Welcome to Koala-T-Kare

Note from the Director
We are so happy that the nice weather is here! I’d like to remind all parents to check their child’s supplies to make sure they have enough materials in stock. This includes: a change or two of clothing, weather appropriate outside gear, plus always check diaper and formula supplies for babies. It’s also a good idea to label all clothing, bottles, and cups, so that we can make sure things are returned to the proper owner!

Don’t forget to check our holiday schedule, which is posted outside both entrances to the center. Memorial Day and Independence Day will sneak up on us soon enough! Remember that we require a 2 week notice if you plan to take any vacation days.

We hope you are enjoying the new newsletter format. We also hope you are pleased about seeing pictures of your children at play. There’s never a dull moment at Kaola-T-Kare! Don’t forget to clip the coupon on the back page for a treat at New Self Renewal Center!

Sue Schneider
Koala-T-Kare Director

Baby Chicks:

We are looking forward to spring’s arrival in Baby Chick land. We’ll be welcoming Charlotte and Anand and possibly a couple more friends! More baby chicks will be arriving and as time progresses, even more chicks will “appear.” Remember their little jackets and hats! We do try to go outside for stroller rides as often as possible.

Penguins:
Welcome Penguin parents to Spring…..finally. Now we can go outside every day if we all have coats, jackets and hats – whatever is appropriate for the day. We said goodbye on March 29 to Camille who has graduated to the Parrots room. We will miss her and look forward to the end of the day when she will visit us again. Have fun with your new friends! Happy Easter everyone!

Parrots:

Happy Spring from the Parrots. It is with great excitement that we welcome Camille and Autumn to our room! They both recently graduated from the Penguins class. Now that it is getting warmer we are getting outside much more often. We go for walks around the neighborhood and sometimes to the park. We have been busy with lots of art/sensory activities and we love getting messy! We are going to be getting ready for Easter and Spring with many projects planned. We are hoping to take a field trip to the pet store to see some animals. Please take a look at your child’s cubby to see if they need different clothes for spring and feel free to take winter clothes home – especially snow pants! Thanks and have a great Easter!

Peacocks:
In April the Peacocks will be talking about Baby Animals, Kites, Earth Day and Trees. We will continue to work on manners, potty training, and sitting still at circle time. The children’s skills are improving every day! We are planning a field trip to the Aldo Leopold Nature Center at the end of April. We wish Saige a fond farewell as she will be the next to graduate to Preschool (Owls). She is very excited!

Owls:

Happy Spring from the Owls! We are enjoying spending more time in the warmer weather! Please remember to send a coat and hat each day, since the mornings are still a bit chilly on the playground. Nash is doing a great job transitioning into preschool! We are also excited to have Makenna Emma W. and some new friends join us at KTK. Our class is continuing to grow, which also means our cubby space is limited. Please remember to take home projects and any extra items daily! .Our upcoming themes include: Baby Animals, Kites, Earth Day and Arbor Day!

After one of the trucks created mischief in the Parrot’s room, it had to go on a shelf and go “to sleep.” A little boy didn’t like this and told his teacher, “Truck no sleeping. Truck wake up.”

It was nap time and the teacher was trying to get the kids to lie down on their nap mats. A little girl looked at the teacher and asked, “Do you want to play the running game?”

A little girl in the Parrots class was yelling across the room to her grandma, who is a teacher with the Baby Chicks class, so her fellow classmate decided to chime in and also started yelling, “grandma, grandma!”

The teachers were excited when one of their little Parrots went pee ON the potty – which should not be confused with actually getting it IN the potty!

A few children and a teacher were visiting with the Baby Chicks who were getting ready to go for a walk. The teacher said to one of the boys, “Pretty soon you’re going to have a baby at your house!” The little boy looked at one of the babies sitting in the stroller and said, “I’ll take this one!”

It was nap time and one of the Parrots was taking a blanket and putting it over his head. He kept repeating over and over, “Cassie where are you… Oh, there you are!”

The only people who find temper tantrums amusing are a child’s grandparents—because it’s finally payback time as they watch their grown children struggle helplessly with their own little monsters. Unfortunately, tantrums are a fact of life for anyone with young children. They usually start before age two, when children experiment with different ways to communicate with others and to get what they want. Tantrums become more infrequent around age four, but some children continue to “throw fits” for years after that—even into adulthood. Yikes! Don’t worry, though. While tantrums are unavoidable to some extent, you can prevent many of them and help your child learn better coping mechanisms by following some simple steps. This article will help you and your child navigate the tantrum years with your sanity intact.

Remain calm enough to handle the tantrum properly.

The worst thing parents can do is have a temper tantrum over their child’s temper tantrum. Children need a calming influence, especially during a tantrum, and if you can’t provide that, you can’t expect them to calm down. Take a few deep breaths and wait at least a few seconds before deciding on a response. Remember that your child’s tantrum is NOT necessarily a way to “get his way,” but could be the result of frustration, lack of needed attention from you, or even a physical problem, like pain or digestive problems! The lack of a place to nap is a very common cause of tantrums. Don’t set yourself up! Schedule activities around your child’s needs.

Offer your child a choice of coping strategies. You have given him a choice – either control himself or, if he can’t, retreat to a place where he won’t influence others. If he makes the right choice (to calm down), remember to compliment him. Conversely, have consequences and enforce them if he chooses to get upset. Guide him to his room and firmly insist that he remain there until he calms down, for example. This is easier with a two-yearold than with an eight-year-old, so the younger you begin the learning process the better.

Stem your own rising frustration level. Tantrums can raise blood pressure and stress levels in parents as well as children. If you really can’t handle a tantrum, make sure the child will be safe and spend a few moments away from him or her. The time-out has a calming effect for both of you. Get your spouse or other responsible person to look after the child while you calm down. Put your child in his or her room with a gate in front of the door if necessary.

Do not reward the tantrum. If the parents give in, tantrums become a launching point for the child—a way to deal with the world socially. If you allow yourself to be held hostage by tantrums, your child will continue to use them long past the age when they would otherwise cease. Even if the child is throwing a fit because he hasn’t received enough attention, don’t reward the behavior now. Instead, resolve to make long-term changes to avoid future outbursts. Try not to panic or make concessions, but leave the scene, even if just for a few minutes. Go to the crying room at church—that’s what it’s there for, after all—to the car, or even to the restroom to allow your child and you to regain control.

Take steps to prevent injury. Some children can become quite animated during a tantrum. If this occurs, remove dangerous objects from the child’s path or steer the child away from danger. Try to avoid restraining a child during a tantrum, but sometimes this is necessary and comforting. Be gentle (do not use excessive force), but hold him or her firmly. Speak reassuringly to the child, especially if the tantrum is the result of disappointment, frustration, or unfamiliar surroundings.

Explain to the child that you will talk to him or her when he or she calms down. This will help your child to understand that you are ignoring her because her behavior is unacceptable, not because you don’t care about her. When the child calms down, fulfill your part of the bargain by discussing the tantrum and the child’s concerns.

Avoid trying to reason with any child who is in the middle of a full-blown tantrum, especially in a public place. Give him or her time to vent. Instead, give the child phrases to express the emotions that they are experiencing. Say phrases like, “You must be really tired after such a long day,” or, “You must feel frustrated that you can’t have what you want right now.” This not only will help the child verbalize this later, but shows empathy for their feelings without having to give in.

Discuss the behavior with your child once the tantrum has ended. While there’s no use trying to reason with a child in the midst of a tantrum, you both can learn a lot by discussing the incident afterwards. Explain that the behavior is unacceptable, but also make sure your child understands that you love him or her regardless. Try to discover the cause of the tantrum if you haven’t already, and take the opportunity to discuss better alternatives with your child.

Do not discipline physically(e.g. by spanking your child). This conveys three unhelpful messages: