How to Find Free Fun in Your Community

Here at Thrive to Five we are in the business of offering fun and engaging workshops and classes to families with children five or younger for free…but we aren’t the only ones!

There are many opportunities to get out there and play with your little one…on someone else’s dime!

Here are a few examples of things going on in the Tempe, Chandler, Ahwatukee areas. 

Thrive to Five Workshops

Of course!  As always you can check the calendar of events at the bottom of this page.  Click on a class name for location and more information.

 Public Libraries

Almost all of the public libraries have FREE story-times.  Many follow a format of book play, listening to a story, singing songs and some include bubbles and movement!  There are also many Barnes & Nobel and Boarders books stores that offer FREE story times or music hours.

Farmers Markets

'Tis the season for enjoying some outdoor weather!  Farmers Markets can be a great learning opportunity for children.  Walk through with your baby naming colors and identifying fruits and vegetables, smells and touch are also great learning opportunities too.  You could make a BINGO sheet for preschoolers to mark off items as they see them, or give a toddler a picture shopping list of three or four items.   Here are a few sites that you can search for local markets on:

http://www.localharvest.org/

 http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/  

http://phoenix.about.com/od/foodanddrink/ss/Phoenix-Farmers-Markets.htm

Swim & Move

Many of the local swim schools and gyms (like: Hubbard Family Swim School, EVO Swim School,  Aqua Tots, Gymboree, Little Gym, My Gym) will offer a FREE class or open gym/swim day.  Check their websites for these kinds of events.

Special Events:

Searching AZCentral.com or ActiveMoms.com you are sure to find some festival or fair to go to. 

Saturday March 5 10am-2pm Transportation Day! FREE event with helicopters, fire engines, police cars and more.  There will be food, bounce houses, family fun and raffles too!  Hosted by Little Light Preschool www.littlelightpreschool.com

Do you have a favorite FREE event that you like to take your little one to?  Share it with us!

J Amanda

Yoga for a Cause!

Fact: Yoga strengthens, tones and builds muscle

Fact: Exercising in the morning “boosts” your metabolism for the day

Fact: This is a great way to help yourself, while helping others

We are offering yoga from a certified Yoga Instructor at the Kyrene Resource Center and the ‘cost’ is up to you!  Each week bring a donation amount to the Kyrene Resource Center and enjoy an hour of Hatha Yoga with Jonna Burns from Pure Fitness.

Mondays from February 28 – May 2, 2011

8:15 – 9:15 a.m.

Kyrene Family Resource Center Community Room

Dress for comfort and bring your own mat. The class is limited in size and reservations are required. 

No child care is available.

RSVP to: kfvolunteer@cox.net 

Find out more about the Kyrene Foundation here.



March Free Workshops

All classes and events are FREE for anyone who cares for a child five years old or younger! That means mom and dad, aunties and uncles, cousins and babysitters, nannies and childcare workers, teachers and volunteers...

IF you have contact with a child who is five years old or younger… you qualify!!

KinderPrep-
This is an interactive class for parents/caregivers and children ages 3-5 years old. Learn about brain development, play skill building games and walk away with lots of goodies and resources to use at home.


Ready to Learn-
This class is brought to us by PBS Kids Channel 8. This three class series covers early literacy skills, improving motor development and the use of smart media with kids. Participants receive a children’s book and magazine for parents!


Brain Time!
Choose a birth-18 month old or 18 months to 3 years old Brain Time class and come ready to play! This is an interactive adult and child class. Sing songs and play games while learning about brain development from the expert.


Parenting Workshops-
Lead by Mr. Neil Tift these workshops offer insight on some hot parenting topics like: children and parent temperaments, Positive Discipline and maternal and paternal parenting styles. Mr. Tift has an engaging personality and wealth of parenting information!


Nutrition Class-
Your Whole Body Nutrition brings a registered dietitian to discuss childrens’ nutritional needs and challenges. Learn about healthy kitchens, healthy snacks and eating phases of children at different ages.

Classes are offered at eight different Thrive to Five locations in the Tempe, Guadalupe, Chandler, Ahwatukee areas. Classes are FREE and childcare is provided for most (excluding adult/child interactive classes).

Check out the calendar at the bottom of this blog for class times and locations.

Sensory Exploration Games!

Exploration is a crucial and super fun part of early childhood learning. Sensory play is play that involves using one or more of the five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. Another way to think about sensory development is: sight, touch/movement, hearing/speech.

Though ‘sensory exploration activities’ might sound fancy it’s really not…in fact if it is fancy…you might be doing it wrong! (kidding)

Here are a few ideas to get you going:

SQUISH!
Using the tray on a highchair place a cup or two of vanilla pudding (chocolate stains!) or whipped cream right in the center of the tray. Put the baby in the chair and let them go! Squishing and smearing, tasting and clapping translate to good ol’ fashion messy fun.
Go further:
• have half be cold (not frozen) from the freezer and half warm
• give a spoon, spatula, whisk or other tool to make designs on the tray.
For Toddlers:
• shaving cream on a large Tupperware tote lid or on the outside of a sliding glass door (spray clean with a hose). Use your finger to trace shapes and letters!


WATER PLAY!
Arizona has perfect weather for outdoor water play. If needed this could be moved inside to a bathtub, kitchen sink or Tupperware tote on a large towel or in a small baby pool.

All you need is: a large basin of water and any combination of cups, kitchen utensils, sponges, bowls, empty water bottles (no lid for the very little ones), etc.
Go futher:
• add baby bubble bath or dish soap for bubble fun
• older kids can learn about colors by mixing up small cups of color water (best outdoors)
• play a game of “sink or float?”


HIDE & SEEK!
For this you need a simple Tupperware tote (maybe 4-6 inches deep) to fill with any variety of sensory stimuli such as:
• beans
• rice
• rainbow color rice (parent colors with food coloring)
• drinking straws cut into two inch lengths
• sand
• potting soil with fake bugs and/or real/fake plants
• packing peanuts
• want to get really crazy?? …Jell-O

Then add your “seek” items such as:
• pony beads or larger wooden beads
• plastic toy animals
• small rocks or “jewels”
• think holiday! Spider rings at Halloween, small ornaments during Christmas, candy corn during Thanksgiving…

The possibilities are endless, I have even heard of putting grass sod in the bottom and letting kids cut grass with kid-scissors, water the grass with spray bottle and play ‘farm’ with toy animals.

Do you have a great idea? Tell us about it!
-Amanda

Let's make a snack!

Snacks at my house tend to get repetitive. How about something different for a change? Here is a snack that is fun to make and eat.

Banana Pops
bananas
popsicle sticks
yogurt or peanut butter
topping

topping ideas: sunflower seeds, cheerios, rice crispies, freeze dried fruits (strawberries or apples), crasins, granola, or if you are really treating how about fruity rice cereal or mini chocolate chips.

This is a healthier version of the chocolate frozen banana. Take a banana and cut in half and push a popsicle stick through the cut end.

Spread the banana with peanut butter or yogurt (you can soften the peanut butter a bit in the microwave to make it easier) and then roll in the topping of your choice.

You can serve these as soon as you make them or you can place them on wax paper to freeze for an hour or more before serving.

I really like the peanut butter and crasin combination when I can talk myself out of the peanut butter and mini chocolate chip combo!

Do you have a fun snack to share?
-Amanda

5 Things to Do With Your Child This Weekend to Build Brain Development

1.Snuggle! Your touch builds brain connections. Infants need touch for sensory development and security. Responding to infants cries helps them feel secure and to develop a sense of trust for the world around them. Build on a baby or toddlers self-esteem with loving cuddles. Parents’ touch also reassures the young child giving them confidence to explore independence.

2.Read a Book. Preferably, read a book that you have already read a hundred times. Or sing a familiar song. Children crave repetition and it turns out, for good reason. Repetition builds and strengthens pathways in the brain. Routines are another way repetition builds brains.

3.Get Dirty! Hands on activities like squishing play dough, playing with shaving cream or whipped topping, finger painting and other messy activities build sensory development. Cooking with an adult is a great activity for older toddlers. Each new activity sparks new pathways in the brain.

4.Take a Nap. Babies and toddlers need a lot of sleep to support all this great brain development. Getting regular and predictable sleep is crucial. An infant 6 months old should be getting 14-15 hours of sleep a day (night and naps) a toddler who is two should be getting about 13-14 hours, and a three year old should be getting about 12-13 hours.

5.Chat! Talk, talk, talk. Studies consistently show that the more parents talk to their young child and infant the bigger the vocabulary the child will have. See yourself as a play by play commentator. Talk about everything you are seeing and doing and encourage your child to do the same.

So there you go! Weekend homework. See if you can get five out of five!

Happy Weekend!
-Amanda

The Miller Early Childhood Initiative

In late January we had the privilege of having the Arizona Anti-defamation League present “A World of Difference” at the Kyrene Family Resource Center. The class began with great discussions about what culture we as parents grew up with and currently identify with.

There were some powerful discussions and revelations. Some realized the culture they grew up with was not all that inclusive and in fact was a barrier they needed to overcome. Some felt they grew up without a culture to identify with and through discussion were able to see the significance of culture in their childhood and now adult life.

Identifying and understanding your own culture is an important part of helping children to build a strong, positive self-identity. Developing a healthy self-esteem helps children to resist bias and value others.

Many in the presentation felt that the good discussions were just beginning and wished for more time, more topics …and more participants!

The Arizona ADL website has an excellent link with tons more information on this topic.

Why is it important to teach young children to appreciate diversity?

When do awareness and attitudes about differences develop?

How can I help children appreciate diversity?

Why not focus only on our similarities?

Won't discussing differences promote prejudice?

How should I respond when children notice differences in others?

Find the answers to these questions and many more tips and tools here.

Thanks!- Amanda

A Monster Donation!

A monster-sized thank you goes out to our Monster.com friends

for the donation of about four-hundred boxes of cereal and oatmeal and reusable bags!

Today the Kyrene Family Resource Center was the lucky recipient of Monster.com's "Pay to Dress Down" fundraiser!  Employees donated cash to earn casual dress days at work.  The money was used to purchase hot and cold cereal to be donated to the KFRC.  Plan on seeing the Monster.com employees in jeans for the next month!

The Kyrene Family Resource Center assists Kyrene families in need with food, clothing, and school supplies.  For more information click here.

What are "Windows of Opportunity"?

Let's take a look:

• Brain development is a combination of genetics and the environment. It is the genes (or what your kid inherited from you) that create the structure of the circuit - but it is the combination of nutrition, the environment, and stimulation that determines how the circuit is “wired” or connected together.

• Brain cell connections (the “wiring” of the brain) are also created when your child forms attachments to parents, family members, and caregivers. That is why predictable and consistent childcare is important to devleopment.

• Your kid is biologically prepared to learn. That’s why a 3 year old’s brain is two and a half times more active than an adult's. It has more synapses (gaps between nerve fibers that make your child more sensitive to learning), and the density of the synapses remain high throughout the first 10 years of life.

• The quality, quantity and consistency of stimulation from your child’s early experiences contribute to the structure of his brain and its capacities. The effect of these experiences lasts for the rest of his life.

• There are “windows of opportunities” in your child’s development where his brain is particularly efficient at specific types of learning. These are critical periods where your child readily absorbs specific skills. These "window of opportunity" occur when the connections of the brain develops at the most rapid rate.

WINDOW FOR	OPTIMAL WINDOW	NEXT BEST OPPORTUNITY	FURTHER REWIRING POSSIBLE
Emotional Intelligence	0 to 24 months	2-5 years	any age
Motor Development	0 to 24 months	2-5 years	decreases with age
Vision	0 to 2 years	2-5 years
Early Sounds	4-8 months	8 months - 5 years	any age
Music	0-36 months	3-10 years	any age
Thinking Skills	0-48 months	4-10 years	any age
Second Language	5-10 years		any age

Put Your Freebies To Good Use!

Do you have any of these laying around your house collecting dust?

The Kyrene Family Resource Center could put them to good use!

We use the large grocery sack sized bags for our food "boxes".  Using the reusable grocery bags makes it easier for the Center to store, pack and deliver food boxes to families.

If you have bags you would like to donate, please bring them by the center on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2pm-6pm.

Kyrene Family Resource Center

(located just west of Kyrene de los Ninos Elementary School campus)

1330 E. Dava

Tempe, AZ 85282

:) Thanks!-Amanda