Easter Egg decorating

An easy activity for all the children in your home

1. Hard boil a half dozen eggs.

(A quick tip for the perfect hard boiled egg)

Place your eggs in a pot, then gently fill the pot with icy cold water, to about an inch above the eggs. Bring the pot to the boil for two minutes at the most.  Then, take the pot off the stove and let the eggs stand for 20 minutes.  Put the eggs into a bowl of cold water, ready to peel.

2. Decorate the hard boiled eggs with crayons.

3. Easter Egg Dye

Dunk the hard boiled eggs into a mixture of 1-2 cups of cold water with 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1-2 tablespoons of food colouring.  Soak the eggs in the dye for approximately five minutes.

Easter Egg Hunt, Crafts and Easter Story, Mar 29

29 Mar : Easter Story & Decorating (9.30am)

Venue: Kirk Hall, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

Join in the fun of an Easter Egg Hunt, Easter Egg Decorating, and the Easter story.
There is no charge for this event. RSVP to Sheryl (limited to 10 families - there is ONE place left!).

Invitation to Messy Church, St.-Michael's, April 14

Families are invited to attend Messy Church/L'Église méli-mélo @ St.-Michael's Saturday April 14 @ 4.00pm / Le samedi 14 avril @ 16 h

Messy Church is a chance for families to grow together in faith while having fun. / L’Église méli-mélo donne aux familles l’occasion d’approfondir ensemble leur foi tout en s’amusant.

Stories, music, games, crafts will help us celebrate God’s presence in us and among us ! / Des histoires, de la musique, des jeux, des bricolages nous permettront de célébrer ensemble la présence de Dieu en nous et parmi nous !

Venue: St.-Michael's, 1800 Chemin St. Louis, Sillery,  G1S 1H7, Quebec City

RSVP to: darla_sloan@hotmail.com Tel 418 527 3141 or for more information on Messy Church see Lisa or Sheryl at our next Shining Stars Playgroup on March 15.

"Wonky Donkey" story and song by Craig Smith

Today's story time at AngloStore featured "Wonky Donkey" by Craig Smith.  Below is a video of Craig's original song and here is a link to reviews on "Wonky Donkey". AngloStore have plenty of copies in stock, if you would like to purchase.

Congratulations to Logan, (a Shining Stars Preschooler) who won the Pin-the-tail-on-the-Donkey competition, and a copy of Wonky Donkey!

Moving Smart: LEARNING OFF ENERGY

Moving Smart: LEARNING OFF ENERGY: The other day, a proud, loving, enthusiastic mom told me, "I like to let my child run around and burn off energy." Sigh. You might be surprised... (click the link above read the article in full)

I enjoyed reading this post today from the Moving Smart Blog on how our children learn through huff 'n puff play! - Sheryl (Shining Stars Playgroup - Facilitator)

Here's an excerpt ... "BODY FREEDOM. Moving his body with abandon is your child's chance to experience every inch of himself without order, structure, or limits. In so many ways, this is how he's getting to know himself.... physically and emotionally. And while it may look wildly silly or out of control to us, this self-exploration is actually helping him learn self-control...

LEARNING LIMITS. Running until you can't run any more is one of nature's clever ways of helping your child understand that there is such a thing as going too far. You see, if it feels good to your child, he's naturally going to want more of it, whether it's running at top speed, roughhousing with his brother, scarfing down more ice cream, or listening to that bedtime story for the 27th time. And while the grown-ups in his life are providing the important boundaries he needs, not until he experiences his own physical limitations... like running until he can't run anymore... will the idea of going too far become real, tangible, and concretely understood.

EMOTIONAL PRACTICE. Life doesn't happen at one speed, nor do emotions. Free play -- with as few restrictions as is safely possible -- gives children a place to practice their emotional range and push beyond what they've felt before. For instance, climbing on the monkeybars is usually an iterative process. Few kids race to the top on the first try. But over time, they will challenge themselves to climb up another level and see how it feels. When they do that, they are empowering themselves to decide what does and doesn't feel right to them... learning the boundaries of their own comfort zone.

THE POWER OF CONCENTRATION. This may surprise you, but in fact,movement is often the way the body assists the brain in getting and staying focused.For instance, think of the last time your preschooler drew a picture at the kitchen table. Chances are, he was moving parts (or all) of his body the whole time -- swinging his legs, standing up and leaning over the table, scratching his head, sticking his tongue out, kneeling on the chair... well, you get the picture."

... continues (click the link above)

Invitation to Butterfly Festival, Quebec City

Papillons-en-fete, Quebec City at Jardin Hamel, Quebec City.

Anyone from Playgroup interested in attending the Butterfly Festival?

The festival is on from February 18 until April 9, 2012.
Children 3 years and under are FREE.

Contact me if you are interested.

Sheryl

Young children show improved verbal IQ after 20 days of exposure to music-based, cognitive training 'cartoons'

Young children show improved verbal IQ after 20 days of exposure to music-based, cognitive training 'cartoons'

Fascinating research, and another reason why I am so passionate about 'music and movement' learning for preschoolers.

Keep on listening to music, singing and moving to the beat, with your children.  I'm a fan of classical music and traditional nursery rhymes for young children.

Sheryl