Week of January 18, 2021

The Central Berkshire Coordinated Family and Community Engagement Grant is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care

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You can reach me at 413-655-0146 X5109 or email @ wprovencher@cbrsd.org

Look for me on Facebook – Wendy Provencher (Look for the Brain Building Sign)

COVID-19 Child Care Playbook
Minimum Health and Safety Requirements
Interim Regulations
EEC’s parent resource about reopening child care
Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) Network
Community Resources for Families
WGBH Family Fun At Home
https://mass211.org/
https://www.centralberkshirecfce.com/
https://www.asqonline.com/family/096b55
I make up bags with the activities for the week, you can pick them up at the Dalton Public Library on Monday’s after 2:00. If you choose to only attend 1 or 2 of the programs during that week, it is fine. You will receive the supplies for all groups. You can find the instructions for the activities here and in your bags. I am encouraging you to do the activities at your convenience with your child/children.
If I know who is attending and the ages of your children, I can tailor the group a little bit better.
If your child has had enough on Zoom, I understand and my feelings will not be hurt if you feel like you need to leave the group.
Please remember to mute yourself if your child is crying or upset or is just babbling. It is really hard for everyone to hear me talking or reading with all of the background noise. If we are doing an open activity you do not have to be muted

All Programs are virtual

Theme: Animals in the winter

Tuesday: KinderMusik with Miss Suzanne 10:00 AM

Wednesday: Circle Time with Miss Wendy 10:00 AM

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^{How Many Friends Are Here Today?}
How many friends are here today?
How many friends are here to play?
Let’s count it out! Let’s clap it out!
Let’s dance it out!
There are ____ friends in their seats!

Calendar, weather, alphabet, counting

5 Brown Bears flannel board

5 Brown Bears take a winters sleep;
5 Brown Bears take a winters sleep.
If one of those bears, should wake without a peep
There’d be 4 Brown Bears, taking that winters sleep.
4 Brown Bears take a winters sleep;
4 Brown Bears take a winters sleep.
If one of those bears, should wake without a peep
There’d be 3 Brown Bears, taking that winters sleep.
3 Brown Bears take a winters sleep;
3 Brown Bears take a winters sleep.
If one of those bears, should wake without a peep
There’d be 2 Brown Bears, taking that winters sleep.
2 Brown Bears take a winters sleep;
2 Brown Bears take a winters sleep.
If one of those bears, should wake without a peep
There’d be 1 Brown Bears, taking that winters sleep.
1 Brown Bear take a winters sleep;
1 Brown Bear take a winters sleep.
If one of that bear, should wake without a peep
There’d be no Brown Bears, taking that winters sleep.

When you’re done, you can talk about how bears walk (on all fours), how they can stand on two feet to reach food or other objects, their great sense of smell, how they are omnivores and will eat lots of things (including fish, berries, mice, food that people leave out, roots, etc), and how bears hibernate! Afterwards, do the rhyme again!

sheet of construction paper

paint (brown, black, and white)*

paintbrushes and q-tips*

crayons (brown or black)

“black bears” come in many colors, including light brown, dark brown, reddish-brown, black, and even a bluish-black! To draw the bear, make a big half circle at the bottom of the page. Add two more half circles for ears and three complete circles (or ovals) for eyes and a nose. If you want a mouth, draw a “J” coming down from the nose and add a backwards “J” for the other side of the mouth. Or, you could leave the mouth off and just imagine your bear has its mouth closed.

Now it gets exciting! Paint the bear in! Remind your kids how they come in so many different colors, and encourage them to mix their paints a little to create different colors of fur. When they’re done, use black paint to make the eyes, nose, and mouth. Or, if your preschooler’s bear is mostly black, use a lighter brown for the eyes, nose, and mouth — you can ask your kiddos what color will show up nicely! We used a q-tip for the eyes, nose, and mouth. Our hands were totally full of paint at this point, so…no pictures here! But you can see their results as you read on!

Add snow!! Many bears do not hibernate before the first snowfall, and some bears will wake up on a warm sunny winter day (even if there’s still snow on the ground) and grab a snack! So, use a q-tip to paint snowflakes coming down and landing on your bear’s head! Be creative, and have fun!!