Later on, Saint Nicholas became Myra’s Bishop. He continued caring for the children and the poor. Because of the great acts he did, he was canonized as a saint. He later on became known as Santa Claus. After telling the Story, the children can be visited by Saint Nicholas during their sleeping time. Near their sleeping mats, you can leave them chocolate coins. And when they get up, they will see the “money” that Saint Nicholas gave them.

Children’s Letters for Santa Claus
It has been part of the tradition every Christmas for children to write letters for Santa Claus. There are a lot of ways for the children to do this. One way is for every child to tell you his wish list while you jot it down for them. The children can also decorate their letters’ pages with drawings about Christmas. Then ask them to sign the list with their names after. Using a big box of cardboard, create a mailbox where children can mail the letters.

Another way is for you to distribute toy advertisements and catalogues to children. Let the children find the toy they want the most then cut out those pictures. Glue the pictures on a picture and have the children decorate the letters. Then ask them to sign the letters with their names. Place the letters inside envelopes then put them in a mail box where children can mail the letters.

What Is Saint Nicholas Bringing?
With this game, the children can have fun pretending like he or she is Saint Nicholas. All you need are a sack and a whole lot of different toys around the room. For the sack, you can sew one using a velvet material that is red. Or if you don’t want to make your own sack, you can just use any bag.

At the center of the room, lay down different toys. For how many minutes, let the children look at the toys then remove them after. Pick a child who will play Saint Nicholas. Ask the other children to have their eyes closed while Saint Nicholas picks a toy. Put the toy inside the bag after. Then, ask the kids to guess what toy is inside the bag as Saint Nicholas gives them clues about it. A variation of this game is to let the kids touch the bag and guess what’s inside it. The kid who correctly guesses what the toy is will be the next Saint Nicholas.

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As First Day is nearing, try to inculcate independence by encouraging the washing of his own hands, visitation of friends, and the like. Weeks prior to first day, regularly take your child with you to visit the daycare to allow the child to absorb the feeling of the environment. If you are already sure about the daycare center wherein you will enrol your child, settle all accounts and make sure all forms are properly filled-up.

On the eve of the first day, make sure that you prepare everything as in everything that will be needed for tomorrow’s big day. Things to pack include, foods, clothes, toys, blankets and other things deemed necessary. It is also helpful that items are labelled.

A good breakfast will surely help you sustain your energy levels as you face the big day. Don’t forget to talk to your child about how great this adventure this will be for him.

Once again, instill independence in your child by letting him pack and carry his own things. Walk your child into the daycare center holding his hand instead of carrying him in your arms.

Most daycare centers advocate settling-in period. This is the period when the parents are allowed to stay longer to interact with their child to ease separation anxiety. However, parents should also be supportive of the policy of limiting too much parent interaction as part of the child’s training. It is suggested that parents just sit back and relax and observe how their child is being treated in the daycare facility. Most of the time, the parents can observe that their child may begin with isolating himself and playing alone but gradually he may venture into joining the group. Children have their own pace and this should be respected. When the parents leave, daycare facilitators may need to distract the child by offering more exciting activities.

An essential part of daycare training is routine. Drop off can be something to establish routine. Instead of accompanying the child inside, parents may opt to train their child to be dropped off outside the daycare as time goes by.

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Begin your lesson plan with a short setting about Ireland. The simplest way to start is by getting a map of the world or a model of the earth like globe or world map, and showing the children where Ireland is located. Afterwards show them the national flag of Ireland and tell them what the colors on their flag stand for.
Once you’ve given the children the basic facts about Ireland, you may now introduce St. Patrick and why St. Patrick’s Day is being celebrated. Tell them a bit about the popular symbols of St. Patrick’s Day including: the four leaf clover, plus the leprechauns, and blarney stone, or the rainbows, along with the pot of gold. You can also give them a background about the national symbol of Ireland which is no other than the shamrock.

Then, give some details on why the shade of green is so prominent on St. Patrick’s Day. For instance, tell the children that green represents nature and hope. You can also ask them to give examples of green things that can be found in nature.

The following are daycare books about St. Patrick’s Day. Be sure to check them out, as you can use these books as guides or sources of useful information.

• St. Patrick’s Day Countdown written by Salina Yoon. This powerful, multi-coloured board book aids tally the days pending St. Patrick’s Day with the jungle friends.
• Let’s Celebrate St Patrick’s Day written by Peter Roop. This delightful image book discovers the history, or customs, plus the folklore of St. Patrick’s Day along with a craft plus a recipe.
• Jack and the Leprechaun written by Ivan Robertson and Katy Bratun. Jack the mouse spends the daytime trying to grasp a leprechaun even as he visits his cousin in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day.

There are also a wide variety of simple St. Patrick’s Day activates that you can do with the children in your class. We have outlined some examples below.

Shamrock ice-cream Sandwiches

Pre-mix some honey cookie dough and place it in a Ziploc bag. Then add some lime food colouring and have the children in your class squish the container until the green food coloring is all over the dough. Take out the dough and flatten it with a rolling pin. Cut the dough by means of a shamrock cookie reaper (you can let the children help with this). Bake the shamrock-shaped dough and allow them to cool. Put some frosting or soft ice cream amid the cookies and dish up.

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These suggestions are all very basic and simple. However, they can greatly contribute to the overall development of a child and also make excellent gifts.

• Free paint: What you will need is some tempera paint in different colors, paint brushes, and construction paper
• Clay sculpture: Let the preschoolers in you class play with modelling clay. You’ll be surprised with what they can make out of it.
• Basic collage: Collage simply means to paste or to glue. Give the children some paper, non-toxic glue, and safety scissors and provide them with simple instructions.
• Drawing: Prepare crayons, colored pencils, markers, or water color, and let the children use the coloring or writing material they want.

More Sophisticated Mother’s Day Art Projects

The following activities are still simple but are more specific and detail-oriented. You may modify or improvise the projects according to the age of the children in your class.

• Tissue Paper Flowers: Teach the children to bend a colored pipe cleaner around folded tissue paper. Have them make several flowers to form a bouquet.
• Stained Glass Vase: Paint some clear glue on a clean glass jar and let the children add tissue and more glue.
• Mommy collage: Print out individual pictures of the kids in your class and teach them to form the pictures and other images that remind them of their mother, into a collage.
• Decorated Hand Prints: Cover each child’s hand with tempera paint and have them press their hands on a piece of construction paper. Once the paper is dry, have them cut it into a heart and write dedications like “I love you”.

Bridging Art and Other Curricular Areas through simple Mother’s Day Art Activities

Art also has the ability to connect different areas of education. These Mother’s Day art projects incorporate art and other learning objectives.

• Mother’s Day Flowers: Plan a sunflower or pumpkin seedling in a used (but clean) milk container. Have the children paint the exterior of the container before putting soil in it. The children can also improve the look of the pot by decorating it with glitter.
• Mother’s Day Book: This activity will not only enhance a child’s pre-literacy abilities, but also make them learn basic book making. Hep the children create a 3-page book about their mom, out of construction paper tied together with yard, ribbon, or pipe cleaners.
• Family Tree: Have the children draw or paint a big tree on a piece of white paper, and paste small pictures of their family members on the branches.
Making hand-made gifts for moms can be a rewarding and fun experience for both you and the preschoolers in your class. So, encourage the creativity and inventiveness of your class. It will not just allow them to give their mom a wonderful gift, it will also give them a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Creating Mother’s Day Gifts with Very Young Children

Children aged 2-5 are just starting to have an idea of sharing and giving. These economical and simple Mother’s Day gift ideas will give young children a chance to create their own gifts.

Mothers are exceptional people who are worthy of nothing but the best. Mother’s Day is really the best moment to show mothers how much their presence is appreciated. The following are three inexpensive souvenir ideas a toddler can give his or her mom on Mother’s day.

Trouble-free and economical Gifts for the mothers from toddlers

Objects around the residence can be used by little children in creating their mother’s day gift. Although very little children need guidance and assistance, allow them to put in as much effort they possibly can.

Flower Bouquet: An older sibling or another grown up in the family could help a youngster get flowers or come with them to buy some.

Supplies needed:

• Flower vase and/or a nice-looking plastic glass
• Wildflowers and/or flowers in the garden
• Ribbon (non-compulsory)

Instructions:

1. Pick or buy some wildflowers and/or flowers available in the garden
2. Trim the stems to diverse lengths as well as cut off inferior leaves.
3. Arrange the flowers in the vase (or attractive glass) and load it halfway through with water.
4. Bind a ribbon around the vase plus create a bow.
5. Have the youngster present it as his or her mom on that day.

Mother’s Day Greeting Card: Young children love drawing and coloring.

Materials needed:

• White paper
• Pens, and/or markers, then stamp pads, as well as crayons, and/or stickers

Directions

1. Fold a portion of white paper into two or quarters.
2. Have the child adorn the greeting card through his personal approach using markers, or crayons, and pens, or stickers provided.
3. An older siblings or adult can write the dedication and lead in cleaning up a few mess.
4. Hide the card and let the child give it to mom on her day.

Gift for Ten Dollars or less

Materials and ingredients:

• handy Rice Krispie Treats – can be purchased from the cereal section of any local store or grocery
• Hershey Bars
• Confetti decorations or candy sprinkles

Instructions:

1. Take away Rice Krispie Treats from packaging. Cut into two or leave as it is. Put on microwave-safe plate.
2. Take out Hershey Bars from packaging. Break into distinct squares.
3. Microwave on high for 10 seconds at a time until chocolate is soft.
4. Let child dust the krispie with confetti or candy sprinkles while the chocolate on top is still soft.
5. Allow the krispies to cool completely and keep them in a sealed container.
6. Give the treats to Mommy.

Young kids love giving their mom gifts. So allow them to be as creative as they can when making artworks, homemade projects, or the like. Just remember to get the help of older siblings or adults in areas that may require their assistance. Creating their own gift will definitely make Mother’s Day extra special. And although these projects only cost nothing or below $10, the happiness they can give a mother is priceless.

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Day care providers can, on the other hand, provide moms with a list of first names of the children in day care as well as the carers and suggest having role playing with dolls so that everything will be more familiar with the child on her first day.

Moms should also start fostering independence in the child weeks before by visiting friends, washing their own hands. At the same time, providers should encourage mom and her child to visit the center a few times before finally starting to allow the child to absorb the environment.

Snacks, change of clothes, comfort toys should be packed by moms for the day and make sure that everything is labelled. It is also advisable to have everything paid and for the forms to be completed before the big day so that these will no longer distract you. Moms should also have plenty of time to get ready in the morning of the first day and prepare a good breakfast with some chat about the great adventure ahead.

When a new child is starting at a center, provider should take on an extra hand to focus on distracting and comforting the new child. It is advisable to have the new child start when everyone else has settled into their morning activities as starting off first thing in the morning may upset the child.

Moms should also allow the child to help in packing his back and carrying it. Mom should walk into the center while holding the hand of the child – not carrying him. Providers should encourage this to avoid having the “peeling child off the parent” scene.

Daycares should also have a settling period where child can stay for gradually longer periods. Moms can stay around but involvement should be discouraged. Moms should take a backseat and just observe other than interact with the child activity. During the settling period, the child should have a one on one support. The child may just want to sit and observe a while before eventually joining group activities, he should be allowed to go at his own pace. When the mom leaves, providers should distract the child or usher him off to some exciting activity.

On the first day, the mom can settle in by staying in the room with the child and letting him do his own thing and simply remaining in sight. Test your child’s reactions by stepping out of the room for a while saying that you need to make a call or just in the hall. Let the staff distract your child for a while and watch his reaction from a distance. When you need to go to the car or get some coffee, give your child a quick kiss and say mommy will see you later. If the child cries out, don’t look back as your child will soon stop crying and will be distracted with play and activities.

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2. Family daycare services offers activities and educational knowledge. It is so much easier to work in a small group and create crafts and the like and play games as well. The caregiver will be able to help kids work on basic skills, and will be more involved with their safety and concerns. This can assist a child turn into a more confident, as well as to master basic skills for their age group.

3. You can enjoy field trips and outings in a family daycare center. Some activities that you can enjoy can be as simple as shopping and many others as well. You can have a much more enjoyable time doing this as well.

4. It is convenient to enter a family daycare because it has flexible rules and regulations. Compared to corporate centers, a family day care situated in the home may not charge you for being a couple of minutes behind or missing a day of care. They may even be keen to care for children for minor illnesses, allowing you to still report for work. They are usually more willing to work with you when there is a problem or conflict.

5. A family day care provider will get to be familiar with your child better than a well-built center. They will be more patient with your child, and will learn to handle their temper. A family day care giver will also be more receptive to your child’s needs. They will give more attention to allergies or special diets, and more thoughtful and reliable when dealing with unusual problems.

Overall, a family day care is the ultimate option for many thoughtful parents. A family day care provider can turn into a valuable friend and caregiver, and can help your child regulate without you better than a great facility. Your child will be a person in a family day care, not just a source of income.

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To instill environmental awareness in kids and make the lessons easy to remember, providers can use various fun learning games and activities. Some questions to be raised can include where does paper come from and which bin does waste paper should go into. These activities are lot easier than you would think. Kids are like sponges and they are always curious and very open to new ideas and concepts. Kids have an infectious enthusiasm that goes a long way towards changing more strict mindset outside the day care center. You’d be surprise at some parent getting into trouble with their kids for not recycling!

In a “green” day care center, parents are usually advised to choose products based on the recyclibility of the packaging when they send in store brought snacks. An example is to buy certain good in larger containers or in cardboard boxes instead of plastic packs like in yogurt, raisins and recycling juice bottles. In here, kids are also involved through art projects that incorporate pictures of more environment friendly containers.

Each day care owner is aware that lots of batteries are required for all those annoying or rather educational toys. A great green idea is to use a charger and rechargeable batteries that can be reused and save more money and waste. If you have a lot of those old batteries lying around, you can take them to your local battery charging depot.

A little extra thought and effort even in small changes can make a huge difference. Day care providers and owners have this great opportunity to mould little minds and make environmental concern and awareness a second nature to them. You’d surely feel proud when you hear these little kids reprimanding parents and adults on green issues!

Cleaning and Greening Your Day Care Center
With colder weather and closed shut windows and doors, the season for colds, flu and other respiratory issues seem to open up during these times. These illnesses which are not as prevalent in warmer months can easily spread during those colder months. Studies show that this is because of the insulation we do with the spaces that airborne pollutants are trapped. This makes indoors heavily populated placed like day care centers not a very healthy place to be. But here are some things you can do to improve the air quality in your day care center:

Washing of Mats and Blankets Weekly
In most day care centers, the children are asked to bring their favourite mat or blanket or their sleeping bag for their use on rest time during the day. These mats are hiding places of dust mites which can be sent airborne with the slightest movement. And since kids are going to handle these mats, there is great potential of these mites to become airborne. Mats and blankets should be washed by parents or by the facility at least once a week in hot water to keep mite count at a minimum. If you are letting parents do this, let them know its importance and educate them about the difference it can make in their child’s overall health both at the center and at home.

Get Rid of Carpets
Yes carpets are real cozy, but they can also be great places for pollutants that had been tracked in on shoes such as dust, sand, pollen, mold and mildew spores that have started to grow when they found moisture and again dust mites. With all the kids jumping , bouncing, running and rolling around on the carpet, these pollutants are sure to go airborne and create symptoms in even the healthiest kids and aggravate symptoms of children suffering from chronic allergy and asthma.

Educate Children
Children in your children should learn about germs and how they fly around to make home in someone’s home and cause sickness. Teach them how to make a difference and have control over the germs that they could spread. Instruct kids to cover their mouths with their arms when they sneeze or cough to stop germs from flying out to visit someone else and pile on praises when they are successful at doing it.

Go Green
It may be difficult to do this at once but just after a few months or a year, you can protect your children and staff with products that do not off gas chemicals including cleaning products that are effective without the volatile organic chemicals that off gas easily, natural organic fibers for furniture and curtains, paints and markers as well as glue that are okay for children to breathe. This will be a great thing that you can do to improve air quality, and it will also be a way to model an environmentally friendly way to live both for the kids and their parents.

Use An Air Purifier to Filter the Air
High efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air purifiers are safe, effective and economical way to remove harmful airborne pollutants such as bacteria and viruses from the air 24 hours everyday. The HEPA technology is recommended by the American Lung Association as well as the International Association of Air Cleaner Manufacturers because of its effectivity without producing toxic ozone gas or off gassing any harmful by-products. HEPA air purifiers only have fresh clean air as it’s by product.

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Seeing your kid go to his daycare center for the first time can be your big source of happiness and stress. The experience is both terrifying and exciting. On the other hand, the first day is also one of the most anticipated moments of any daycare provider but aside from the excitement, there is the feeling of tension. For both the parents and the providers to deal with the process competently here are some considerations :

As a mom, it is best to prepare your kids in advance about the things that is in store for him at the daycare. Steer clear the sense of curiosity but allow him to feel excited to finally leave his cocoon so he will be able to discover the outside world away from your house. Tell him that there will be a lot of friends and games. However, keep it low since overdoing the whole thing can overwhelm your child. For the provider, it would be helpful to give moms the first name of their kids. Allow the kids to play with dolls or toy cars during the first day to break down the tension felt by students.

It is important for moms to foster independence by allowing the kid to wash their own hands and other things. As much as possible, accompany your kid to the center at least a couple of time before the classes finally starts so your kid can absorb the environment better.

Pack everything that your kid will need during his first day at school such as a pack snack, comfort toys, changing clothes, and always ensure that everything is labelled. Kids tend to be too careless at times hence it is better for you to label his items to prevent the possibility of getting lost. Ensure that all forms are completed and all payments are settled to avoid being abstracted by these tasks. Wake up earlier than the usual so you will have lots of time to prepare everything. Greet your kid with a good

breakfast and stir his sense of adventure by telling him what will happen ahead of the day.

If your kid suggests that he would like to help in packing his belongings, allow him to do so. When you arrive at the daycare center, hold his hands while you walk together through the room. Do not carry him since most kids would become afraid to let go after knowing that they have to stay on the new place without his mother.

Stay on the room during the first day; be always near his sight so he would feel comforted by your presence. If he wants to go out and be with you, allow him to do so for a few minutes but insist later on about his needs to stay inside the room. Be persistent but loving enough so your kid will feel comforted.

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Parents spending time at the daycare can learn a lot about their kids too. They will see how their child is able to socialize and interact with his or her fellow children. This way the parent can see how the values that they have been imparting to the child are brought to the daycare. Communication is one of the vital factors that help in the development of the child and the dialogue with the provider and parent provides a lot of insight.

Parents must also be given the chance to assess the staff and the facilities. This feedback will allow maximization of the effectivity of the sharing process. There is also a need to talk to your staff to participate in this communication process with the parents. Your staff and the parents can learn a lot from each other. Give time for your staff to show their expertise in handling children this way the parents can learn something from them at the same time be more relaxed leaving their child knowing that they are in good hands.

In cases of negative feed back, make sure you have a way for parents to air out their grievances easily and without fear of being judged. Show them that you are a professional and you welcome positive criticism. This is also a way for you to improve your service not just to the children but also to their parents. Have a complaint procedure where certain aspects can be handled by your staff. This way you get to empower them and at the same time allow them to communicate with the parents. Just be reminded that certain more serious issues should be handled by the management. It would be helpful to have a suggestion box where parents can drop a note if they are uncomfortable telling things to you directly.

The first time you orient the parents you must be able to create an atmosphere that parental involvement is greatly needed and appreciated. You can provide suggestion to parents that they can form a group to help facilitate and provide suggestions in the care of their children. Set out all the procedures and continuous dialogues will prevent any misunderstanding in both parties.

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The purpose of the crayon heart rubbing activity is to increase motor progress, dig in to the children’s artistry, recognize shapes and color, dive in to the mysteries of relationship, elevate the awareness in terms of patterns and texture. The materials needed will be a thick paper or a cardboard cut in to heart shapes light colors of art paper and crayons without the wrappers.

1. Have an adult cut the card stock top heart shapes, different sizes as well as thickness are encouraged.

2. Ask the children to choose a heart from the sizes that were cut

3. Have them glue the light colored art paper over the heart, then ask the children to feel the surface of the paper hearth under

4. Use the peeled crayon and turn it sideways as a method for coloring, this will result to a design on the construction paper

5. Repeat and use the different sizes of heart and colors.

This project can also be a form of a sensory activity given that you need to feel the texture you can also use different materials for different effect. This Valentines Day activity are most usual for young children can be used an exceptional wall display a gift card or texture experience by simply following easy procedures

Valentines Day activities for preschool
The usual practice of making art crafts for loved ones has become traditional for many preschools and daycare centers. In order to create more enjoyable activity here are some of our list. The Valentines Day show and tell uses family photos or something that the child loves the most this can be any sort of thing. Have them in circle and let each discuss the item that they brought. Let children have fun by means of letting the, roll out a biscuit dough, have them in heart shape biscuits that they can munch on. For those who wanted to have a pleasurable and healthy activity try a friendship fruit plate. Fill this up with red or pink fruits and discuss them what this color symbolizes. While being in preschool these activities should center on the subject of love and friendship, toddlers on the other hand can entail about the significance of sharing and giving as well as being polite to others.

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