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Try out these fun summer art activities and work on your child's fine motor skills to get ready for writing and cutting!

Click on the link below:
https://www.messforless.net/summer-art-activities-for-kids/

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COVID-19 Pandemic: So, Your Kids Are Home Now. What Do You Do?

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COVID-19 Pandemic: So, Your Kids Are Home Now. What Do You Do?

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Take all of the guess work out of how to keep your child busy during this stressful time. Click on the link below and read this article!
https://www.instituteforchildsuccess.org/covid-19-pandemic-20-activities-to-do-with-your-kids/

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Topic 1: Teaching your Child to Identify and Express Emotions         

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Topic 1: Teaching your Child to Identify and Express Emotions         

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This summer, try playing Make a Face with your child. You start the game by saying, “I am going to make a face, guess what I am feeling by looking at my face.” Then, make a happy or sad face. When your child guesses the feeling word, respond by saying, “That’s right! Do you know what makes me feel that way?” Follow by describing something simple that makes you have that feeling (e.g., “Going to the park makes me happy.” “I feel sad when it rains and we can’t go to the park.”).

For more information, guidance with examples, and activities for this topic, please click on the link below:
http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/documents/teaching_emotions.pdf

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Activity 1: Building Social Emotional Skills at Home

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Activity 1: Building Social Emotional Skills at Home

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You and your child can make and use puppets together! Teachers sometimes talk with children about conflicts and help them think about solutions while using puppets and families can try this technique at home. Puppets are a great way to introduce children to feeling words like happy, sad, angry, and children will sometimes talk to puppets about their feelings. Puppets can also help in discussions about challenging topics, like getting to bed on time (Source).

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A homemade toy that encourages imaginative play!

Creating a character or a new friend out of a sock brings hours of fun for kids. It's fun for kids to make their own sock puppet and then the enjoyment of bringing it to life.

The simple sock puppet is not a new phenomenon but a very popular one with the kids.

What you will need?

You can use just about anything around the house or you could raid your craft box to make these sock puppets. I try to keep it simple and not have too many craft options so the kids are more decisive about what they are going to do.

We used craft glue, wool, felt, scissors, wiggly eyes, pompoms, patty pans and buttons. The craft glue does wet and soak the sock but not enough to glue it closed shut and you are unable to put your hand in.

My two older girls had different ideas on making their puppets. One made a puppet that was standing up ways and another that is worn along the arm in length ways.

The orange patty pans are bows in the puppets hair and the red patty pans are ears. The creative ideas are endless. The glue takes a while to dry in the sock puppets; we laid ours in the sun to help dry them quicker.

Let's Learn

Kids have fun naming and playing with their puppets!

My girls were so excited and felt very proud of what they had created! They couldn't wait for their puppets to dry so they could play with them!

Learning Opportunities

Language development.

Storytelling and imaginative play.

Great for self-esteem - a sense of achievement and pride.

Creative thinking and concentration skills.

Motor coordination development.

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A homemade toy that encourages imaginative play! Creating a character or a new friend out of a sock brings hours of fun for kids. It's fun for kids to make their own sock puppet and then the enjoyment of bringing it to life. #MakingSockPuppets #CreativePlay

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Early Childhood Registration Hubs are staffed daily Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 3:00. We are scheduling appointments to finalize Returning Child Packets, accept documents and to complete registrations for the 2020-21sy. If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment please call 513-363-0240 and choose:
option 1: Vine Hub
option 2: LEAP
option 3: Carthage
**Classrooms are filling quickly**

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Wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Check out the link below to get tips on helping children wear face masks.  

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Wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Check out the link below to get tips on helping children wear face masks.  

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Our world has drastically changed in the last few months, and we're needing to do things that we never expected. Wearing face masks is probably at the top of that list! We explained the important reasons for wearing masks in a previous blog post, and this applies to kids as much as adults. An easy "guideline" to follow is that if you are outside your home and it's not possible to maintain six feet of distance from others, adults and kids should wear masks.

But like anything new, this may be easier said than done. Wearing masks is an unusual experience and kids may resist cooperating at first. Because kids get used to new things through exploration, they may naturally want to touch the mask when it is on their face. Further, it's possible that they could have a negative reaction to masks, given that anything associated with the new coronavirus, COVID-19 has largely been about the harm and problems that it has caused.

Be that as it may, we can offer some effective solutions to these obstacles! Most of the time a new behavior needs to be developed at home before kids can do it successfully outside of the home. Think about how you taught your children to say "please" and "thank you" at home before they so charmingly used it with other adults! We can help them get used to seeing and wearing masks with preparation, repetition, and positive experiences. Prior to COVID-19, some kids with medical conditions wore masks around the hospital like masked champions! Here's how you can make that happen too:

Tips to Help Kids Wear Face Masks

1. Explain in simple terms why kids should wear them

Wearing a mask is an act of kindness. Just like we have taught you to sneeze into your elbow, we're asking you to wear a mask to prevent germs from spreading. It's telling others that you care about them and you're trying your best to keep your germs to yourself. This kid-friendly video can help further explain why everyone needs to wear one.

2. Acknowledge their frustrations

Kids are frustrated by how coronavirus has impacted their lives. It can be helpful to acknowledge this and normalize their feelings, especially when they may feel like this is another negative way that COVID-19 is affecting their normal way of life.

3. Begin practicing when the timing is right

The best time to first practice is when everyone is well-rested, well-fed, and in a pleasant mood! It will be easier for everyone to have a positive experience with the practice when they're in the right mindset.

4. Do practice sessions at home

Allow them to touch it, sniff it, and hold it in their hands for an increasing amount of time to build skill and comfort (5, 10, 30 seconds for example). Then have them hold it to their mouth for 1, 2, 5, 10 seconds, progressing up to a minute or more.

5. Stay positive and make it fun!

Give them lots and lots of compliments for practicing and keeping the mask on for longer periods of time. Point out when your kids are keeping their hands away from the mask (instead of only commenting on when they are touching it). Once they're more comfortable keeping it on, have them do fun things while wearing it. Do a silly dance, paint pictures, play their favorite games, or read their most-loved books. Practice putting masks on their toys, dolls, or stuffed animals. If they're into superheroes, they may enjoy being called a "masked superhero" when they wear the facial covering. Distraction can really help them to ignore some of the yucky sensations that kids may feel when wearing it, such as the warm, wet breath and tightness around the face.

6. Use positive, clear, polite commands and be consistent

It might take some practice to change how we give commands. Rather than saying "Stop touching your mask", say, "Please keep your hands away from your face." When setting limits say, "If you'd like to go with me to drop this off, you'll need to wear a mask, please" of "You can't go if you don't wear your mask". Replacing "NO, STOP, CAN'T or DON'T" statements with positive and active ("DO") statements can make those desired behaviors more likely to happen!

7. Practice with others

Set up a video chat with friends or family members to practice wearing masks together. It will help normalize wearing them as well as provide encouragement for people on both ends of the call. Kids also learn new things quickly from their friends (like using "potty talk"!) and practicing together can make it more fun.

8. Plan to take breaks for relaxation as needed during practice sessions

Allow your children to take breaks if they seem overwhelmed to make sure that practice is happening when they are calm. Your child may find it helpful to practice mind and body relaxation during these rehearsal sessions. Taking a quick break from wearing the mask can be helpful if it is getting uncomfortable. We want to be sure that your children are prepared that the mask will be put right back on for practice once they are more relaxed.

9. Provide incentives when necessary

Many kids will simply need extra practice and encouragement to build comfort with this new behavior. However, if your children typically need incentives when trying something new, you can provide one here as well. Use approaches that have worked well in the past, such as sticker charts, picking favorite meals, and extra quality time playing and reading with a parent.

10. Be a role model

Parents can set a good example by practicing wearing masks too. The more positive, calm and easy-going we are about it, the more likely kids will be to follow our lead. It can be hard to see your child in a mask, especially at first, so breathe deep and give yourself grace that this can be hard for you, too.

This video explains that all visitors coming to Cincinnati Children's will need to wear face masks, as well as the precautions everyone is taking throughout your visit. It might be helpful for your children to watch it before they come to an appointment. We look forward to seeing you and your masked super hero soon! We'll be wearing ours, too.

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COVID-19: Tips to Help Kids Wear Face Masks

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Most of the time a new behavior needs to be developed at home before kids can do it successfully outside of the home. We can help kids get used to wearing face masks with preparation, repetition, and positive experiences. Read a child psychologist's suggestions for making that happen.

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Free Summer Meals

Cincinnati Public Schools sponsors the federally funded Summer Student Dining Service Program for Children from May 27 to August 14, 2020, at schools, recreation centers and other locations around the district. Meals will be served from 11 a.m. to noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  More information and locations at the link below.

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Dear CPS Community,

We know that there is one question on the minds of our district's parents, students, employees, and community members: What will education at Cincinnati Public Schools look like in the fall?

We have been working collaboratively for the last several weeks to answer that exact question and our goal is to share our final recommendations by the end of June. Today, we want to take a few moments to provide an update on the process and key dates, share what's happening this summer, and invite you to complete a survey so your voice can be heard.

Guiding Principles

As we move forward, we are keeping our strategic plan top of mind. We are committed to:

The health and safety our students and employees.

Academic success for all students.

Ensuring that students are at the center of all decision making.

Engaging with our school communities.

Utilizing data.

Health and Safety Protocols

Cincinnati Public Schools is actively planning for the reopening of schools with the health and safety of our students, families, employees, and community at the forefront. The following safety protocols for students, staff and visitors follow guidance provided by the Center for Disease Control and are under consideration:

General Health

Daily health assessments for all staff and students

Visitors will be limited to conducting business pertaining to enrollment or resolving emergency situations

Face coverings required for all staff, students and visitors

Reducing shared materials in the classroom

Meals served in classroom

Social Distancing

Classroom configuration to allow for desks to be six feet apart

Staggered arrival and departure to allow for social distancing

Social distancing on school buses

Cleaning and Sanitation

Increased disinfecting procedures

Encouraging students to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer more frequently

Procedures

Procedures for student or staff illness reporting/tracking and designating an isolation area

Procedures for closing a building during an outbreak, disinfecting, and re-opening (in conjunction with local health department)

Procedures for staff leave and student excused absences

Training

Training on safety precautions for all staff and students

Recovery and Future of Schools Teams

In late April, our district organized two teams to begin the process of reopening our schools and buildings.

Recovery

The first team is focused on recovery, which includes addressing safety protocols and the limited reopening of buildings and for employees and the public.

Key dates:

May 18 and 26 - Education Center opened to employees and the public (prefer appointments)

June 1 - School offices open for employees

June 15 - School offices open to the public (prefer appointments)

Future of Schools

The second team is comprised of parents, staff, union representatives and community members and is creating multiple plans to help guide the return to schools in the fall. These plans will be shared with the Board as initial options on June 10.

We are also working on several additional initiatives that will have a positive impact on student learning in the next school year:

Offering support for children experiencing trauma as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. For example, school social workers and school counselors will provide social, emotional counseling groups for students in need. In addition, there will be mandatory training for teachers regarding social-emotional learning strategies, and the development of safe routines and procedures for learning.

Internet for all students - CPS is working with partners to provide internet access for all students, and will announce details later in the summer.

Digital Academy - For parents and students who are concerned about a return to the classroom, CPS has a completely digital option that would allow progression to continue in a completely virtual environment.

Key dates:

Early June - additional feedback from community gathered

June 10 - initial options from the Administration to the Board of Education

End of June - final plan shared with employees, families, and the public

Survey

We are excited to be able to invite all stakeholders, students, parents, community members and staff to share your thoughts and opinions about the upcoming school year through a survey fielded via ThoughtExchange. Help us understand: What concerns, questions, comments, or ideas do you have as Cincinnati Public Schools plans for the reopening of schools?

There are 3 easy steps to participate in the exchange:

1. To get started, click here and then choose the "Participate" button and share the concerns, questions, comments, and ideas you have as we plan for the reopening of schools. You will then have an opportunity to rate at least 20-30 of the thoughts that others have shared.

2. Please note that your participation is confidential. No one will know who shared or rated which thoughts. We ask that you avoid including individual's names in your feedback, as those comments will be hidden from view in order to protect the privacy of our employees and families.

3. Finally, please come back often until the survey closes at noon on Monday, June 8 to rate new ideas that others have shared.

The last day to enter your comments is June 8.

Summer

During summer, we will continue to support our students and families through:

Summer School - Credit recovery classes will be held remotely and available online for high school students, June 2 - 26.

Meals - Healthy meals will continue to be distributed at 23 school sites, recreation centers and other locations in the district until August 14.

Health Centers - The following health centers are open to support the community. For locations, visit https://bit.ly/2MlMu8m.

Fall Enrollment - To guarantee that bus transportation is available for the first day of school, we ask that parents whose children will attend a new school in the fall enroll their child by June 24.

Our Education Center is open and school offices will be open to the public June 15 to help provide any assistance. If you have questions you can call our Customer Care Center at 513-363-0123 or visit our website at cps-k12.org/enroll.

CPS TV - The community access channel will continue to feature recorded online lessons presented by CPS teachers. More information is available here.

Social-Emotional Learning - Mental health counseling is available through our partnership with Mind Peace. A listing of resources is also available in our remote learning plan.

Our commitment to you is to be open to ideas, to involve all stakeholders in our planning, and to remain adaptable, with a focus on ensuring our students continue to get the education they deserve in a manner that keeps them, their families, and our employees safe.

We know that the 2020/2021 academic year will be unlike any we've experienced before. This also means it is an opportunity to be creative, flexible and innovative. I am confident that we will come out the other side of this experience stronger, with best practices around technology and learning that will change education forever. And our district will be better for it. The future is now.

Thank you for your partnership, support, and voice. Please take a moment to share your opinions with us on ThoughtExchange by June 8.

Sincerely,

Laura Mitchell
Superintendent

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Dear CPS Community, We know that there is one question on the minds of our district's parents, students, employees, and community members: What will education at Cincinnati Public Schools look like in the fall? We have been working collaboratively for the last several weeks to answer that exact question and our goal is to share our final recommendations by the end of June.

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Take a walk – A walk that incorporates language skills can be as simple as a stroll around the block, or as complex as an afternoon hike to a scenic destination. As you walk, encourage conversation by asking open-ended questions or observations like, “I wonder what this is!”  As you find different things on the checklist below, talk about the different characteristics of each item, size, shape, color, where they see it, etc. Take note (out loud) of things that you see, hear, discover and enjoy, encouraging your child to do the same. You could also create a game or scavenger hunt for your walk, prompting your child to search for and label objects using a  checklist:
Bird (or even different types of birds ie, Blue Jay, Cardinal)
Ball
Bike
Tree
Flower
Butterfly
Clouds
Spider
Fire Hydrant
Ants
Cars
Grass
Cat

Taken from:  ASHAWire, Leader Live 2012