The Lunchbox Press License #: 32975 March 2018
Cooking With Kids By KidsHealth
Cooking can help young kids learn and practice some basic math concepts and build language skills. And the experience of creating meals with you can help build their self-confidence and lay the foundation for healthy eating habits.It may take a little flexibility and some simple prep work, but with the right expectations, your time in the kitchen with your preschooler can be a culinary adventure you'll both enjoy.
Bringing kids into the kitchen can benefit them in many ways. Cooking can help:
Build basic skills. You can help your child hone necessary math skills by doing something as simple as counting eggs or pouring water into a measuring cup. You can ask what comes first, second, and third or count together as you spoon dough onto a cookie sheet. When you read a recipe together, you're introducing new
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THE LUNCHBOX PRESS NASA Goddard Child Development Center
GCDC’s philosophy is to meet children’s developmental and individual needs and to create a stimulating environment in which children learn through exploration and discovery.
Upcoming Events
March 8: PAC Meeting. Dr.
Ramni presents Early Math Matters
March 14: Kindergarten Airplane
Contest
March 16: GCDC Closed For
Professional Development
March 20: Children’s Clothing
Swap (Tentative)
March 26-30: Spring Curriculum
Break. GCDC Open.
April 4: GCDC Program Tour
April 12: Kindergarten Report
Cards
April 16-20: Week of The Young
Child
April18: Spring Picture Day
April 23: Preschool 2 Field Trip
May 4: Preschool 4 & Rockets
Field Trip
The Lunchbox Press License #: 32975 March 2018
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words to your child's vocabulary and promoting literacy. Following steps in the recipe can work on listening skills.
Encourage an adventurous palate. Preschoolers are notoriously picky eaters, and bringing them into the kitchen to cook can help get them to open up to new tastes. When your 3-year-old daughter plays chef, she might sample dishes she wouldn't try if you just served them to her. So encourage kids to taste new ingredients you're working with and talk about what they like and how healthy foods make a body grow.
Help young kids explore with their senses. Kids learn by exploring with their senses, and the kitchen is an ideal place to do that. Invite them to listen to the whir of the mixer, pound dough and watch it rise, smell it baking in the oven, and finally taste the warm bread fresh from the oven. If it smells good, looks appealing, and is easy to eat they may just be willing to try it.
Boost confidence. Preschoolers love to show what they can do. Working in the kitchen provides opportunities to gain a sense of accomplishment. If they helped assemble the pizza, let them know that their help was important. You could name the pizza or another dish after your child. Serve "Will's Pizza" or "Ella's Salad" for dinner tonight. Even if the results are not exactly what you expected, praise their efforts.
Ideal Jobs for Kids in the Kitchen A few tasks in the kitchen are particularly well-suited to kids ages 3 to 5. The key is to give them "jobs" that meet their skill level and are something they enjoy. So if your child loves to pound, bring out the bread dough and let your preschooler pound away.Here are some other ways kids can help:
• stirring pancake batter• tearing lettuce for salad• adding ingredients• assembling a pizza• helping you "read" a cookbook by turning the pages
Spending time in the kitchen with your kids can foster an interest in food and cooking that will last for life!
NASA GCDC �2
Children’s Books That Inspire Cooking
Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!by Janet Stevens and Susan
Stevens Crummel
Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Guide to Food and Nutrition
by Lizzy Rockwell
Pizza at Sally'sby Monica Wellington
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Mr. Cookie Bakerby Monica Wellington
Peeny Butter Fudge by Toni Morrison
ChopChop: The Kids' Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your
Familyby Sally Sampson
The Lunchbox Press License #: 32975 March 2018
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March 21, 2018 3:30 p.m.
GCDC Blue Top Playground All GCDC families are encouraged to participate in our
Spring Clothing Swap. Here are the rules for participation:
• Each family may donate up to 15 items of children’s clothing. Donations must be in good condition (e.g., clean, have all buttons, no stains, no tears, etc.)
• To participate, families must donate to the swap. • We will only accept children’s clothing that would fit our
students. No larger children’s clothing, please• Clothing must be dropped off in the GCDC Resource Room
by Monday, March 19th. The Team Coordinator will give families one token for each item donated. Tokens are required to “buy” clothing items.
• If you would like to donate clothing but not participate in the swap, please just let us know at the time of donation.
• The Committee will donate any unwanted clothing to charity.
For more information about the clothing swap, contact the committee:
Karine LaBail [email protected] Julie Rivera-Perez [email protected]
Gyanesh Chander [email protected]
Volunteer Opportunities
Rockets Paper Airplane Contest Support
March 14th
Wash Toys For Little Dippers, Little Discoveries or Rockets
March 21st
Play Board Games With The Children
March 26-30
Clean Classroom Fish Tank For Constellations, Little Discoveries or
The Milky WayApril 9
Satellites Garden VolunteerApril 9
Fill Paint Cups For Constellations, Satellites or Rockets
April 10
Tie Dye Volunteers For Little Dippers, Rockets, Satellites or
ConstellationsApril 16
Field Day VolunteersApril 19
Wash Toys For Constellations, Little Dippers, Little Discoveries or
RocketsApril 25
To sign up visit http://signup.com/go/YJgDjws
The Lunchbox Press License #: 32975 March 2018
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March 8, 2018 12-1 p.m Building 3 Auditorium
Early Math Matters. This presentation will highlight the critical role of early mathematics for children’s long-term mathematics achievement and beyond. We will discuss what foundational math knowledge is important for young children. We will also discuss ideas for fun and engaging mathematics games and activities that can be incorporated at home. Dr. Geetha Ramani, Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland, College Park.
2017-2018 GCDC Association’s Board of Directors
Gale Fleming President
Jolena Crawford Vice-President
Sean Douglas Registrar
Charisse Dorrell Treasurer
Raquel Marshal Education Advisor
Jeff Steir Facilities Advisor
Juana Sosa Secretary
Sara Winfield Member At Large
Ted Ying Member At Large
Pam Guzzone GEWA Operations Manager
GCDC Association Board Meetings
4th Thursday of each Month11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Open to Members 12:00-12:10
POC: Gale Fleming, Association President
The Lunchbox Press License #: 32975 March 2018
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Because of your support, GCDC earned $2,043 from our recent book fair. Those
funds will be used to purchase books for our
school library. Our Teachers would also like to express appreciation to the
many parents also purchased books and
donated them directly to the classrooms.
The character trait of the month is Citizenship. Through studying this character trait, we want children to understand that people of character:
Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay
informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority •
Protect the environment • Volunteer
Families are asked to help us maintain the schoolyard habitats in front of our building.
You can do this by encouraging the children not to damage the plants and by picking up debris (e.g., apple cores, orange peelings,
tissues, children’s artwork, etc.). The school yard habitats are the responsibilities of the
Teachers. In partnership with you, our goal is to teach the children to take pride in this area and keep it clean. This action will also result in the
Teachers spending less time each morning picking up trash.
The Lunchbox Press License #: 32975 March 2018
NASA GCDC �6
GCDC will be closed on Friday, March 16th
for a Professional Development Day
Curriculum Break GCDC will have a curriculum break the
week of April 10th.GCDC will be open for our regularly
scheduled hours; however,the Teachers will not introduce new content.
This rule applies to all classes.
During this time, Kindergarten attendance rules do not apply—absences/ tardiness do
not count toward the child’s record. Curriculum Breaks are a great time to travel,
make doctors appointments, check out schools for next school year, etc.
Draft 2018-2019 Calendar August
27-31 In-Service (Closed)
September 3 Federal Holiday (Closed)
4 First Day of School25 Back To School Night
October 8 Federal Holiday (Closed)
November 2 End of Kinder Marking Period
12 Federal Holiday (Closed)16 Professional Development: NAEYC
Conference (Closed)19-21 Curriculum Break (Open)
19-21 Reduced Hours 8-4:3022 Federal Holiday (Closed)
23 Thanksgiving (Closed)
December 17-21 Curriculum Break (Open)
17-21 Reduced Hours 8-4:3025-28 Winter Break GCDC (Closed)
January 1 Federal Holiday (Closed)21 Federal Holiday (Closed)
29 End of Kinder Marking Period
February 18 Federal Holiday (Closed)
March 15 Professional Development (Closed)
April 2 End of Kinder Marking Period15-19 Curriculum Break (Open)
May 17 Professional Development (Closed)
27 Federal Holiday (Closed)
June 14 Last Day of School
The Lunchbox Press License #: 32975 March 2018
NASA GCDC �7
February Reflections
GCDC offers quarterly program tours. Wehighly recommend that waitlisted familiestake advantage of this opportunity—even
before being offered a space. Our next tour isApril 4th. For more details and to sign up, visit
www.nasagcdc.org/tour-our-school.html
Preschool 2: Comets Fine Motor Skills
Preschool 2: Little Discoveries Creative Arts
Preschool 3: LittleDippers Wiggly Worms
Preschool 3: The Milky Way Counting With Friends