Make-It Topic: Spring Cleaning

Imaginative:

• Place out mini brooms, dust pans, spray bottles, mops, little gloves, and buckets for cleanup fun 
• Place out different clothes for folding and baskets

Language:

• Read the book “ How do dinosaurs clean their room” 
• Read “Maisy cleans up"
•  Read “Curious George cleans up” 
• Sing 5 little mops dusting all around 
• Make a flannel board story about cleaning 
• Make a flannel board using Whmis symbols explain why they are dangerous

Art

• Paint with soap: draw a picture with soap first and paint over it 
• Use shaving cream, glue, and food coloring to paint with 
• Paint with sponges 
• Paint outside using spray bottles 
• Place out large pieces of paper, step in mud and walk across, clean the feet in water at the end 
• Make a collage of cleaning materials 
• Place out a large sheet of paper and a paint tray of water color, give the children brooms to paint with

Water/Sand

• Place soap and sponges in the water table 
• Make clean mud in the water table (toilet tissue and ivory soap mixed with water) 
• Place out small brooms and dust pans in the sand table 
• Place out spray bottles in the water table

Gross Motor

• Place a small vacuum on the floor for the children to vacuum 
• Place out a large bucket of soapy water and sponges have the children wash the toys outside 
• Place out shapes on the floor with brooms, have the children sweep to the shape 
• Have a bean bag toss into a laundry basket 
• Place sponges on the children’s feet, have faces on the floor

Science/Curiosity

• Bubbles 
• Bottles with oil water and glitter 
• Make soap
  Large bowl, 3 cups ivory snow 1 to 11/2 cups water, vegetable oil, essential oils.
  Mix soap flakes with water until feels like play dough, add oil, form into, dry overnight

 Blocks

• Place out small boxes from soap to build with 
• Use sponges of different sizes and shapes to build with

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Sequence game with different size sponges 
• Cut up pool noodles, place out with kitchen tongs for picking up 
• Lace brooms 
• Use dusters to make a matching game 
• Memory game of cleaning materials 
• Match the hazard signs 
• Make a sorting bin of smaller type toys 
• Make a sequence story of how dinosaurs clean their room 
• Match the cleaning gloves 
• Lace gloves

Music:

• Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere clean up, clean up, everybody do your share 
• Make music shakers out of spray bottles 
• Use corn brooms to make music 
• Clean to the drum beat

Quiet

• Make pom-poms using them for cuddle dust bunnies

Field trip

• Go to the store, see the types of cleaning supplies they have 
• Everyone can put on gloves with a brown paper bag, go around the block collecting litter to clean the neighbor hood

 Extensions from the activities

• Sorting toys from the play room 
• Make a cleaning routine for the day home

Year 30 of Supporting Families and Providers!

We would like to share some of the wonderful feedback from parents and providers sent in on our 2013 yearly surveys:

What Day Home Providers have to say about Hemel House!

"When I have required help someone has come quickly and helped. I never feel that support is not out there and I would call if I needed anything. Office staff friendly and has good interpersonal skills."

"I always feel supported. Office staff have been great in helping find back up care, care searches, and on information regarding professional development."

 "I have been able to talk directly to one of you via phone or email whenever I've had a question or concern. The on call Child Care Consultant can also be reached at the drop of a hat whenever I need a sick day."

"Seriously, can we clone you ladies"

What parents have to say about Hemel House and their Providers!

"My child loves being at the day home. She works with my child and knows how to turn any negative happening into positive experiences. She works with the children at there individual levels of learning and understands that each kid is an individual. She keeps the kids active and allows them choices that allow them to feel more independent. She also encourages interaction between all the kids no matter what ages they are so everyone is included."

"My provider only ever takes time off to take care of herself when needed. I appreciate that she takes time when she needs it, yet makes sure that substitute care is provided for my child with no added stress for myself or my child. I am grateful to the Hemel House being supportive of their providers taking time off when required."

"Hemel House offers evening appointments and they use email to communicate, which is helpful."

"My provider loves his provider and she is so nurturing. She treats him as if he is her own and adapts her programs to his needs."

"When my provider is sick I appreciate the early calls and organization to find another place for my son to go to. That is a main reason I went with a licensed dayhome."

"I like when I see my provider being visited by office staff I REALLY appreciate back up coverage!"

"When we see the things our child is learning in her care we are truly amazed. She is learning more from her provider than she would learn in preschool."

"I am always made aware of things that happen at dayhome when he is there. She lets me know of any concerns she has and makes a point of telling me milestones he has reached. She cares for my child there is no doubt to that, you can tell it is more than just a job to her. He loves his provider and even gets upset when he cannot go to her house on weekends."

"Daily we are informed of what activities he has done, what he did feel, what some of his struggles might have been. She also tells us what he ate, how much and also how much he drank."

 "I always get quick responses to my emails from office staff."

"During our care search, it took us a while to find the right match, we were never pressured and always felt that Hemel was working hard to support us in finding the right care provider. Being first time parents it was nice to know that we had support and answers to questions."

"I feel the staff are very friendly and approachable. I have just started with Hemel House, but I have no problem with ever approaching them with comments or questions."

Make-it Topic: Bedtime

Imaginative:

• Place out large blankets and pillows for beds, teddy bears and doll pajamas 
• Place out slippers and teddies
• Place stars on the roof and a moon for viewing

Language:

• Read “Good Night Moon” 
• Read “ The napping house” make a flannel board story with it 
• Read “An awesome book” by Dallas Clayton (found on the internet) 
• Read “Good night gorilla” 
• Talk about dreams, read “Bernstein bears bad dreams” 
• Read “Froggy goes to bed” 
• Make a pajama flannel board activity

Art

• Use tooth brushes to paint with 
• Place out pillow cases for the children to color dream pictures on and take home 
• Use star cookie cutters to paint night pictures 
• Make dream pictures, place out pictures for the children to glue a dream story 
• Make a quilt 
• Give each child a circle and have them create their moon 
• Turn out the lights, tape felts to flashlights and draw pictures

Water/Sand

• Place out sponges and babies for bath time in the water table 
• Place out cotton balls and animals in the sand table 
• Place different type of beds for animals in the sand 
• Place out rubber ducks in the water 
• Have different types of bedding for plastic animals to explore; grass, straw, leaves etc.

Gross Motor

• Have pillow sack races 
• Use a blanket as a parachute, invite the children to hold the ends place a small bear to throw up in the air 
• Have races to see who can put the pajamas on first, use large adult pajamas to place over the children’s clothes 
• Do a pillow jump across the floor

Science/Curiosity

• Make clouds for dreams 
• Place out star charts and books of stars 
• Place out different materials that beds are made of 
• Place out measuring tapes to measure the beds

Blocks

• Place teddy bears and beds 
• Place out people and blankets 
• Place out boxes and small blankets, tents and small people for play

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Have a monkey to bed number game 
• Bed time sequence cards 
• Place out pillow shapes to match colors and patterns 
• Match the bed to the blankets 
• Play the game: Too many teddies 
• Lace the quilts, slippers, pajamas 
• Sort morning and bedtime pictures 
• Make a napping house sequence cards

Music:

• Sing 5 monkeys jumping on the bed 
• Sing Twinkle, Twinkle little star

Quiet

• Place out a large pillows, blankets and flannel story books

Cooking

• Make bears in bed 
• Place out a slice of bread, spread peanut butter on and place teddy graham crackers, place another ½ slice bread on top for covers

Field trip

• Go to a bed store

Extensions from the activities

• Have a pajama day, bring blankets pillows and bears. Serve milk and cookies for snack, play lullaby’s and record a bed time story 
• Hibernation theme

Make-it Topic: Jack and the Beanstalk

Imaginative:

• Place out a cow, beans, a  vine, golden hen, eggs, a harp allow the children to tell the story 
• Using large paper, draw a bean stalk take photos of the children they can climb the vine to the castle 
• Make a farm for “Jacks” house

Language:

• Read “Jack and the beanstalk” 
• Read the poem from the book “Fe Fi Fo Fum” 
• Read “From seed to plant” 
• Discuss farmers
• Discuss different fairy tales
•  Sing the poem “All around the castle”
  All around the castle the giant chased Jack,
  the giant thought it was all in fun and
  “Roarrrr” went the giant

Art:

• Make harps out of boxes and elastics 
• Make a collage of beans 
• Paint using a bean plant 
• Have each child make a leaf, place on a bean stalk leading to the roof of cotton clouds 
• Place out boxes, glue tape paint have the children design a castle 
• Paint a giant goose 
• Dye eggs gold using onion 
• Make a collage of the giants food 
• Design your own beanstalk 
• Paint with soap and water colors

Water/Sand

• Place beans in the sand table 
• Place strainers in the water to make rain 
• Have a cow washing station 
• Place out cornstarch and baby oil in the water to make clouds
•  Place little people and farm animals in the sand table

Gross Motor

• Place tape on the floor have the children race on the line 
• Search for the beans 
• Play duck, duck goose 
• Using paper twisted together make a stalk the children crawl up and back down 
• Play the giant says 
• Place a leaf on the floor give directions like stand on top of the leaf, stand beside, behind, in front ect. 
• Place out large foot prints, follow them to a treasure

Science/Curiosity

• Grow beans in cups, measure as they grow 
• Place out tape measures to measure around 
• Place out eggs to see explore 
• Show pictures of a bean life cycle 
• Make a cloud in a bowl 
• Place out scales to weigh beans

Blocks

• Place out a castle and farm animals 
• Place out ropes for building with

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Sort beans into trays 
• Bean counting 
• Lace castles 
• Put out play dough and the story 
• Play the Jack and the beanstalk game 
• Make a matching game 
• Play memory

Music:

• Place out harps

Quiet

• Flannel board story of Jack and the beanstalk

Cooking

• Make the giants dinner with chicken, potatoes, and corn

Field trip

• Take a trip to the local farm 
• Take a trip to the super market look at all the types of beans

Extensions from the activities

• Fairy tale unit 
• Gardening unit