Bona Vista's Child Care Solutions

"The Access Pass program further reduces financial barriers making it possible for the working poor all over the state of Indiana to enjoy both institutions," said Dr. Jeffrey H. Patchen, president and CEO of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. "The Children's Museum and Conner Prairie are deeply committed to creating extraordinary learning experiences for all children and families."

"As two of the best places for families in the state, Conner Prairie and The Children's Museum are pleased to join forces with this expanded Access Pass program. Now more than ever, Hoosier families in need will be able to visit these two unique and world-class family learning destinations," Ellen Rosenthal, president and CEO of Conner Prairie.

Am I eligible and How do I sign up?

• Indiana families with at least one member who is 18 years of age or older and who are part of the TANF(Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), food stamps or Hoosier Healthwise Insurance are eligible to participate in the Access Pass program.
• These families can visit The Children's Museum and Conner Prairie and present a Hoosier Works card or Hoosier Healthwise Insurance card, together with photo identification, at the box office to receive $1 admission for immediate family members. They will be issued an Access Pass card that is renewable annually and provides family members the reduced rate throughout the year.

Paths to QUALITY has its very own Facebook! Click here to become a fan of the voluntary quality rating system for licensed/regulated child care providers in the state of Indiana. Follow Paths to QUALITY as we assist providers in providing high quality child care to the children and families living in our communities.

As of 6/22/2009, Paths to QUALITY is impacting 52,018 children!! This program would not be successful without the dedication, hard-work, and effort of your community's child care providers. To learn more about Paths to QUALITY, visit ChildCareFinder or call 800-299-1627

Toot Toot Tuesday!

Early Childhood Music Experiences

Little Boy Blue come blow your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He’s under the haystack fast asleep

Will you wake him? Oh no not I.
For if I do, he’ll surely cry.

Does your child love music? Singing and dancing and playing instruments? Or even the rhythmic phrases of nursery rhymes? Read on for some ideas on making musical instruments to add to your child’s music play. If you have a class, you could very easily end up with a band when the children are finished making the instruments.

Use the instruments as you sing songs that your children know. Introduce new songs, even classical songs and see if they can play along. You can also use these with nursery rhymes to emphasize the rhythm of the words and phrases. Look for more nursery rhymes later this week!

Maracas
Materials:
Old water or pop bottles
Dried beans, beads, rice, etc
Superglue

Instructions:
Clean the bottle and allow to dry thoroughly. Fill the bottle ¼ to 1/3 full with your choice of noise maker. An adult should superglue the threads of the bottle before replacing the cap. When the glue is dry, shake away.

Drums
Materials:
Empty oatmeal canister with cover
Empty coffee can with lid
Pots or pats

Instructions:
Your child can decorate either the oatmeal or coffee canister to his or her liking. For stationary drums, simply use a spoon, chop stick, or other drumstick device and play away. To turn it into a carrying drum, punch holes in opposite sides of the canister. Pull a piece of yarn (long enough to go from child’s neck to waist and back) through the holes. Tie the ends of the yarn in a knot. You can make a flat drum using the same technique only with a box instead. Poke a hole in the bottom and the top of the box. See if your child/children can find the rhythm and beat in songs.

Kazoo
Materials:
Toilet paper tube
Waxed paper
rubber band or glue

Instructions:
Glue waxed paper or secure with the rubber band over one end of the toilet paper tube. Poke holes in the waxed paper. Hum into the open end of the tube.

Horn
Materials:
Paper towel tube
Waxed paper
rubber band or glue

Instructions:
Glue waxed paper or secure with the rubber band over one end of the paper towel tube. Poke a row of holes in the waxed paper. Play like a horn from the open end.

Tambourine
Materials:
2 Paper Plates per child
stapler or glue
hole punch
string
jingle bells
materials to decorate

Instructions:
place on plate on the table, as if you were going to eat. Place some jingle bells on the plate, how many is up to you. Either glue or staple the plates together. Children need adult supervision if stapling. The child can then decorate his or her tambourine as desired. To add additional bells, hole punch around the outside edge of the plates. Tie on more jingle bells as desired.

Guitar
Materials:
Empty shoe box without the lid
Rubber bands
Ruler, stick, paint stirrer

Instructions:
Place the rubber bands around the shoe box creating strings. You can attach the ruler/stick/paint stirrer to the back to act as the handle of the guitar. Strum or pluck the rubber bands. Your child or children can decorate their guitar as they like. This can be turned into a science experiment by asking and finding the answer to questions. Do different sized rubber bands sound the same or different? How does the size of the shoe boxes affect the sound?

Dancing accessories
Ribbons
Materials:
Ribbon of different colors, sizes, etc
plastic shower rings or larger hair tie
needle and thread

Instructions:
An adult or older supervised child can stitch the ribbon to the ring by folding the ribbon around the ring and sewing the ribbon to itself. Children can then dance with the ribbon holding onto the ring. An alternative to the shower curtain ring is a large hair tie. The ribbon can be tied onto the hair tie and then worn around the child’s wrist.

Scarves

Batons

By making and using these instruments, Paths to QUALITY participants will be meeting level 2 standards for materials in interest areas.

Go forth readers, make some musical instruments and play some beautiful music!

Do you want to read more about the importance of early childhood music education? Check out some of these articles.

Music and Math

Music and Social Emotional Development

Leadership Bulletin from the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association

The Value of Childhood Music Education

Summer is here and we all know that the kids just want to be outside!! Child Care Solutions wants to share with you the many great and FREE programs that are going on right now in your local parks. From summer camps to Spray Parks...there's so much to do right outside your front door!

We have listed below the links for each of our counties local parks department and their schedule of programs available to children and families. Be Safe, Be Smart, and Make some Great memories :)

If you live in Adams County, click here
If you live in Blackford County, click here
If you live in Grant County, click here
If you live in Howard County, click here
If you live in Huntington County, click here
If you live in Jay County, click here
If you live in Miami County, click here
If you live in Tipton County, click here
If you live in Wabash County, click here
If you live in Wells County, click here

A FREE running program for children Birth-18 years of age. FREE ribbon and popsicle after each night of running. Trophies will be awarded at the end of the season (July 23rd) to participants who have completed 4-5 weeks of the program.

For more information or a registration form, click here!

Starting Wednesday June 24th, select Kerasotes Theaters are offering FREE children's movies on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10 am. Doors will open at 9 am and it will be first come, first serve. There is no advance ticketing and the kiddie combo add-ons will be available. So parents load up the kiddos and go enjoy some FREE family fun :)

For more information on participating theaters, click here!

Art is a necessity in every child’s life and for their development. Art activities promote the development of hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and communication skills. For young children, the process of art is more important than the finished product. The point is to focus on the experience rather than the perfection.

You are most likely already doing art – and concentrating on the process versus the product. But how can you turn the craft projects that are sent home more into the same art process? Read on to find an example of how to extend the crafts ideas into art and cover more learning areas of the Foundations.


Theme: Bugs

Project: Creating a lady bug

Step 1: Cut the lady bug’s body from a piece of paper. Please closely supervise the children with this step. This might even have to be more of a one on one opportunity and could take the better part of one day. That’s ok, because creating this lady bug is going to take a while.

Step 2: Apply color to the lady bug’s body. How? Any way you want to. There’s always paint and crayons or markers. Get creative with how you will have the children apply the color to their lady bug. Maybe it is finger painting or splatter painting. Do you have extra tissue paper from the holiday’s laying around? You could rip and glue pieces to create a full sheet of color. You can also talk about different colors as the children choose what color to make their lady bug.
Tip: If glue starts getting on hands, turn it into a sensory activity. Have the children spread/rub school glue around their hands and hold them open to dry. When the glue is dry, the children can the peel it off of their hands.

Step 3: Adding the spots. How many ways can you think of to make spots? Paint, markers, crayons, stickers, use round foam brushes for circles. Circles? Did you say circles? – Foundation alert! Math F.4.13 “Copy circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles.” Can the children ages 3+ years old draw different shapes of spots?

Step 4: Before moving on, ask the children what is missing on their lady bugs? They might say eyes or antennae. This is another Foundation you are hitting. Math F.6.1 “Identify attributes of objects” and F.6.2 “Identify the missing object.” Talk about the different attributes that make a lady bug different from a fly or an ant. What characteristics do they have in common? So what did your kiddos say is missing? Eyes? Let’s add some eyes. There are always the standard googly eyes that can be glued down. What about pompons? You could even have them find eyes in magazines and cut them out.

Step 5: Antennae time! Some different methods for creating antennae include using pipe cleaners. You could also have the children fan fold strips of paper. These are both good to create 3-D antennae. You could add anything else to your lady bugs as well. Use resource books and try to make them look authentic.


After the children have completed their lady bugs, hang them up at the children’s eye level to create an art gallery. The children will love to show off their art to the others. Have the children do a gallery walk of their art; take the time to compare the lady bugs and talk about the differences that the children see. What are some of the similarities of the lady bugs? This activity would meet Foundations in Science F.4.2” Identify attributes or characteristics for comparison (e.g., color, size, gender, shape).”

Throughout the time you spent with your children doing this and other art activities, you will be working on the Visual Arts Foundation, F.2.16 “Demonstrate increasing skill in using different art materials. (e.g., paper, paint, clay, scraps, buttons)”

Include your infants in the art too. Their art might be seen when they focus on motions and movement. Infants and toddlers can be provided with large sheets of sturdy paper and materials to draw with such as crayons and chalk. Infant Toddler Visual Arts Foundation B.1.6 says, “Assign meaning to scribbles.” Talk with your infants and toddlers about what they have drawn. If it is during the lady bug week, a circle or other shape could be their lady bug. Science Foundation B.1.9 states manipulate objects. Further the infant’s and toddler’s science development by allowing the children to play with some of the objects that were used during the art project. The tissue paper would be fun to
hold, shake and crumple.

Here at Child Care Solutions, we have some great things in the Lending Library. We have brain noodles that are like giant pipe cleaners that your infants and toddlers can explore. We also have a toddler bug collecting jar with soft bugs to extend the activity into science. Are you looking for more activities on bugs? Look no further! We also have a bug themed Mission Thinking Cap and a new Toddler Thinking Tote that is bug themed as well. Do you have a different theme in mind? Ask your mentor what is available for you to check out! We love to bring you materials for your planned activities.

We would love to hear about some of your activity ideas and experiences – art projects, sensory experiences or ways you have extended your current learning areas. Please use the comment section provided. We are “ant”icipating hearing from you!

Have Fun, But Stay Safe!
Now that summer is in full swing, kids are spending more and more time outdoors. With outdoor play come many great opportunities for healthy exercise, free exploration of nature, and sensory fun! To make the outdoor experience fun and safe, remember that sun screen and protective clothing should always be used for children over the age of six months. For children less than six months, sunscreen should be used sparingly and only after consulting with a pediatrician; however, babies can still have fun playing outdoors in the shade of an umbrella, canopy, or even with a hat and protective clothing. For older children, sun screen should be applied 30 minutes before exposure, and reapplied after water play or excessive sweating. For more specific information about outdoor health and safety click here to check out the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations.

Thank you so much for listening! We hope that you have lots of fun with your little ones and these bubble activities!

Here is the Bubble Solution as heard on WWKI 100.5FM and some activities for your little ones!

Recipe:

1 cup water

2 Tbsp light Karo Syrup or 2 Tbsp glycerin

4 Tbsp dishwashing liquid

Bubble Activities

Human Bubble

Materials:

• Hula Hoop
• Wading pool
• Bubble solution

Instructions:

• Fill the bottom of a small wading pool with bubble solution. (Combine 1 part liquid dish soap with 12 parts water and a few drops of glycerin or Karo syrup.) Have a child stand inside a hula-hoop in the pool as you pull the hoop up around him. A human bubble! You can use a small step stool to keep little feet out of the bubble solution.
  

Bubble Prints

Materials:

• Paint
• Dishwashing liquid soap
• Straw
  
  

Instructions:

• Mix 1 part paint to 2 parts dishwashing liquid in a bowl. Have your children blow into the bowl with a straw. This will cause bubbles to form over the top of the bowl. Now have the kids put a piece of paper over the bowl in order to cause bubble prints to form
  
  Safety Tip: Put a small hole near the top of the straw so that your children can not suck up the solution
• Extended Activity: Put several smaller containers containing different colors near each other. When your children put the paper over it. It will make cool colors.

Bubble Paper

Give each child white paper and separate container of bubble solution colored yellow and blue. As your children blow the bubbles on the paper point out that in some places the bubbles created a green design on the paper.

Wet/Dry Experiment

While blowing bubbles with the children try touching a bubble with a dry finger. Repeat using a wet finger. What happens? You will observe that bubbles break when they touch an object that is dry.

Bubble Songs

Sung to: "Ring Around the Rosie"

Blow air in our bubble.
(Move one step backward while holding hands.)
Blow air in our bubble.
(Move one step backward while holding hands.)
Bigger, bigger,
(Move one step backward while holding hands.)
We stop and pop!
(Drop hands and fall to the ground.)

The Bubble Song

One little, two little, three little bubbles
Four little, five little, six little bubbles
Seven little, eight little, nine little bubbles
Ten little bubbles go pop, pop, pop, pop, pop
Pop those, pop those, pop those bubbles
Pop those, pop those, pop those bubbles
Pop those, pop those, pop those bubbles
Ten little bubbles go pop, pop, pop, pop, pop

Bubbles All Around

(Sung to: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Bubbles floating all around (pretend to catch bubbles)
Bubbles fat and bubbles round (make a circle with arms)
Bubbles on my toes and nose (point to toes and then to nose)
Blow a bubble, up it goes! (pretend to blow bubble and point up)
Bubbles floating all around. (pretend to catch bubbles)
B..u..b. .b..l..e..s f..a..l..l. .i..n..g to...the...ground. (sing slowly while sinking to ground)

These and other activities and songs can be found at the following links:

www.everythingpreschool.com

• Bubble Songs
• Bubble Art

www.stepbystepcc.com

• Bubbles, page 3