Ecebc Caledonia

January 2010
ECEBC
Caledonia Branch NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY JANUARY 27,
Executive: 2010
Chair Person Childcare Resource & Referral
Sydney Rustemyer 7 pm
Co-Chair Person Everyone is encouraged to join us for a night of Valentine
Vacant ideas (receive recipes and resources).
There will be 2 voting actions taking place during the
Treasurer January meeting, be sure to attend to contribute your
Angie Francis thoughts to the decisions that affect our branch.
Secretary
DOOR PRIZE
Sherry O’Connor

Memberships The position of Chair elect is still vacant, anyone interest in

Ann Marie Leung this position can let their name stand at the next local branch
meeting.
Social Committee
Kathy Reed
Kelly Thirkettle
Be sure to check the Early Childhood Educator’s of BC
Newsletter
Denise Meise website www.ecebc.ca regularly, there is a large variety of
information available for you to access.

Most recently there was the Leadership Initiative Seeking

Communities of Innovation 2010 call for proposals;
unfortunately the deadline for applications is January 15, 2010.
This initiative was to provide funding to help raise the profile,
importance and understanding of the work we do in our
communities. Be sure to check the website next year in
November/December to see if the funding will be provided
again, to ensure you have time to put your proposal together.
What happened at the November Meeting

Submitted by Kathy Reed

Make and take Night

November 2009
At our November meeting we invited Debbie Colk to come and do a Make and Take evening with us. Debbie came
with Goodie bags for everyone, each bag contained everything we needed to make items for a Reindeer theme.
There was something to make for every age group and with parents for those of us who are also working in
StrongStart programs. We made the cutest reindeer puppet with different colour noses. Even my toddlers loved
joining in this story at circle time. I must admit I am not a crafty person and always burn my fingers on the glue
gun but Debbie was very helpful and supportive. What a treat to have a new item for circle time the next day. It
was a fun evening and a chance to socialize and network with our peers and all this for just $2. So if you weren’t
there, you missed a good time. Mark your calendar to come to our next meeting. There won’t be a Make and Take
but we will have resources and ideas for Valentine’s Day. Hope to see you there.

Gala
“Champions in Childcare 2010”
On Saturday April 17, 2010, the Childcare Coalition Northern Region will be hosting its 5th Annual
Recognition and Awards Gala and Dinner. Come on out to celebrate and dine with those special care
providers that you know, and honor all that we contribute in raising healthy children and supporting families
in our community.

This year’s Gala will once again be held at the Prince George Civic Center. All Childcare providers and
members of the public are welcome.

Watch for Nomination forms to be distributed later this month. 12 Award categories to nominate your
friends and colleagues. Dinner tickets will be available later on in February.

For more information, please call Kelly Thirkettle, 2010 Gala Chair at 250-960-5720.

Centre profile
If you would like your Centre featured in the next Newsletter please
submit a short write up about your program to dmeise@sd57.bc.ca
by February 15th, 2010.

Program Ideas
Wash Hands
submitted by Sherry O’Connor
Wash, wash, wash your hands
Wash your hands with soap. x2
Rinse, rinse, rinse your hands
Rinse your hands with water. x2
Dry, dry, dry you’re your hands
Dry your hands with a towel. x2
Snack - Eat Like a Snake…
sort of
Materials for fruit snack:
Blindfolds, Paper plates, fruit (e.g. Oranges
Lemons, Limes, Grapefruit)
Procedure:
1. Cut fruit into small sections
2. Place one of each on a paper plate
3. Blindfold students before putting
the plates in front of them
4. Have students “smell” each piece
of fruit with their tongues and guess
which type of fruit they’ve “smelled”.
5. After each child has smelled their
fruit like a snake, students can eat the
fruit.
Alternative to fruit:
Teacher can use any vegetable or fruit with
similar consistencies (like white potato and
DLTK's
sweet Holiday Activities
potato) for the “smell” likefor Kids
a snake
Five little Polar Bears (Tune: Five green speckled frogs)
5 little polar bears played in the frosty air, slipping and sliding
on the ice. 1 jumped into the sea to catch a fish for me, then
there were…
4 little polar bears played in the frosty air, slipping and sliding
on the ice. 1 jumped into the sea to catch a fish for me, then
there were….
3 little polar bears played in the frosty air, slipping and sliding
on the ice. 1 jumped into the sea to catch a fish for me, then
there were…
2 little polar bears played in the frosty air, slipping and sliding
on the ice. 1 jumped into the sea to catch a fish for me, then
there was….
1 little polar bear played in the frosty air, slipping and sliding
on the ice. 1 jumped into the sea to catch a fish for me, then
there was none.
(Move your hand, with appropriate # of fingers up, to indicate
slipping/sliding. Hold 1 finger up and move it toward floor in an arching
motion to jump in the sea. To catch fish bring both hands together then
point to self)
Name Game:
Hello Song
Everybody smile and wave,
Smile and wave, smile and wave,
Everybody smile and wave,
There is POINT TO CHILD AND SAY HIS/HER NAME.
Everybody say hello,
Say hello, say hello
Everybody say hello
Hello CHILD’S NAME

Stained Glass Heart Craft

snack. Or different flavours of potato chips
work too.
Use this as a craft you can hang in your window or make it as a card for a special
friend.

Materials:
 • waxed paper
• glue
• tissue paper (pinks, reds, whites)
• construction paper
• scissors
• glue stick

Directions:

• Tear tissue paper into 1 inch squares (ish)

• Take a square piece of waxed paper

• Glue the tissue paper to the waxed paper in a random fashion.

• Let dry

• Take a piece of construction paper and fold in half.

• Crease well

• Fold in half again, but this time, don't crease it very much (the less you crease it the better, but
young children may need it creased quite well)

• Cut out a half heart shape. You can do this freehand or draw it on for small children to cut out.

• Cut the waxed/tissue paper creation so it fits inside.

• Open up the construction paper.

• Use a glue stick to trace around the heart shape on one side of the construction paper

• Glue the waxed paper down.

• Trace around the other heart (on the other side of the construction paper) and around the
edges of the construction paper and fold down so the waxed paper is sandwiched.

Membership Corner
Membership with the ECEBC Caledonia Branch entitles members to a copy of the newsletter, voting right on local issues;
networking and support from local peers in the child care field.

Outstanding Memberships:
Cheryl Emerson, Yvette Hepburn, Debbie MacNeil, Lisa Rolfes Natasha Sirios, Leonor Smith and Jessie Sprague.
January renewals:
Jacquie Ennik-Laquerre, Ann Marie Leung and Denise Meise.

If you need to renew, bring your $15.00 renewal fee to the next meeting and Ann Marie will renew your
membership for you.
Renewal membership $15.00 New Member $25.00 – must be a provincial member to be a local member.

Were you aware that your Provincial and Local Branch membership costs can be claimed on
your income tax under professional fees, so be sure to keep your receipts.
My name is Ann Marie Leung and I have recently been elected to the Executive Board of our local ECEBC branch. I have
taken the torch from Laurel Patterson and am now handling the Membership of our branch.

We look forward to offering you more for your membership dollars!

Membership with our local ECEBC branch will include bimonthly meetings and newsletters, along with voting privileges.
This year our meetings will be filled with something for everyone. We will be having a Make and Take night, exchange
recipes, circle time ideas, mentoring opportunities, door prizes, and many more exciting and enriching material you can use in
the field.
Along with the meetings, we hope to be able to offer discounts at establishments that ECE frequent. In order to do this, I first
need to know which stores/establishments we utilize the most. Please participate in this short survey to aid me in this search.
Email your answers to my email address: TEACH2EMPOWER@aol.com.

"The top 3 establishments that I frequent the most are... "

Thank you in advance,

Ann Marie Leung

Saturday, January 16th, 2010 there is a Preschool Health Day Circuit being held at the Prince George
Public Library, Bob Harkins Branch 10 am – 1 pm. Tell all your families about this free drop-in early screening
program available to them. It includes completing an Ages & Stages Questionnaire, height, weight, vision and
dental check. Information on community resources and programs that are available. Take home activities.

If you have ideas or information you would like to see in future newsletters please e-mail me at dmeise@sd57.bc.ca or
ddmeise@mag-net.com . The newsletter is an information tool for everyone that receives one and with your contributions it
can be informative, educational and fun for all.

Charles Schultz Philosophy

 The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the
"Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the
questions. Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no
second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies.
Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are
buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials,
the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already

tomorrow in Australia." (Charles Schultz)