return 24 hours after first dose of antibiotic.
· Drainage from the eyes, ears or open sores. - Pink eye (conjunctivitis) must have a doctor's approval to return to school. Bacterial conjunctivitis will require at least 24 hours of antibiotic treatment to return.
· Severe Cold
Further illness details to keep in mind: Fever
If your child's temperature is 101 degrees or higher, keep your kid at home. While at home, encourage your child to drink plenty of liquids. Your child should be fever-free for 24 hours (without medicine) before returning to school.
Bad Cough/Cold Symptoms
Children with bad coughs need to stay home, and possibly see a doctor. It could be a severe cold or possibly bronchitis, flu, or pneumonia. But when the cough improves, and the child is feeling better, then it's back to school. Don't wait for the cough to disappear entirely -- that could take a week or longer!
Diarrhea or Vomiting
Keep your child home until the illness is over, and for 24 hours after the last episode (without medicine). They should have two solid BM's before they return to school.
Rash
Children with a skin rash should see a doctor, as this could be one of several infectious diseases. One possibility is impetigo, a bacterial skin infection that is very contagious and requires antibiotic treatment. Also, fifth disease is a contagious viral illness spread by coughs and sneezes; it's no longer contagious by the time a rash appears.
Sore Throat
A minor sore throat is usually not a problem, but a severe sore throat could be strep throat even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache and stomach upset. Keep your child home from school, and contact a doctor. Your child needs a special test to determine if it is strep throat. He or she can return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment begins.
Earache - The child may need to see a doctor.
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) - The child may need to see a doctor.
Keep the child home until a doctor has given the OK to return to school. Pink eye is highly contagious and most cases are caused by a virus, which will not respond to an antibiotic. Bacterial conjunctivitis will require an antibiotic; your doctor will be able to determine if this is the case.
The most important thing that you and your children can do to help keep from getting sick is to wash hands, especially after coughing and sneezing, before preparing foods or eating, and after using the restroom. By washing your hands often, you wash away germs that you have picked up from other people, from contaminated surfaces, or from animals and animal waste.
Everyone should wash their hands for 20 seconds (about the length of a little tune) to remove germs. It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs. Rinse well and dry your hands.
The Little Green Tree House will continue to keep you informed of any outbreaks as individual diagnoses are brought to our attention. We thank the parents whom have kept us informed of various diagnoses! The open communication between parents, teachers and directors are critical during this time of health crisis.
Just a note: We have not had a reported case of H1N1 |
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Eco-Friendly Choices
Elizabeth Geldhof, Director of Business Operations
For baby showers, holiday gifts to your own lil' ones' feet... adorable infant shoes can be eco-friendly at the same price as the conventional brand. IsaBooties are 100% animal free, formaldehyde-free, made in the USA, women owned business and are machine washable and machine dryable!! Comparable price of the competition at $29.00. Visit www.IsaBooties.com to find out more and see all of the great styles.
Enjoy 20% off by using coupon code GoGreen2009. *offer expires 12/31/09 |
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New Mobile Tool Helps Parents Shop Safely This Holiday Season
Brian Imus, Director Illinois PIRG (Public Interest Resource Group)
With concern over dangerous and toxic toys, it can be overwhelming for parents and consumers about to embark on their holiday shopping. To help, there is a new interactive tool accessible via smart phone or computer - http://www.toysafety.mobi/ or http://www.toysafety.net - that allows shoppers to check on possible hazards, as well as report hazards they find. Now parents can shop safely and even report toys they think are hazardous so PIRG's researchers can investigate and report them to the federal government.
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Holiday/Vacation schedule Reminder:
If you could please let your teacher know of your plans this month around December 24th through January 1st, it will be helpful to us for staffing.
We thank all of you for your support and wish all a tremendous December.
We are looking forward to learning and growing with you in 2010!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Geldhof and all of the
Little Green Tree House staff!
312-492-9876
Center normal business hours are Monday - Friday
7:00am - 6:00pm
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