THIS MONTH AT KIDS' PLACE

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1 THIS MONTH AT KIDS' PLACE March 11, 2016 Dear Parents, March came in with a bang! It snowed the first week and then temperatures were in the 70s! The rest of March is sure to be just as exciting. We have started science enrichment which will continue throughout March. The kids love it! Renesha, our science specialist, works for the Deptartment of Agriculture, and she is so thrilled to be a part of Kids' Place; we are thrilled to have her! We will also celebrate the Purim carnival on Sunday March 20th here at the Center. It will be a blast, so put on your costumes and head on over to the Weinstein JCC to enjoy all the fun activities, games, performances and more. Something to know: we are accepting registrations for the upcoming school year. If you are returning to Kids' Place, don't forget to turn in your registration form. Thank you for being a part of the Kids' Place family - because you belong here. LaVenus Kids' Place Director In This Issue Letter to Parents Important Note Upcoming Dates/Events Kids' Place Happenings Middle School at Kids' Place Reading Caravan Staff Highlight PJ's Recipe Corner Pottery with Val Contact Information Gardening with Amanda We are all about the greenhouse lately! Each class has been out in the greenhouse starting seeds (peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, peas, spinach and radishes)

2 that, with proper care, will become seedlings and will continue to grow in our Edible Schoolyard. Important Notes Please remember that the Kids' Place After-School Program provides care on days that school is in session only. Childcare on School's Out Days (holidays, teacher workdays, snow days) is available for Kids' Place participants on days that Kids' Place is open. The cost per day varies depending on the nature of the School's Out Day, and registration is subject to availability. Please contact the Kids' Place office to inquire about pricing and availability for specific days. Children enrolled in the 12 Month Program or the School's Out Package are pre-enrolled for all School's Out Days and do not need to register. Upcoming Dates/Events March 20: Purim Carnival March 24: RTA 1/2 day March 25: RTA, Sabot, Orchard House, Steward & Collegiate School Closed March 28 - April 1: Kids' Place Spring Break Kids' Place Happenings Classroom Activities

3 The Yellow Room has been enjoying playing Four Corners in gym these past two weeks. During their gardening time, they have become experienced planters of various vegetables. In their cooking time with PJ, the kids enjoyed the preparation but especially enjoyed the eating. They made sugar snap peas with mint, and then they made kale. The kids finished up their pottery with Val by glazing their pieces, and they look great! When they had some free time the kids enjoyed playing Connect Four, building with Lego's and making pot-holders. Spring is arriving in the Orange Room. As opportunities arise, we like to go outside to enjoy the arming temperatures. We have been pulling up rye grass and other unwanted plants from our garden beds. We sowed lettuce seeds, watered seedlings (young plants), looked at buds on branches, made wildflower "seed balls" and thinned out our fall garden trays to give room to growing plants. There is always something to do, and it is fun to help! In gym we played a game where you are given a number, and if it's called, you have catch the ball. If you are not called, then you run away from the group. When the person whose number is called catches the ball, then a whistle is blown and you freeze. The person then rolls the ball to hit someone who runs if touched by the ball. In art, we were busy glazing and finishing our clay projects. During our free time, we really enjoyed making pretend forts and playing with Lego's. We also started weaving with looms. In the Red Room, the kids finished painting their trees in pottery with Val. The kids and the counselors also got outside and enjoyed the nice weather as much as possible over the past two weeks.for gym time, they enjoyed playing Red Rover, Sharks and Minnows and Four Corners. The kids started Science with Renesha this week, where they decorated tadpoles. During the Red Room's free time, everyone enjoyed playing Ghosts in the Graveyard and Night at the Museum. Jasmine, David and the Green Room have been enjoying the garden. They broke into different groups and planted a lot of different greens, like spinach, radishes and kale. Everyone also got to go inside the green house to see how the peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers were growing. They had so much fun! In cooking, the kids made kale with garlic and olive oil and it was soooo good! In their new science enrichment class, the kids made their own pollinator and planted seeds with their handmade pot using paper towel tubes. During free time, all of the kids enjoyed playing Spot

4 It and Go Fish! In game center, they really enjoyed playing "Guess Who?" and building with Lego's. At the end of each day, everyone gathered together for story time. going outside. The Blue Room has been full of team work! The entire group came together during a School's Out Day and constructed an AMAZING model of a roller coaster, even LaVenus got in on the action. During their pottery time they worked on finishing up their trees with Val. During gym time they played hand ball. The Blue Room was sad that chess ended but was very excited that a new enrichment class of Science has begun. During their free time in the room, the kids played musical chairs. They have also really been enjoying the fantastic weather by Homework Room and Homework Club with Little Scholars In the Homework Room, Mercedes was busy as always helping the children with their school work. Children typically stay for a half hour maximum in the Homework Room; however, if your child needs or wants more time, please contact Melanie or LaVenus. Our Homework Club is doing great and working hard with Little Scholars. Little Scholars provide assistance with homework in addition to providing personalized, private tutoring for children. These tutors are classroom teachers who are aware of local independent schools' curriculum and the Virginia SOLs. This service is an additional charge and can be done Monday-Thursday during Kids' Place hours of operation. If you would like to sign your child up for this service, please contact Melanie Marks at mmarks@weinsteinjcc.org. Middle School at Kids' Place On Election Day, the middle school group went to the SPCA and hung out with the cats and

5 dogs. Everyone wanted to bring one home one! We enjoyed the beautiful day by eating lunch outside and then playing on the playground. In cooking we made two great recipes: Snap Peas and Siracha and then Garlic Kale. The kids really enjoyed cooking it with PJ and eating it as well. During our art time it was our choice so we all decided to make sun catchers. This week, we started our new enrichment science class. We planted milk weed seeds in biodegradable paper towel tubes. In our free time, we enjoyed hanging out with each other, going on the computers, playing Bananagrams and Phase Ten. Reading Caravan This program allows our preschool children and our Kids' Place children to learn, grow, explore and have fun together. The children from the four and five-year-old programs in the Preschool take an adventure down to Kids' Place every Monday. When they arrive, they are greeted by our staff in Kids' Place and then taken to the Yellow or Orange Room to hear a story. These stories are being read by a different child from Kids' Place each week-it's a very big honor for the Kids' Place kid who's chosen to read each week. Alec Coffey, Adam Gottleib, Parker McMahon and Maya Owens all did a fantastic job reading the past few weeks! Staff Highlight

6 Sarah Lawrence I grew up close by in Ashland Virginia, and I graduated from Atlee High School. I played softball with Atlee Little League for about 9 years. I was a catcher and 3rd baseman. I love going to the river and exploring. I have a sister named Jamie, and 2 nieces named Jersey (7) and Josie (4). I love my family very much! We have a huge family reunion that I am going to in New Jersey soon. I love working here at Kids' Place. I'm very grateful for getting the opportunity to evolve here. PJ's Recipe Corner Sugar Snap Peas with Mint Ingredients 2 teaspoons olive oil 3/4 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed 3 green onions, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint Directions 1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar snap peas, green onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry for 4 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the mint leaves. Garlic Kale Ingredients 1 bunch kale 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced Directions 1. Tear the kale leaves into bite-size pieces from the thick stems; discard the stems. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the garlic in the hot oil until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the kale and

7 continue cooking and stirring until the kale is bright green and wilted, then stir about 5 minutes more. Pottery with Val We're rolling right along in pottery. This week is the last week with wet clay, meaning this is everyone's last chance to make something new. In recent weeks, we've been working on slab projects - cups and plates. Since we've been using clay for the last couple of months, the kids have developed some great clay building skills, so I have also let them explore their own ideas in clay. We will be glazing until the end of the month, so look for new work coming home! Contact Information: LaVenus Harried, Kids' Place Director lharried@weinsteinjcc.org, (804) Melanie Marks, Kids' Place Operations Manager mmarks@weinsteinjcc.org, (804) Melissa Bunce, Director of Inclusion and Support Services & Kids' Place Supervisor mbunce@weinsteinjcc.org, (804) Kids' Place Lobby (to reach Kids' Place between 4:00-6:00PM) (804) Please ask the front desk to page the Kids' Place Lobby Forward this STAY CONNECTED