FRIDAY FOLDER: October 23

Highlights of the Week:

Historic Anaheim

Anaheim Hills

North Tustin

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

A to Z: Developing Hobbies

People often need a constructive distraction from the pressures of daily life. Deadline-free in nature, hobbies are a great solution because they allow participants to engage in the activity at their own pace. Encouraging your child to pursue a hobby is a great way to build upon skills and reinforce concepts learned in the classroom and at home. For example, collection hobbies require patience and observance. Craft hobbies, such as modeling or sewing, require fine motor skills and an element of creativity. Even if your child has yet to master fine motor skills or has trouble with being patient, hobbies are a great opportunity for children to engage in an interest with no outside pressure, while subconsciously honing specific skills.

Introducing your child to a new pastime also creates the potential for bonding. Does your child show an interest in a hobby of yours, or simply a desire to be near you? If so, take the opportunity to include your child in your favorite pastime. Doing this not only allows you and your child to spend more time together, but also allows you to pass down specific knowledge.

Another great benefit of hobbies is that many are relatively cheap. Collection hobbies, such as stamp or coin collecting, simply require that the participant be watchful and learn to look for the items in the spare change jar or pile of discarded envelopes. Even if you are not experienced in a hobby that your child takes an interest in, resources such as YouTube, Pinterest, and books from your local library can quickly educate you and your child about a particular activity. Here are a few basic hobby ideas:

Birdwatching

Natural Collecting (rocks, leaves, etc.)

Meteorology

Astronomy

Gardening

Stamp Collecting

Coin Collecting

Model Building

Cooking

Photography or Filmmaking

Crafting (knitting, crochet, sewing, cross stitch, etc.)

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by All Womens Talk  

A to Z: 10 DIY, Non-Scary Halloween Costumes

Halloween is only two weeks away! Still need to find a costume for your child? Here are ten non-scary, clever costumes that you and your child can create together without breaking the bank!

Garden Gnome

  

Pippi Longstocking

Alice in Wonderland

The Lorax

 Dwight Schrute

Where the Wild Things Are

Crayola Crayons

Where's Waldo

Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimney Sweep

Ninja Turtle

 

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Images by Free Halloween Images, Pinterest, Modern Kiddo, Mommy Shorts, Pottery Barn Kids, Costume Works, Zeppy, & The 36th Avenue

FRIDAY FOLDER: October 16

Highlights of the Week:

Historic Anaheim

Anaheim Hills

 North Tustin

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

SNACKTIME: Fall into Healthy Habits

Children are getting excited about being healthy and doing what's right! It feels good when we make smart food choices. Use today as your starting point to a healthier life for you and your family, and start planning to eat healthy!

 

Eat for energy and health - Start with breakfast! Children who eat breakfast do better at school, satisfy hunger, and fuel the brain until lunch time.

 

Apples are easy, make a great snack, and are available all year long.

 

Take time to plan ahead. We make smarter food choices when we take the time to plan meals and snacks.

 

Have a healthy snack after school.

 

Exercise! Our bodies need to move. Jump! Run! Stretch!  

 

Aim for lots of color from a variety of plant-based foods: green beans, yellow squash, orange carrots, blue berries, red tomatoes.

 

Limit sugary and super salty foods.

 

Take time to stay hydrated! Hot, humid days and outdoor activities increase our fluid needs. Start with water.

 

Habits become easier with practice.

You can do it!

 

Contributed by Leslie K. Kay-Getzinger, MS, RD

                          Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Services

Image by Urban Woman

A to Z: The Importance of Poetry

An alternative to prose, frequent exposure to poetry can benefit your child in a multitude of ways. A universal path to human emotions, poetry serves as a great empathy-teaching tool. Emotions and ideas expressed in a poem are transmitted to the reader, who gleans insight into the author's feelings and purpose. Being able to emotionally identify with others and acknowledge their ideas, is a pivotal skill for students to build as they grow into adulthood. The rhythm and sound of poetry can also be influential, especially for younger children. Toddlers who may not understand a poem’s words, can learn from the rhythm and begin to experiment with making their own sounds. As children develop and begin to read and write, exposure to poetry helps students become more versed in literature and composition, preparing them for higher education. 

Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son
  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
  The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
  Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
  And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
  He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
  He chortled in his joy.

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by Southfield Library Reads

FRIDAY FOLDER: October 9

Highlights of the Week:

Historic Anaheim

Anaheim Hills

North Tustin

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools