Hello!
October is officially here bringing with it pumpkins, scarecrows, and all other types of autumn décor. For some of us, myself included, the cooler weather is steadily rolling in; yet, some of you are still experiencing nice, warm weather! I thoroughly enjoy every aspect of fall, but part of me is still yearning for those sunny, sprinkler filled days with my kiddos running around in bathing suits.

Are you enjoying this change in the seasons? I have been reminding myself that with each new season comes a change in the fun activities my family gets to experience. I have taken time the past two weeks to truly stop and look around to enjoy the changes that fall is bringing to my area. The changing of the seasons is inevitable, so even if I miss our summer weather, I have decided to jump in with both feet and enjoy this season and all that it offers--I hope you do the same.

Language Tip : Open-ended questions
Instead of asking your child yes or no questions, try asking them open ended questions. This gives your child a chance to express themselves much more than simply responding yes or no. It forces them to use descriptive words, or it allows them to describe something if they do not know the correct word.

Instead of asking, “did you have a good day?” you could ask, “what was your favorite part of your day?” The second questions gives them the opportunity to have a dialogue with your rather than simply saying “yes.”

Recipe of the Week:

In the last newsletter I said I would track down some kid-friendly recipes with hidden veggies in them. Have you heard of ‘The Sneaky Chef’? I hadn’t! She has a whole website with recipes, products, and ideas for “sneaking” veggies into your kid’s diet. Check out The Sneaky Chef. *Please note this is not and affiliate link in any way.

Checking out The Sneaky Chef website got me searching for a veggie packed spaghetti or pizza sauce. This is what I found! Check out this Veggie Spaghetti Sauce for tips and tricks on getting pureed veggies into your recipes.

Quick Art: Leaf Collage

Supplies:
1. Head out to your backyard and collect some leaves. They can be crunchy or freshly fallen leaves.
2. construction paper
3. glue

Directions: Let your child create a leaf collage! Have them put glue all over the paper and then start attaching their leaves. If you have been working on a particular letter, number, or shape you can write it on the paper and have your child trace over it with glue. Then cover the letter, number, or shape with leaves to reinforce what you have been working on.

Note: If you live in a part of the country where leaves have not fallen, you can let them collect grass clippings, small rocks, etc.

Movement Activity: Nature Walk

Take a walk around your block. Point out things that are changing while using rich, new language. A few weeks back the language tip was focused on using new words in your everyday conversations. A nature walk is a great time to expose your child to new, descriptive words. For example, when talking about the leaves you can describe them as being crunchy. Then, let your child stomp through the leaves to hear the crunchy leaves.

Add in some big movements! Have your child hop like a bunny from where you are standing until they get to the next tree. Ask them pretend to be an airplane with their arms extended like the wings of a plane. Tell them to walk backwards for two squares of the sidewalk. Marching, walking on their tip toes, and dancing are also great movements to incorporate on a walk.

Did you know?? :
You may have heard that people cannot recall memories from before the age of three. But do you know why? I didn’t! According to neuroscientist Lise Eliot, “early experiences never make it into the long-term memory banks because the brain’s recording machinery isn’t yet functional.” As the article on Babycenter pointed out, even though your child may not recall certain events and activities you do with them, they are still very important to their overall development.

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Have a fantastic week!