Halloween Parade!

Halloween Kids

The Halloween Parade will take place tomorrow, Thursday the 27th – rain or shine. We plan to parade out into the parking lot, but will make a day-of decision to move inside if it’s too cold or wet.

Parents: drop off your children with their costume in a labeled bag (leave special accessories at home). Please keep the parking lot clear and park on an adjacent street.

Teachers will dress the children, and the 3s and 4s will parade at 9:30 AM sharp!  Be ready with your camera 🙂

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Today, Dr. Seuss would have been 112 years old!  His contribution to children’s literature is such an amazing legacy. He published over 60 books during his career, which have spawned numerous adaptations, including 11 television specials, four feature films, a Broadway musical, and four television series! (Source: wikipedia)

Today, our “Cat in the Hat” (a.k.a. Mrs. Mucci) visited the classrooms and the children were delighted.

Here are some fun ways you can celebrate at home:

75+ Dr. Seuss Crafts, Activities, and Fun Foods!

With the birthday of Dr. Seuss & National Reading Month, it’s the perfect time to share some awesome Dr. Seuss-inspired crafts, activities, and fun food recipes! There are SO many fun Seusstastic ideas out there and I’ve rounded up the best of the best!

Sharing Gratitude

Now that the frenzy of costumes and candy surrounding Halloween is over, we turn our attention to Thanksgiving and the importance of gratitude. This month we will do lots of great crafts and gather food for a local food pantry.

Here’s a great activity you can do at home!

Gratitude Stones – Fireflies and Mud Pies

Many families use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to teach children about gratitude. A sense of gratitude, or feeling thankful and appreciative of the good things in one’s life, is an important social-emotional skill that can increase happiness and improve health.

 

This is a wonderful list of books about Thanksgiving and gratitude that you can share with your preschoolers at home.

10 Gratitude and Thanksgiving Books for Preschoolers

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to start teaching your little ones about gratitude and being thankful. One of the best ways I have found to teach this concept is by reading books about thankfulness. Here is a collection of the 10 best Thanksgiving books focused on gratitude that will appeal to toddlers and preschoolers!

Happy July 4!

We hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend! Did you enjoy the holiday crafts your children brought home? The children loved making American Flags with their hand and foot prints  🙂

American Flag with Hand and Footprints

Here’s a link with some other great July 4 crafts you can do with hand and foot prints at home:

The Cutest 4th of July Handprint/Footprint Crafts – Crafty Morning

Enjoy and have a fun and safe holiday!

Family Fun Day 5/17

We are so excited for FAMILY FUN DAY on Sunday!  All 3 year olds are invited to come from 10-11 AM, and all 4 year olds are invited to come from 11-12.

We have lots of fun activities planned!

  • Art raffle
  • A *surprise* raffle
  • Face Painting
  • Interactive Musical Performance
  • A magic show by Anthony Sausa from Pure Magic Entertainment
  • Caricature portraits by our Artist in Residence, Lou Puglesi. *Please see sign-up form and send in checks in advance*

Please remember to send in your RSVP so we have an accurate headcount. All children must be accompanied by an adult who is responsible for them.

Earth Day 2015

We had a wonderful Earth Day celebration at Friends Together Nursery!  The children made a collaborative art project from recycled materials and planted flowers to beautify our garden.

We were honored that Manorhaven’s Deputy Mayor Lucretia Steele and Village Clerk Leslie Gross were able to join the festivities!

 

Thanksgiving Food Donations

ThanksgivingTurkey

At this time of year, we collect food donations to brighten another family’s Thanksgiving celebration.  Please bring in your food contributions by Tuesday, November 25th. Later that day, we will bring them to the food pantry at Saint Peter of Alcantara.

Thank you for your generosity!  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Family Fun Day!

We are so excited to host our annual end-of-the-year Family Fun Day on Sunday May 18.

Family Fun

Come and enjoy an Art Raffle, Refreshments, Face Painting, a SURPRISE RAFFLE, caricatures, and a very special interactive musical performance for all the children; there will be 2 performances so that both the 3’s and the 4’s may enjoy this special treat.

Caricatures

Friends Together Nursery has again invited well-known cartoonist, Lou Puglesi, our Wednesday in residence Artist, to join in our Family Fun Day. Lou will be drawing colored caricature portraits of our children during Family Fun Day. Each portrait takes a few moments and costs $15.00 – Mat Framed.

Your child may choose what he/she will be doing in the picture (Sports, Ballet, Etc.).  There are a limited number of portraits which can be completed during our time together on Family Fun Day. If you would like your child to be drawn that day please send a check for $15.00 payable to “Friends Together Nursery”.

RSVP

Arrival Times:  We are asking that you follow the time schedule:

  • 9:00 – 10:00           3’s
  • 10:00 – 11:00         4’s and Extended day

In order to ensure that we all enjoy this special time we are asking that you R.S.V.P as soon as possible using the following guidelines:

  • Your enrolled child (1)      PLUS (2)      =        3 attendees  *OR*
  • Your enrolled child (1)      PLUS (1) sibling     PLUS (2) Adults = (4) Attendees

Note: Every child in attendance, either enrolled in our school or family member MUST be accompanied by an adult who is responsible for them.

Please RSVP on our Evite.  If you did not receive it by email, please click this link!

Healthy Recipes

Those who attended our Mom’s Healthy Happy Hour were treated to some delicious smoothies and snacks thanks to Sandra Telesmanic of HeathWell Corporate Solutions. They are kind enough to share these recipes with us so we can make them at home!

QUINOA

Cranberry Quinoa

Have you tried quinoa? This protein-rich super food is a nutritional powerhouse. Quinoa contains more vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants than any other grain.  We tried the HW Cranberry Cilantro Quinoa Salad (pictured above) and it was fantastic!  For another take on quinoa, the HW Roasted Quinoa Salad recipe combines quinoa with roasted vegetables.

SMOOTHIES

Smothie Making

Sandra showed us how you can whip up a nutrition-packed smoothie in no time at all, and even take it with you for a healthy way to start the day. Here is the one we sampled during the event:

The Delicious Purplicious by HealthWell

This smoothie is packed with antioxidants and appeals to even the most skeptical taste testers (our kids!). It’s Quick and Packed with Nutrition.

Ingredients:

  • A handful of washed Baby Spinach
  • 2 Ripe Bananas
  • 1 Cored Gala Apple, skin on
  • 1/2 c Blueberries
  • 6-8 Strawberries (large)
  • 1/2 c Kefir (optional, may substitute with Greek yogurt or coconut water)
  • 6 Ice Cubes (optional, may use frozen fruit in place of ice)

Directions:

Place ingredients in a high-speed blender in the order above. Add several ice cubes if you want the smoothie very cold.  Use the smoothie speed or blend at high for approximately 40 seconds. Serves 2 or if you want to enjoy it all, the Delicious Purplicious will keep you going with plenty of good, complex carbs.

Interested in some other smoothie recipes? Try these two delicious ones!

 

Dr. Seuss Week

This week, we are celebrating Dr. Seuss, in honor of his birthday.  You can see that we’re all in the spirit!

Mucci Seuss

Looking for ways to celebrate at home? The Seussville website has great ideas, including these great Tips for Reading with your Children.

There are many some crafts and activities you can do to celebrate Dr. Seuss with your preschooler – the website Mom Endeavors has put together a great list worth checking out.

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