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LADYBUG NEWS
Educating and Caring For Your Children For More Than 33 Years
Mother’s hold their children’s hands for a short while, but
their hearts forever.
~Author Unknown
Dear Mommy,
Please join me for
Muffins For Mommies
When: Friday, May 8
Where: Ladybug Classrooms
Time: 8:30-9:15 am
We love our Ladybug Mom’s!
You’ve Turned Into A Mom When…

You automatically double-knot everything you tie.

You find yourself humming kids songs as you do the dishes.

You hear a baby cry in the grocery store, and you start to gently sway back and
forth. However, your kids are at school.

You actually start to like the smell of strained carrots mixed with applesauce.

You weep through the scene in Dumbo when his mom is taken away, not to mention what Bambi does to you.

You get so into crafts you contemplate writing a book called “101 fun things to do
with dryer lint and eggshells”.

You spend a half hour searching for your sunglasses only to have your teenager
say, “Mom, why don’t you wear the ones pushed up on your head?”
May 2015
Thank you for being part of
our Ladybug family. Ladybug teachers are pleased to
create this monthly newsletter for you because you are
important to us and we truly
appreciate you. Please feel
free to share this newsletter
with friends and family.
Happy reading!
Mark Your Calendars!
May 8th
Muffins for Mom
May 25th
Ladybug is closed to
observe Memorial Day
June 4th
Last day of school
June 19th
Donuts for Dads
Mission
At Ladybug Child Care
Center, our mission is to
provide a joyful
learning experience for
your family that empowers your children to
reach their
educational and personal
potential while lovingly
nurturing their self-
10 Unique Gardening Activities for Kids
1. Grow a Playhouse: Imagine being three years old and
surrounded by gigantic sunflowers towering above you, or
crawling into a teepee made of sticks and overgrown with
pea pods, or engulfed in a square of moonflowers that open
up when the crickets start to sing. Flowering playhouses are
easily built (by a parent) out of wooden poles and string.
Plant the seeds around the poles, then gently train the flowers to wind around and through them.
2. Grow Something to Wear: Let your children play dress-up with their flowers. Turn colorful blossoms into necklaces, leis, or bracelets. Tuck flowers behind ears, into hair, or thread a blossom through a shirt button. Save pretty
petals to make jewelry.
LADYBUG
PRESCHOOL
LEARNING CENTER
AND ADVENTURECENTRE
306 Lake Hazeltine Drive
Chaska, MN 55318
952-448-7202
www.ladybugcc.com
Management Team
Jane Schwarz
Our 2010 rainbow garden
3. Plant a Rainbow: Find flower seeds in the colors of the rainbow, then help your child plant them in a rainbow
shape. Try to find flowers that are roughly the same size and make sure they are all appropriate for the same season.
4. Plant Something Weird: Appeal to your child’s love for the unexpected. Plant purple and red carrots, blue potatoes, or purple beans. Grow miniature or “midget” versions of the vegetables we usually see like peas, corn, or lettuce.
5. Create a Scratch & Sniff Garden: Please your child’s nose with an assortment of smells: plant mint that smells
(and tastes!) like chocolate peppermint, ginger, lemon, orange, and apple, and geraniums that smell like roses,
lemon, mint, chocolate, pine, nutmeg, and more.
6. Grow Plants that are Nice to Touch or Fun to Hear: Your toddler will love “tickle me” plants; the leaves curl up
when touched. Lamb’s Ears have a fuzzy silvery fur that kids like to touch. If you garden indoors, aloe vera plants
are a good tactile choice for small children. You can also try bunny tails and cotton to satisfy a child’s sense of touch.
On windy days, your toddler will love to listen to the sounds made by ornamental grass, the Chinese lantern plant, or
the Money plant.1
7. Grow a Craft Project: Grow gourds that you can turn into birdhouses or musical instruments. Grow flowers and
berries that you can use for their natural dyes, which your child can use for artwork and other crafts. There are even
certain plants with beads that can be used in jewelry.
8. Garden in Unusual Containers: Who says you have to plant seeds in the ground? Give your child a fun container
(also a great way to garden inside). You can use an old shoe, a discarded toy, or a plain pot with a face drawn on.
Or trap a cucumber in a glass jar.
Our 2010 butterfly/hummingbird garden
9. Attract Butterflies and Hummingbirds: Create beauty on and above the ground by planting flowers that attract
butterflies and hummingbirds.2
10. Eat Your Vegetables and Your Flowers: Ground cherries are hidden in pods that look like little lanterns. Grow a
pizza patch garden full of tomatoes, peppers, basil, garlic, and other veggies and herbs that can be baked into
homemade pizza. Apartment dwellers: did you know you can grow peanuts inside?
For a completely new level of edible fun, try growing flowers you can eat: nasturtium, clover, and lavender are just a
few tasty varieties.
At Ladybug Child Care Center, we will prepare your child’s heart, mind, and body to ensure
their success as a life long learner.
[email protected]
Julie Kauffmann
[email protected]
Corporate Office
Connie Kraus—President
Michelle KrausVice President
[email protected]
Stephen KrausVice President
[email protected]
Julie Kauffmann Accounting Associate
[email protected]
Nursery
Starting Solid Foods
Here is what we will be doing this
month with babies.
Starting your baby on solid foods is the beginning of lifelong
eating habits that contribute to his or her overall health. For
this reason we have some general guidelines that can help
you start your baby out on the right track to a healthy life.
Breast milk or infant formula supplies all of your baby's nutritional needs for at least the first 4 to 6 months of life, so
don't be in a rush to start solid baby foods. Your baby's intestinal tract is not as fully developed during the first few
months and introducing solids at this time can be too much
to handle. Another reason for not giving solid foods earlier
than 4 to 6 months is unintentional overfeeding, since younger babies can not offer you signals when they are full, such
as turning away or showing disinterest. A third reason for
holding off on solids is your baby's inability to swallow solids
Small motor: finger wiggle, blocks, ball play,
grasp a toy, arm stretch, soft blocks, pull the
string, texture shapes and bang the blocks.
Large motor: knee bends , floor play,
kick,kick,kick, baby sit ups, airplane, toes to
nose, dance with me, roll over, and push and
pull.
Language : ABC’s, books, counting to
ten, flash cards with pictures, questions and answers, so big, words with action
correctly before 4 to 6 months of age and this can potentially and shapes.
cause choking. And contrary to the popular myth, starting
solids early will not help your child to sleep through the
night.
When offering a new type of food, always feed it for several
days in a row before starting another new food. This makes
it easier to detect food allergies, which can present with diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, hives or a rash. Do not offer
mixed ingredient foods until you are sure that the baby isn't
allergic to any of the individual ingredients. Also, don't add
Sensory: Bubbles, water play, saving cream,
look out the window, where am I?, tissue paper, sensory bottles. Music : dance with me,
peek and sing, singing to baby, sing you are my
sun shine and head shoulders, knees and
toes.
“for the love of children” Miss Jody
any seasonings to your baby's foods.
Other practices to avoid are putting your baby down for a
nap or sleep with a bottle of formula or juice, as this allows
sugar to pool in your baby's mouth and can lead to cavities.
Don't feed your baby cow's milk, honey or egg whites until
your baby is at least one year of age. Also, do not give carbonated or caffeinated drinks, candy or other foods that
your baby may choke on.
Starting your baby on solid foods is the beginning of lifelong
eating habits that contribute to his or her overall health. For
this reason we have some general guidelines that can help
you start your baby out on the right track to a healthy life.
Parents.com
Signing pictures from
signwithme.com
Playroom
FRESH AIR=GREAT NAPS!
The little ones are sure busy in the classroom! Nice weather means we will
be playing outside! The playground has been cleaned and is ready for those
little feet, but just in case, make sure your little one has an extra set of
clothes at school. If you can dress your child in older clothing, that you won’t
mind them getting dirty in, that would be great. We will try to keep them as
clean as possible, but you know babies, if there is dirt to be found, they will
find it. If we are not out on the playground, then we will be in the parking lot taking little walks in the
stroller and wagon.
With the ability to be outdoors more often, it is a good time to get up to speed on summer safety information. See the nursery page for sunscreen tips!
Sprinkle, Sprinkle
Rhyming and Singing In May
(Sung to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”)
Sprinkle, sprinkle on the ground.
Soft, wet rain is falling down.
Time for boots and coats and hats.
Open umbrellas with a snap.
Sprinkle, sprinkle on the ground.
Soft, wet rain is falling down.
My Mommy
Cuddles Me –
By: Anonymous
Oh how mother looks from such small
eyes!
My mommy cuddles me
Pitter Patter
kisses me, hugs me and misses me
(Tap on a tray or plate so children
hear the pitter patter.)
amazes me
Pitter-patter falls the rain.
On the roof and window pane.
Softly, softly it comes down.
Pitter-patter all around.
pampers me, praises me, always
Washes my clothes for me,
tickles my toes for me,
giggles and talks with me,
Signing pictures from
signwithme.com
and also goes on walks with me,
Says "sweet dreams" to me,
Sings sweet songs to me,
I am glad she belongs to me.
“Childhood is the most beautiful of
all life’s seasons.”
Toddler A
Goals and
Concepts
Math:


Toddlers will be
introduced to different colors and
shapes.
Older toddlers will
be introduced to
counting from 1-5
during group time,
table time, and
floor play
Language Arts:


Young toddlers will
learn to sit and
listen at group
time.
Older toddlers will
listen attentively to
the teacher at
group time and
begin participating
in group songs
Personal and
Social Growth:


Happy Spring...
We are so excited to have spring finally arrive! We
are getting outside more, and feeling much happier. The
month of April was a lot of fun even if it was very snowy.
We got to learn about eggs, bunnies, and other animal babies. There were many cute art projects that were done. Hopefully a few of
them were refrigerator material.
During the month of May, we will have three different themes. The first theme
is Muddy Puddles. We get to talk about mud, rain, and water. There are a few
days that we will get to play in “mud” and maybe we will make some of our own. In
the middle of the month we have “May Flowers” Here we will learn about the
pretty flowers that we see and how they grow. The third unit is Bees and Bugs I
know that we will have lots of fun during this time. We get to explore all of those
creepy crawlies, fluttery butterflies, and buzzy bees.
“for the love of children” Miss Anne
I’m a Little Flower
Little Worm
Tune of: I’m a Little Teapot
Tune of: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
I’m a little flower,
Slowly, slowly turn around.
Green and red.
I grew up in a flower bed.
Look behind you on the ground.
You will see a little worm.
Careful, now,
He’ll make you squirm!
Slowly, slowly
Reminders:
*It is still a bit wet and rainy so don’t forget
Young toddlers will
practice role
playing after adult
modeling
to bring in your rain boots and light jackets.
Older toddlers will
practice feeding
and clothing babies
in dramatic play
area
and also if we are running low on any supplies!
Turn around.
There’s a worm
Right on the ground.
We don’t go outside when it is raining but we
will go out after it stops.
*Please remember to fill out a daily sheet so we can let you know how the day was
*The weather is getting warmer so I will go through and send home any extra
clothes that are too small or not weather appropriate. Also, we might need a
few more extra clothes because of the fun things that we are exploring; we
Toddler B
Welcome May!
Look What We Are
Learning in May!
Yea, it’s May! This month is one of the favorites for the little ones because
this month we get into “Muddy Puddles” and “Bugs and Bees”. When
it comes to toddlers these two things are very important and fun! Prepare
yourself as we enter one of the more messy months in our curriculum. Here
are a few of the activities during May:
In science, the toddlers will explore and learn about the
weather, plant seeds and watch them grow, examine
creepy crawlies we see outside, and make our own
puddles with stuff that we will find on a nature walk.
In math, the toddlers will count with gummy worms,
learn to classify objects by color, learn the colors green
and brown and the shape diamond, and go on color
and shape hunts in our classroom.
In language the toddlers will be listening and participating when I read The
Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Busy Spider, and The Grouchy Ladybug
by Eric Carle. The toddlers will also improve their vocabulary by reciting
rhymes including, “Puddles” and “Pitter Patter.”
Math:




Thank you for reading me stories and taking care of me.
Thank you for tying my shoes and putting bandages on my knee.



The children will be able
to sing, play, move, and
create music expressive
of individual
imaginations
Introduce name
identification (first name
only)
Work on potty training
Practice putting on their
own shoes and coats
Other:

Thank you so much for all of your hugs and holding my hand so tight.
Thank you so much for all that you do and have a happy Mother’s Day too!
The children will show
an interest in books and
stories
Personal & Social
Growth:
Thank you for tucking me into bed and kissing me goodnight.
Thank you for being my mommy and that’s not all I have to say.
Be able to classify
objects by color
Music:

Thank You, Mom
Identify the shape of a
diamond
Language Arts:
In music and movement, the toddlers will sing favorite songs like “Baby
Bumblebee” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider”. Along with singing, we will also pretend
to be raindrops falling down, spiders crawling up a wall, and bumblebees
buzzing around our room.
In art the toddlers will be making all kinds of bugs including clothes pin butterflies, marble painting bumblebees, and egg carton caterpillars for bugs
and bees. During our muddy puddles unit, we will be painting with chocolate
pudding, making a rainbow out of streamers, and making a flower out of multicolor cereal.
“for the love of children” Miss Danielle
Identify the colors:
Brown and Green

The children will jump
over objects without
falling
The children will
practice zipping their
own jackets
Proddlers
Goals &and
Concepts
Goals
Concepts
Math:

Count 0-20

Review Patterns ABA
and ABCA

Review colors

Sort items by color and
size

Practice graphing

Review shapes-circle,
square, triangle,
diamond and oval
Language Arts:

Discuss spring as one of
the seasons

Learn plants are living
things

Learn parts of a plant
(root, stem, flower)

Learn what a plant needs
to survive (water, soil,
sun, air)

Make-up stories

Review parent names
Music:

Practice different rhythms

Clap patterns

Sing songs and rhymes
Personal & Social Growth:

Practice pouring from a
pitcher

Practice putting on shoes
and socks

Practice hanging jackets
on hooks

Review good hand
washing

Practice cleaning up after
themselves
May is all about...
“Tiptoe Through The Tulips” and “How Does
Your Garden Grow?”!
The Proddlers will have many learning opportunities in
May. Here are a few!
In math your little bug will be learning and reviewing shapes and colors as well
as sorting objects by size and color! We will also continue to work on our
counting 0-20.
The class will also be learning about the four seasons! We will put into sequence what happens to trees in the four different seasons with flashcards.
Your little bug will also continue to work on learning mommy and daddy’s first
and last names!
In science the Proddlers will plant many different kinds of plants and then
watch them grow!!!
In music, we will be singing songs about plants, butterflies and spring flowers!
We will also focus on learning how to zip our own jackets! It is a huge task
but they all are all growing so fast and will do great!
Lots of learning going on!
Reminders…..

Please remember to apply sunscreen
before arriving to Ladybug. We will
then reapply before heading outside in
the afternoon.

Please clean out your child's cubby
daily.

Don’t forget to read the parent board.
It will tell you all the wonderful things
we learned for the day.

If you ever need anything please don’t
hesitate to call.
For The Love of Children~
Miss Carissa
Bumble Bee, Bumble
Bee
Bumble bee, bumble bee,
Buzzing all around.
Bumble bee, bumble bee,
Buzzing on the ground.
(pinch fingers together to
representing a Bee and make
buzzing sound.)
Bumble bee, bumble bee,
Buzzing up so high.
Bumble bee, bumble bee,
Buzzing in the sky.
Bumble bee, bumble bee,
Buzzing past your toes.
Bumble bee, bumble bee,
Buzzing on your
nose.
(have bee fly
around and land on
child’s nose.)
Preschool
May Themes
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
This unit is all about spring (YAY!). After a long,
Goals and Concepts
Math:

The children will demonstrate an
interest in exploring with the concept of measurement

The children will know that an item
used to measure other items is
called a unit of measure

The children will know that any item
can be used to measure other objects
long, long winter we will jump right into springtime with rainbows, flowers, butterflies and kites. We will learn all the parts of a flower,
measure our rainfall with a rain gauge, and talk about the science behind tornadoes. Get ready to ask your preschooler if they can tell you the names of the
world’s smallest and largest flowers!
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Our work learning the parts of flowers and plants in Tiptoe transitions
us seamlessly into this unit where we will learn how those plants and flowers
grow. What important part do roots play? How exactly does a seed turn into a
flower? We will be incorporating nature into our playtime as well as our artistic
Language Arts:

endeavors, making prints with vegetables, using seeds and corn to make mosa-
The children will be able to
express ideas through writing using:
-scribbles/pictures (pretend
writing)
ics, and doing leaf rubbings with crayons. The kids will also have the opportunity to help us out in our Preschool Garden on our playground and get some first-
-random letters and pictures
hand experience growing plants!
-initial consonants
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, won’t you
please shine down on me!
With the warmer weather and all that wonderful

The children will be able to
identify their own name in print

The children will be able to print
letters using both upper and lower
case letters
warm sunshine we will be spending a lot of time outside.
Please bring in sunscreen for your child! We will have med forms all ready
to be filled out when you bring it in, and we will happily label the sun-
Music:
screen bottle for you when you leave it with us. Parents will be expected

to apply sunscreen before their children come in the morning, and then
teachers will reapply after naptime.
The children will be able to play
simple rhythmic-melodic patterns
on classroom instruments
Personal & Social Growth:
I’m a Little Flower

The children will be able to
transition smoothly from one activity to the next

The children will be able to
recognize and describe(5 year olds
only) basic feelings
Tune of: I’m a Little Teapot
I’m a little flower,
Green and red.
I
grew up in a flower bed.
With a little rain and lots of care,
Flowers, flowers everywhere.
For The Love of Children~
Miss Alicia and Miss Nicole
AdventureCentre
THE SCOOP
I love my mom because…………
Sam B: she signs me up for sports!
Aniya B: she keeps a roof over my head.
Cara H: she’s nice.
Riley B: she’s funny.
Sprit B: she is beautiful.
Nigel B: she cares.
Logan D: she makes good food.
Dustin M: she is loving.
Lauren K: she makes dinner every night.
Join u
s for
Muff
ins fo
on M
r
a
y
8th fr
7:00a
om
m to 9
:
0
0
a
m due
the va
to
rious
schoo
l start
times
.
Mo m
“for t
he lo
ve of
Miss
child
ren”
Sade
Jenson B: she gave me a lego set.
Tomlin B: she gave me a basket hoop.
Ava P: I know she loves me.
Kolton K: she gives me so much money…..I have a nine dollars now!!!
Hailey W: she’s nice to me.
Owen B: she plays with me.
Bella S: she gives me candy.
Will B: she gardens with me.