Carry the Warmth and Love of Christmas Throughout the Whole Year

The magic of Christmas brings out our best—our warmth, compassion, generosity, and sense of connection. We cherish this season because it helps us remember what truly matters: the love we share with others. But wouldn’t it be beautiful if we could carry that same spirit all year round? Here are some heartfelt ways to keep that Christmas warmth alive beyond the season.

• Embrace the Power of Small Acts of Kindness — Christmas reminds us to give, not just in big ways but through small gestures—smiling at strangers, lending a hand, or sharing a kind word. Make kindness a part of your routine by holding doors, complimenting others, or writing a thank-you note. Even the smallest acts can create a ripple effect, spreading warmth far and wide.
• Practice Gratitude Daily — At Christmas, we often reflect on our blessings, and it fills our hearts with gratitude. Why not extend that habit year-round? Start or end each day by noting a few things you’re grateful for. Keep a gratitude journal or make it a family tradition to share what you’re thankful for each week. This practice shifts your perspective, helping you stay anchored in positivity even when life feels challenging.
• Make Time for Family and Friends — Christmas brings us together with loved ones, often reminding us how much they mean to us. Don’t wait for a holiday to reconnect. Regularly reach out to friends and family, even if it’s just for a quick call or message. Plan monthly family dinners, game nights, or meet-ups with friends to keep those bonds strong throughout the year.
• Give Thoughtfully and Generously — Giving is at the heart of Christmas. To carry this spirit forward, look for ways to give your time, resources, or skills in meaningful ways. Volunteer, donate to causes close to your heart, or simply surprise someone with a kind gesture. Thoughtful giving doesn’t have to be grand; it can be as simple as sharing a homemade meal or offering to help a neighbor.
• Embrace a Spirit of Forgiveness and Understanding — During the holiday season, many of us let go of past grievances and come together with open hearts. Carry that spirit into the new year by being quicker to forgive, choosing understanding over judgment, and letting go of grudges. Not only does forgiveness bring peace to your relationships, but it also creates space in your life for new joy.
• Create Your Own Year-Round Traditions —   Christmas traditions bring warmth and connection, so why not invent new ones for the rest of the year? Set a day each month for a “kindness day” where you do something nice for someone, or celebrate “Gratitude Fridays” by sharing what you appreciate about a friend or family member. These traditions keep the Christmas spirit alive in fresh, personal ways.
• Stay Mindful and Present — Christmas has a way of slowing us down, helping us appreciate life’s simple pleasures. Keep this alive by practicing mindfulness: take moments to breathe deeply, enjoy nature, savor your coffee, and truly listen to the people around you. This grounded awareness brings the same peace and joy we often experience during the holidays.
• Keep the Spirit of Hope Alive — Christmas is a season of hope, a time when we believe in the goodness of people and the possibility of a brighter future. Carry that hope forward by staying optimistic, believing in your dreams, and spreading positivity. When challenges arise, remind yourself of the resilience and hope that Christmas instills, knowing that light always returns.

The warmth, kindness, and love we experience during Christmas can fill our lives year-round with a little intention. By practicing kindness, gratitude, connection, and mindfulness, you can keep the spirit of Christmas alive in your heart and share it with those around you. Remember, every day offers us a new chance to bring a little more light and love into the world. And that, in itself, is a gift worth celebrating every single day.

Keep The Learning Going This Summer

Keep the Learning Going
Teachers spend an average of four to eight weeks every fall reviewing and reteaching material that students have forgotten during the long summer break. Many students lose the equivalent of one to two months of reading and math skills during the summer and do not score as well on standardized tests as students who continue to learn during the summer. The effect is cumulative: Each summer a student isn’t learning adds up and can have a long-term impact on overall performance in school.

Learning can take place whether you are taking a trip to a far-off place or spending the summer in your own neighborhood. But be careful not to over-plan. “To avoid boredom, a child has to learn to be motivated on his or her own, to a certain extent, and that is an acquired skill,” says Perry. “If every time your child says, ‘I’m bored,’ you step in with a quick solution, they’ll never learn to develop their own resources. But do provide some options. Just don’t try to instill learning. That’s not how it works.”

Clip, paste and write about your family adventures
A family vacation is a perfect opportunity to create a trip scrapbook that will be a lasting souvenir of family adventures. Collect postcards, brochures and menus from restaurants and tourist attractions. Encourage your child to write descriptions of the places you visited and tell stories about your family’s escapades. Or suggest a scrapbook on your child’s favorite sports team or a chronicle of his year in school. The scrapbook might contain photos with captions, newspaper clippings or school mementos.

Get theatrical
Young children can make their own puppet theater. Begin by cutting off the finger-ends of old gloves. Draw faces on these fingers with felt tip markers and glue on yarn for hair. Or glue on felt strips to create cat, dog or other animal faces. Then your child can create a story that the finger puppets can act out. For older children, find books containing play scripts for young people and encourage your child and friends to create their own neighborhood theater. They can plan a performance, make a simple stage at the park or on the steps of someone’s home, create playbills and sell tickets.

Turn a museum trip into a treasure hunt
Get your children excited about visiting a museum by exploring the museum’s Web site and taking a virtual tour. When you go to a museum, take into account short attention spans and don’t try to cover a whole museum in one day. To make them less intimidating, start in the gift shop and let your child pick out some postcards of paintings or objects on display. Turn your museum trip into a treasure hunt by trying to find those paintings or objects in the museum. Look for interactive exhibits and for periods of history that your child has studied in school.

Now that you’ve got a list of things to do – and you still have a few weeks of summer  left to conquer these ideas – it’s time to gather the kids AND their friends and have some fun while learning!

 

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/summer-learning-activities-that-are-practically-free/

How To Instill Leadership Skills In Your Child’s Future

The role of a parent can often become quite hectic with the demands of daily life. Along this daily journey, many parents don’t realize their influence on their children’s minds. Our children watch as we balance these demands and lead the family through each day.

While leadership skills can come naturally, children learn lessons that significantly impact them later in life. The right words at the right time can make all the difference.

Here are five ways to help you instill the right leadership skills in your child’s future:   

Be A Good Role Model

Be aware that your child is watching, and allow them to see how well you balance your business and personal demands each day.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Great leaders handle failure as gracefully as they handle success. Emphasize perseverance. Your children must understand that success as a leader can be achieved through persistence, hard work, and a good heart. 

Encourage Them To Talk

Allow your children to speak for themselves with servers at a restaurant, a grocery store clerk, or the lifeguard at the swimming pool. Through your guidance and allowing them to speak for themselves, this will help them gain confidence in themselves.

Bookworms Become Leaders

Studies have shown that children who read want to know more and ask questions to delve deeper into various subjects. This inquisitive side of a child is the best foundation for a leader’s growth.

Optimism Beats Pessimism – Every Time

Your child should be aware that optimism is connected to success. Reward optimism, especially when a goal is achieved.

In small ways, today’s leaders can prepare younger generations for their future as business leaders. These suggestions will create better leaders to help children perform better in school and develop better personal relationships.

 

Four Ways Your Child Can Help YOU Prepare For The Holidays!

The holidays can bring a lot of cheer to the home, but sometimes stress can enter the door now and then as well! The holiday activities tend to get a little tougher when the children are out of school. When there’s too much to do and not enough time, it’s time to get the whole family pitching in to lighten the load. Kids are often so excited and eager for the big day that they’ll gladly help with chores. We’d like to help you with some ideas to “de-stress as you prep” this Christmas season.

1. Clean Their Room
The holiday season is a time for entertaining family and friends. This is the perfect time to have your children clean their rooms, as well as clear out all clutter to make way for new toys. This chore includes the cleaning out closets, clearing out under the beds, and taking care of any items that are not being used. This task may require guidance from an older sibling or a parent. Use this as a time to encourage generosity, thankfulness, and let them choose to donate items to local shelters for families in need.

2. Create Christmas Cards
Now is the time to get out the art supplies! Gather the kids around a table and talk about all of the people in your lives that are so special and would love to have a personal card delivered. Encourage your youngsters to make holiday cards for their own sending to friends and family. If you have some pretty card stock or construction paper with markers and stickers – this can become quite an exciting “chore” for children of all ages. If this it too much – why not have your children help you stuff envelopes and give them a lesson on where a stamp is placed on an envelope as well as return address labels. This is something most kids don’t know, and will benefit from this teachable moment!

3. Create Gift Tags
A homemade gift tag makes every gift that much more special. Gather up your art supplies and show your kids hows to create a simple or fancy gift tag. You will need construction paper, kid-safe scissors, a hole punch, twine or ribbon, markers, stickers and even glitter (if you can handle the mess!) The gift tags can be cut into all sorts of shapes and sizes. Let their imagination go wild…You can never have too many gift tags!

4. Help With Light Cleaning
When you have company coming over, it can be fun to involve the whole family as a cleaning crew to prep the home for the new arrivals. Children of all ages can be given safe tasks for cleaning. In fact, even the littlest in the bunch will enjoy the task of putting things back where they belong. Let them help dust, sweep, wipe down counters, and straighten the pillows on the couch. With everyone working together to make the house tidy, you’ll get the work done faster. Kids usually enjoy pitching in to help with these important holiday chores, too.

When you include your children it not only lightens your own load, but it gets them involved and makes them feel like they are a part of the whole holiday process. There are many teachable moments when you work together, and when kids feel important and needed – the holidays get that much brighter!

Summer Camp 2018 – Maker Fun Factory!

Summer Camp 2018 

June 18^th-August 31, 2018

What is all of the hype about Maker Fun Factory?!?!

Maker Fun Factory is a fun-filled action-packed Summer Camp for your child!

During this time, we will be giving you and your children a wonderful experience  in our Summer Camp Program.

Maker Fun Factory focuses on how we are all “Created by God & Built for a Purpose.” How will we be teaching your child this concept you may wonder??

Maker Fun Factory invites your child to become creative inventors through sensory & STEM activities while discovering that they are lovingly crafted by God!

Just a few of our hands-on interactive activities include:

• Cooking Projects,
• Science Experiments,
• Team Building Games,
• and Bible Songs!

Come join us for this spectacular fun-filled Summer!

Contact your nearest Apple Tree Learning Center for details.

How To Reduce Screen Time For Your Children

In a society where technology prevails, it can be tougher than ever to convince your child to voluntarily look away from the screen. This doesn’t just mean the television – most households now have multiple smartphones, ipads and laptops.

In a recent report by Common Sense Media, it was found that 42% of children 8 and younger have their own tablet devices, and spend an average of 2 hours and 19 minutes a day looking at screens. Tablets and phones can be great educational tools, but if used too often they can also disrupt sleep schedules and even impact expressive speech and the ability to recognize emotions. Here are the top ways to reduce screen time:

1. Set An Example: Though it may be tough moving away from screens yourself, it is one of the most impactful ways to reduce screen time for your child. Younger children learn by observing, and making an effort to put down your phone, computer or tablet will set a good example.
2. Create Rules and Follow Them: By setting rules for your child, they will begin to understand when it’s time for screens and when they have to step away. A good place to start can include: no television during dinner, no digital device with a screen before bed, and setting designated times that the kids can enjoy a device with a screen. Abiding by these rules may be harder on you than the child. Think about when you’re busy and you need to keep your child occupied — what do you do? Most of us send hand them a tablet, stream their favorite show and head off to do our chores. However, if you’ve set a rule for no screen time, it is important to stick to it.
3. Provide Alternate Activities: If your child is bored, they’re going to want to reach for a device for entertainment. Engage with them by going outside, playing games or reading books – you’ll create fond memories and a desire for other forms of fun!

Delayed Opening – Thursday 1/18/18

This is an important message regarding operations for Apple Tree Learning Centers for Thursday January 18th.

All Apple Tree Centers will operate on a 3 hour delay. We will open at 9am due to the freezing temperature and road conditions. Due to the delayed opening time we will only be serving lunch at 12pm and afternoon snack at 3pm tomorrow.

Academy classes K through 5th grade will be on a delay with a start time of 9:30am.

Child care is available for all public school students for an additional fee.

Sidewalks and parking lots have been salted; however, they are still icy and slippery from the below freezing temperatures. Please be careful and hold your child’s hand when walking in these areas to prevent falling.

We appreciate all your support and please be safe.

Sincerely,
Heidi Riden
CEO

A New Year. A Not So New You…and that’s the beauty of Life!

Another calendar has flipped to the final page, welcoming a new year and a trip to the stationary store to get a 2018 calendar.

For most of us the a new year can bring on some anxious thoughts as we prepare to “do it right” this time. We make resolutions (that sound awfully familiar), clean out our closets (even after we purged for end of year giving), start a diet (back to those pesky resolutions), and the list can begin to get out of control!  There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of this, however, it might be time to give yourself a break. take a minute to think about your life, and move forward into the new year with the same old awesome you!

Take some time to write down – or enter into a computer – a “bucket list” of things that you “want” to do in 2018.  Once this list is compiled, create another list of tasks that you “must” do in 2018.  Lastly, create another list of commitments that you are routinely doing that could be moved to a list titled: “Not Needed In My Life for 2018”.

Once you have these things written down – your “life as it is today” will become more clear and your ability to soar in 2018 will be natural and successful.

 

 

Let’s Be Friends!

Making friends is an important part of your child’s development at preschool, and friendships often develop as children play and learn together. With a few tips, your guidance as a parent can help your preschooler to adapt to this new social environment and learn to play well and be a good friend in the classroom and at play.

Some children seem to make friends easily. They might be able to name their friends. They might look for their friends when they arrive at preschool or playgroup, or ask you about having playdates with their friends.

Some children might not have friends they can name, but they might be keen on making friends. And others might be slower to warm up and need time to watch what happens before joining in.

 

Friendships help children feel like they belong, which is good for children. Knowing how your child responds to other children gives you a good basis for helping him make friends and friendships in a way that suits his personality and temperament.

Preschoolers develop friendships during play. And as your child plays, she builds skills that help her with friendships now and in the future. These are skills like sharing, taking turns, cooperating, listening to others, managing disagreement, and negotiating different views and ways of thinking about things.

It might help to remember that many of these skills are hard even for adults. Your child is still learning and she needs lots of opportunities to practice being a good friend.

Providing time for children to play with other children from preschool or playgroup can help them develop friendships. Here are some ways that you can prepare your child from the homefront:

 

• Talk with your child about who he plays with, why he likes playing with them and what they like to play. If you know who your child likes to play with, you can talk to other parents about playdates.
• Make a time for children to meet and play. You could invite other children and parents to your home, or arrange to meet at a local park.
• Stay close. It can be reassuring for your child to have you nearby, particularly if the children don’t know each other well. As your child gets more confident you can be further away, although it’s still important to be aware of what’s going on.
• Keep an eye on what’s going on. This will help you know whether children are just enjoying some rough-and-tumble play, or whether the play is getting out of hand. If things are getting too rough, you’ll need to step in.
• Set a time limit for the playdate. When children get tired, they often find it harder to cooperate. It’s good to finish play time with everyone wanting to do it again.

Source: http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/preschool_friends.html/context/557

 

 

 

Our 2017-2018 School Supply List

Be sure to head out this weekend and save money on your school supplies.  Download the 2017-2018 School Supply List!