March Newsletter
Happy March

Here we are, already in March...that means Spring is on it's way.  Green grass, flowers and outdoor play without the need for seventeen layers are not so far away.  Phew.

March has a lot of great holidays that you may not have been aware of. It is American Red Cross Month, National Craft Month and Sing With Your Child Month to name a few.  Daylight Savings begins on March 13 (spring forward and change the  batteries in your smoke detectors!), Napping Day is on the 15th (yes NAPPING DAY!), St. Patrick's Day is the 17, followed by Absolutely Incredible Kid Day on the 18th, Spring is Official on the 20th and Earth Hour takes place on March 27th.

Since it is National Craft Month, we thought we would share a fun at home craft that you can create with your child.  Last month we focused on Colors at Mom's Morning Out.  We learned about primary colors and what happens when you mix them.  We created awesome artwork (with paint) that we hope your children shared with you and we have some on display at the shop for those who couldn't make it in.  Kiddos sure do love getting in there with that paint and typically forgo all brushes pretty quickly, so always remember if you are headed to MMO, dress appropriately! We get down and dirty sometimes so play clothes are a must! 
 


If you have a young child at home and would like to work with colors and don't want to deal with the unpredictable mess that can come from painting try making Color In A Bag (from FamilyFun.com). 
Materials

  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 cups cold water
  • Food coloring
  • 2 gallon-size ziplock bags
  • Duct tape

 Instructions

  1. Over medium heat, combine the cornstarch, sugar, and water in a saucepan, stirring continuously.

  2. Once the mixture begins to thicken, remove the pan from the heat and stir for another minute or so until it thickens to a pudding like consistency. Let it cool for 30 minutes.

  3. Spoon the mixture into two bowls, stir a few drops of food coloring into each (red and yellow shown below) then divide the colors between the ziplock bags. Seal the bags with duct tape and let your child mix and mash the colors (they'll keep for up to a week).

 


This month we are learning about specific shapes.  A great way to work with young children at home to help them learn shapes is by using play dough.  Work with your child and create various shapes using cookie cutters, plastic utensils or just your hands. By using their hands to create shapes they feel more of a 'bond' with each shape and are more likely to learn that shape faster.  Many children already know their shapes by preschool age, but it is still fun to play with play dough at any age...so give it a try! 

We have included a recipe for homemade play dough on the right.  For those of you with older children who have participated in learning about color mixing, ask them how to make orange or purple play dough and see if they remember!

Reading

Reading is a big part of our daily sessions at MMO.  Kids love to explore the books we have on the shelves and we also check them out of the library every few weeks in order to have theme books on hand as well as new picture books and read aloud for the kids to enjoy.  We are also lucky to have many parents donate books to us every now and again and we really appreciate the new (to us) books.  No book ever gets ignored at Mom's Morning Out and we have already had to replace a few due to being 'loved' a little too much.  :)
 

Some great 'shape' books that work well with our March Theme are:
Circles by Janie Spaht Gill
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff (circular story)
Ovals by Jennifer Burk
There's a Square by Mary Serfozo
Circles, Triangles, and Squares by Tana Hoban
My First Book of Shapes by Eric Carle
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss
 
Parent Child Play-dates in March:
Parent Child Play-dates will now fall on the FIRST AND THIRD WEDNESDAY of every month. 

These play-dates are from 9:30 am until 11:00 am and give parents a chance to see their child in the 'space'.  Children play with peers and explore the toys that Mom's Morning Out has to offer and meet our staff.  Parents get to check out the space and chat with other parents while their children play.  We offer a snack and craft activity for the children and ask that parents bring a drink for their child (and for yourself as well is fine).  If your child has allergies, please bring their own snacks but no peanuts please.  MMO is a Peanut Free Facility.

We will be meeting on March 3rd and March 17th.  Please call us to RSVP at 857-234-0989.  We do require you to RSVP so that we can have an accurate headcount  for craft supplies, snack supplies as well as for safety reasons. 

Parents Night Out:
Date night!  If you haven't taken advantage of Parents Night Out yet, you should!  We offer three hours of evening care, 5:30pm until 8:30 pm for $25!  The children wear their pajama's and we enjoy a popcorn party, a fun craft, toys and games.  We turn down the lights and settle in for some stores for the last hour or so in the hopes that your child is nice and relaxed to go home and have a great nights sleep after your great night out.  Call us to schedule! 

March Parents Nights will be on Saturday, March 6th and Friday, March 19th.  We only have room for six children, so book early and get ready for a night out (or in) with your significant other (or yourself!).

Play Dough Recipe
Materials:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
food coloring
saucepan
mixing spoon
stove


Mix your food coloring in with your water to get the intensity that you want. Combine all ingredients and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes stirring constantly.
(The mixture will thicken as it cooks, so don't add in more flour if you think it is too runny!)
Cook until the mixture is no longer sticky to the touch. Allow it too cool and knead the mixture a few times to make sure it's adequately mixed and hand it on over to the kiddos once you've verified it's cool.

Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the refrigerator.

Cancellations, No Shows and Late Pick Ups
We understand that things occur when you are a parent to a young child that are often out of your control, so cancellations are understandable.  Especially for illnesses.  However, because we can only take a limited number of children we do ask that you try to give us 24 hours notice.  If you are unable to give us 24 hours, please call as soon as you know that your child will not be attending MMO.  857-234-0989  You can leave a message 24 hours a day.  This way we know if we can offer your space to another parent and make appropriate adjustments to staff, planned activities, etc.

Mom's Morning Out offers two sessions a day.  It is important that children are picked up on time at the end of each session.   We have a limited amount of time between sessions to clean up and prepare for our next session (which may or may not include one member of our staff taking a nap - shh he's two years old so it's okay).  We also have our own babysitters we need to pay at the end of the day.  Because of this we are implementing a late pick up charge.  This is for parents who arrive after 12:00 pm or after 4:00 pm.  Please remember to check the time that you sign your child in and be sure that your clock/watch matches.  

March Specials - BRING A  FRIEND FRIDAY and SATURDAYS BY REQUEST
Schedule an appointment for our AFTERNOON session (sorry afternoons only) on any Friday this month and bring along a friend.  You and your friend will each receive 50% off!  That's 3 hours of childcare for $10 per person!  Space is limited, so book soon!

Saturdays will also now be available by request for the am session.  This is from 9am until 12pm.  We must have at least 48 hours notice if you would like to schedule a Saturday session. 

Sibling discounts will not apply on Saturdays or on Bring A Friend Fridays.

We hope to see you soon!
857-234-0989
www.momsmorningout.com

Share this Newsletter with a friend by clicking FORWARD below!

Unsubscribe <<Email Address>> from this list.

Copyright (C) 2012 Mom's Morning Out All rights reserved.

Forward this email to a friend
Update your profile
Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp