Dear Angie,

EFC IS A BEST OF EDINA 2024 FINALIST!

We are excited to share that we have been voted as a Best of Edina finalist in the Best Preschool category. Thank you for your support! Winners will be announced in July. You can see the list of finalists here.

CENTER HAPPENINGS

ROCK YOUR SOCKS WITH US ON THURSDAY, MARCH 21!

Every year, on March 21, people all around the world come together to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day by wearing brightly colored, mismatched socks. March 21 is symbolic because people with Down syndrome have 3 copies of their 21st chromosome. Socks were chosen because the karyotype of Down syndrome chromosomes looks like mismatched socks!

PARENT READERS

During the month of March, we would like to offer you an opportunity to read a book to your child’s classroom. You can bring in your child’s favorite story, or pick one from the classroom library. Please speak to your child’s teaching staff to arrange a time if you would like to participate.

IN-HOUSE FIELD TRIP

Costume Kim will be here on March 15 from 10:30-11:30am to perform Jungle Jazz with the King of the Jungle. Wear you jungle attire if you have it!

FAMILY RESOURCES

MAPLE SUGARING AT THE POND HOUSE

Saturday, March 23, 2024 – 1-4 p.m.

Gideon and Agnes Pond House

401 East 104th Street, Between Nicollet and Portland Avenues, Bloomington, MN 55420

Frontier families collected maple sap to make syrup and sugar. Now you can experience maple sugaring during this free event!

Learn about choosing trees to tap, collecting the sap, and boiling it down to make syrup. Then watch syrup transform into maple sugar over the fire in the Pond House fireplace.

Free program for all ages. No registration required. Drop in any time during the three-hour event.

blm.mn/pondhouse

STAR WELLNESS

LEPRECHAUN JUICE SMOOTHIE

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Here is a great way to get your children to eat some greens. Feel free to experiment with different amounts or types of fruit.

What you will need:

1 banana cut into chunks

1 cup grapes

6 oz. plain yogurt

½ apple, chopped up

1 ½ Cup fresh spinach leaves

Combine items in a Blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour into glass and enjoy!

The first day of spring is just around the corner on March 19th and what better way to celebrate than with some mindfulness activities for your child! Here are some easy techniques that can be done anywhere and anytime:

Five-finger breathing (or as we sometimes refer to it: roller coaster breathing) is a mindfulness technique that teaches children how to pause and use their fingers to take five deep breaths. This really helps during big feelings to help regulate and calm bodies. It’s even great for grown-ups during those stressful moments, too!

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH & NATIONAL READING MONTH

At EFC, we want to instill a love for books. From infants through preschoolers, children are read to often and there is also time for independent reading.

We know that reading to children is such an important part of a child’s development. A fantastic way to promote reading at home is to make sure the whole family reads together. This doesn’t mean always reading aloud but reading together can help foster feelings of love and security, increase imagination and vocabulary, and expand future success in reading and writing.

Throughout the month there will be many fun activities to engage the children in the world of books, and with March also being Women’s History Month, we have two great reasons to read about and recognize the accomplishments of women!

Here are a few tips to for an enjoyable reading time:

Choose a book with repetition.
Choose a story that is not too long.
Read with expression.
Allow your child to ask questions.
Ensure books are diverse and provide accurate representation for self-worth and deeper connection, as well as promoting awareness and embracing other cultures’ differences.
Set aside a special reading time, such as right before bedtime.
Read books that your child likes repeatedly.

The month honors the achievements and contributions of women in the United State throughout our country’s history. It provides a great opportunity to teach children about the role women have played, and continue to play, in advancing art, science, math, law, education and other fields. Here are some wonderful book suggestions if you are looking to add to your libraries or book selections this month:

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed

Think Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca

A is For Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World by Eva Chen

Shark Lady by Jess Keating

Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa by Veronica Chambers

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

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BUILDING RESILIENCE IN CHILDREN THROUGH CONNECTION

My family of four has gotten hooked on the game Code Names, and we try to get in a few sessions of play each week. Our daughters are 8 and 11, so I recognize that the days of them piling onto our bed to play a game may be short-lived; I am not taking this ritual for granted. The game itself is a fun mental challenge, but I also believe that the time together, away from work, homework, sports and, of course, screens, provides all of us with a sense of connection that forms the foundation of our family. And, importantly, this connection is a tool for building resilience in our children as they grow.

Connection is one the seven “C”s of resilience, as developed by pediatrician Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., MS Ed, FAAP:

Connection

Developing close ties to family and community creates a solid sense of security that helps lead to strong values and prevents alternative destructive paths to love and attention. You can help your child connect with others by:

Building a sense of physical safety and emotional security within your home
Allowing the expression of all emotions, so that kids will feel comfortable reaching out during difficult times
Addressing conflict openly in the family to resolve problems
Creating a common area where the family can share time (not necessarily TV time)
Fostering healthy relationships that will reinforce positive messages

Last night as we played, there was a disagreement about the rules that created some feelings of tension and frustration. Given the low stakes of the outcome, it was a good opportunity to practice allowing our daughter to express her emotions while working to calmly resolve the conflict. The space of connection allowed for a healthy response to the minor disagreement, and hopefully helped build skills for emotional expression and conflict resolution in the future.

Learn more about the 7Cs of resilience here:

https://www.fosteringresilience.com/7cs_parents.php