A Lesson In Generosity
As we head into the holiday season, we will be greeted with sights and sounds that instill as sense of giving and goodwill to those near and far. This seasonal cheer is often referred to as “the most wonderful time of the year!” As a parent, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year, especially to lay the groundwork for the true meaning of giving and generosity from the heart.
Most parents teach their children to be kind and generous to those around them. Sometimes parents force this approach on their children, rather than allowing the child to choose the option rather than feel like it is an obligation. Our job as parents is to model the act of generosity to our children in our words and deed in our home and community.
Here are some tips to set the stage for your child to experience the joy of giving to others.
It Begins With You. Make sure that you are modeling generosity with those around you. This can be something as simple as leaving a tip and smile for the barista, asking an elderly woman in the grocery store if you can help with her cart, sharing your favorite treat with your child, or baking muffins for the neighbor that loves your recipe! Every day look for those treasures, those moments where you can give back to someone around you.
Give To Your Family. Make sure that your children and your spouse know how much you appreciate them. Everyone – big and small – needs to know on a consistent basis that they are seen, appreciated and adored.
Give You Child The Option. Give your child the opportunity to experience how his actions can create joy in others- but don’t force it. It is important that your child is ready to understand the experience of giving back rather than being resentful. If siblings are in the equation, this is the perfect training ground to model sharing, as well as create the environment where the experience will be positive for all involved.
Pay It Forward With Goodwill As A Family. Start while your kids are young, so your kids will experience the reality of how they’re making a difference in lives. The activities that are available in most communities include sorting food at the local food bank, helping an elderly neighbor with yard work, or sending a holiday greeting to a deployed soldier.
Eventually, your child will learn from experience that it truly is “more blessed to give than to receive!”
A Good Breakfast Will Jump Start Your Day!
Too many families run out of the house in the morning without grabbing a proper breakfast. For the parents… a cup of coffee, regardless of how much milk, foam and cinnamon you put into it, won’t cut it. For the kids in the house, a sugar-filled pastry or cereal will quickly wear off – creating a tired student and less brain power! There are three primary reasons you want to have a healthy meal start your day:
- To stay alert and filled with energy to take on what the day brings.
- To achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
- Because your body needs fuel.
Most importantly, your brain needs glucose (sugar) to function. If you don’t give it that, you cannot think at your best. Also, while you are sleeping your metabolism drops, and without eating it will stay low. Having a lowered metabolism can cause cravings for bad foods later in the day or cause you to overeat. Numerous studies have shown that people who eat a good breakfast on a regular basis are less likely to be obese than those who do not. They are also more likely to lose weight and keep it off than those who skip the meal altogether.
It’s so important to make the right choices too. Grabbing a donut at the office or a toaster pastry for the ride to school, though technically food, is so laden with sugar that it defeats the purpose. While having a high carb/high sugar breakfast gives you that early morning sugar high and serotonin boost, it also sets you up to crash later. You want to eat a healthy balance of good carbs, protein and fat.
Don’t think you have time to eat? A smoothie is a tasty, portable, healthy (depending on what you put into it) meal that you can eat on the go. To save time, spend an evening cutting up fruit and freezing it in serving size baggies or purchase the pre-made varieties at your local supermarket. When it’s time to eat, pour the frozen fruit into a blender, add some Greek yogurt, wheat germ, oats and/or flax seed (for filling fiber), and juice. Experiment with honey, basil and mint to add a boost of flavor.
Next time you are tempted to run out of the house on an empty stomach, consider your brain and your weight. Whip up a smoothie and your body will thank you!
Back To School Supplies – Check Your Closets!
Believe it or not, you might already have plenty of school supplies lying around your house.
Closets, desk drawers, and basement bins might hold hidden treasures that can save you money.
Start by rounding up all of the office and school supplies you already own. Put them in a central location, like a plastic bin or on the dining room table, so you can make a list of what you have. Keep this list in your purse, or in the car, so you don’t forget it when you shop for school supplies.
What do your children need for the school year?
- Pens, pencils, markers, and highlighting pens
- Erasers
- Rulers
- Notebooks and loose-leaf paper
- Scratch paper
- Binders
- Calculators
- Crayons
- Art supplies
- Post-it notes
In addition, go through your kids’ closets and start sorting. Clothing that the kids have outgrown, and worn clothing, should be donated or tossed. Once you complete this “supply sweep,” you’ll have a clearer picture of what you actually need to buy. Ideally, the sweep will prevent you from buying something you already have on-hand.
Source: http://www.moneycrashers.com/back-to-school-supplies-list-tips/
Create Calendar Central!
Every school year includes a sea of schedules – depending on how many family members are included in school functions. Think about it – when you are trying to keep track of school activities, classwork deadlines, lunch menus, scout meetings and music lessons – who do you turn to? YOUR CALENDAR!
Nothing calms school year chaos like Calendar Central: a centralized site for all family calendars and schedules. You’ll need a family event calendar to track after-school activities, school programs and volunteer work. Add specialized calendars and schedules, and you have it: a one-stop shop for family time management.
Form is less important than function. A paper calendar with large squares lets you enter information easily. Pre-printed white board calendars are easy to revise when necessary. Color-coding entries by family member helps keep busy lives straight.
Paper planner fans dedicate a planner section to serve as Calendar Central, while tech-savvy smarties store the info in a smart phone or tablet and sync with multiple computers. Choose a calendar format that works for your family.
Post the family event calendar in a central spot where the family gathers. Use magnets to attach the calendar to the refrigerator, or tack it to a bulletin board.
Add other calendars to Calendar Central: school lunch menus, class assignment sheets, sports practice schedules. When the room mother calls for field trip volunteers, you’ll know at a glance whether you’re free to join the group on the bus that day.
Shop Tax Free – August 7 through 9th!
What does this mean to you? When you shop for qualified school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star and WaterSense products, you pay no sales tax! This includes qualifying items purchased online, by mail or over the phone.
Here are a few of the items that are exempt:
School Supplies, Clothing, and Footwear:
Qualified school supplies – $20 or less per item, Qualified clothing and footwear – $100 or less per item.
Click here to download the Apple Tree Learning Center 2015 School Supply List
Hurricane and Emergency Preparedness Items:
Portable generators – $1,000 or less per item, Gas-powered chainsaws – $350 or less per item, Chainsaw accessories – $60 or less per item.
Energy Star and WaterSense Items:
Qualifying items carrying either the Energy Star or WaterSense label with a sales price of $2,500 or less purchased for noncommercial home or personal use.
Click here for a detailed list of all qualified items in every category and to learn more.
Before and After School Programs
At Apple Tree Learning Center we understand that before and after school care is important to working parents and the safety and social needs of a child. We are happy to offer families a safe and fun Extended Care program* for school-age children – 5 years to 12 years old.
Extended Care Opportunities
Imagine Tomorrow for Preschool — Kindergarten
Exclusive Imagine Tomorrow software custom-designed to align to each lesson. Children work cooperatively as a team to accomplish a unique computer mission, while they move ahead at their own pace on their own computers provided by the teacher.
- Computer Skills & Early Keyboarding
- Thinking & Problem-solving Skills
- Early Reading & Writing Skills
- Listening Skills & Concentration
- Teamwork & Self-Confidence
Discovery Kids Puterbugs – Ages 3 to 8
Discovery Kids Puterbugs classes provided and taught by Megabyte Tykes are now included in our curriculum! Watch your child go from tapping and typing, to reading and writing. Discovery Kids Puterbugs prepares children ages 3-8 with today’s Top 100 Tech Skills, starting with the letters of the keyboard. Features small class size, personal attention, and exclusive access to continue the fun and learning online at home!
TECHNOKids Computer Curriculum for 1st-5th Grades
TECHNOKids uses a Project Based Learning instructional approach. Project-based learning poses challenging questions or presents real-world problems that are personally meaningful to students. The students have fun with theme-based projects and motivating software that will introduce them to Microsoft Applications. Students become artists, authors, cops, pirates, producers, entrepreneurs and more as they use these applications to complete educational and fun projects. The teacher provides the computers, the kids provide the smarts!
Call (757) 410-1790 for more information, or to schedule a Center Tour near you!
Transportation is provided by
the following public schools to specific Extended Care program Center locations:
Greenbrier Church
Transportation provided by these public schools: Greenbrier Primary, Greenbrier Intermediate, and Greenbrier Middle
Oxford Church
Transportation provided by these public schools: Elephant’s Fork Elementary, Kilby Shores Elementary, and Nansemond Parkway Elementary
Suffolk Presbyterian
No transportation provided by surrounding public schools
Great Bridge
* Extended Care is offered at limited center locations.
The Safety and Well Being of Every Child is Our Priority
Attention Apple Tree Learning Center Parents: To help us better serve you and your child, please complete these forms for our records.
The safety and well being of every child is our priority.
School Entrance Health Form – (All inclusive – forms listed below)
- Health Information Form
- Comprehensive Physical Examination Report
- Certification of Immunization
Medication Authorization Form – Two Versions (see below)
Chessie says…”It’s Time To Explore The BAY!”
How many times do you really look around you and where you live? Hampton Roads is a curious spot in Virginia – as the cities intertwine – so do the waterways.
This summer is the perfect time to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay and ALL of the history that surrounds this majestic expanse of water. Here’s a site that will educate, entertain, and help you and your whole family understand this amazing waterway- and there’s even a Chessie_Coloring_Book for you enjoy!
We Did It AGAIN…because of YOU! Best OF Winners for 2015
We love our families…and are so honored to be able to care for and teach the greatest children in ALL of Hampton Roads. Our hats off to all of you for helping us, once again, win The Pilot’s “Best Of” Competition for 2015!
As this school year comes to a close, we are looking forward to the new school year, an exciting summer filled with camp activities and most of all the opportunity to serve the families who choose the very best in private school education for their child in Chesapeake, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth and the surrounding communities. Join us in celebrating this honor by referring a friend or scheduling a tour for your own family today!
THANK YOU to everyone who supports us, believes in us and took the time to vote in the competition. All of us at Apple Tree Kids Learning Centers thank you for your support!
Mother’s Day Newspaper
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! World’s Best Mom!
Spread the news about how awesome your mother is to the world! Honor your mother with this perfect kid-friendly mother’s day gift idea from Martha Stewart.
Mother’s Day Newspaper
Supplies:
- Computer
- Crayons, Pens, Markers
- White/Ivory Stationary
Step 1:
Download Mother’s Day Newspaper Template PDF:
http://www.marthastewart.com/sites/files/marthastewart.com/ecl/images/content/web/pdfs/2011Q2/msl_0511_mdnewspaper_card.pdf
Step 2:
Print newspaper template onto a nice piece of ivory stationary .
Step 3:
Decorating your news story with words of encouragement for your mom and add color, texture, ribbons, and sparkles!
Step 4:
Fold or roll this up with a ribbon and present this to your mom with a big hug and a lot of love!
