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Redmond Toddler Group
17725 NE 65th St, Suite A100 Redmond WA
98052
425-869-5605
[email protected]
RTG C A L E N D A R
9/22 First day of classes
9/24 Board Meeting
7pm at RTG
www.redmondtoddler.org
Sept/Oct 2012
Welcome to Redmond Toddler Group
11/7 Parent Ed
Birds and
Bees by
Amy Lang
7 pm at
LWIT
Whether you are returning or new to our school, we extend our greetings to you and look forward to sharing a fun-filled year. Enrolling in our
program means you are a dedicated parent, ready to learn and grow
with your child during these important early years of their life. Your
child will learn valuable play and social skills during their time here and
you will find a support network of parents that are going through similar
experiences and challenges as a parent of a young child. Our fabulous
teachers are excited to work with your child, offering them a strong social environment full of enriching activities. They are also excited to
work with you. As a parent, you play a huge role in your child’s development and they are here to support us. Consider them, as well as your
peers, a valuable resource as you learn new ideas about parenting and
share the challenges in a supportive setting.
12/7 Last
day of Fall Quarter
Best wishes for a year full of laughter, learning, and fun!
10/11Pumpkin patch
10:30 am at Fall City Farms
10/20 Wheel-a-thon
9-10:30 am at RTG,
10/22 Board Meeting
7pm at RTG
Sincerely,
Ann Bogart and Eleanor Jacka
2012-2013 Co-Presidents
RTG is a public group
on
Facebook so anyone
can join.
Did you know ???
RTG offers partial and full tuition scholarships for its programs. If interested, contact our Treasurer Megan at
[email protected] or speak to your teacher.
Tell your friends and
family
to join us too !
“No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I'm not talking about the kids.
Their behavior is always normal.”
― Bill Cosby
Page 2
Toby Times
RTG Board of Directors
2010-2011 School year
President
Ann Bogart / Eleanor Jacka
Registrar /VP
Vera Bremner / Natalie Chabot
Treasurer
Megan Anderson/ Shay Chapman
Webmaster
Dave Bletz
Publicity
Himali Pethe / Shannon Naugle
Fundraising
Sarah Diamond/ Katie Harris
-Enrollment : 147 students
Secretary
Heather Armenise
- Basic window letters will be put outside
instead of a big expensive sign for now.
Librarian
Jennifer Hawkins
Scholastic Books
Gina Eason
Toby Times
TBD
Class A—Parent Leader
Kerri Lucchese
Class B—Parent Leader
Jennifer Filipovich
Class C—Parent Leader
Position still open !
Class D—Parent Leader
Position still open !
Class E—Parent Leader
Position still open !
Class G—Parent Leader
Ann Bogart
Class J—Parent Leader
Kristin Beima
Class K—Parent Leader
Heather Armenise
Class L—Parent Leader
Position still open !
Class M—Parent Leader
Siri Audrina
Class N—Parent Leader
Heather McCurdy
Class F—Parent Leader
Position still open !
Aug 2012 Board Meeting
Minutes
-A simpler form for Tuition Discount for
lump sum payments was introduced
-RTG financial agreement forms will be
signed at orientation nights by all parents
-Wheel-a-thon will be held Oct 20th 9-10:30.
Wheeling will be 9:30 to 10. The kids from
Saturday class will start class at 10 am.
-Amazon is starting to provide regular
checks.
-RTG will be advertised in the Redmond Reporter.
-Structure issue with website was discussed.
-There is no template which it makes it very
hard and time consuming to change the
website. Each page needs to be updated individually which is very in-effective.
-Website change from static to dynamic will
be considered.
- Financial audit completed.
Complete meeting minutes are on display on the bulletin board in class.
A big Thank you to all the Volunteers
who make RTG work !
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Hickory, Dickory, Dock. How Fast is Your Internal Clock?
By Analiisa Reichlin
What is steady beat? Though we associate it most closely with music, steady beat is really just an action repeated at
about the same pace each time. Steady beat is required in everything from clapping along to a piece of music,
talking smoothly, walking steadily, kicking, reading, cutting with scissors or even typing.
There are two kinds of steady beat. The first is internal, which is unique to every person. You are born with your own
inner tempo. Think about yourself – how fast does your “clock” tick? Do you walk fast, talk fast, expect quick results?
Get frustrated when everything or everyone else can’t keep up? Your internal tempo is
probably allegro!
My 10 year old son’s internal beat is much slower than mine. He needs to process and
“cook” information. As a Suzuki violin momma, I have to participate in his practice. After 2
years, he finally said, “You’re going too fast. You’re confusing me. It’s too much information at once.” If only I had recognized that before. If I continue to coach him at my pace,
I’m going to frustrate him, and he’ll probably end up hating violin. Practice is now relatively
easy on both of us.
Faster internal steady beats don’t equal brighter children; my easy-going middle child is
just as smart as my speedy 12 year old. They just both like the information presented
to them at a tempo that matches what is going on inside. If I keep that in mind, I’ll be a
better parent.
We cannot change an internal working tempo. It’s yours for life. We can, however,
teach children to be flexible to match an external steady beat with the activity they
are doing. Why do we do this? You don’t want to cut out a delicate paper snowflake at 90 miles an hour! Nor do you
want a slow tempo child to read at a snail’s pace.
Babies come ready made with their own internal steady beat. Sometimes in class, a song will play that is pretty close
to their own tempo. Then that baby will tap his drum right in time to the music, and all the grownups in class will ooohh
and aaahh at this little musical genius!
It isn’t usually until they reach age 3 or so that they begin to be able to match an external source of steady beat, such
as playing instruments to a song, or marching. And we don’t really expect consistent beat matching to occur until between Kindergarten and 2nd grade.
But because the ability to match a steady beat is so vital to success in many other skills, we do start steady beat practice from the very earliest Kindermusik class. You can practice at home, too. Here are some fun ideas to try:
For babies and toddlers: To help these little ones to feel an external steady beat, use their bodies. Put your child on
your lap and steadily chant a nursery rhyme, or sing a simple song. Bounce your child up and down, keeping the tempo consistent.
For preschoolers: Hold hands, a rope, a stretchy band or a large scarf between you. Sing a song your child knows
(so she doesn’t have to think about the words) and sway or rock back and forth together. You can change the tempo
every couple of repeats.
For young schoolchildren: Put on one of your Kindermusik Young Child CD’s or their current musical
favorite. Music that changes tempo is especially good, so try some classical music. Give your child a big
sheet of paper and some markers or crayons. Have your child draw (lines, dots, circles, squiggles, etc.)
to the tempo of the music. Ask questions like: “What does this slow music look like?”
Analiisa Reichlin is a licensed Kindermusik Educator and Director and Managing Partner of Studio3Music. With 8 locations around Seattle and the Eastside, Studio3Music is the largest US Kindermusik studio.
She has a passion for early childhood development and teaching children and grownups alike. She is a
frequent commentator on BamRadio, the world’s largest educational radio network.
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Our newsletter and RTG publicity is paid for by our Toby Times advertisers. If you do business with any of our sponsors, please tell them you saw their
ad here!
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Pumpkin Pie Playdough
Your little one might not be old enough to bake holiday desserts, but she can still celebrate the
season with this pumpkin-inspired play dough. In honor of the beloved fall fruit, we dyed the
dough orange and added pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to it, which makes it smell -- but not
taste -- good enough to eat.
Materials
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Food coloring (we used 6 drops of red and 15 drops of yellow)
Instructions
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a nonstick saucepan. Add the oil, water, and food coloring and whisk until
smooth. Stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, cook the mixture over medium heat until it forms a ball, about 3
to 4 minutes.
2.Turn the dough onto a counter, let it cool slightly, then knead the dough until it has a smooth texture, about 1
minute. The dough will keep up to a week in a ziplock bag.
3. To make stems, place some pasta (we used fusilli) in a ziplock bag. Add five drops of green food coloring and a
teaspoon of water. Seal the bag, then let your tot squish the pasta around until it's tinted. Pour the pasta onto a
piece of waxed paper and let it dry for about five minutes before pressing it into your pumpkins.
17158 Redmond Way, Ste. 180
Redmond, WA 98052
425-881-8252
www.agaverest.com
Join us at Agave Redmond or our Issaquah location and
get 50% off your Lunch or Dinner entrée when you purchase a second entrée of equal or greater value.
The Redmond location is conveniently located in the Bear
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Toby Times
Have a Safe and Green Halloween
Kathleen F. Miller
A version of this article appeared last year as one of Kathleen F. Miller’s parenting columns for Redmond Patch.com. Kathleen and her ten year old son Mychal are proud alumni of the Redmond Toddler Group.
My husband and I love Halloween as much as our kids do. He can still recall which of his family’s neighbors gave out the
best Halloween loot when he was a child trick or treating many years ago. Halloween is a wonderful time to make great
memories with your children. But in addition to having fun and making memories, you also want to keep your kids safe. And
if you want to save some money this year—and who doesn’t—consider going green for Halloween.
Playing it safe
Helping parents keep kids safe all year round is the mission of Eastside mom Kim Estes of Savvy Parents, Safe Kids. Estes
is a certified child safety educator and sexual abuse prevention specialist. Estes suggests you can help keep your kid safe
by starting with a safe costume. She warns against outfits that have long capes or skirts and could cause a tripping hazard
and swords or other props that aren't made of soft materials.
“I am a huge fan of reflective tape and glow-in-the-dark spray paint," Estes said. "Use the tape on the costume and use
the spray paint in the street to say SLOW! or BEWARE: TRICK OR TREATERS. It goes on clear when painted and does not
last long in our wet weather.”
When trick or treating Estes recommends kids approach only well-lit home and use the buddy system. Parents should accompany young kids and lay out some rules with older ones, she said.
"Remind kids to be alert for vehicles and stay on the sidewalk whenever possible and look both ways before crossing,” Estes
said.
Also be careful that your Halloween decorations don’t become fire hazards, Estes said. “Use battery operated 'candles' in
pumpkins on Halloween night," she said. "Kids are not paying attention and crowd together at the front door, and costumes
can easily be brushed up against open flames.”
Families often like to take the family dog with the kids trick or treating, but Estes cautions that pets can become frightened by
masks and other costumes and respond aggressively. She suggests parents try testing their dogs first by putting on a mask
and seeing how they react. Estes also recommends WagNTrain’s website for more tips on Halloween, pets and safety.
How to Save on a Halloween Costume and Keep Your Decorations “Earth Friendly”
If you want to save some money this Halloween, consider going green by making your child’s costume, hosting a costume
swap or buying a “recycled” costume from a local thrift stores.
Our kids love homemade costumes, and my husband takes pride in creating something amazing each year based on their
creative imaginations. One year our son was a UFO with blinking lights and another a giant broccoli—complete with an
“organic” sticker.
Costume swaps are another great way to keep old costumes out of landfills. You can have them with a small group, like a
mom and tots group or a preschool class. Or host a larger one for the public as a service project like Redmond teacher and
Girl Scout troop leader and unit manager Kate Sorenson did in 2010 with her Girl Scout troop at the Redmond Regional Library. Sorenson's troop put on the swap as part of learning about recycling, saving energy and living green. If you host a
swap for the public, Sorenson recommends partnering with a library or other public space, doing a costume drive within your
group first to get a base of costumes, and providing a craft or other activity for your kid guests and volunteers to do during
the slow times. Plan ahead by checking out the website for National Costume Swap Day, where you’ll find listings for local
groups and organizations that are hosting swaps.
Thrift stores including Redmond's Value Village offer an amazing array of many inexpensive “recycled” costumes for babies
to adults, as well as a large selection of new costumes, masks and hats, and Halloween makeup.
Keep your decorating green by using pumpkins, squash and dried corn stalks to decorate the outside of your home, all of
which can all be composted when the holiday is over. The Redmond Trader Joes will soon offer a “pumpkin palooza” with all
sorts of pumpkins and other gourds in a huge variety of shapes, colors and sizes.
A Great Book To Read for the Halloween Holiday
A great book to read to your kids about pumpkins and the “cycle of life” is Will Hubbell’s Pumpkin Jack, one of our family’s
favorite seasonal books. It's available at the Redmond library (go online and put a hold on one of the 12 copies). You can
even grow a pumpkin next year from this year’s seeds, as the little boy does accidental in the book. Or you can bake
them for a fun snack.
Now that is a healthy Halloween treat even your child’s dentist will like.
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Garden Octopus
Encourage your kids to try a fresh bell pepper by turning it into a crunchy creature
from the deep.
Ingredients
2 bell peppers
Dip or hummus
Black olives
Instructions
For the octopus's body, remove the pepper's stem end and scoop out the white ribs and seeds. For the arms, slice a second
pepper into strips.
2.Place some dip or hummus (we used French onion dip) in a shallow bowl, and arrange the octopus as shown. Use a bit of
dip and sliced black olives to give your creature eyes.
3.Serve with extra veggies, such as carrot sticks, fresh green beans, lightly steamed broccoli spears, sliced cucumber, and
jicama sticks.
familyfun.go.com
Buy a Papa Murphy’s coupon card for just $5 and RTG
receives $4 for each card sold. Our school raises much
needed funds and you can enjoy an easy meal for a great
deal! Cards are available in class now!
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Toby Times
Scholastic Book
Orders!
Order Online
OR
in Class!
Scholastic Books orders are a great and
inexpensive way to help build your child’s
reading library AND to help RTG. RTG
receives points for each book order placed.
These points go towards books handed out in
class for special events.
Go to https://orders.scholastic.com/L79HP
Child’s Last Initial :YOUR CLASS LETTER
CLASS ACTIVATION CODE : L79HP
Questions? Email Gina at
[email protected]
Our best wishes to Jennifer
and Simon Handley as they
welcome the new addition to
their family !
Owen Rhys Handley
Born on 9/12
8lbs9oz and 20.5 in
RTG is in need of a second
vacuum. If you are planning on updating your
vacuum and no longer
have need for the old one,
please consider donating
it to Toby School !
Do your shopping at Amazon
through the Redmond Toddler
Group website and generate 4-15%
donated funds to our school!
Go to our website:
www.redmondtoddler.org
Click on the Amazon ad on the bottom
of the Homepage or Classes page.
You’ll be redirected to Amazon.com.
Do your shopping. Depending on what’s purchased and volume of sales through our website, RTG will receive 4-15% of
the amount spent.
Happy shopping!
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Toby Times
AROUND TOWN
Remlinger Farms (Carnation)– www.remlingerfarms.com.
More than just farm animals, a toddler amusement park as well with canoe rides, a train, pony rides and much more.
Woodland Park Zoo Pumpkin Bash www.zoo.org
Pumpkins for the animals, trick-or-treating, and more are in store for little goblins and ghosts at Woodland
Park Zoo’s family-friendly Pumpkin Bash. One child 12 years and under in costume is admitted FREE with a
paid adult on Pumpkin Bash weekends. Discover a repertoire of animal behavior as hippos, bears, elephants,
monkeys, and other animals crunch, smash or stomp on pumpkins! Oct. 13 - 14, 20 - 21, and 27 - 28.
Salmon SEEson in Issaquah
See salmon return to Issaquah Creek, where you can view spawning from the bridge or through viewing windows. Trained docents
from Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) will be available 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday, Sep 8 to Nov 10.
Duck for President
http://www.secondstoryrep.org/childrenstheatre/season.html
Sep 14– Sep 30 At the Second Story Repertory in Redmond Town
Center. A sequel to Click, Clack, Moo. Duck is tired of doing his
chores (mowing the lawn and grinding the coffee beans), and decides to hold an election to replace Farmer Brown. Shows on Sunday are discounted for kids 1-3.
Dr. Maze’s Farmyard http://www.drmazesfarm.com/Farmyard.html
Race the Bouncy Rodeo Horses, enjoy the Singing Chicken Show,
make music in our Music Garden, lay back on the Giant Spiderweb,
race your favorite duck in our Rubber Duck Races, sit back and
enjoy a hayride tour of the farm, climb the straw bale pyramid, play
Pumpkin Checkers, solve our many challenging walk-through mazes, and get lost and find yourself again in our big Field Maze.
$9 per person. Free for under age 3.
Kelsey Creek Farm Fair
Bring your family to the farm and enjoy a variety of old-time activities, including live entertainment by Cowboy Buck, tractor-pulled
hayrides, 4-H and Kelsey Creek Farm animals, Pumpkin decorating, Inflatables/Fun Rents Kids Corral, Pony rides and more.
Oct 13 11am - 4 pm at the Kelsey creek farm in
Bellevue.
Redmond Saturday Market
http://redmondsaturdaymarket.homestead.com/
Last day of the farmer’s market , Oct 27, brings a
Howl-O-Ween Pet Costume Parade and alpacas.