Ivy Learning Resource & Referral Newsletter | November 2024

Nov 11, 20247 min read

November brings so much to be thankful for!

November brings to mind falling leaves, crisp cool air, pumpkins, turkeys and apple cider! As Thanksgiving approaches, you may find yourself also thinking about what you have to be thankful for.

Acknowledging the goodness in our lives has a positive impact on our overall well-being and is something you can model for your child. Expressing gratitude can help your child and your family get through challenging times. Explore these resources to learn more about gratitude and how you can practice a spirit of gratitude with children:

Cooking activities to share with others the finished product such as applesauce, apple cobbler, etc.
Enjoy reading a book about being thankful aloud together. Here’s one you can watch and read along: Splat the Cat Says Thank You Book Read Aloud
Read this article from NAEYC: Raising a Thankful Child
Have a conversation about gratitude. Try these Questions & Conversations With Kids On Gratitude from TinyBop to get the discussion started.
Model it yourself by taking a small token of appreciation to a community helper or a neighbor.
Volunteer at a local non-profit together or do an activity that will support a non-profit in the community.

Stop telling kids to be grateful. Show them how instead

By Amy Novotney

American Psychological Association

Looking to foster a better attitude toward gratitude among your kids? While the instinct may be to remind kids to say, ‘thank you,’ psychological research suggests it’s better to help children develop gratefulness by encouraging them to notice kind acts, and modeling gratitude as adults. Gratitude is more than just a pleasant sentiment, it can enhance well-being. Decades of research have demonstrated the benefits of practicing gratitude, both for adults and children.

Read the entire article here.

NC Article

Talking to Children about their Art

This is Part 3 of the series of articles on children and creativity.

We are going to discuss talking to children about their artwork. What we say to children about their artwork matters. At first, offer minimal input. Avoid asking “What is it?”. For children, the art is much more about the process of creating, they may not always have an end goal in mind. Asking “what is it?” implies to them that they should have had something in mind.

Avoid using value judgements about children’s creation. These include statements such as “Good job”, “That’s so pretty”, etc.

Instead comment on some of the following:

Effort-“You worked really hard on that today”
Innovation-“When you used the side of the crayon, it made a different kind of mark”
Technique-“There are lots of dots on your painting”

Use of Art Elements:

Color-“You used lots of different colors in your picture”
Lines-“You used thick and thin lines in your painting”
Shape-“You used circles, triangles, etc. in your creation.
Space-“Your box collage is almost as tall as the shelf”
Design-“The top of your paper has lots of big prints and the bottom has small prints”

-Adapted from “Who am I in the Lives of Children?”

Contributed by:

Tracy Hinton

North Central Resource & Referral Business Consultant

NE Region

Featuring this month: Northeast Thrive Events for Family Child Care Home Providers

This month, the Northeast Thrive Business Consultant, Ryan Sierra would like to highlight the great trainings, networking and collaboration among the Family Child Care Home providers in the network. If you are a FCCH provider and haven't attended a Thrive meeting in your region we invite you to attend this excellent opportunity to learn, connect and enjoy some time with others who share so much in common in this important work. Here are a few examples of the outstanding meetings:

Using Positive Words: Creating an Encouraging Classroom by Deb Jones

Words matter. They are packages of power that can harm or help. As Fred Rogers said, “The greatest thing we can do is let people know that they are loved and capable of loving.” This article offers activities and techniques centered on using positive words to make your classroom an encouraging place where children, families, and teachers feel the love. Read the entire article here

Raising A Thankful Child

By Julie A. Riess

Even young children can be taught to say please and thank you. Giving them prompts (“What do you say?”), withholding the requested item (“You can’t have the cookie unless I hear the magic words”), and modeling (“Could you please pass the juice?”) are ways to encourage learning these manners. But is learning to say thank you the same as being thankful?

Read the entire article here

A monthly greeting article (only an option as the opening article)
Research articles
An update
Tips, tools, resources
Or anything else

If the article is longer than one short paragraph, I recommend considering making it a separate blog post and putting a teaser in the newsletter

Reading corner

Infant/Toddler

Five Silly Turkeys Board Book by Salina Yoon: From twirling on a dance floor to being chased by a bee to tanning in the sun, these are no ordinary Thanksgiving turkeys. The rhyming adventure makes for a fun read-aloud, and the tail feathers add a sensory element to the book as they crinkle when touched and are easy to grab for tiny hands turning pages. This shiny fabric–tabbed book is a holiday treat that is sure to be gobbled up quickly.

You can Purchase Here on Amazon

Preschool

Thank You Omu! by author: Oge Mora

In this cozy, sweet story perfect for fans of Last Stop on Market Street as well as for the Thanksgiving season, a generous woman is rewarded by her community. A Spanish edition, ¡Gracias, Omu!, is also available.Everyone in the neighborhood dreams of a taste of Omu's delicious stew! One by one, they follow their noses toward the scrumptious scent. And one by one, Omu offers a portion of her meal. Soon the pot is empty. Has she been so generous that she has nothing left for herself? Debut author-illustrator Oge Mora brings to life a heartwarming story of sharing and community in colorful cut-paper designs as luscious as Omu's stew, with an extra serving of love. An author's note explains that "Omu" (pronounced AH-moo) means "queen" in the Igbo language of her parents, but growing up, she used it to mean "Grandma." This book was inspired by the strong female role models in Oge Mora's life.

You can Purchase Here on Amazon.

School Age

The Gratitude Jar - A children's book about creating habits of thankfulness and a positive mindset.: Appreciating and being thankful for the little things in life.

by Katrina Liu (Author), Bella Ansori (Illustrator)

Teach kids a positive mindset and thankfulness with this beautifully illustrated picture book. It's the perfect story for Thanksgiving or any time of year! In a world full of entitlement and constant comparison, this book can help give kids a new perspective.

Mina was feeling sorry for herself. She always seemed to notice the good things that others had, but she didn't. One day, her family decided to make a gratitude jar, and things began to change. Soon the family discovers the power of gratitude and appreciation for life's simple things.

This delightful story introduces thankfulness and helps kids strengthen their gratitude skills. It's an excellent tool for developing children's core values, mindful habits, happiness, and overall quality of life.

What are you grateful for? Give the gift of gratitude by sharing this book and starting a jar with your kids and family today.

Buy the book here or read for free on Kindle Unlimited!

Parent Corner from Ivy Learning Family Support Specialists

Family Support Specialists: Amber Huston, Northeast and Angela Turner, North Central

The Ivy Learning Family Support Specialists want to share that many of the communities and counties they serve offer the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to families. How it works: Click here to find out if it is in your area: https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/

And if it is available in your area, register to receive the books for your child. Each month, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails a high quality, age appropriate book to all registered children, addressed to them, at no cost to the child’s family. Countless parents have shared how excited their child is when their new book arrives each month!

Events

Ivy Learning Events

Upcoming Northeast Region Thrive Family Child Care Network events:

November 23: Behavioral Cues and How to Respond

Vidalia's Cafe, Tahlequah please reach out to Ryan Sierra for more information:

Ryan Sierra, rsierra@ivylearning.org or 918-766-6758

Upcoming North Central Thrive Family Child Care Network events:

December 7th: Nature Play

Reach out to Tracy Hinton at thinton@ivylearning.org or 918-766-2577 for more information!

Other Events

Bartlesville & Dewey Area Childcare Providers Networking Meeting. Wednesday November 13
5:30 PM Tri County Tech, Osage Room. Please email jboomer@ivylearning.org for details.

Events and Trainings

Ivy Learning is here to serve you!

Ivy Learning Child Care Resource & Referral serves the North Central and Northeast Regions of Oklahoma, which includes 20 counties. For more information and to contact your regional representative, expand the section below.

North Central Region: Kay, Lincoln, Logan, Noble, Nowata, Osage, Pawnee, Payne, Rogers and Washington Counties

Northeast Region: Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Delaware, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Ottawa & Sequoyah Counties

Request Technical Assistance from our Resource and Referral Specialists

Ivy Learning Child Care Resource and Referral can provide technical assistance to childcare providers. Technical Assistance services help providers improve or enhance the quality of childcare through structured and intentional services which supports the development of specific skills and practices. As a result, providers will be able to implement knowledge about quality in their individual care giving situations.

Request Technical Assistance