Community Helpers

    One of the things that I have always enjoyed about the Steiner Ranch area is the sense of community.  Steiner Ranch really seems to rally together, whether it is a concert in a park, school fairs, or the various groups that meet throughout the week.  However, what does it mean to really be a part of a community, and what does that word mean?
   
 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community 
defines the word community as: (n) a unified body of individuals. 

    I don't know about you but those words can really make a person feel secure, confident, and warm inside.  Our communities are important to us, as well as the people that embody them.  
   How can you teach your child(ren) about community or help them to feel "a sense of community".  First, we must start by explaining to our children what a community is!  Our community is where we live and is full of people we often see! 
   In October our students will get the opportunity to learn about community and community helpers.  We will introduce the students to specific jobs/careers that are more popular when it comes to actually being a contributor to the safety of the community; police/fire men and woman, EMT, nurses, doctors, and soldiers.  In addition they will learn about the careers people chose that also benefit our communities; teachers, mail carrier, bakers, butchers, vets, bus drivers, etc. 
   Great ideas to get your children involved in the community are volunteering opportunities: serving Thanksgiving Dinner to the less fortunate, making cookies for the fire department, sending letters to the soldiers over seas, making thank-you cards for the police department, etc.

    Make sure to engage in conversation with your child throughout October asking them what they have learned and what their idea of a community is!  We will also have a mailbox set up in the lobby for your child to "mail" a letter to their teacher. 
  

Enjoying the Second Half of Summer Break

 

Well, I can't believe that summer is already half over! It is amazing how time flies, and it is also amazing when you look back and note all of the hard work put into making “fun” happen. With all the prepping and planning to create memorable experiences, it is easy to forget to enjoy it yourself! As parents, you can be busy planning vacations, weekend get-a-ways, pool parties, slumber parties, or just a good ol' get together in the backyard, but how often do you really get to enjoy yourself during these events?  Well it is time to stop and breathe and enjoy these last few weeks. 

                In my line of work, I am always inundated with materials pertaining to children.  I get emails, fliers, faxes, and magazines on a weekly basis, and all of it is filled with articles pertaining to raising children.  “Should your 10 year old watch Pg-13 movies?” or “How to potty train in 10 days!”  However, recently I have been exposed to ideas to bring families closer; fun activities for everyone to enjoy.  I would like to take this time to share those with you.

 In this month’s issue of Parenting magazine, Janene Mascarella suggests that you create a “yes jar.” Every time you are busy and have to tell your child no, you have them (or you help them) write the activity on a piece of a paper and place it in the jar.  Then, when you have spare time you pull the ideas from the jar and enjoy these activities.  You don’t even have to be an expert for this next one; read every night to your child.  Reading a book or two is the best way to close out not only your child’s day but yours as well. 

                Dr. AlanGreene, who is a pediatrician and wrote the best-selling book Raising Baby Green, suggests that you dedicate 7 meals a week to eat with your family.  Dr. Greene continues to clarify in the August 2012 edition of Parenting that “First, I said meals, not dinners. Dinners may work for your family, but for mine the easiest to coordinate hands downs is breakfast.”  Dr. Greene continues by saying that it is important to eat at the dinner table and not around the t.v., and that this is a good way to bond and teach healthy eating habits.

                In addition to family vacations, weekend outings, and other summer activities that will build life long memories, try doing some small projects together.  Find what really interests your children; it could be baking, treasure hunts, exploring nature, researching new ideas, or crafting.  I stumbled across this great website that mails you a “craft box” monthly; www.kiwicrate.com.  The boxes from Kiwi Crate come complete with everything you will need to dive into a craft; they offer a variety of crafts from gardening to dinosaurs.  You can order month by month at your discretion or sign-up for a yearly membership (paying in full and receiving one month free). 

                Lastly, record your summer fun!  Create a family journal writing the adventures you had, or start a scrapbook!  At the beginning of this year my husband and I started a memory jar and we write our 2012 memories on a small piece of paper and place them in a mason jar.  We plan on reading back these memories to each other on New Year’s Eve!  Just some ideas, but the most important thing is to just have fun!

Summer Fun for Families

Summer means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To elementary children it means camp, or days spent at the pool. To tweens it means hanging at the house catching up on all your favorite t.v shows, video games, etc. To teenagers it is time to spend with their friends on the lake, at the pool, or the mall. To parents it means how I am going to entertain my children for the next three months. Austin, Texas is a beautiful place to raise a family and it offers a lot of amenities to families that are either free or very inexpensive. There is a wonderful website established by mothers here in the Austin area; it is called Free Fun in Austin. This website sends daily emails to inform you of events that are happening around Austin and outlying areas. I recommend everyone to sign up on their email list.



For all of us, summer is a time to spend with family and catch up with our children. Check out Austin ’50 Free Anytime Fun Adventures in Austin’, courtesy of Free Fun in Austin.

Earth Day 2012

CCOA Steiner Ranch likes to stay active with the community and the current events that pertain to our student's.  In the month of April we are getting knee deep in nature.  Our student's are busy learning how different elements help and support our environment.  We are learning about life cycles  (have you seen our tadpole), how things change, plants, and bugs!  Most importantly, this month, our student's are learning about how to care for our environment!  Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle!

   You may see a few boxes around the hallway to collect recyclable items, take this time to discuss with your child what we can recycle and what we can't and then toss some recyclable items in the boxes.  In addition to recycling we will be planting some flowers!  The student's will learn how plants help the land, air, and animals!  Make sure to take time to check out our garden after it is planted on Friday, April 20th!

   I have included some fun crafts and ideas that you can do at home with your children!

Rice Krispie Earths
My Planet Earth Craft
Dirt Cake
10 Ways to Recycle Tin Cans

CCOA Steiner Ranch, are you Ready for Summer Camp?

Summer is fast approaching us, which means it is time to start thinking about summer camp!  CCOA at Steiner Ranch kicked off a great camp last year titled, Jammin' in the Jungle; and we are very excited to roll out our New Summer Camp 2012 theme: A Summer Under the Rainbow.  We are privileged to be a part of the exclusive Steiner Ranch Community which gives us access to close and fun activities throughout the summer.  Last summer we enjoyed activities in the park, ice cream at Cups-n-Cones, lunch at the Boat House Grill and many more activities that spanned our great city.  This year we are planning a summer long-city wide scavenger hunt amongst our three schools.  The campers will be given the opportunity to explore the hidden gems of not only Steiner Ranch but Austin as well.

   We not only offer a summer camp program for campers kindergarten through fifth grade, but we also provide a fun-filled summer for children starting at 8 weeks to five years.  Each week will be filled with fun recipes, crafts, and activities that correspond with our camp them. CCOA Steiner also offers morning swimming lessons, these fill up fast, so reserve your spot quick! Stop by the front office today or call today and speak to someone about signing your child up today.  Enrollment packets are ready!

Contact information
Phone: 512-266-6130
email: nicole.chisolm@childrenscenterofaustin

4308 North Quinlan Park Rd.
STE 100
Austin, TX. 78732

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