We are very happy to be  a participant in the Jumpstart’s Read for the Record.  Our children love the whole Llama Llama Series and we look forward to being together with our children and their parents as the nation reads  in unison. We also plan on asking our children to invite the children they know to participate with us. We will keep track of where those children live so we can mark it on our US map.

The purpose of the nation-wide reading is to highlight and to receive support for the more than six million children who live in poverty and don’t not have access to quality early childhood care . These children are at risk for school failure before they even start kindergarten. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record®, presented in conjunction with the Pearson Foundation, allows Americans to demand that all children receive the quality early education they deserve.

You can be involved  by going to Jumpstarts’ Read for the Record and pledging to read on Oct. 6th. You can also make a donation towards the improvement of early education for children in poverty.

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This family-friendly open-air festival at the LA Zoo has been delighting music lovers of all ages for more than a decade.  Thursday night July 28th from 6-9 pm. The zoo is also at its best in the early evening because the animals wake up from the warm summer.

The Gene Autry Museum  has a a summer of Music and Festivals featuring Latin and Country Music and a Cowboy and Cowgirl every few days.

The Descanso Garden Music on the Main Jazz Series  on Thursdays at 5:30 pm until Aug 25th.

For example, Mitchell Long and the Cafe Atlantico will be performing Brazilian Music on July 21st. Bring a picnic and enjoy the music for the price of a garden admission.

Summer Family Series at the Descanso Gardens

5:30 p.m. Tuesdays | Through Aug. 25

Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum makes its second Descanso appearance of the summer when it performs “The Merry Wives of Windsor” on Tuesday, July 19. Free with admssion to the gardens.

      On Friday nights, LACMA has Jazz in the Courtyard for the rest         of the summer starting at 6 pm. Food and wine are available for          purchase.

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It has just opened a new exhibit that is really fabulous;  the interactive Ecosystems. The Ecosystems exhibit explores eight different systems and the exhibits aren’t what you expect; they are better! Here is a glimpse:

• The exhibit about the Extreme areas of the earth (desert, polar ice cap, deep sea vents and rocky shores)  allows you to  explore and touch sea animals in tidal pools on the roof of the building. )
• In  the Forest Zone,  you will walk under a 188,000 gallon tank of a live kelp forest.
• In the River zone, you can dig a channel, build a dam and see how the flow of water changes as it travels across the sandy landscape you’ve created.

This is the kind of Center that makes Los Angeles an exciting place to be. Take your family and enjoy the experience over and over again.Tweet

For the month of March,  our morning meeting every day with the children will  feature  the children sharing with each other the books they love. When the meeting is over, they can join the reading area where teachers and parent volunteers will read the many wonderful selections during choice time.

We have learned about lots of new books, everything from Sharks vs. Trains to Good Boy, Fergus. At the end of the month, I will publish a list of our new finds.

Why celebrate Dr. Seuss birthday? Firstly, it will be great fun witht Cat in the Hat and Greeen Eggs and Ham. On a broader level, Read Across America, an event that brings together Random House, publishers of the Dr. Suess books and the National Education Association  believes that “when we celebrate Dr. Seuss and reading, we send a clear message to America’s children that reading is fun and important.”

We send that message to our children every day as we read a wonderful range of children’s literature but this month we will have  another delightful way to bring books alive for our children.

Because, In Seussville,

You are never too old, too wacky, too wild

To pick up a book and read to a child.

I hope you enjoy many great books with your child this month.Tweet

Here’s how it works. First Ty shows the children all of  the different items that were going in the box, carefully describing them as she tucks them  in the box. Then one by one, each child comes up and find something in the box while the rest of the group watch.

The next part is the guessing game.  The child gives clues about the item they are holding without telling what it is and it is the kids turn to guess. Once they figure out, it is the next child’s turn to reach into the Mystery Box. .

This game was a huge success with squeals of delight accompanying each discovery.

The game is not only fun but also wonderful practice in visual memory. To remember an object , you have to focus on it, notice its size, shape and color, and pay attention to its detail. We play lots of visual memory games in the course of the year.

Another game we play is called “What’s Missing?”. We put a dozen or so objects on the floor in front of the children and have them look at each one as we point to it and talk about it. Then they close their eyes while we take one away. When they open their eyes, we ask “What’s Missing?  One by one the children take turns taking something away and the others guess. The children also give clues if no one remembers.

When children first play this game, they are often not paying very close attention, but after a few times, they start really looking to see what’s there. They developing strategies for remembering; that is a valuable skill and children do it differently. Clue giving also requires that they pay close attention to the object.

The visual games and listening games we enjoy playing  are not only  fun but also strengthen the visual and auditory skills that will serve children well as they develop.Tweet

• Manipulatives area-Children aged 3-7 years old  play over and over again with the MAGNA-TILES available from Amazon.com.   These square and triangular plastic tiles have magnets along their edges, allowing them to connect and create structures in an amazing array of shapes. You will want at least 50 and probably a hundred. They will last for years of use.  I love these! Bristle blocks and Medium-sized Legos are also very popular and can be added too as time goes on.
• Sensory area- Playdough is always popular and you can get big tubs of it in a range of colors . Add some rollers, garlic presses, plastic knives, rubber stamps, etc. However, the current favorite is IncredibleFoam. It is made of tiny beads and bound together so that it can be gently molded into many shapes. Ty says it feels like soft Rice Krispy Treats.  Both are available from  Discount School Supply . It is very, very fun!
• Sensory possibilities additionally can be found on this website. Directions of how to make Flubber, Playdough, Clean Mud, and Cornstarch Goo are given. These can be made and put into fun containers.
• Art  projects are  always a favorite thing to do. Several years ago, my husband and I put together CREATION BOXES for all of our grandchildren. Our main source of collage materials, fabric, paper, tubes, ribbons, stickers, and other great stuff was Trash for Teaching in downtown LA. We get our recycled materials for the school from T4T. They have more than a hundred bins of manufacturer’s leftovers and other new but repurposed items. It is a bonanza of great stuff and you pay $2.00 a pound. Check your previous email or the website for more information.To make the boxes, Stephen and I first took large cardboard boxes and covered them with holiday paper. Then we filled them with different colored paper, glue sticks, tape, hole punches, markers, and lots of the items from T4T. They were a favorite present that year and still get lots of use. They are easy to refill with new materials that keeps them fresh and interesting.
• DRESS-UP BOXES are another gift that gives hours of play. At the school , the children spend many hours putting on the dress up clothes and acting out roles from mother and baby to doctor and train conductor.  Thrift stores are a great source of clothes, shoes, jewelry, purses, capes, ties, etc. Hats (police, fire, etc. ) are great props; they can be enough to create the character and are cheaply purchased online. Scarves are very versatile as well.Once you have the basics, you can be as elaborate as you want. You can buy a ready made doctor’s kit or for a doctor coat, buy small short sleeved white  shirt and put a red cross on it. Add some doctor play equipment from the 99 cent store. Or add a few children’s cooking tools, some food boxes,  a pot and a pad of paper and pencil  and  the kitchen or restaurant have their beginnings. Ask children what they want later to create a more complete set of supplies.
• Books are universally popular at the school and availalbe through Amazon.com. The current favorites are :

The Dairy of a Worm by Doreen Cronin ( also Dairy of a Fly and Dairy of a Spider)

Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells

Going on a Bear Hunt, the pop-up version by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

Knuffle Bunny and Knuffle Bunny, Too by Mo Willems

• Trains are very popular with a number of the kids. They love linking them together, putting together the track pieces,  and moving them along the tracks. While there are  many sets available, there is an inexpensive one at IKEA. If you buy two sets, children have the chance to create a good-sized track and to vary its shape in many different ways. Allied trains on Sepulveda Blvd is an amazing source for real trains or just a wonderful outing. My kids used to like looking through magazines and cutting out pictures of stores, restaurants, trees, etc.  to put alongside the track.
• A good stocking stuffer is an unbreakable magnifying glass.
• Holiday books are always welcome. My favorites are:

The 12 Days of Christmas, A pop-up celebration by Robert Sabuda.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick

Celebrating Chanukah, Eights Nights, by Debbie Mariinez

The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie dePaola

Each of these has beautiful illustration as well as being well written.

• For catalog shopping, here are some great places to order high quality and interesting toys that are loaded with play value.

Melissa and Doug is an excellent line of quality educational toys. They have great barns, castles, dollhouses, as well as puppets, puzzles, and so many other things.

Back to Basics has a wonderful line of classic kid’s toys.

Constructive Playthings are great for blocks, animals, trucks, dress up and house supplies.              It is a good all round catalog for things you would find at a preschool.

Hearthsong has wonderful toys as well as interesting things to enhance your outside                        experiences.

Magic Cabin- handmade All Natural Dolls, Toys, and Crafts

We wish you a very happy holiday season!Tweet

There are so many wonderful stories about Teddy Bears. We read many of the during our Teddy Bear Theme. Here are some of our favorites; many can be found on Amazon.com.  Best enjoyed with your favorite stuffed bear by your side.

Corduroy by Don Freeman is a great children’s book with several sequels.

Beady Bear by Don Freeman, a bear who learns about friendship and reciprocity

Godilocks and the Three Bears illustrated by Jan Brett. Beautifully illustrated.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. Loved by all preschool ages. Also good early readers.

Leo the Late Bloomer and Milton the Early Riser by Robert Kraus. Leo and his father learn that everyone blooms in their own good time. Milton is awake before everyone, helps put everything right after a windstorm and is asleep again as the everyone wakes up.

Good Night,  Pippin by Joan Elizabeth Goodman, unusual but very popular story that is good for bedtimes as well.

Paddington Bear and Paddington’s Garden by Michael Bond and Fred Banbery. The classic about a bear who comes to live with an English family.

Bear’s Birthday and Bread and Honey by Frank Asch. These are part of collection of Bear Stories that are lovely.

Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik. The caring relationship between a mother bear and her little one.

ENJOY!Tweet

Halloween is a fun and festive time of year and it is filled with activities for young children. At school, we love  dressing up, doing face painting, making  pumpkin pudding and muffins, and the all important pumpkin carving. We also help children with their feelings of excitement and fear; it is a complex holiday for children. I have written an article to the parents of the school talking about ways of navigating Halloween and have posted it on the website as well.

This article is about the fun and fabulous things to do this month, in chronological order.

Natural History Museum Spider Pavilion,  www.nhm.org/site/explore-exhibits/special-exhibits/spider-pavilion. A great experience with a nighttime flashlight tours on Oct. 23rd

Ivanhoe Public Elementary School- Fall HoeDown- Oct 24th- 2828 Herkimer St Los Angeles, CA 90039-4103 - (323) 664-0051

Larchmont Family Fair- October 24th, 12-5 pm. Larchmont Blvd.  between First and Third.

Los Angeles Zoo- Boo at the Zoo- The zoo is tranformed into theme areas for trick or treaters. Activities include dun performers, pumpkin carving, treats, crafts, music, and creepy crawlers. Friday, October 29th. Free with paid admission or with zoo membership.

The 8th Annual Rose Scharlin Halloween Hullabaloo is October 30, 2010 from 4pm- 8pm. 2414 Lake View Ave. Los Angeles, Ca. 90039

Los Angeles Charter School of the Arts- Halloween Event and Fundraiser- Saturday, October 30, 11:00am – 3:00pm, 2709 Media Center Drive, Los Angeles, 90065

Have a Great Holiday!Tweet

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The music scene, easily accessible from the Hollywood, Los Feliz, and Silverlake areas, has much to offer children and grown-ups alike. One of our parents has a great web site to check out for things to do with kids in LA, musical and otherwise.  It is http://lakidstuff.com/. This is a thoughtful and thorough site with great ideas. Here are a few highlights to whet your appetite:

THE LA ZOO- Music in the Zoo

On Friday nights, July 23rd and Aug 6, from 6-9 pm, the zoo has a wonderful music program. You can bring a picnic and drinks. Also, it is a great time to see the animals as they are more active as the day cools. Free for members. One of our families really enojyed this late Friday.

THE GETTY CENTER- Concerts for kids and families

Saturdays and Sundays during most of August, 4-5:30 pm. Free for all.

THE ORIGINAL FARMER’S MARKET

Summer Music Series at the original Farmer’s Market at 3rd and Fairfax on the West Patio. Thursday and Fridays now through September 10th.

Happy listening!Tweet