NOVEMBER 2019
CREATING with Art All About
CLOTHES
Recipe: Crispy Rice Paintbrushes
This Month at Playworks… As the holidays approach, there is no better time to think about ways to give back to the local community and to those in need—especially around this time of year. Setting a positive example for your child and teaching them about the importance of giving is one of the most valuable gifts you can offer them this holiday season. Here are just a few of the ways your family can contribute: November 11 · Veterans Day All gave some, and some gave all. This Veterans Day, consider attending a commemorative event in your community, or compile items for care packages to be sent to troops serving overseas. For more information, visit supportourtroops.org/care-packages. November 29–December 13 · Toys for Tots Each year, the Toys for Tots campaign delivers a little extra Christmas cheer to less fortunate kids all over the country. Starting November 29 through December 13, Playworks will be a designated Toys for Tots drop-off location for new, unwrapped toy donations. December 3 · Giving Tuesday Since Thanksgiving lands on November 28 this year, the following Tuesday is widely known as Giving Tuesday, a day to give time, money, or gifts to charitable organizations that help many in need. Visit givingtuesday.org to learn more.
Suggested reading Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
Jamela’s Dress by Niki Daly
Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks
Socks
by Tania Sohn
IMPORTANT DATES NOVEMBER 1: Playworks Picture Day NOVEMBER 28: Thanksgiving, Playworks Closed
Playworks department Spotlight:
Playworks Café After hours of exciting adventure, Playworks Café is a great place to refuel! Playworks Café has a variety of food options—from classic favorites to healthy snacks. The kids menu will keep your kiddos happy with classic favorites like chicken nuggets, mini corn dogs, and more, while the rest of the menu features delicious options such as appetizers, specialty pizzas, freshly-made wraps, and sweet treats.
Educare Early Learning Classrooms
Clothing From a young age, kids are interested in clothes—from babies tugging at their clothing (especially socks!) to toddlers studying the buttons, snaps, and zippers on their outfits. Children love to try on different clothes, all the while they are learning how to dress themselves. They begin to develop preferences in what they want to wear in terms of colors, fabrics, and styles. Throughout the month, Playworks’ early learning classrooms will focus on the study of clothing. This interest in clothing can also serve as the foundation for learning about different kinds of attire and the variety of materials and textures used to make clothing. Students will also learn some of the specialized purposes of clothing, such as uniforms. As the seasons change and we’re nearing winter, discuss with your child the reasons their clothing choices may be changing over the next couple of months and why it is important to dress for the weather. You might be surprised to learn just how much your kiddo already knows about clothes!
All About
Clothes
Buttons and snaps and zippers, oh my! This month, Playworks students will put on their investigative hats and dive into the study of clothes. Clothing is the perfect opportunity to introduce concepts like sizes, colors, textures, and fabrics to young learners. Read more about the types of skills that come from the study of clothes and ways to build on this knowledge.
Art
Ways to Encourage the Study of Clothes:
• Talk with your child about the clothes they are wearing • Examine fabrics together when sorting laundry • Look at the labels to find out where the clothes were made
• Look at photos and identify how clothing styles change throughout the seasons • When at the store, point out how clothes are organized
Skills L es: earned Throu gh the Study of Cloth
Design sa patter nd n clothin s in kids le g help arn a colors bout and shapes
Science
When kids grow out of clothes, they are experiencing real examples of size
Math
Clothing materials often contain shapes for children to become familiar with
Language
g By describin s id k , es h ot cl learn new such vocabulary, ft, so , h g u ro as c. silky, et
Motowrith
g Workin pers, zip , s n o t but ps help a and sn ith kids w ation coordin
Uniform Matching
GAME See if you can match the job with the correct photo of the uniform!
Source: preschoolexpress.com
doctor postal firefighter police MUSICIAN photographer worker officer
office manager
Highlighted Learning Objective:
explores and describes
Spatial Relationships and Shapes
As a child plays with building blocks or watches a ball roll by, they are learning about spatial relationships—and shapes! Parents and caregivers can encourage children to use common toys and activities to enhance their understanding of these concepts.
What This Looks Like •
Matches two identical shapes, such as in a shape-sorting box
•
Identifies a few basic shapes, such as a circle, square, or triangle
•
Describes basic two- and threedimensional shapes by using their own words (e.g., “It’s a ball because it rolls.”)
•
Shows that shapes remain the same when they are turned, flipped, or slid
Ways Parents and Caregivers Can Help Enhance These Skills •
Label shapes with correct names as the child uses them
•
Guide the child’s exploration of shapes, discussing features as they explore
•
Present shapes that differ in size and orientation
•
Encourage the child to create new shapes from other shapes
Recipe:
Crispy Rice
Move over, Picasso—this tasty, crispy treat is an edible masterpiece!
Paintbrushes
directions: 1.
In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows, and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
2. Mix in crispy rice cereal, and stir until cereal is well coated. Allow mixture to cool from hot to warm. 3. Coat your hands with some butter (or wear disposable food prep gloves). Mold handfuls of the mixture into rectangle shapes, and place on wax paper to cool. 4. Before the rectangles completely harden, insert a wooden ice pop stick about half way in one end. 5. Heat candy melts in microwave-safe bowls and dip each treat in the melted chocolate. Allow any excess to drip off. 6. Place treats on a sheet of wax paper to dry and harden. Voilà!
ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter 1 10-ounce package marshmallows 6 cups crispy rice cereal Candy melts in various colors
I Love You Ritual:
Snuggle Up
A “safe place” is an alternative to time out—and a place where children who are feeling rejected, alone, anxious, or angry can go to return themselves to a more peaceful inner state. To help your child learn to calm down, first provide them with a safe place, such as a cozy chair or a beanbag. Teach your child how to use the safe place by sitting with them, along with a transition object such as a teddy bear. Sing the following to the tune of “Rock-a-Bye Baby” while sitting together:
Snuggle up children in your safe place. You can go there, to have your own space. When you feel scared and want to feel loved, just cuddle yourself and the bear with a hug.
At the last two lines of the song, give the child and the bear a little extra hug. Tell your child that when they are angry or anxious, they can come to the safe place to calm down. Eventually, the child will be able to go to the safe place alone and feel the same soothing feelings they felt with you.
Focused Experience:
Creating With
Art
Creative activities are often referred to as the building blocks of child development. From motor skills and language learning to decision-making and inventiveness, art plays an important role in helping children navigate the world around them. Read more about what your child is learning by creating with art:
When your child…
Your child is learning…
• Covers paper with paint
• About cause and effect
• Pokes a hole in playdough
• How objects can be used
• Tears paper for a collage
• Hand-eye coordination
• Uses paste/glue successfully
• To solve a problem
TASTE of
Family-Friendly EVENTS
November 16
the
CommUNITY Day
9am-2pm Hoċokata Ti (2300 Tiwahe Circle, Shakopee) All are invited to the first-ever CommUNITY Day at Hoċokata Ti on Saturday, November 16. In honor of Native American Month and the tribe’s 50th anniversary of federal recognition, the SMSC will host a family-friendly day of sharing and learning Native American culture and history.
November 23
Turkey Trot and Kids Half-Mile Fun Run 8am The Meadows at Mystic Lake (2400 Mystic Lake Boulevard, Prior Lake)
Holidays
2pm NOVEMBER 23 11am -2pm TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY LOCAL VENDOR SAMPLES
FARE
GIVEAWAYS AND GOODY BAGS* *GOODY BAGS FOR THE FIRST 100 CUSTOMERS
952.233.9140 • mazopiya.com 2571 CREDIT UNION DRIve, PRIOR LAKE, MN
Sign up for the annual Turkey Trot 5K, hosted by Dakotah! Sport and Fitness. Located on the rolling hills of The Meadows at Mystic Lake, this race offers a fun-filled, familyfriendly way to get some fresh air and exercise before winter sets in. Register today at dakotahsport.com/turkeytrot. For more information, call the front desk at 952.445.9400.
November 23
Taste of the Holidays
11am-2pm Mazopiya (2571 Credit Union Drive, Prior Lake) Get in the holiday spirit on November 23 at Mazopiya’s annual Taste of the Holidays! Showcasing local vendors, an array of samples, and goody bags for the first 100 customers, this is the perfect opportunity to get inspired for the festive season ahead.
COMMUNITY IS ABOUT UNITY
Join Us in Sharing and Learning Native American Culture and History
Saturday, November 16
PUBLIC INVITED AND WELCOME
9am–2pm
FREE ADMISSION
OPEN HOUSE
Hoċokata Ti 2300 TIWAHE CIRCLE, SHAKOPEE, MN
EXPERIENCE AND LEARN ABOUT
Arts and Crafts | Native American Culture and Language | Local History Indigenous Food | Film Showing | Federal Policy Impact | Gaming History | And More!
! PLUS
RSVP at shakopeedakota.org/unity Visit the Public Exhibit Mdewakanton: Dwellers of the Spirit Lake
952.445.8900 • SHAKOPEEDAKOTA.ORG
COMMIT TO BE FIT
THIS FALL I N ITIATIO N FEE
N OV E M B E R 4 - 2 9 ! VI S I T TH E FRONT DESK TO SIGN UP TODAY.
952.445.9400 • dakotahsport.com 2100 trail of dreams, PRIOR LAKE, MN ENTERPRISES OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
Craft:
cute-as-a-buttonAnimals Have old CDs laying around collecting dust?
Try this crafty repurposing project to make cute-as-a-button animals!
Materials: Colored markers
Googly eyes
Buttons
Paper
Glue
Old CDs
Directions:
1
Print out a template or draw the outline of an animal on a piece of paper, such as a snail or a turtle (as shown).
2
Draw a face on your animal, and add googly eyes.
3
With an adult’s help, carefully glue a CD to the body of the animal, with the mirrored side facing up.
4
Next, glue colorful buttons to the mirrored side of the CD. To prevent the excess glue from smudging the CD, apply the glue directly to the buttons and press them onto the CD.
5
Allow the glue to fully dry before hanging your artwork.
• Birthdays • Group Trips • Events
PARTY HERE. There’s no place to PARTY like Playworks. Whether you’re looking to host an event, your child’s birthday party, or attend a seasonal party, Playworks is the place for family entertainment.
BOOK TODAY! 952.445.PLAY (7529) • playworksfun.com 2200 trail of dreams, PRIOR LAKE, MN
enterprises owned and operated by the shakopee mdewakanton sioux community