1. family and parenting
2. children

Airport Learning
Tree
P
Director: Penny Haakinson
Assistant Director: Ru Coyne
Front Desk: Debbi Alger & Deby Waldner
May 2015
Mothering Heights by Penny Haakinson
Contents
Mothering Heights
1
Upcoming Events
1
Front Desk News
2
Happy Mother’s Day! We are looking forward to our spring program where we take a
moment in time to honor Mothers, as well as all the people who have an influence on the
growth and care for your children.
My mother always said that the hardest job you will have and the one you might be least
Snuggle Bunny News 3
prepared for is that of being a Mother. Even though you may feel overwhelmed as the
Wobbly Lambs News 3
when they are grown and gone. But on a good note the rewarding times continue as well.
Tiger Cubs I News
4
Tiger Cubs II New
4
Fuzzy Duck News
5
Bouncy Bear News
5
Kangaroo News
6
Panther News
7
Family Matters
8
Menu
Attachment
Our Theme This
Month
Let’s Pretend
Upcoming Events
5/8 Mother’s Day Tea
5/15 PNO Hosted by
McKenzie & Ru
5/25 Memorial Day
CENTER CLOSED
parent of an infant or preschooler, I will tell you that the job never really feels done even
I really want to take a moment to honor working Mothers and the impact you make on the
world in so many ways. Not only do you provide a nurturing environment for your children,
but you help them to build the confidence to go out and face the world.
Sometimes it seems easy to buckle under the pressures of responsibilities and time in this
busy world we live in, but as mothers we all know that our job is to grow “tough kids” with a
strong set of values and a resilient self-esteem so that their path in this world is just a
little bit easier. I honor that strength in all of you.
I don’t know how many of you take advantage of all the parenting support groups that are
available today, but I think they can offer many financial and time consuming benefits for
the working Mom. There are a number of groups on Facebook that are made up of groups
that have a common thread. My daughter is currently using a garage sale group in which
she did all her Christmas shopping and is buying most of her children’s clothes.
The
mother’s in this group just meet on their lunch hours to make exchanges, saving everyone a
great deal of time. The other group she uses is a support group where you toss out a
question from everything to which pediatrician to use to who cleans your carpets. A great
and quick resource for all the things that need to get done. Having a tough day? Toss out an
idea and see how many people are ready to give you that little extra boost you need. As my
daughter is getting ready to end her maternity leave she has set a number of goals to get
herself back in shape. The other night she was 300 steps away from hitting her 10,000
steps and she posted a question, “Should I just call it a day and not worry about the last
300 steps?” Four people responded instantly saying, “Get out of bed and get it done!” She
did and feels much better for having stuck to her goals.
So hang in there you wonderful Moms and lean on others around you when the going gets
tough. Every tough parenting decision you make today pays multiple dividends in the years
to come.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!
Page 2
Front Desk News
May Newsletter
Dear Parents…
Coming Up
Looking ahead, we will be having
our Mother’s Day Tea Friday,
May 8th. The performances will
begin at 3:30pm and will be
followed by refreshments.
Also, the center will
be closed for
Memorial Day – Monday,
May 25th.
Vacation Credits
With summer coming up, we’re
sure you have vacations planned.
This is a great time to use your
vacation credits as they expire
at the end of August. Ask the
front desk for a vacation
voucher form when you’re ready
to apply some to your account.
Spring Cleaning
If your family is doing any
spring cleaning, we would love to
take any old toys, books, and
maybe even clothes for any ages
off your hands. If we can’t find
a use for them, we will give
them to families in need or
donate them to the Goodwill.
Referrals
Boy has our attendace sky
rocketed in the past few months
and much of that we owe to our
wonderful families referring us
to family, friends and coworkers. Remember that if you
refer a child to our center, you
get $75 off once they attend
for a month. Not only will this
give you a bit of a break, but
keeping our building full also
keeps your montlhy costs down.
Now is a great time to be
talking to school-age parents as
well with summer break coming
up. Keep up the good work!
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear…
Abram
Dallas
Mikal
Makenzie
Aiden
Gavin
LaGhea
Mason Atagabe
Daniel
and Teacher Alicia
Happy Birthday to you!
Page 3
May Newsletter
Classroom News
Snuggle Bunnies loved by Char & Joy
We would like to welcome Evelyn and Rhys to our classroom and say goodbye to Kaysa and Ryker. We wish both
families luck on their next adventures. Faben and Mason A. have been with us for a long time and have grown
tremendously. They’re on to their next adventure in the Wobbly Lambs classroom. So many of our friends are
busy bodies now. Kate and Preston are rocking on all fours and Jaxin is pulling up and scaling everything. Tummy
time has done these bunnies justice. We strongly encourage families to continue with tummy time. Many of our
little ones are now on food so we do ask that you introduce foods for at least five days at home before bringing
them for breakfast or lunch at school. When eating with your child, this is an awesome time to introduce sign
language. Give it a try and your little one will be communicating with you in no time. Feel free to ask the teachers
for a few signs if need be. Summer is just around the corner so for our older babies, we will take them outside to
the playground. Please provide sun hats and sunscreen as well as sign the sunscreen permission slip as the time
gets closer. Lastly, a runny nose could be a sign of many things. Some are a cold, allergies, or teething so look for
other cues and also the duration of your baby’s symptoms.
Wobbly Lambs loved by Jan & Denae
We want to thank all of our parents that have taken the time to label their child’s belongings and for restocking
your child’s belongings. Please make sure to look for your bunnies socks as our collection is growing by the week.
time
off to Toddlers – Mason W. and
about
Dalton, and Faben, Mason A. and
time! The children love their
letters, numbers, and colors
Daniel will be joining Ellie to
time outside! We talk about
and songs with finger play and
round
the birds, trees, trucks, and
body movements.
classroom. Yay! We are excited
Oh my things are warming up!
activities
We have so much outside
where
airplanes.
They
are
also
learning about safe playground
are
they
circle
learn
We have had frequent visits
out
our
Wobbler
for all of them.
Ryker,
We are wishing all the moms and
Kaysa, Faben and Mason A.
grandmas a very Happy Mother’s
just
from the infant room. Dalton
Day! We hope you will join us for
exploding with new words and
has been visiting the Toddler
the tea!
are absorbing everything like
room. It makes the transition
little sponges. Their favorite
much
play.
The
children
are
from
change
our
friends
smoother
is
when
made.
We
that
are
sending most of our Wobblers
Classroom News
Page 4
May Newsletter
Tiger Cubs I loved by Jen, Denae, & Chela
We are excited this month to
consists of two different toy
beginning of this month we also
welcome Mason W. and Dalton
activities and all the toys on the
look forward to celebrating
from the wobbler classroom to
shelves. We also have fun playing
Mother’s Day. Please join us for
our class. We had two new
outside and enjoying our inside
the Mother’s Day Tea, even if
students, Aiden and Corbin, join
music and dance time.
this
us in April as well. This month
we look forward to welcoming
these new students and for
them to get to know us and our
routines.
We
mix
our
day
between free play activities and
group activities. We have the
kids join together for our circle
time,
our
reading,
time.
vocabulary
eating,
Our
more
and
time,
sensory
free
play
This month for circle and art
time, we will be talking about the
letters R, S, T, and U. For letter
R, we will talk about “Raccoons
and Rabbits.” For letter S, look
for
“Snakes
and
Suns.”
For
letter T, we will talk about
“Trees and Trains.” Lastly, for
letter
U,
we
may
is
not
your
regular
scheduled day. The kids have
been preparing some special
songs to share with you. Plus,
there is a special gift to pickup after the show. We wish all
our wonderful mothers a very
special day. Thanks for letting
us care for your child.
decorate
“Umbrellas and Unicorns.” The
Tiger Cubs II loved by Kim & Caitlyn
April has come and gone and all the Toddlers have been watching the trees turn green,
played outside in the wonderful spring weather, and had so much fun in our class. The
month really flew by and we’re looking forward to welcoming more warm weather and
sunshine.
For the month of May, we’ll be learning the letters R, S, T, and U and the numbers 8, 9,
10, and 1. We’ll be spending the beginning of the month practicing for the program for
the Mother’s Day Tea. The toddlers are so excited to show all their mommies how much
they care and how hard they have worked. We’ll also be exploring outside a lot, checking
out all the flowers and bugs that the warm spring weather brings to us.
This month, we’ll also be saying goodbye to our friends Sylvia, Ethan, Lily, and Sean. They
will be moving up to their new class in pre-school. We’ll miss them a lot, but they will do
great on their next adventure.
Last, with the weather warming up, we want to remind you to make sure to dress your
Classroom News
Page 5
May Newsletter
Fuzzy Ducks loved by Deby, Amber, Karissa, & Stacey
We can’t believe another month
We will be painting a branch as a
Sylvia, Sean and Lily from the
has come and gone! We had so
group project. That should be
Toddler classroom. Welcome to
much fun doing Easter projects
fun! We will find one over in the
them all!
and participating in the egg hunt.
field and bring it back. We will
Deviled eggs were a big hit. We
also plant Marigold flowers and
also tried making a special kind of
mix
mud but it didn’t work. We had
question what happens when you
fun
mix red and white?
trying
though!
We
also
learned about bunnies and what
they do and eat.
paint
colors
asking
the
Just a few quick reminders.
Please remember to check your
child’s art file. Also our Mother’s
Day Tea will be Friday, May 8th at
3:30pm.
Please
join
us
for
We have a big change happening
performances and refreshments
in
to follow. We hope to see you
preschool. Max,
Abby
W.,
May is going to be filled with lots
Rylan, and Adriana are all moving
of fun art and adventurous walks.
up to Jr. K. They will be missed
The letters of the month will be
but will have tons of fun in their
C and D. Our shapes will be circle
new class! With them moving up,
and diamond and we’ll be focusing
we
will
be
welcoming
there!
Ethan,
on the colors pink and red.
Bouncy Bears loved by Kayla & Lisa
April has already come to an
a thank you to all of the moms.
With a new teacher and new
end. We enjoyed all of the
We are also going to learn
classmates, we will not be bored
sunshine, and we learned a lot
about manners, Cinco de Mayo,
in May. We have many activities
about
and Police for police week.
and art projects planned and
bugs,
butterflies,
and
flowers. We also had some fun
painting with water colors. We
welcomed a new teacher in our
classroom. Her name is teacher
Lisa. Please feel free to say hi
and introduce yourselves. She
has lots of exciting and new
ideas for our classroom.
There is a lot planned for May.
We have the Mother’s Day Tea
on May 8th. We have prepared
two songs to sing, and we have a
special Mother’s Day project as
We are also welcoming Max,
Adriana, Rylan, and Abby to our
classroom from preschool. We
are excited to see what kind of
personality they add to our
class.
Please remember that we wash
sheets once a week, but the
blankets are for you to take
home and wash. Please check
your
child’s
cubby
as
well
because they tend to fill up
fast.
new friends to play with.
Another
Kangaroos loved by Ru & McKenzie
gorgeous
month
has
passed us by and we are getting
near the end of our school year!
April
brought
us
a
quick
celebration of Easter, followed by
exploring the farm and nutrition.
Following
nutrition,
we
jumped
right into learning about recycling
and Earth Day. As a class, this was
one of our favorite themes! Thank
you for all the recycling items that
our families brought in. We spent
a fair amount of time sorting them
into different groups depending on
what they are made from. Finally,
we put all the recyclables to good
work
and
created
interesting
some
creations!
We
very
had
quite a few pairs of goggles, some
rocket ships, a volcano, and plenty
of others. Not only did we spend
time building these objects, we
then did a “museum walk” around
the class to visit each child’s
creation
while
the
creator
discussed what they made. It was
quite an exciting and engaging day!
Following
the
Earth
Day
excitement, we shifted our focus
to some of Earth’s creatures as we
began learning about bugs. We will
continue this study in May. For our
first
week
of
bugs,
we
brainstormed a list of bugs and
sorted them into bugs that fly or
bugs that crawl. We kept this
poster posted in our class so we
could add more bugs to the lists as
we came upon them. We also
learned about the butterfly life
cycle
May Newsletter
Classroom News
Page 6
and
discussed
the
similarities
and
differences
between moths and butterflies.
We have been really focusing on
sight word practice – learning a new
one each morning after morning
work, and practicing with them
throughout the day. Any practice
families do at home will really help
too!
We
are
quickly
becoming
readers as we read sight words we
recognize in a book or magazine,
start to read simple sentences, and
some of us even are starting to read
books. We’ve also been doing a lot
more writing now that we know all of
our letters and are starting to learn
sight words. Some of us write a
sentence each morning for morning
work and there are times when all
bit of time discussing adjectives as
we think of nice words to describe
our mommies. Of course there will
be song practicing and craft making
as we prepare for our Mother’s Day
Tea. We hope to see everyone
there! Frog week will bring us
plenty
of
exciting
information
about tadpoles and frogs – we will
focus on the life cycle. And finally
dinosaurs, a class favorite, will be
somewhat child directed by them
giving Teacher Ru input about the
things they would like to learn
about dinosaurs. It will be a busy
month and is sure to fly right by!
Along with all of our class work, we
will be getting outside as much as
possible.
of us are expected to write a
With the weather changing, we are
sentence or two depending on the
often able to get out first thing in
lesson we are participating in. We
the morning so a light jacket or
make sure our sentences start with
layers would be helpful. Also, we
a capital letter, have finger spaces,
are getting near to our summer
and appropriate punctuation. Ask
program, and we will be joining the
your child about these things and
school-agers out on field trips. It
see how much they have learned!
might be a good idea to start
It’s a very exciting time in the
talking to your child about the
kindergarten classroom as all of our
importance of being safe when
hard work starts to come together!
we’re away from the building. Any
Looking ahead to
May, we will
continue our learning about bugs,
celebrate Mother’s Day, learn about
frogs, and enjoy our final theme of
dinosaurs. Before we know it, it will
be June and we will be preparing for
Kindergarten Graduation (keep your
eyes peeled for more information
towards the end of May). For our
Mother’s Day theme, we will spend a
front loading of this information
you can do at home will make the
transition
that
much
smoother
when the time comes! Thank you
for
your
continued
support
throughout this school year! We
hope to finish it out with a bang!
Page 7
May
MayNewsletter
Newsletter
Classroom News
Panthers loved by Robin, McKenzie, Alicia & Ashley
April
showers
bring
May
cute egg shaped bunnies. We
Tea. After Mother’s Day, we
had
made bunny ears and bunny
will be spending some time
Easter and Earth Day. All the
noses with whiskers. We then
learning science experiments.
kids made and decorated little
had a hoppy good time having
One that comes to mind is how
bunny
a
to clean pennies then turn
flowers. In April, we
baskets.
We
then
parade
for
the
other
waited to see if anything
classes. For Earth Day, we
dimes into the color of
would happen. Woohoo! The
learned about recycling and
pennies. Stay tuned for more!
Easter Bunny came and filled
up cycling. We made crayon
them up with goodies the
melt earths.
Friday
before
Easter.
We
really went all out with other
Easter
projects.
Three
dimensional Easter eggs and
Shhh…we have been doing a
lot of Mother’s Day
preparation and hope to see
you all at our Mother’s Day
Life Touch Portraits
We hope you all enjoyed the spring photos taken
by Life Touch. The kids took some really great
photos this time around!
Please remember that the picture packets
(pictures you aren’t purchasing) and payment are
due back as soon as possible!
Page 7
Classroom News
May
Newsletter
May
Newsletter
Just For Fun
Home Depot: Kids Workshop
When: First Sat., 9-12pm
Where:
Various
Home
Depot
Locations Description: Free, monthly
hands-on, “how-to” craft* workshops
designed for kids ages 5-12.
5/2 Learn How to Build a Picket
Fence Photo Frame
Lowe’s Build & Grow Workshop
When: Sat. 10am
Where: Various Lowe’s Locations
Description: Free, monthly hands-on,
“how-to” craft workshops designed
for kids
5/9 Mother’s Day Planter
Lakeshore Learning
When: Every Sat, 11am –3pm
Where: Lakeshore Learning Store,
16901 SW 65th Ave., Lake Oswego
Description:
FREE
fun
craft
activities for ages 3+
Information:
503-620-9888
or
lakeshorelearning.com.
5/2 Thank-A-Teacher Tote Bag
5/9 Garden Blooms Photo Frame
5/16 Fly Away! Hot Air Balloon
5/23 Memorial Day Flag
5/30 Hello, Sunshine! Mobile
$2 Days at OMSI
When: First Sun. of every month, 5/3
Where: OMSI
1945 SE Water St., Portland, OR
97214
Description: Enjoy discounted $2
admission to OMSI.
$4 Zoo Second Tuesday
When: Tue. May 12th, 10am – 4pm
Where: Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW
Canyon Rd. Portland, OR 97221
Description: Enjoy all of the fun
wildlife and adventure at the Oregon
Zoo for a fraction of the cost with
$4 admission per person. Children 2
and under are, as always, admitted
free of charge. Ride transit and
receive an additional $1.50 off with
proof of ridership. There is a fee for
parking a well.
Wondrous Wednesdays
When: Wed. May 6th 10am – 5pm
Where: World Forestry Center
4033 SW Canyon
Description:
Tour
the
World
Forestry Center for the discounted
price of $3 per person. Ride the wetfree rapids, try your smoke jumping
skills, and discover interesting things
about forests all over the world.
There is a fee for parking as well.
Guided Nature Hike
When: Saturdays, 10-11:30am
Where: Tyron Creek Park
11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd.
Description: Free guided nature
hikes exploring the forest and stream
ecosystems and natural history at
Tryon Creek State Natural Area.
Topics will vary from week to week
but will be appropriate for all ages.
Parents must accompany kids on all
hikes. No pre-registration required.
For more specific information or if
bringing groups larger than 10, call
(503) 636-9886 ext. 225.
5/2 Amazing Amphibians
5/9 Urban Wildlife
5/16 Ethnobotany
5/23 Slugs: More than Slime
Second Saturday at WREC
When: Sat. May 9th, 1pm – 3pm
Where: Water Resources Education
Center, 4600 SE Columbia Way
Description: Second Saturdays at
the Water Resources Education
Center are not only fun, they're free!
Each second Saturday of the month,
from 1 to 3 p.m., kids and their
families are invited to explore a
different topic through hands-on
activities, games and stories. Kids and
families are invited to celebrate
Public Works Week. Learn about and
explore some of the amazing things
the City of Vancouver’s Public Words
Department does for you! The 2015
National Public Works Week theme,
“Community Begins Here,” recognizes
that Public Works supports our
community’s everyday quality of life.
Kids Morning Skate at Oaks Park
When: Saturdays, 10:30am - 12pm
Where: Oaks Park, 7805 SE Oaks
Park Way, Portland OR 97202
Description:
Get your family's
weekend rolling at Kids Morning
Skate! This session is specifically
designed for kids ten and younger and
features music chosen by kids for
kids, a 15 minute group lesson taught
by a USA Roller Sports certified
instructor, and cool skating games
like "Dead Bug", "Roller Limbo" and,
of course, "The Hokey Pokey"!
Includes conventional skates.
Ages 0-10, with family. $6 per child,
grown-ups free. oakspark.com
Check out these great sources for
more family fun activities…
Multnomah County Library
https://multcolib.org/events/progra
ms
Metro Parent
www.metro-parent.com/calendars
Vancouver Family Magazine
www.vancouverfamilymagazine.com/ca
lendar.html
PDX Kids Calendar
http://www.pdxkidscalendar.com/sum
mer-fun-events/