The Cold and Flu Season is here...

Good day friends!

I just wanted to add a post on here about what we do during the cold and flu season to help stop the spread of germs.  It seems that no matter what we do, we still get sick.  My daycare kids have been sick for about 3-4 weeks now and I held off getting it for so long and voila, now I have it.  If anyone has anything to suggest or add, please comment below.  :)  

Hand washing
Hand washing is probably the most important of every step.  We frequently wash our hands.  The kids wash their hands when they arrive, before and after meals, after outdoor play, after arts and crafts, before and after any kind of food activity, and anytime I see the kids sniffling or wiping their noses with their hands or putting their hands in their mouth.  If we have to wipe a kids nose, we go wash our hands right away.  We have made an activity out of learning how to properly wash our hands and this activity is repeated when we get new children enrolled. We also have several bottles of GermX around for adult use.  I don't allow the kids to use this because they tend to put their fingers in their mouths.  My assistant and I use the GermX in between hand washings for added protection (though lot a good it does - I still got sick!!).  I also recommend that parents use the GermX that I have by the sign in and out sheet when they pick up their kids. 

Toy cleaning
Typically the kids toys get washed 1-2 times per week.  However, when the kids are sick, we clean the toys once a day.  I do this a couple of different ways.  Sometimes I fill my sink with a bleach solution and dump the hard toys into it for a while and then put towels down to let the toys air dry.  Sometimes I use this same method and and dump all the toys in my tub.  Sometimes we use the bleach solution in a spray bottle and spray each toy and wipe it all down.  Sometimes we use clorox wipes and scrub each toy down.  The recommended formula for bleach solution is 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water.  All softer toys that can be washed go directly into the washing machine.  

Daycare surfaces
All hard surfaces get washed frequently.  Tables and chairs get washed before and after meals with warm soapy water and then get sprayed down with a bleach solution.  I also clean the tables with my regular disinfectant spray cleaner at the beginning of the day, after any arts and crafts or block sessions, and then at the end of the day.  Shelves and any other hard surface get washed down at the end of the day with the bleach solution.  Bathroom gets cleaned at the end of the day (or sooner if needed) with the bleach solution.  Changing tables get washed after each and every use with either a clorox wipe or the bleach solution.  Floors get swept after every meal and as needed throughout the day.  Floors get washed with my Shark Steam and Spray mop at the end of the day or sooner if needed.  I have two throw rugs in the room that get thrown into the washing machine once a week but vacuumed after meals and at the end of the day.  Walls get the steam mop at the end of the day (I LOVE that steam mop!!!).  Windows and doors get washed with glass cleaner at the end of the day.  My couches (we have two in the room) get scrubbed with Mr. Clean at the end of the week or sooner if needed.  I think that covers everything for surfaces.  LOL!  

Bedding
The kids bedding is typically washed once a week, but when they're soiled or when the kids are really sick, we'll toss them in my washer when nappy time is over.  I use tide free for the kiddos bedding and soft toys because there is always one kiddo who has a sensitivity to my heavily perfumed laundry detergent.  Better safe than sorry.  

After all this is done, I still go and spray regular lysol around the room and on the couches.  Still... I get sick.  LOL!  

Have a great day!  :)  Remember, please leave comments below.  If you have any suggestions on something for me to write about, please let me know!  

Jenn

Fire Safety Week!

Hello friends!

I realized that with the hectic schedule of a child care educator, it's just impossible for me to post every day.  HOWEVER, I will post as often as I can to share the wonderful ideas and fun times we have in our child care.  

This week, we're doing Fire Safety for National Fire Safety week.  

We've been discussing this yesterday and today.  We did fire safety letters from the www.makinglearningfun.com site.  Love that site!  :) 

Tomorrow we're doing more on the Stop! Drop! and Roll!
Search on YouTube for Stop, Drop, and Roll, and you can find the kids songs there if you don't want to go out and purchase any.  I wanted a CD version so I purchased a couple on Itunes.  

My assistant and I got some ideas from the following blog:
http://squishideasforpreschool.blogspot.ca/2011/11/fire-safety.html 

The kids are going to color this page and then practice how to stop, drop, and roll.

From this same blog, I really like the handprint fire, which I am planning on scheduling for Thursday with the kids.  

We're also going to discuss fire drills in detail and even though we practice fire drills monthly from 1 exit.  (I have 4 usable exits for the kids in my house) We're going to practice them from all exits this week.  I want to implement a buddy helper in which one of the older kids, helps one of the younger toddlers get out to our safe spot.  
I have all the children's emergency contacts in my Iphone but, I am going to be making an emergency number sheet that I'm going to hang near each entrance (I'll be making it somehow discreet too) so that in case we have an emergency and my Iphone is not attached to me, we'll be able to contact parents if we need to.  I usually wear yoga pants that don't have pockets so this will be handy.   

On Friday, we'll have a discussion on which activities the kids liked best and then let the kids have a choice art activity like a collage or whatever they choose.  We do have an easel in the room with a roll of paper so one or two kids can work on a nice picture while some others can work on a collage or drawing, etc.   I have quite a few younger toddlers so introducing them to art materials is our goal.  We definitely like to take one day a week to let the kids choose and plan their day. 

Even though I haven't changed my sensory box as of yet, this is a wonderful idea for a fire safety theme sensory box:

Please let me know if you have any suggestions, comments, etc.  Please feel free to share.  

Have a great week!  :)
Jenn
The Little Train Family Child Care

More Chicka Chicka!

Hi!  I've realized that I'm probably not going to have the time to blog every single day like I had hoped.  Sometimes we just have a lot of busy busy days in which I don't get much for free time.  It's the nature of the career.  A lot of the kiddos in my child care are sick with their first viruses and colds of the season.  I'm planning on taking extra vitamin C today.  

We had a new boy start yesterday.  When a new child starts, I like to take the child's first day and let the kiddos get to know him.  Yesterday we did choice play, outside play, and the usual stories and  music.  I find that this helps a new child feel more welcome and get a sense of that warm atmosphere that I strive to reach.  
I pushed my chicka chicka curriculum to today.  The kids have already done a chicka chicka coloring letter page, which I printed off www.makinglearningfun.com.  I love this website!  I use it a lot.  Go to the THEME section and find chicka chicka boom boom.  Make sure you have a laminator so you can save your games and printables for next year.  

The kids are listening to my assistant read chicka chicka boom boom and chicka chicka 123 right now and will be making a handprint chicka chicka tree.

Next I have a chicka chicka letter find.  I printed the letters in chicka chicka theme off makinglearningfun.com.  

After naptime (since it's COLD today! BRRRR!) we'll go outside.  

This is similar to the handprint chicka chicka tree we're creating today:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom week!!!

Hi there!

For this week, I have chosen Chicka Chicka Boom Boom as the theme.  There are some great ideas out there on the internet on this theme.  The kids had a blast with this theme last year. 

Yes, today is Monday.  I'm behind a day this week in my curriculum due to a virus that had whipped through my daycare last week.  Priority on Friday was to clean clean clean and we got the kiddos to help us out. My long term goal is to plan for the following week on Friday during nap time.  Usually I'm pretty good at this unless we have crazy days like last Friday.  And over the weekend, I haven't been feeling well.  I find that if I play the curriculum for more than a few days prior to the week starting then the kids tend to lose interest.  I like to get the older preschoolers involved with helping me pick activities as well.  I do plan the curriculum themes as I make the calendar prior to the end of the previous month.

Today the kids took turns with the activity boxes that we have made up (blocks, pattern box, garden box, sensory box, etc), read stories, listened and danced to some music, and had some choice play.  We were unable to go outside today due to the rain.  After the kids wake up from their nap, we'll read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and prep for tomorrows activities.  We use www.abcmouse.com in our child care (a big hit!) and I'll be working with 1 or 2 kiddos on that this afternoon, too.  

I was just looking for activities for this week.  Tomorrow we're going to shoot for a chicka chicka boom boom handprint tree, some letter writing for the older preschoolers, hopefully outdoor play, maybe a letter hunt (either indoors or outdoors), another round of www.abcmouse.com for the next two kiddos in line, etc.  The details for tomorrow will be in tomorrows post.  I'll also post pics of the kids work too.  

Onto planning!  Kids are napping!  :)  

Thanks for reading!  :)

Suggestions?  Comments?  Please leave them below.

Jenn

The first post, ideas, and plans for this blog... (INTRO)

Good day friends!

I wanted to create a blog to share my ideas on what I do in my family child care.  I have long term plans to turn this into a book, but for now, I think it's wonderful to keep the ideas fresh in the mind by blogging them!

I welcome any readers to comment, give feedback or suggestions, and share with your friends/co-workers.  

About me:

I run a family child care in my home.  I work from 7am until 5:30pm, Monday through Friday.  I have a full time assistant, Deanna who I may mention in some of my blogs.  I currently have children that range from 10 months to 4 years old but I've had infants as young as 2 months and school age children as old as 5 years old (Not including my own 8 year old daughter).  I've been running my daycare since July 2006 and I love every moment of it.  I get to work with children and also be available and home for my own child's upbringing.  This is very important to me.  When I was a child, my mother did not work.  I was never in a child care.  However, in modern day (man that makes me feel old!!!  I'm 35 LOL!), both parents are forced to work to make ends meet.  My goal for my child care is to provide a smooth, caring, loving, and warm as possible yet a fun, exciting, and educational environment for young children in my care.  

I do strive to further my education, trainings, climb the Massachusetts state Quality Rating system, and accreditation.  I do have my CDA (Child Development Association) accreditation and I'm working towards getting accredited in the NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care).  I also have my Associates of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and I'm working on my bachelors.  I belong to the Universal PreK grant program in Massachusetts.  I'm busy busy but I wouldn't have it any other way.  

Ok so I'm going to close this intro so I can go on to my activities with the kiddos.  I'm typing this during snack time.  

Thank you for reading!  XOXO and Please comment or leave feedback.  Also I am totally happy to answer any questions you may have.  

Jenn

www.thelittletrainfamilychildcare.com