DAVIS • MORGAN • WEBER │ M A R C H 2 0 1 6
TOP Star N EWSLETTER
St. Patrick’s day is just around the corner, so get your kids excited for a day full of tricks and warm weather! March is a great month to celebrate the color green and all the many healthy vegetables that brandish this bright color. Now is the time to integrate a variety of green vegetables into breakfast, lunch and dinner! Having the color green a part of every meal this month will help to set the foundation for your kids’ healthy eating habits in the future.
CONGRATULATIONS to TOP Star Child Care Providers endorsed in 2015!
TWO STARS
Contents: 2015 TOP Star Providers .............. 1 Colorful Veggies .............................. 2 Non-food Options for St. Patrick’s Day........................ 3 Indoor Physical Activity ................ 4
THREE STARS
Creative Times Academy (WM)*
Children’s Classic #1 (WM)*
Imagination Time (Davis)* Jamie’s Home Child Care (WM)*
Edu-Care Early Learning Center (Davis)*
Jane’s Child Care (WM)
Grandma’s Garden (Davis)
Let Them Be Kids! (Davis)*
Noah’s Ark Daycare (Davis)
New Hope Children’s Center (WM)
Valerie Ferguson Daycare (Davis)
Page’s Day Care/Bright Basics (WM)*
*Re-endorsed!
Pamela’s Day Care (WM)* Rebekah’s Day Care (Davis)* St. Paul Lutheran’s Child Care Center (WM)*
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TOP STAR | d avi s c ou n t yu t a h. g ov/ he a lt h • w e be r mo rg a n he a lt h .o rg
Colorful Veggies This month, enjoy introducing your kids to a colorful variety of veggies! Show them the vegetables, and explain to them how they grow. Also, make vegetables fun! Try dressing up sandwiches with faces and smiles made from vegetables. They’ll love the bright colors! Take these colorful veggies and have them assist you as you make this fun “St Patrick’s Day” pizza (see below) that looks just like a rainbow. Or even let them make their own! Offer new vegetables in combination with old favorites to show the children an array of smells, textures, and colors. Various vegetables can be added to any whole grain pasta dish or pizza. Visit Harvest for Healthy Kids’ webpage (harvestforhealthykids.org) to download more information on encouraging your kids to eat more veggies.
Rainbow Pizza
1 package Broccoli
1 package tricolor pepper blend
1/2 cup sliced purple onion
6 miniature ready made pizza crusts
1 package carrots
1 jar pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1.
Preheat oven according to pizza crust package directions.
2.
If you have frozen veggies, spread them on a cookie sheet to thaw out.
3. Spread pizza sauce evenly over crusts and sprinkle with mozzarella. 4.
Arrange veggies in a rainbow shape over the top of each crust using the colors red, orange, yellow, green, purple, and white. (Water chestnuts are used for the clouds.) Brought to you by: belleofthekitchen.com
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DID YOU
KNOW? Children are eating
MORE
Fruits but not Vegetables.
DAVIS • MORGAN • WEBER │ M A R C H 2 0 1 6
Healthier Options:
Ideas from: buzzfeed.com, iheartnaptime.net
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
Wee Little Shamrock Men
Let’s celebrate this green day with fun activities! Carrot Shamrock Stamping These could be great to make a St. Patty’s card! You will need a carrot, knife, potato peeler, green paint, a tiny paintbrush, and a piece of paper. Start by cutting the end of the carrot off, making a smooth surface. Angle a knife to cut an upside-down “triangle” shape out. Take a peeler and smooth out the top and the sides to make it look more like a heart. Have the kids dip the carrot in the green paint and press it hard against the paper. Show them how to make a shamrock shape (stamping 3 times to make the leaves). Take a tiny paintbrush and make shamrock stems!
Rainbow in a Jar
Shamrock Sprouts
St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin
Beaded Rainbow
You will need:
A tall, see-through container
Honey
Light corn syrup
Green dish soap
Blue colored water
Olive oil
A liquid dropper
Red colored rubbing alcohol
Now it is time to make your rainbow! 1. First, pour the following ingredients (IN ORDER) into the jar: honey, light corn syrup, green dish soap, blue-colored water, and olive oil. Be sure to pour them into the center of the container each time. 2. Second, place the red-colored rubbing alcohol in the dropper and add it into the container by pouring along the sides of the container with the liquid dropper.
Rainbow Playdough
Non-food:
ST.PAT’S DAY ACTIVITIES
3. Place a lid on your container, and enjoy! Ideas from: craftmorning.com , and playdoughtoplato.com
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TOP STAR | d avi s c ou n t yu t a h. g ov/ he a lt h • w e be r mo rg a n he a lt h .o rg
INDOOR ACTIVITIES:
For Cold Winter Days & “Red” Air Quality Days
Kids have a lot of extra energy and it’s
paper and tape a clue to it. This is the
important to burn that excess
starting clue. On each clue, fill in the
energy or you will have cranky
“by a” box with an object that’s easily
little ones come nap time. We
identifiable in your daycare. Next hide
found a great activity that
your clues on those objects. Start the
will get your kids moving
hunt by reading the clue out loud with
and use their brains. One
each child. Then once read aloud,
idea we found from Jamie
allow them to hunt for the colored
with Hands On: As We Grow strip. Continue this process until they was the Rainbow Scavenger
find all the clues. Then place each
Hunt. To start, click here to
colored strip with glue onto a piece of
get the free printable of clues.
blue paper with a cloud. By the end of
Then after you have printed off
the rainbow scavenger hunt, you have
the clues, tape or glue each clue to a
made a rainbow to be put on display!
piece of construction paper in the colors
To check out the Rainbow Scavenger
of the rainbow. Then cut a cloud out of white
Hunt and other activities go to the Hands On: As We Grow webpage (handsonaswegrow.com).
St. Patrick's Day
A NOTE to Remember
Clover Hop
1.
LAY CLOVERS out on the floor with movement words written on the clovers.
2.
Have MUSIC available. Movement and music go hand in hand!
3.
Turn on the music, and let the kids hop or walk between clovers.
4.
When the music stops have the kids perform the action written on their clover.
5.
Start the music again and play resumes. Brought to you by: Pink Oatmeal (pinkoatmeal.com)
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If you’ve ever watched kids on a playground, you’ve seen the three elements of fitness in action when they: 1.
Run away from the kid who’s it (endurance)
2.
Cross the monkey bars (strength)
3.
Bend down to tie their shoes (flexibility) We should encourage our kids to do a variety of activities so that they can work on all three elements.