AGENCY REVIEW

On November 18th Hemel House received their detailed agency review from the Southwest Alberta Child and Family Services Authority. 

The checklist completed states, "Child and Family Services Authorities monitor a family day home agency's performance by reviewing their operations, activities, records and the care in providers' homes according to the Family Day Home Standards and terms of their agency contract."

Below is Monica's letter:

On November 18th, 2010 I conducted a Family Day Home Agency Review.

As a result of the review, I have identified that Hemel House Child Care is compliant to the provincial standards for the family day home program. The CFSA Child Care Programs would like to thank your agency for offering quality childcare to the parents of our community and superior support to the providers who are connected to your agency.

I want to thank you for your complete cooperation regarding this review.

Sincerely,

Monica Simmons - Licensing Officer

Make-It Topic: Gifts

Imaginative:

• Set up a present work shop, have tape and boxes with wrapping paper 
• Have a gift store allow the children to make a store with gifts they would sell to people

Language:

• Read “Beautiful Bananas” by Elizabeth Laird
• Read “Morris’s Disappearing Bag” by Rosemary Wells
• Have the children look at the letter G
• Read “My best gift”
• Discuss how a gift can be given to make someone happy

Art:

• Place out square shapes to glue ribbon and tape
• Paint wrapping paper
• Place out ribbons and glue
• Make mugs of hot chocolate to give to friends
• Wrapping paper collage

Water/Sand:

• Place boxes with holes punched in the bottom in the sand
• Place out ribbon in the water with cups

Gross Motor:

• Place out wrapped gifts making an obstacle course
• Have a gift wrapping game using a sheet and a child
• Place out pictures of gifts on the floor and have the children jump to each one saying a color, shape, or number
• Place out wrapping paper to dance with

Science/Curiosity:

• Place out a variety of closed containers, in each one have different sounds with a picture to match it
• Place out a scale and different weighted boxes or containers
• Place out fruits and vegetables see which ones have a gift inside (seeds, fruit)

Blocks:

• Place out different size square containers for building with(2l milk containers are great)
• Place out wrapping paper for constructing with

Conceptual/Tabletop/Fine Motor:

• Gift matching game
• Have boxes for stacking
• Nesting boxes
• Place out materials for the children to wrap up smaller toys
• Place out different items and boxes for the children to see what can fit
• Dice matching colors

Music:

• Dance using wrapping paper while beating a drum
• Sing “I have something in my pocket”

Quiet:

• Place out a large sheet for a bag for the children to go into to read 
• Place a large box for them to wrap in

Cooking:

• Make gift cookies
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tblsp milk
• ½ tsp Vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Filling of your choice (jelly pie filling)
• Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with a beater add sugar, beat till fluffy. Add egg milk and vanilla beat, mix flour, baking soda on low mix the dry to the wet, cover chill 20 min or till firm make into logs cut and bake at 375for 12 min

Field Trips:

• Go to the gift wrap station at the mall
• Go to the neighbours house with a small chocolate gift

Cleaning and Sanitizing

The November provider training meeting topic was a review of Day Home Requirements by Alberta Health Services. The Executive Officer Andrea Hohne and Health Inspector Stephen Kirkpatrick reviewed the Alberta childcare facility requirements while confirming the Hemel House policies follow these guidelines.

Did you know that your provider must follow these cleaning guidelines?
A clean, healthy environment in your day home will help prevent the spread of infectious disease. Cleaning is an on-going part of the everyday operation. Providers clean as needed in conjunction with a cleaning schedule.

Hemel House Day Home Manual – Health Care – Section D CLEANING AND SANITIZING

More than once a day:

• Clean and sanitize bathroom surfaces such as faucet handles and toilet seats regularly.
•  Clean and sanitize potty-chairs after every use.
• Clean and sanitize diapering pad after each use. 
• Clean and sanitize food preparation and eating surfaces before and after use.

Once a day:

• Wash with soap and water, all surfaces that infants and toddlers are likely to touch. 
• Wash and sanitize crib rails, hard-surfaced toys and other mouthed objects.
• Wash mattress covers and bed linens if children do not use the same cot every day.
• Wash face cloths.
• Rinse any soiled clothing in toilet; then place in plastic bags and return to parents. 
• Wash and sanitize the water play equipment. 
• Wash and sanitize floors.

Once a Week:

• Clean and sanitize low shelves, doorknobs, and other surfaces likely to be touched by infants and toddlers. 
• Wash mattress covers, blankets, and bed linen if child uses same ones every day. 
• Wash stuffed toys in automatic machine and dry on “HOT” setting of dryer.

We are honoured!

Hemel House is honoured to receive the Lethbridge Chamber Business Leadership Award!

The outline of eligibility for this award is as follows:

A business or business person that deserves special recognition for their impact on enhancing the community through exceptional leadership in business practices, building or changing, champion of a project, fund raising endeavour(s), social change, or community undertaking. This award may not be presented every year given its eligibility criteria. Sponsored by TD Canada Trust

We were nominated for the legacy award to celebrate supporting families for 28 years and were thrilled to win the Business Leadership award instead. The Hemel House community thanks Lethbridge and all their families for the support and this nomination.

Make-It Topic: Fix-It

Imaginative:

• Set up a work bench with hard hats tools, use tool belts
• Set up a fix it shop have old radios and clocks the children can fix have a cash register for purchases
• Set a bob the builder or Handy Manny station

Language:

• Read “Fix it with Bob: Bobs handy Hammer”
• Talk about tool safety while reading “tool safety”
• Place out magazines on how to fix or build things

Art:

• Place a mac-tac shape of a tool box have an assorted pre-cut tools allow the children to fill their tool boxes
• Decorate a hammer handle use paint when complete cover with a coat to seal the paint
• Make saw dust pictures
• Sponge paint pictures of tools

Water/Sand:

• Place golf tees (nails) into the sand have plastic hammers for the children to nail them in
• Put saw dust in the sand table
• Have a tool washing in the water table
• Place magnets and washers in the sand table (watch for choking hazard)

Gross Motor:

• Broken toy hunt have the children look around the play room and outside for any broken toys if there are see if everyone can fix them
• Play find the tool hide tools around for the children to find
• Place out a tray of saw dust encourage the children to walk in it looking at their print

Science/Curiosity:

• Have a variety of measuring devices such as measuring tapes, rulers, feet prints encourage the children to measure around the play room
• Have scales for weighing
• Have old electronics taken apart for the children to look  inside

Blocks:

• Place wood blocks with holes and dowels for building with
• Place out waffle blocks and small hammers for fixing

Conceptual/Tabletop/Fine Motor:

• Place green flower foam out and golf tees with hammers encourage the children to hammer in the nails
• Place out large nuts and bolts encourage the children to put them together
• Lace up tools use wire for the lace
• Screw driver and screw match up if you have large screws into wood the children can use real screw drivers to match up
• Have a socket wrench with bolts to tighten
• Use washers for beading

Music:

• Sing the song “The tools on the shelf go” (tune of wheels on the bus)
• The tools on the shelf make lots of noise lots of noise lots of noise the tools on the shelf make lost of noise all day long 
• Hammer goes bang bang
• Drill Brr brr 
• Saw buzz buzz
• Socket wrench click click
• Router  whir whir
• Measuring tape snap snap

Quiet:

• Place a fix it board using a piece of board screw on different locks for the children to manipulate

Cooking:

• Fix a sandwich supply the children with the sandwich fillers encourage the children to fix their sandwiches

Field Trips:

• Go to Home Depot for a tour
• Invite a construction worker to come demonstrate the use of tools

Expanding our Community!

Hemel House has decided to build an addition onto our office. We are adding a multipurpose
room and plenty of storage. This project is being done for the Hemel House community to make
meetings and events better for our providers and families. The cost is being covered entirely by
Hemel House as a gift to our community, no funding is being received.

What this means for to providers and parents:

• Added caution due to construction vehicles around the office
• No alley parking, please park in the front driveway and use the front door
• For providers the TLL will be closed at one point, information will be posted

What this room will be used for:

• Provider training
• Provider and Parent information meetings
• Hemel House events (Breakfast with Santa, Summer Picnic and other events)
• Networking nights
• Resource corner/library
• We will also provide this room to possibly host infant groups for the community

The construction will commence soon and will probably extend into the winter months. We
thank you all for your patience during this change and adjustment and we look forward to
having it finished and providing this room to our families and planning events in the new year.

Make-It Topic: Ice Cream

Imaginative:

• Set up an ice cream shop using paper folded into cones and pompoms for ice cream, use ice cream scoops have hats for the children to wear
• Have an ice cream making area, allow the children to use different size cans to roll back and forth

Language:

• Read “Ice Cream” by Elisha Cooper
• Read “Curious George Goes to the Ice Cream Shop”
• Make a flannel board story with music song
• Say the poem “I scream, you scream we all scream for Ice Cream”

Art:

• Sponge paint ice cream use different rounded sponges with a shape of the cone on the paper
• Use cotton balls and paint allow the children to make a sundae
• Use shaving cream and white glue to paint with
• Place different shapes out allow the children to glue shapes to make their own ice creams

Water/Sand:

• In the water table get an inexpensive bucket of ice cream allow the children to play in it
• Place ice cream scoops and candle crystals into the water table
• Place cone cups into the sand for pouring
• Place ice in the water table

Gross Motor:

• Place cotton balls on a table and have the children blow them around
• Place ice cream shapes out encourage the children do a leap frog jump onto the shapes
• Place a pool out allow the children to make themselves into a ice cream using whip cream have the hose handy

Science/Curiosity:

• Make ice cream
• Make root beer floats explain what is happening
• Make a favourite flavour graph
• Go outside and melt ice cream in a metal tin time how long it takes

Blocks:

• Place out blocks and characters encourage the children to build ice cream shops
• Place out large pompoms in the blocks with waffle blocks for building
  

Conceptual/Tabletop/Fine Motor:

• Have ice cream cone lacing
• Match the ice cream color file folder game
• Sorting ice cream flavors provide bowls of different sizes and colors of pompoms encourage the children to use ice cream scoops to sort the pompoms
• Make different colors of play dough allow the children to explore with it

Music:

• Sing the song 5 ice cream cones 
• Make an ice cream cone shaker

Quiet:

• Place out fluffy pillows with a sheet encourage the children to relax in the ice cream

Cooking:

• Make Ice Cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk, 1 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Rock salt

Ice Place the milk, sugar, and vanilla into a bag and seal

Seal this bag and then put it into a larger zip-log bag. Put rock salt and ice into the large bag. 

Let your children make ice cream by shaking and rolling the bag (It usually take between 5 and 10 minutes to make the ice cream.  

Alternative: You can also put the sealed bag, ice, and salt into a coffee or oats can and have your children kick, and shake the can to make ice cream

Field Trips:

• Go to Dairy Queen for a tour, they will allow the children to make their own ice cream cones for free
• Walk to the store and count the ice cream flavors

 

Make-It Topic: Giants

Imaginative:

• Set up a small city out of boxes let the children pretend to be giants
• Allow the children to re-enact the story of Jack and the bean stock
• Use a large fridge box for the children to make a tree house
• Provide materials for the children to pilot a large plane, boat, or train
• Set up a area for the children to pretend to be mountain climbers

Language:

• Read the story “Jack and The Bean Stock” 
• Read the story “The ant and the Elephant” 
• Have a mountain scene allow the children to make up a story 
• Read “How do dinosaurs count to ten” 
• Make a homemade book of giants  found in nature, animals, and man made
  

Art:

• Have a large paper and a small paper encourage the children to make the same picture on each  paper
• Have mac-tac cut outs of dinosaurs encourage the children to place colored paper onto them
• Have different size shapes allow the children to glue on different sizes
• Make boats to sail on water

Water/Sand:

• Place large ships in the water
• Place large dinosaurs in the sand
• Place elephants and giraffes in the sand
• Place whales for washing in the water table
• Place beans into the water table or sand table let the children sift through them (choking hazard)

Gross Motor:

• Use cleaned coffee cans with string to make stilts allow the children to walk with them
• Play big and small name different items if they are big have the children stand up if they are small have the children make themselves as small as they can
• Play ball using a very large beach ball
• Place out dinosaur prints have the children follow them
  

Science/Curiosity:

• Set up an ant farm for the children to view 
• Plant beans with the children 
• Place out a piece of cut tree with a magnifier glass explain how the rings are the age of the tree
  

Blocks:

• Place pictures of sky scrapers encourage the children to build them
• Place out different building materials such as margarine containers for building towers with 
• Place out materials for the children to build bridges place out pictures to see
  

Conceptual/Table Top/Fine Motor:

• Place out a dinosaur size game
• Make a large small file folder game

Music:

• Play drums and have the children dance large movements to it
• Make cup shakers

Quiet:

• Place some dinosaur puppets in the quiet area

Cooking:

• Use crackers cheese and ham to make towers and buildings
• Make egg boats with the children

Field trips:

• Go to the park and see how big the trees are
• Take a trip to Lethbridge’s giant the High Level Bridge

Make-It Topic: Rain

Imaginative:

• Place umbrellas, rain coats and boots. Use large blue paper to cut out puddles, encourage the children to have a rain day.
• Set up a weather station with cameras and microphones, let them be weather reporters.

Language:

• Read “In the Rain With Baby Duck”
• Make as if I were a raindrop book, ask the children what they would do and write it down.
• Read “Rain Fee” then sing rain, rain go away

Art:

• Use eye droppers filled with colored water, encourage the children to make a rain picture
• Sticky paper rainbows, have sticky paper cut into rainbow shapes and have cut up colored paper to stick on the rainbow
• Have black, white and grey paint for a rain picture
• Make rainy day bags, have brown paper bags for the children to color and put games into

Water/Sand:

• Punch small medium and large holes into containers place in the water table use old baby powder jars, watering cans for making rain
• Add flowers in the water for it to rain on
• Place dirt into the sand table for children to play in

Gross Motor:

• Place a container of mud on the ground, allow the children to squish their bare feet in the container
• Pre-cut a blue mat or material into different shapes, on each one have a different action (jumping, spinning, balancing)
• Throw bean bags into an umbrella
• Have a worm wiggle moment, encourage the children to wiggle like worms on the ground

Science/Curiosity:

• Graph the weather each day for one week
• Water tasting, collect tap water, soda water and distilled water, allow the children to taste them all and see what is different
• Collect rain water and measure how much you have

Blocks:

• Place out monster trucks and sand paper for the cars to roll over

Conceptual/Tabletop/Fine Motor:

• Partially fill a zip lock bag with brown finger paint or chocolate pudding (mud), seal the bag and tape it shut, encourage the children to trace letters on the bag
• Make a file folder game, use umbrellas with numbers, have the children place the number of rain drops on each one
• Have colored fabric in different shapes and matching color containers to sort the colors and shapes
• Have cut out raindrops in different colors to match an umbrella
• Make rain drops for the children to bead
• Make umbrellas for the children to lace
  

Music:

• Sing “Rain, Rain Go Away”
• Make rain sticks

Quiet:

• Cut out different clothing in magazines, have the children sort the clothes from summer and winter
• Make raindrops for the flannel board

Cooking:

• Bake a puddle cake
• 1 ½ cup flour
• 3 tbsp cocoa
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 6 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350° F

Sift the dry ingredients, make a well and add the liquid ingredients, add the water

Mix well, bake 15-20 minutes

Field Trips:

• Go for a walk after the rain, look in the puddles and record what you see
• Go for a walk with umbrella, having fun in the rain
• Go to the park and use chalk to color on the wet sidewalks

Make-It Topic: Pockets

Imaginative Play:

• Place out aprons with pockets, place small animals in it with vet materials for a pocket pal care center 
• Place out overalls for children to dress up in and become carriers
  

Language: 

• Read the book “A Pocket for Corduroy”
• Read the book “Fish in his Pocket”
• Have an alphabet pocket, each pocket has a letter and something to match (A = apple)
• Make a story up about what is in your pocket, use the children’s pockets as a guide
• What is the sound in the pocket place, bells, whistles and rattles in a pocket to make the noise, see who can guess it

Art:

• Cut a pocket shape from colored paper, leave out stickers, crayons and encourage the children to make their own pockets
• Place out scissors and have the children make their own pockets
• Have the children make aprons for their kitchens
• Make pocket puppets, make a shape of a kangaroo with a hole for a finger, encourage the children to color their kangaroo
• Pocket of kisses, use an old pair of pants, cut out the full pocket, allow the children to decorate the pocket then fill with kisses chocolates to give to a friend or parent

Water/Sand:

• Place small plastic zip lock bags, some with large or small holes, some with none, into the water table (choking hazard, supervision required)
• Make material pockets to wash
• Place small containers into the sand, add different materials that can be put inside

Gross Motor:

• Fill a pocket race, have all the children put on coats with pockets, encourage them to fill them as fast as they can
• Place pockets on the ground, have the children walk, jump or crawl around them

Science/Curiosity:

• Place small and large objects out, allow the children to discover what can fit into the pocket
• Graph where pockets are found i.e. cars, purse, clothes
• Predict how many objects can fit in a pocket, weigh them for fun
• Show the children marsupials, explain where the baby stays

Blocks:

• Place out materials that have small pockets to build in

Conceptual/Tabeltop/Fine Motor:

• Lacing pockets, place out a couple, encourage the children to sew them together 
• Count the items in the pocket, place a pocket on the table with items to count 
• Match the pocket colors 
• Order the pockets from small to large
  

Music:

• Sing the song Pockets, Pockets
• Pockets, pockets everywhere
  What things do you keep in there?
  Pennies, gumballs, keys and notes;
  crayons, combs and tiny boats.
  Pockets, pockets everywhere
  Aren’t you glad you have a pair!

Quiet:

• Using a flannel board, place out pockets and small things for the children to make a story with
• Have a pocket story

Cooking:

• Make Pita Pockets with the children
• Place out pre-cut pita pockets with cheese, ham, tomato and have the children stuff their pockets, microwave for a few seconds and enjoy.

Field Trips:

• Have the children wear a big coat, go for a walk and collect rocks 
• Go to the store and look at different pockets that you find

Make-It Topic: Bugs

Spin, Spin, Spin Little Spider

(Tune: "Ten Little Indians")

Spin, spin, spin little spider.

Spin, spin, spin little spider.

Spin, spin, spin little spider

Early in the morning.

 

Dance, dance, dance little spider.

Dance, dance, dance little spider.

Dance, dance, dance little spider

Early in the morning.

 

Little Grasshopper

(Have the children pretend to be grasshoppers jumping about.)

Little grasshopper, little grasshopper,

Hop across the land.

Little grasshopper, little grasshopper,

Hop into my hand.

Little grasshopper, little grasshopper,

Sweet and green as can be.

Little grasshopper, little grasshopper,

Hop away so safe and free.

 

Fuzzy Caterpillar

Fuzzy little caterpillar,

Into a corner will creep.

He'll spin himself a blanket,

And then go fast asleep.

Fuzzy little caterpillar,

Wakes up by and by,

To find he has wings,

And has turned into a butterfly.

 

Butterfly Hunting

With a net I go hunting,

To catch a butterfly,

But when he's caught,

I turn him loose,

To fly back into the sky.

 

Five Little Caterpillars

Five little caterpillars, eating more and more,

One got a tummy ache, and then there were four.

Four little caterpillars, climbing up a tree,

One tumbled down, then there were three.

Three little caterpillars, wondering what to do,

Along came a bird, then there were two.

Two little caterpillars resting in the sun,

One curled up in a leaf, then there was one.

One little caterpillar resting all alone,

She became a butterfly; now she has flown.

 

Flutter, Flutter

(Tune: "Frere Jacques")

Flutter, flutter, flutter,

Butterflies, butterflies

(Flutter arms in the air.)

Moving wings so gently,

Moving wings so gently,

(Move arms up and down slowly.)

Through the skies,

Through the skies.

(Wave hands above head.)

 

Bumble Bee

Bumble bee, bumble bee,

Buzzing past your toes.

Bumble bee, bumble bee,

Buzzing on your nose.

 

The Ant Hill

(The right hand with the thumb closed inside is the ant hill. The fingers will be the ants.)

Once I saw an ant hill, with no ants about.

So I said, "Little ants, won't you please come out?"

Then as if they had heard my call, one, two, three, four, five came out,

And that was all.

Imaginative Play:

• Add bug costumes or pieces of fabric suitable for bug costumes, i.e. a red fabric for a ladybug, scarves for butterfly wings 
• Provide a tunnel to crawl into to simulate an insect cocoon or a worm tunnel 
• Add bug beanies or plastic bugs 
• Add a veil, gloves, empty honey containers and a book about bee keepers 
• Add butterfly nets
  

Gross Motor:

• Move about as bugs: wiggle like a worm, jump like a grasshopper, fly like a butterfly
• Use bug beanies in a toss game
• Create a spider web by tossing a ball of yarn back and forth with each person holding onto a section of the yarn
• Go on a bug search and collect bugs in jars with holes in the lids. Observe the bugs for a bit and then set them free.
• Hide large bugs in the grass and have a bug hunt

Water / Sand:

• Hide plastic worms, beetles, and ants in the sand
• Add real worms to the dirt

Blocks:

• Create a beehive with a box and sections of cardboard tubes or dixie cups

Language:

• Add bug puppets
• Read books about bugs
• Chant nursery rhymes about bugs
• Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Little Miss Muffet

Science:

• Create an ant farm or a worm jar
• Collect dead bugs in clear plastic containers and look at with magnifying glasses
• Sort plastic bugs by type, size and color
• Place bugs in plastic eggs in a nest of shredded green grass
• Measure plastic bugs, compare sizes. Notice how many legs they have.
• Dig in the dirt for bugs and see what you can find

Art:

• Create bug stick puppets
• Hole punch around an oval cardboard shape. Have the children use twist ties or yarn pieces to create legs for their bug (centipede, etc.)
• Glue cotton balls on paper with bingo dabbers
• Use pieces of cooked spaghetti or bits of yarn to create worm collages
• Drag pieces of yarn or cooked spaghetti through paint to create worm prints
• Create bugs from thumb prints (ink pads)
• Collect rocks and paint with red paint to create 'ladybugs', add black dots