2016 | May Newsletter
Bright Horizons at
CentraState News
From the Director
Important Dates
April showers have brought us May Flowers and we are
so happy to be able to get outside now!
We had many new and exciting things happening in the
classrooms this month. Please take some time to look
at all the great documentation hanging up in your
child’s classroom.
Thank you to all that have taken advantage and signed
up in the family portal, remember you can check your
balance, print receipts and change any contact info
right in there. Wouldn’t it be great to not have to
think about writing one more check each month? You
can do that by signing up for E-pay. This can be
accessed right from the portal. Join the many who
have already done so.
May is here now and we have many great things
planned! Don’t forget about the Walk-on to support
the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, a nonprofit organization that helps families and children in
need.
Pajama Days – May 11, 24
May 6 – Muffins with Mom
Parent Partnership Call – May 12
Walk ON – May 12 6-7 PM
Picture Day – May 5 (Flyer was placed in mail slot)
Teacher Appreciation Week – May 9-13
Class Trip – May 18 PS & Kindergarten Prep
Memorial Day – May 30 Center Closed
Kindergarten Prep Graduation – June 24, more
information will follow.
Reasons to Celebrate
Your child’s teacher goes above and beyond each day,
do you want to recognize them for that? Please follow
the link at the bottom of this newsletter and go to the
Teacher Appreciation website and leave them a special
note of thanks! Debbie and I will be celebrating them
next week with special treats all week long!
Happy Birthday!
Have a fabulous Mother’s Day with family and friends,
thanks for all you do to support us every day!
McKayla
Michelle and Debbie
PS, there will not be a weekly
Let’s connect this week.
Ms. Paulette
Kayla
Vanessa
Emily
edition of
Happy Belated to Ms. Mariana
Bright Horizons at CentraState
691 W Main Street, Freehold, NJ 07728
732-303-5300 | [email protected]
Monday-Friday, 6:30AM – 6:00 PM
© 2016 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS
Infants
We are always busy in the Infant room! This month we welcome our newest friends,
Gabriella and Erik to our room. The Infants are learning how to communicate and
interact with their teachers and friends. Our older friends are practicing their walking
skills and trying to feed themselves.
Art Smart: The infants with their teacher’s assistance, created a handprint, Spring
flower. The babies placed both of their hands on an ink pad and then placed their
hands on white paper to create flowers.
Movement Matters: There are many safe spaces and opportunities for the Infants to
explore small and large motor movement. They have easy access to materials that
allow exploration of texture, size and shape. There are large and small stacking blocks,
shape sorters and many soft material baskets filled with rattles, shakers and soft cuddly
toys. Rolling, crawling, scooting, sitting, walking, bouncing and swaying are all part of
movement matters.
Language Works: Many hard board books and cloth books are readily available to the
infants. They will pick up a book and open it to look at the colorful pages. Some infants
like to turn the pages themselves and others like to hand it to a teacher to have it read
to them. Music and songs are always a part of our day. Songs such as “Old
MacDonald” and “Row, Row, Row your Boat “are some of our favorites.
We are sad to have to say goodbye to our friend, Brayden, but we hope that he has
tons of fun in the toddler room! We will miss you!!
We would also like to with McKayla a very happy 1st Birthday!!
Dates to Remember:
May 8th- Happy Mother’s Day to all our wonderful moms!
May 30th- Memorial Day- Center is closed
Toddlers
Art Smart: During the month of April, the toddlers had many opportunities to create
beautiful art. Some favorite art experiences included decorating paper bowls to
become maracas and painting flower pots. Making collages was a blast as well. The
children loved using colored paper and tissue paper to make collages. They also used
colorful tissue paper to make neat paper plate snails. Using colorful Bingo dotters was
lots of fun too. All their pictures came out unique as they used the dotters in different
ways. Making a sun and a lady bug out of a paper plate was also a fun activity for the
children.
© 2016 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
Math Counts: We worked on a lot of different math concepts this month. The children
worked on counting as we practiced counting petals on a flower. They also loved
counting different animals on the felt board as well. We also practiced counting pegs
as we placed them into numbered peg boards. The class worked on many different
matching activities as well. These matched included a shape match, a donut color
match and a flower match. Our Hula Hoop hop game was also a fun activity. The
children took turns finding and jumping into a certain color hoop as we called them
out.
Science Rocks: Science is lots of fun for the children! The class enjoyed planting flowers
in flower pots that they painted for art. They also had a blast making play dough and
also cloud dough. The textures were really fun for the children to squeeze and mold.
Our sink or float activity was also a big hit! The children took turns placing various toys
into a bucket of water and watching if it sunk to the bottom or floated on top. The class
also enjoyed exploring bird seed in the sensory table as they used cups, bowls and
spoons. The class also made yummy trail mix to eat as well. They used spoons to scoop
goldfish, pretzels, cheez its and cheerios into a bowl. Of course their favorite part was
eating it!
Language Works: This month the children were involved in many different language
activities. They loved using their picture name cards as we practiced spelling their
names with them. They also enjoyed using their name cards to participate in a friend
find game as well. I placed all the children’s pictures on the floor and then asked them
to find and hand me certain children. The class also loved singing songs with our fuzzy
hand puppet as well. We sang Old McDonald, The Itsy Bitsy Spider and BINGO.
A Very Happy Birthday to: Kayla (5/18)!!
Welcome to: Riley and Ms. Mariana! We are so happy to have you join our class!
Preschool
Happy Mother’s Day to all of our Preschool mommies! This past month, we had a few
friends join our class. We would like to welcome Mavis and Sonia to our class. Sonia will
be joining our class during the middle of May! We are so excited for you to be a part of
our class. We would also like to say good bye to our friends Vanessa and Emily who will
be transitioning to Ms. Paulette’s classroom during the middle of May! We will miss you
and look forward to seeing on the playground every afternoon!
Art Smart: We made handprint butterflies using paper, paint, and our handprints today.
We created boats on the water today using various art materials. Ms. Lindsey helped us
name our boats (S.S. Insert child’s name here). We created popsicle shape boats today
using popsicle sticks, triangles, and semi circles. We first colored our sticks, triangles, and
semi circles and then Ms. Lindsey helped us put our boats together. While talking about
jungle animals, we created our own jungle animal placemats, “Frogs on a Lily Pad”,
“Elmer the Elephants”, “Marble Print Frogs”.
© 2016 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
Skills we practiced: Use art materials and tools purposefully, Strengthen and refine our
small muscle skills, Cooperate and participate in give and take.
Math Counts: We participated in a number recognition game today. We
first chose an umbrella with a number on it. We then named the number
on the umbrella as we found the matching umbrella. As part of our math/art
activity, we chose a number of dots we wanted to add to our picture. When we were
done placing the dots on our pictures, we counted the dots with Ms. Lindsey. We sang
the song “5 Little Fish” today during circle time. The song was about 5 little fish who were
swimming in the sea. We practiced counting by counting how many times we
tossed the bean bag to our partner. We counted 10 tosses.
Skills we practiced: Counting sequentially, Follow two-step directions
Science Rocks: We learned about the life cycle of a frog. We learned that
frogs begin as a tadpole and then grow legs and turn into a frog. Ms.
Lindsey gave us the opportunity to taste test Matzah in honor of the
holiday of Passover.
Skills we practice: Explore different cultures in authentic ways
Sensory Exploration: Ms. Lindsey placed the magnetic blocks in the sensory table for
us to explore. We worked as a team to build towers using the magnetic blocks. To
honor the season of spring, we explored worms in the dirt. We pretended there was a
mommy frog, daddy frog, and baby frogs. Each frog had a name (the names of our
parents or brothers and sisters).
Skills we practice: use spatial concept vocabulary in daily speech such as under/over,
on/off, around/above
Language Works: We listened to the stories: We read the book “Harbor” with Ms.
Lindsey today. The book talked about the different kinds of boats you can
find in the ocean.
We helped Ms. Lindsey create a list of the following topics:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Jungle animals
Description of a frog
Description of an elephant
Description of a monkey
© 2016 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
We answered the following questions during circle time: “If I were a frog, I
would hop to…”
Some of our answers were: School bus, School, Home, School bus, pool, my house, and
Disney.
We sang our ABCs and practiced our letter recognition by singing the alphabet
forwards and backwards. We continued practicing our letter recognition game by
participating in a frog letter recognition game. Frogs with letters were placed on the
floor of our classroom. As the music played, we walked around the room. When the
music stopped, we needed to find a frog to stand on and then we named the letter we
were standing on.
Skills practiced: Expand our spoken vocabulary, Recognize letters, Participate in
reciprocal conversations, Identify letters
Music and Movement: We danced to the song “Peanut Butter”. We marched around
the classroom as we sang and performed the song. The children laughed each time
the song mentioned peanut butter and a different item of clothing.
Skills Practiced: develop our large muscle skills, respond to music of various tempos,
meters, and genres with accompanying movements
Week of the Young Child: We had so much fun during the “Week of the Young Child”.
Please continue reading to learn about the different special activities we participated
in. We created musical instruments using socks and beans. Ms. Lindsey gave us the
opportunity to pour the beans into our socks. Ms. Lindsey also asked us the following
questions:“What is your Favorite Color?”,“What is your Favorite Animal?”,
“What is your Favorite Food?”, and “What is your Favorite Drink?” We played
musical chairs using pictures of our friends. Each child was first given their own picture
and when the music stopped playing, the object was to find our own picture. Next, we
were given a friend’s picture and needed to find their picture. On the playground, we
participated in our mini carnival where we made a special trail mix, craft, and
participated in carnival games.
Skills practiced: Use art materials and tools purposefully, Cooperative and participate in
give and take, Participate in reciprocal conversations
Technology: Ms. Lindsey has integrated computer time into our schedule. We have our
own assigned computer day. When it is our turn, we bring our choice board tag to the
computer center and work at the computer with Ms. Lindsey. This month we are
practicing letter recognition using the computer program Jumpstart (Preschool Edition)
© 2016 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
Kindergarten Prep
A VERY HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all our moms!
During the month of April, our centers were busy with the children exploring and
learning new things.
There were many hands-on activities and projects that were inspired by the season.
Just to mention a few, we explored the inside of lima beans, used magnifiers to
examine earthworms, learned the parts of plants and how they function, and observed
the rich soil created through composting. It was amazing to see how the children
reacted to the feel of earthworms tickling the palms of their hands as they were held
and examined.
What We’ve Been Up To:
The Week of the Young Child was filled with many activities for the children to enjoy.
Every one participated in the daily activities during the Week of the Young Child. Some
highlights for the were: making musical instruments, Tender Smiles for Kids, Dress-Up Day
where children had fun showing off their favorite costume, Family Fun Mini Carnival and
Ice Cream Sundae Treat.
On Earth Day our class learned of things they can do to keep our earth clean and
healthy. There were demonstrations and show-and-tell in the following areas: recycling,
composting, planting seeds and we observed a small tree planted on Earth Day over
years ago. We all picked up litter from our playground and classroom. Overall, April
was quite an eventful month filled with lots of hands-on activities.
Art Smart: Our children used various art materials and mediums in their art projects. We
made shakers or musical instruments using paper plates folded in half. Some children
use beads and sequins to decorate their instruments, and others painted theirs. We
made a weather chart using poster board, cotton, construction paper and cupcake
liners. For our farming theme, children created vegetable and flower farms using
sequins, jewels and various decals to complete their farm projects.
Math Counts: The children continued learning how to tell time by the hour and half
hour using an analog clock. We used small objects, the children’s choice, to reinforce
skills in learning addition and subtraction. Other areas in math that we explored this
month were: counting and sorting, ordering by length, matching, and counting off by
two’s, five’s and ten’s. Also, everyone learned how to use the calculator to solve simple
addition and subtraction.
Language Works: We continue to build skills in reading and writing, using sight words to
construct sentences, and using the letters of the week to build words. Currently we are
practicing our songs and poems for graduation.
© 2016 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
Science Rocks: Insects, birds, and earthworms were living things we explored. We
cleaned-up our outside gardens and the children just loved the idea thinking in the dirt
digging in the dirt.
Our World…Our Backyard: We recycled, cleaned-up our playground and planted
seeds in our garden.
Upcoming Themes:
Celebrate Mexico
The State of New Jersey
Going Camping
Water Safety
© 2016 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
READY FOR SCHOOL NEWS
Cultivating a Conservation Mindset
Conservation, according to Merriam Webster, is the protection of animals, plants, and resources, as
well as the careful use of resources to keep them from being lost or wasted. Most adults try to adhere
to good environmental practices, yet perhaps the most enduring strategy we can employ is to teach
our children a conservation mindset. How is that accomplished?
Conservationist Rachel Carson wrote, “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs
the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement,
and mystery of the world we live in.” We believe she’s onto something there. Below are a few simple
tips for nurturing a love of the natural world.

Spend time in nature. If children are truly to embrace a conservation mindset, they must
have a deeply personal, intimate knowledge of the natural world. This knowledge can be
supported through attending classes, watching documentaries, and reading books, but it comes
first and foremost through real experiences. Whether you live in an urban area, a suburb, or a
more rural environment, seek out natural areas. Nature can be found in the neighborhood
park, a conservation area, or even the meandering stream behind your house.

Cultivate curiosity. As you spend time outdoors, slow down to observe your surroundings
and ask questions. “What do squirrels eat?” “Where do insects go during the winter?” “How
do birds learn to build nests?”

Nurture environmental sensitivity through children’s literature. Good literary fiction
can inspire children, cultivating feelings of kindness, empathy, and a love of the natural world.
Once you’ve sparked those feelings, offer high-quality, nonfiction children’s books on topics of
interest to learn more.

Live simply. As a family, try to live more simply. Remember the old adage, “Use it up, wear it
out, make it do, or do without.” Prepare meals at home when possible. Discuss the idea of not
buying more than you need. As a family, discuss how to simplify your life to reflect what is
most meaningful to you.
When asked why he felt optimistic that humans would find solutions to the environmental concerns
plaguing our planet, physicist Freeman Dyson responded, “Because people will always love trees.” If
children are removed from nature, though, will future generations develop this age-old wisdom? We
believe that creating a conservation mind-set begins with a deep love and reverence for nature. So, get
out there. Turn over a rock. Feel the breeze on your face. Get some dirt on your shoes.
It Ain’t Easy Being Green by Jim Greenman; Child Care Information Exchange, May, 1993.
© 2016 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
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May is Teacher and Staff
Appreciation Month!
The greatest reward a teacher or staff
member receives is knowing that they have
made a difference in the lives of children and
families. Each year Bright Horizons dedicates
the month of May as a time to celebrate and
recognize all of the teachers and staff who
make this such a wonderful place for children
and families.
As part of this month long celebration, we
invite you to visit our Teacher & Staff
Appreciation Website. Here, you can leave a
special note of appreciation for your child’s
teacher or exceptional staff member. The
website will be open from May 1st through
May 31st.
If you’re looking for another way to celebrate
a teacher or staff member, you may consider
making a contribution to the Bright Horizons
Foundation for Children® in their name.
Thank you for helping us recognize the
important work of our teachers and staff—
they make Bright Horizons a great place!
CONNECT WITH BRIGHT HORIZONS
© 2016 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC