Ren’s Mommy’s Finger Food Recipe
Recipe for Rice and Vegetable Finger Food
1 sweet potato
Handful of kale, broccoli, or other vegetable
Quinoa or brown rice ( approx 2 cups- depends on how many balls you want to make)
2 tsp coconut oil
A pinch of salt
Directions:
Steam sweet potatoes until soft
Stir fry kale with oil
Mash sweet potato, grains, and veggies together in a bowl
Roll into bite sized balls
Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees
(Should be a little crunchy on the outside)
Thank you to Ren’s mom, for the delicious recipe!! Let us know how it turns out!
New Mommy and Me Group at ECDA
We are now accepting applications to register for our new Mommy and Me baby group here at ECDA! Our Mommy and Me groups promote healthy bonding and relationships between mother and child. We have many full groups and are excited to introduce a new one! Our new baby group is perfect for mothers and children ages 10-14 months. Come gain support and engage in discussion with other mothers. Gain valuable insight and education on your child’s development from our wonderful experts here at ECDA.
The group will start Wednesday
June 5 and will be from 11am-12:15pm.
Ages 10-14 months
2 spots are currently available (as of May 22, 13)
Contact us at info@ecdevelopment.org or call 323-655-5580.
Introducing: Daddy and Me Group!
We would like to introduce our a new group here at ECDA! We now have a DADDY AND ME GROUP! It is a group program for fathers with infants and toddlers (ages 1.5-3) to promote healthy bonding. The group will allow fathers to engage in discussions with other dads and support one another in throughout their child’s development. The group will allow fathers to gain educational information that will be valuable to their relationship with their children and families. Learn how to be a great dad while having fun with your children.
Meeting schedule: Saturdays at 3PM
Starting June 1 – July 20 for 8 sessions.
5 spots available.
Led by Marilee Hartling, RN, MFT and Stephan Sepernia, MFTI.
Space is limited! Join now! Contact us at info@ecdevelopment.org or call 323-655-5580.
The Butterflies Are Here!
We have exciting news this week here at ECDA! We’ve been very excited and patiently waiting for our little caterpillars to complete their transformation. The caterpillars finally emerged from their cocoons as beautiful butterflies! We were all in awe and amazement because we had the chance to actually see them come out of their cocoons. The butterflies are so beautiful and are feeding on oranges and sugar water to become stronger so that they can be released out into the world. We are planning to release the butterflies some time next week and we can’t wait to watch them fly off to continue their journey making the world more beautiful.
In the photo above the kids in one of our groups are reading a story about butterflies, and had the chance to check out the real butterflies emerging from their cocoons!
If you are interested in joining our group program, please contact us at 323-655-5580 or email us at info@ecdevelopment.org
Spring Preschool Education Series
In other words, this is your chance to get the “full download” on Preschool; who, where, when, what, how and why!
Each of the Events is unique. Attend 1, 2 or all 3. Click on any of the below for more details and reservations.
Preschool Admissions Panel ~ Wednesday, April 24th, 7pm – 9pm
Spring Preschool Fair ~ Sunday, April 28th, 1pm to 4pm
Preschool Workshops ~ Thursday, May 2nd, DAY or EVE Classes
For more information and to register, please visit www.parentseducationleague.org.
Dropper Painting at ECDA
This week in our groups we had a really fun art activity for the children to do. They painted using plastic droppers. This project allowed the children to practice their fine motor skills by pinching the dropper to fill it up with paint and pinching it again to release the paint onto their canvas. The children were able to mix the colors any way they liked, which allowed them to learn about what happens when you mix two different objects or colors.
This activity is also beneficial, such that it allows the children to have practice with a different tool that they do not encounter on a daily basis. They learned that you can use different objects as tools for different tasks and that you can complete a specific activity a variety of ways with different tools. In past projects, we have used sponges, paint brushes, and do-a-dot markers to paint, and this week the kids learned about a new tool, the plastic dropper, to use to approach a familiar activity.
Caterpillar Transformation at ECDA
We’re so excited for our groups next week! You may be wondering “why?” It’s because we will be able to interact with live caterpillars! We ordered several caterpillar kits and they will be here next week for everyone at ECDA to enjoy! The children will get to learn about caterpillars and actually get to see real ones, and watch their transformation into butterflies!
To get the children excited about butterflies, we had a butterfly activity in our groups this week at ECDA. This is a symmetry exercise. It teaches children the concept of two parts being the same. The children sponge painted butterfly cutouts, practicing their motor skills, and showing off their beautiful artistic abilities. They also got to add a touch of sparkle to their butterflies with some glitter!
Once the caterpillars transform into beautiful butterflies, we will take the kids outside to release them into the world and watch how beautiful they are when they fly around. This will be very exciting for our groups. It’s such a beautiful transformation that will be quite a site to see!
For more information about our group program, please email us at info@ecdevelopment.org.
Our New Friends Group- 8 Ways Children Benefit From Our New Friends Group:Part 3
8 Ways Children Benefit From Our New Friends Group:
- Children increase their self-confidence and self-awareness.
- Children learn how to connect with others and become friendlier.
- Children will learn how to become more aware of others and their feelings.
- Children learn to become more flexible and adaptable in social situations.
- Children practice taking turns and handling frustration.
- Children learn how to control impulses as they practice waiting.
- Children practice whole-body listening while having fun!
- Children learn how to make and keep long-lasting friendships.
By Megan Baker, MA, Marriage and Family Therapist Intern.
If you would like to enroll your child or have any questions, please contact our office at 323.655.5580
Spring Party at ECDA
Last week we had a lot of fun in our groups celebrating Spring and learning about Passover. In our groups the Spring Bunny came to visit the kids and hid eggs for them to find with cute stickers and treats inside! The children went on an egg hunt around the center with cute little baskets to fill up with the eggs they found. We read a book telling the story of Passover and tried some yummy Matzah! We all had a great time with each other sharing yummy treats and lots of laughs. The kids sported their adorable spring outfits for our Spring Party.
April is already here and we still have weeks of spring fun to come! This week we made adorable bunnies with paint and cotton balls. Next week we will be making beautiful butterflies. We have cute caterpillar projects to do in our groups, too! We also will have real live caterpillars that we can watch transition into beautiful butterflies that we will let the children release outside to watch them flutter off into the world!
Our New Friends Group- A Great Place to Come Make New Friends- Part 2
What are social skills and why are they important?
Social skills allow us to make and sustain friendships and to respond appropriately to others in a variety of settings such as school, at home, and in our community. Those with strong social skills have a greater ability to understand body language and facial expressions so that they receive feedback about how others are feeling and responding to us.
When children experience difficulty interacting with their peers, their feelings of self-worth often deteriorate. Worry and anxiety about friendships may interfere with his/her ability to concentrate on schoolwork. For these children, social skills groups are an excellent way for them to learn constructive interaction patterns that lead to improved relationships. Children with well- developed social skills tend to be better liked by peers, have more positive interactions with teachers and others with whom they interact, and tend to be more content than those children who struggle with social skills.
By Megan Baker, MA, Marriage and Family Therapist Intern. If you would like to enroll your child or have any questions, please contact our office at 323.655.5580
Spring Is On Its Way!
Spring is coming soon and we’re very excited. Our groups here at ECDA have been going just great! We’ve met new friends in some of our groups and we’re excited to start making memories with them. To celebrate the Spring time, we have a lot of fun activities planned for our groups.
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up just before Spring, and we had a fun activity of coloring and decorating green shamrocks. This activity promotes motor skills and prepares the children in the groups for pre-school. We also had fun playing with homemade play-dough and even more exciting, we dyed it green for St. Patrick’s Day!
We also have other fun activities for our groups that stimulating for your children’s minds and motor skills. We constructed rainbows and filled them with colored tissue paper, helping the children to learn about the different colors and about the things in the world.
This spring we will also be celebrating Easter, we’ll be doing an activity decorating little bags with yellow chicks and filling them up. We will also be having an easter egg hunt at our center! Also in celebrating of spring we will watch the process of caterpillars transforming into butterflies, and then releasing them off into the world!
Our “New Friends” Group- Come Make New Friends
Our “New Friends” Group-A great Place to Come to Make New Friends
Our New Friends groups are an ideal setting to help children develop adaptive social skills in a positive and structured small group of peers. Through their interactions with one another, they improve their interpersonal skills as well as increase their self-confidence and develop a greater understanding of their environment. They also have the opportunity to learn from one another, practice new patterns of interaction, and improve awareness of their own feelings as well as recognizing the feelings of others…while having fun!
Who benefits from participating in our “New Friends” Groups?
All children can benefit from group interaction. Specifically, children who gain the most from these groups are those who have difficulty with: shyness, low self-confidence, forming friendships, social anxiety, playing or sharing well with others, and behavior problems.
How do I know if my child needs to improve his/her social skills?
- Is he/she excessively shy?
- Do you find your child misses out when not invited to play dates or parties?
- Does your child avoid going on play dates or withdraw at parties?
- Does your child complain that he/she often feels left out of games and activities?
- Does he/she ever solicit negative attention from peers?
- Is he/she trying to make friends and having a hard time?
- Does his/her teacher report any problems at school?
By Megan Baker, MA, Marriage and Family Therapist Intern. If you would like to enroll your child or have any questions, please contact our office at 323.655.5580
Valentine’s Day at ECDA
Last week we celebrated Valentine’s Day with a party for our groups! We had so much fun. We had snacks and yummy treats for the parents and children. In some groups we decorated delicious cookies. The children also made valentine’s for the parents, with prints of their hands, some in the shape of hearts.
Our toddler group practiced giving and receiving Valentine cards. They each had a bag with their name on it and decorated them with do-a-dot markers and cute stickers. Each child and their parent brought Valentine cards for the whole group. The children went around with their parents putting the cards in each child’s Valentine bag.
We also had a small Valentine photo booth set up for the kids and parents to take pictures together. It was a great moment to capture for everyone to remember how much fun we had at our Valentine’s Day party. Parents can find their photo with their child on our Facebook page!
We hope everyone enjoyed the Valentine’s Day party as much as we did! We love sharing these special moments with each of you!
Windows of Learning: 5 Ways to Stimulate Your Child’s Brain Development
Prime time for learning occur throughout the early years of a child’s life. Brain development occurs in “waves” with new areas of the brain responding to stimulation and experience at different times. Neurobiologists now know that windows of learning occur for emotional, visual, and motor development during the first two years.
Stimulating the emotional development of the brain comes easy for most parents. Warm, responsive, intimate relationships with primary caregivers create “construction sites” in the developing brain that buzz with activity and create synaptic connections at an amazing rate. Snuggling, holding, and loving your toddler all help develop his or her brain.
5 Ways to Stimulate your infant and toddler’s developing brain visually, motorically, and musically:
1. Learn the finger plays and songs at Mommy and Me and teach your child your favorites from home. Shared, repeated musical and rhythmic experiences are great brain “food.” (Phonological awareness)
2. Offer things to each of your child’s hands– not only the right or the left one. This motor movement enhances connection between areas of the brain and increases coordination. It also stimulates brain connections for both sides of the brain.
3. March, hop, crawl, slink, creep, strut, or wiggle to get from here to there. It will be more fun and will send all kinds of stimulation messages to the developing brain.
4. Read stories to your child, visually tracking the words and pointing out the pictures. Both stimulate visual acuity and increase perception skills. Our favorite rhyming books are “Good Night Moon” and “Brown Bear.”
5. Give your child choices. Emotional health for toddlers comes from positive experiences with control and autonomy. Let them have it!
Windows of learning come and go- a part of the natural cycle of growing and developing. Don’t miss the opportunity to create connections and enjoy quality interactions with your child while the windows of learning are present.
Celebrating Mardi Gras at ECDA
This Wednesday we had a surprise here at ECDA! Thomas’ parents wanted to share the tradition of Mardi Gras as it is celebrated in New Orleans. They brought in beads for the children, parents, and staff in our morning group. They even brought in a traditional Kings Cake!
Thomas’ parents explained to us that Mardi Gras is also known as Fat Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday – signifying the beginning of the Lenten season. The Kings Cake was decorated in the traditional colors of Mardi Gras – purple, yellow, and green. The colors represent Justice, Power, and Faith. Inside the cake somewhere is a tiny “baby” and whoever finds it in their slice of cake will have good luck the rest of the year!
This is a tradition celebrated by many, especially in New Orleans. Celebrating with the children here at ECDA helps promote the practice of healthy rituals, as we have explained in previous posts, is beneficial for your child’s developmental growth. Traditions and healthy rituals are a great way to pass on values and lessons you want to share with your children.
We would like to again thank Thomas’ parents for sharing and teaching us about the Mardi Gras tradition! We had a lot of fun sharing the beads, eating the cake, and hearing traditional Mardi Gras songs!
Valentine’s Day Crafts
We love doing themed crafts with our groups here at ECDA for every special occasion throughout the year! With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we have lots of Valentine’s Day themed crafts coming up for the children in our weekly groups.
We would like to share one of our upcoming craft plans with you. We will be making Tie Dye Hearts. This activity only needs a few supplies and is a lot of fun! You can showcase them on the walls, make other crafts with them, and they look adorable hanging in windows.
What you’ll need:
Coffee Filters
Do-A-Dot Markers
Scissors
To start, cut a coffee filter in the shape of a heart (works best when folded in half and a half heart shape is cut). For the tie dye effect, fold the coffe filter 2-3 times into a triangular shape. Use the do-a-dot markers to create unique patterns. You can leave the heart shape unfolded and create dotted designs.
Homemade Kool Aid Play-dough
This week in our groups we made homemade Kool-Aid play-dough. The children rolled out the play-dough with rolling pins. They used toy knives and toy scissors to cut the play-dough. They also used cookie cutters to cut out a variety of fun shapes!
Many of our activities we do with the children during group here at ECDA helps build their fine motor skills. This week’s activity with play-dough was especially helpful in showing the children how to use different tools and to learn the purpose of each individual tool.
We would like to share the Kool-Aid play-dough recipe with you so you and your child can have fun with it at home!
Play-Dough Recipe
2 small packages of unsweetened Kool Aid
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups salt
3 Tb. Wesson Oil
1 Tb. Alum
Add 2 cups boiling or very hot water to the above mixture and mix with a spoon.
Kneed on floured table or bread board
Add more flour if needed for desired consistency
Place in covered container
Play-dough is good for up to 3 to 4 weeks.
Celebrating Christmas at ECDA
It is a tradition at The Early Childhood Development Associates to celebrate the holidays with our families. Every year we come together, chanting the familiar holiday songs, making snowballs with homemade snow, eating holiday cookies, and making personalized Christmas tree decorations for the children to take home.
In December, we shared with you some Hanukkah photos and a few benefits of healthy rituals. As a new year begins and the holiday gifts have all been opened, the children will remember most how the holidays were celebrated at home, at school, and in our cheerful play room here in West Hollywood. At ECDA we believe that every little act of decorating, baking, or gift giving might seem small, but the entirety of these moments is the season’s greatest gift.
Megan Baker, M.A., Marriage and Family Therapist Intern
Celebrating Hanukkah at ECDA
Celebrating Hanukkah at ECDA
What fun we’ve had celebrating Hanukkah at The Early Childhood Development Associates! Parents, toddlers, infants, and staff have all enjoyed singing Hanukkah songs, lighting the menorah, and making potato latkes! We feel at ecda that partaking in these fun holiday rituals gives children of all ages a sense of strength and stability. And the earlier you start, the better!
5 Rewards of Meaningful Rituals
- Rituals give children a feeling of belonging and celebration
- Rituals impart the values and life lessons that parents want to pass on
- Rituals can help children cope with difficult times and give them a sense of identity
- Rituals can have a long-lasting impact on children’s psychological health
- Children from families who practice healthy active rituals adjust more easily when going away for college!
Megan Baker, M.A., Marriage Family Therapist Intern
Rewards summarized from “The Rewards of Rituals” by Meg Cox (1995)
“Sleepy Time” Workshop on Dec. 7th
Instructor Name: Marilee Hartling, RN, MFT, Infant and Child Development Specialist
Date: Dec. 7th Time: 1PM- 2:30PM
Location: Pump Station Hollywood (1248 Vine St. Hollywood, CA 90038)
Ages: 0-12months
Class Description: Sleep, or more accurately, the lack of sleep, is one of the most challenging aspects of parenting during the first year of a baby’s life. The biggest hurdle is getting your baby to sleep through the night. “Sleepy-Time” offers parents a gentle, sensitive, baby-centered approach to sleep that speaks to the uniqueness of each parent and baby. This workshop will help you to have a better understanding of your baby’s developmental stages, sleep needs and learned responses so that you can work together to get the soothing rest you both need. Discussion focuses on babies 0-12 months.
Marilee Hartling is a registered nurse and sleep consultant who worked for many years in maternal-child nursing and led the “First Weeks Group” at Cedars- Sinai Medical Center prior to conducting groups privately. She is also a licensed marriage and family therapist and a child development specialist. Marilee specializes in working as a therapist with parents, infants and children from birth to age 8 in her private practice in West Hollywood. Marilee is the mother of 4 grown children and is also a new grandmother.
How to sign up for a class:
Please call Pump Station Hollywood at (323) 469-5300
For more information:
Website: www.ecdevelopment.org
Email: info@ecdevelopment.org
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