ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 9, 2016
What Are You Grateful For?
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TABLE OF CONTENTS p. 2-3 Contents, Birthdays, New Students, Calendar p. 4-5 Botany Class p. 6-7 Halloween Crafts p. 6 Planting the Flower of the Month of October p. 8 Baking with Laurence - Cut Out Cookies p. 9 Young Minds Must Wander - Limit Screens and Leave Time For Reflection p. 10 Soccer and Field Trips p. 11 Savors and Flavors, Celebrating Food p. 12 Introducing the Flower of November p. 13 In the Garden p.14 Spending Time Together, Honor the Season p. 15 Join Us for Our Annual Thanksgiving Potluck p. 16 Children Tell Us What They Are Grateful For p. 17 Eat Orange Vegetables for Health p. 18 World's Healthiest Vitamin C Foods p. 19 Toux, Tos, Cough! - Hints to help p. 20 The Many Mediums of Children's Art p. 21 Sleepy Moons - Please Prioritize Sleep p. 22-23 News From Our Teachers p. 24 ECF Items for Sale
CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS NOVEMBER Archibald, Claire, Clara, Iris, Jeanne, Lara, Willem DECEMBER Christian, Janelle, Journey, Oliver, Pablo, Xavier Please remember to go light on the sweet treats and NO NUTS on campus
WELCOME NEW STUDENTS Eloise, Jacobina, Leonidas, Penelope, Valentino, Vava
CALENDAR NOVEMBER Thurs Nov 10 November Birthday Celebrations 12:30pm Fri Nov 11 SCHOOL CLOSED Veteran's Day Tues Nov 15 Journee Mondiale du Recyclage Fri Nov 18 Thanksgiving Potluck Seated Dinner 5pm Sat Nov 19 Holiday Boutique 11am - 5pm Thurs Nov 24 - Fri Nov 25 SCHOOL CLOSED Thanksgiving DECEMBER Sat Dec 3
9:45am Tour for Prospective parents 10:30am Music in the Garden Tues, Wed, Thurs Dec 6 - 15 Parent - Teacher Conferences Thurs Dec 15 December Birthday Celebrations 12:30pm Fri Dec 18 Winter Celebration & Holiday Potluck 5 - 6:30pm Wed Dec 23 - Fri Jan 2 SCHOOL CLOSED - Winter Break
CREATING WITH FLOWERS
With dried flowers, children use mortar & pestle to make soap By using what grows around us, children learn to see the value in nature. Instead of valuing shopping, they learn where things come from, how to make soaps, candles and sachets, bringing together the art of pressed flowers and the wonder of their growing gardens. Children learn to appreciate their natural world and not take for granted the life that is around them and their ability to create, building both empathy and self-confidence.
Creating sachets and soaps by using dried flowers and herbs in Botanics Class
Halloween Crafts
Halloween Bubbles with Dry Ice and Dish Soap - Best to Use a Gentle Soap Made of Organic Ingredients to Protect Little Eyes
Pipe Cleaner Spider Craft
During October children planted Marigolds and Calendula - flowers for protection, comfort and healing
Gardening
BAKING WITH LAURENCE 1 1/ 2 cu ps bu t t er , sof t en ed 1 cu p or gan ic, pu r e can e br ow n su gar 4 eggs 1 t sp van illa ext r act 5 cu ps or gan ic u n bleach ed all pu r pose f lou r 2 t sp bak in g pow der 1 t sp salt
Cr eam bu t t er & su gar u n t il sm oot h . Beat in eggs & van illa. St ir in f lou r , bak in g pow der & salt . Cover & ch ill f or at least an h ou r . Pr eh eat oven t o 400 F. Roll ou t dou gh on f lou r ed su r f ace 1/ 4-1/ 2 in ch t h ick . Cu t in t o sh apes w it h an y cook ie cu t t er . Bak e 6-8 m in u t es on u n gr eased cook ie sh eet s. Cool com plet ely!
CUT OUT COOKIES
YOUNG MINDS MUST WANDER Now that we have turned back our clocks, the darkness comes earlier and the air is cooler. With fewer outdoor activities, it is sometimes tempting to cozy up indoors and allow your children to watch videos or spend more time with their screens. This is not advised as Ecole Claire Fontaine follows the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Instead try cozying up with books, pens and paper, storytelling or music. This is also a good time to allow their minds to wander. Being ?bored? leads to invention, to creative play, to make-believe, and teaches problem solving and self-confidence. It also leads to self-reflection. If children come to have a relative abundance of unstructured time, if they are not scheduled or in front of a screen, you may notice them staring into space. This is part of their time for self-reflection and this moment must be protected. Young children are looking to understand their mission in life, and what is their place in the world. The more questions they ponder, the more answers they will find. Giving children the space to think about new discoveries in life helps them find answers to their questions, and to feel complete within themselves. We want each child to know the integral place they inhabit in the world around them. Please read our article on Screen Time...click here
Field trips to the Park and the Pier, for soccer class and carousels
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Soccer with Coach Danny & Coach Nick
Sidewalk Chalk and Table Art
Children prepare vegetables from the Farmers Market and our garden
Baking, Cooking, Savors & Flavors
Children learn where their food comes from, how much water it takes to make it grow and how to not add to waste
We come together in celebration of food for nourishment and joy
In the garden children plant mint and green beans. They create shapes with clay and paints, and read the day away.
November 's flower is Chrysanthemum, for cheerfulness and friendship
In the garden The children used small shovels to dig a trench around the vegetable patch in order to hold in water. ?It?s so dry because of the drought,? a young gardener told us. We spoke about the rains we experienced this month, reminding us how rare they are. We also talked about the wind. ?The wind blows the leaves from the trees,? another explained. Another student talked about the cabbage and the caterpillars that eat its leaves. In the little garden this week we planted sprouts - carrots and beans. One new gardener dug a hole, while another added a little water to moisten the lowest roots. Another student pushed the soil back over the hole that was now filled with roots to support the sprouts, practicing how to be gentle with plants and anything that lives in the garden. When bright green leaves are pulled roughly from plants and trees, it damages and hurts them. The children are also learning that they can grow food, add oxygen to the atmosphere, and add to the beauty of their gardens. Last week we broke open dried Marigolds, the flower of the month of October signifying protection, comfort and healing. The children sprinkled the tiny seeds over freshly raked and watered soil, waiting for the rain to sprinkle atop them. Today the children saw that their flower seeds have sprouted?
As we enter a new season, we honor the cooling of the air and the changes we see in our children as they continue to grow into themselves. W ith a fresh spirit we acknowledge our gratitude. Shared meals are a wonderful time to ask your Children for what they are grateful. Spending time reminding ourselves and one another how much we have, what we love and appreciate, lends itself to creating a lifetime of generosity that moves with your Child through the Garden and beyond.
At Ecole Claire Fontaine we love celebrating. Our Thanksgiving sit down dinner is our largest party of the year, It is a wonderful time to remember for what we are grateful.
Please join us on Friday, November 20, beginning at 5pm in the garden of the Abbot Kinney Campus. Please RSVP W e will cook turkey and stuffing. Please bring a favorite dish to share; pleasenonuts.
We asked the children - What are you grateful for? Sam : J'aime les travailleurs. J'aime bâtir les maisons. Maman et papa m'adorent. Ch loe: Je suis reconaissante pour les coeurs et les fliers, bonbons et Canada. Har ley: I love my mommy. Vivien n e: I like to go to my favorites places with mommy. We go to the Science center. Then, when my mommy and daddy hug me I feel like a Polar bear because it is so fuzzy! West on : I'm grateful for buildings and my daddy. He does monsters. M ilan : I like building. Ayva: I like glitter and having a mom. Zoe: I like Kingston my brother. Edw ar d: My love, my mother! Chocolate! Sports!
We give thanks to our Children, families, teachers and staff for making Ecole Claire Fontaine such a special place.
Enjoying the harvest Orange vegetables are high in potassium, vitamins A & C, all crucial for health
Orange vegetables also contain zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene & potassium
"I love the strings!" Children experience new flavors and textures
15$
per person
Toux, toux! Tos, tos! Cough, cough! In French, Spanish or English, coughing is irritating, unpleasant and sometimes alarming. Coughs can last for weeks, even without additional illness beyond losing sleep. How to take care of your children when there is nothing more serious going on, but they just cannot stop coughing? There is little need to buy cough medicine for children, particularly chemical remedies, although Whole Foods has some cough medicines for children that work well. However, we prefer to look to our gardens. Naturally occurring herbs, spices and fruits work wonderfully and are kinder on the body. Warm drinks are wonderful to reduce inflammation in the throat and calm any cough. Gloria at the Camper Campus created an easygoing tea that is sweet, light and lovely:
Mix Lemon, Garlic, Ginger, Orange Juice, Honey & Hot Water If your Child will not drink this, there are more to try ? and remember that children will often drink what they help prepare. Other concoctions to heat in a pan: Lemon and honey in warm water Mix turmeric and honey with milk or water Mix ginger and mint (we use what is in our garden or it is easily bought in plant form) in lemon juice Licorice root tea (slippery and sweet, but your Child may prefer it mixed with honey) Thyme tea - Thyme helps relax throat muscles, but please do not use the oil; only use the dried or fresh plant form found in the garden Any of these concoctions can be made in advance and spooned out a bit at a time, depending on the willingness of your Child to drink a cup of tea. Keep refrigerated in a closed jar. And please, remember to dress your children warmly and do not wash their hair at night. Boost your child's immune system with vitamins, sleep and warmth. While we cannot refuse to keep a child with a cough or runny nose at school, we would appreciate parents keeping their children home when they are sick.
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Children's art moves from painting to using vegetables to embroidery
and pens
SLEEPY MOONS Sleep is a basic human need, and children need lots of it. As the winter season nears and the nights become longer, children need hibernation, although not as much as bears do. From running, jumping and playing, to managing the fidgets, reading, or even feeding themselves, energy and motor skills are linked to sleep - as is mood. Happiness, depression and aggression can all be linked to sleep patterns. To allow your children to have the best day possible, please observe an early bedtime, ensure they have a comfortable routine - and remember to please not wash their hair at night. If your Child still has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, some of us have had luck with relaxing teas like Chamomile, hypnosis for kids (try Elaine Martin on YouTube), and consults with the Homeopathic Pharmacy on 6th and Broadway in Santa Monica. A note to early risers: If your Child has gone to bed early and slept a lovely sleep, please be advised ? the super Super Moon will peak just before 6am on November 14th. It will be the closest and brightest full moon of the century, and the largest in 70 years. Your children won?t see a full moon appear this close again until they are in their 20s in 2034!
TEACHER NEWS Au revoir to our assistant Arnaud Lefay who is moving on to the Lycee. He will be leaving this week. Merci, Arnaud!
Our wonderful choir teacher, AnaĂŻs De La Monrandais, is out having her baby but will return in February to teach our children more fantastic French melodies. Temporarily, Laure will be singing with our children.
PARENT - TEACHER CONFERENCES Tuesday December 6th, Wednesday December 7th, Thursday December 8th, Tuesday December 13th, Wednesday December 14th, Thursday December 15th Sign Up Genius Camper Campus Sign Up Genius Abbot Kinney Campus
This month our teachers explored other schools to discover more creative projects to do with the children, bringing back new ideas
Teachers Laurence and Solange returned from a conference for Reggio-Inspired schools reinvigorated with new techniques for more play based learning
Our teachers create a wondrous atmosphere for the children
ECF Items for Sale We have lovely hand embroidered, brightly colored Ecole Claire Fontaine aprons for sale in children and adult sizes ready for holiday baking and family dinners. $22
Bring chess class home or on the go with our portable, roll-up chess boards and black & white pieces. Let your Children teach you what they have learned $20
Neighborhood News Book launch and signing for Claire Keane's new book, Little Big Girl Saturday, November 12th, 10:30 am Children's Book World 10580 W Pico Blvd. LA
Westminster Elementary School