With September being "Back to School" month, we thought it would be a great time to revisit some of the resources on our website about school readiness. You can find Minnesota's Kindergarten Entry Developmental Checklist here. It covers the following developmental areas:Personal and Social DevelopmentLanguage...
Here are some great activities to get children of all ages moving (Courtesy of Deb Lund, Occupational Therapist from the Hopkins School District). Push and Pull Activities Push Toys (toy shopping carts, baby strollers, trucks)Push a cart or box (filled with toys or books) across the...
The toy aisles of your nearest box store offer hundreds of options for your child's entertainment and learning. But since 1998, only 53 toys have made it into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Many of the toys are simple in construction (e.g. ball, blanket,...
At our company-wide in-service training last Friday we had a session on Intentional Teaching. As I listened to Sharon Bergen present, I thought about the many...
"Gardening with children is like most sensory experiences with three and four year-olds. It’s messy, it’s chaotic, and the more children you add to the scenario, the more instruction goes out the window and you just hope something is getting through. The amazing...
Guest post by Angie Williams With the weather finally warming up, my daughter and I have had the chance to get out for a few walks around the neighborhood. On our first walk of the season, she spent much of the time meandering up people’s...
It is important that adults use effective questioning techniques when speaking with children. Asking numerous questions is not always a useful technique. Instead, ask fewer questions that require more thought on the child’s part. Give the child time to process the question and listen to...
Guest Post by Allison ZomerI have to admit it, I have a pretty great job. Every day I get to talk with parents, teachers, doctors and community leaders and focus on one simple question – how can we help our kids reach their full...
As 2013 comes to a close, we want to thank you for choosing Especially for Children. We can't say often enough how privileged we are to partner with you in caring for your child. The year was a wonderful one - from field...
"Children can learn almost anything if they are dancing, tasting, touching, seeing, and feeling information." - Jean Houston, Educating the Possible HumanAs we announced earlier this week, Especially for Children is introducing a formalized Spanish program for preschoolers at each center. We thought it would...
For this month's blog we thought it would be fun to show off some of the classroom boards from September. It is amazing to see what the children have been learning! We know that pick up and drop off are busy times, and it is...
Every day our teachers are using techniques to help your children learn the important skill of self-control. We thought it would be fun to share some of our classroom techniques with you. We would also love to hear from you about ways you help your...
As we mentioned in our newsletter last month, we will be participating in the TC Family Events this October. We hope you will join us for this great community and family day. There are events for children and adults of all ages, and it is...
Guest Post by Angie Williams (daughter of EFC owners Steve and Priscilla and new mom to Abby, who attends EFC Edina/W 70th Street) Even though my daughter is only 10 months old, I imagine that there are times when she would like to launch...
Our summer theme of Science + Nature offers a great variety of topics around which teachers will create lesson plans and age appropriate activities. Children will learn about plants, animals, bugs, weather, life cycles and more.One of the ways teachers at Especially for Children develop...
