Kiwanis Hosts LVCC Preschool Annual Picnic with the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks

The smiles and laughter of nearly 120 Allentown preschoolers recently filled the Allentown Rose Garden. It was a sunny day in the park for the Lehigh Valley Children's Centers annual preschool field day and picnic. Our gracious hosts, the Kiwanis Club of Allentown, held a fun-filled day of developmentally appropriate activities. And guest volunteers from the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks indoor arena football team made the day extra special.

A big stick, rope, dish detergent, glycerin, corn syrup,
and a wash basin equal hours of fun blowing giant bubbles.

Team sports was the theme this year. The LVCC preschoolers and Pre-K Counts students from our South Mountain, Walnut Street and Judith Chase Early Learning Center sites rotated through six different stations, each promoting gross motor activities. 

With the help of football players from the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, the children performed football drills by throwing and kicking footballs through mini goal posts. The Steelhawks players were able to keep up with the preschoolers, which we know have boundless energy.   

Nearly 40 volunteers kept the games moving, including members of the William Allen High School and Allentown Central Catholic Key Clubs, along with several students from Emmaus High School. They assisted the young children through the moon bounce and obstacle course.  There were also activity stations to make giant bubbles and to get football-themed temporary tattoos. 

Thank you to the Kiwanians for supplying lunch for everyone, grilling nearly 200 hot dogs.

A Partnership for Best Nutrition Practices

Healthy foods and snacks play a large role in child development, which is why Lehigh Valley Children's Centers (LVCC) partnered with Penn State Cooperative Extension's Better Kid Care Program and Novick Brothers Corp. to create a sequence of nutrition videos to be used in the training of child care professionals. LVCC invited the Better Kid Care film crew into our Central Food Service Department for a cooking demonstration, and then into our Pre-K Counts classroom on Union Boulevard in Allentown for a lesson in healthy snacking.

Penn State's Better Kid Care crew filming a Pre-K Counts classroom.

The Better Kid Care Program provides educational materials and programs for child care providers. Among these materials, the videos were first presented by Jill Cox, Better Kid Care Program development specialist, at the April 2015 National Child and Adult Care Food Program Conference in Las Vegas. The videos will then be modified to become a part of an online training module, Healthy and Hunger Free Children: Resources for Families, available this summer.

Cynthia Snyder, childcare specialist
for Novick Brothers Corp.

Novick Brothers Corp., an independent food distributor and food service solutions provider, has been supportive of LVCC's innovative nutrition practices for many years. Cynthia Snyder, childcare specialist for Novick Brothers Corp., was instrumental in coordinating the partnership for the training videos. 

LVCC's CFS Manager Randy Levan

Child Food Service Manager Randy Levan understands the importance of a healthy community and makes nutritious foods his number one priority when planning daily menus for LVCC. This equates to over 16,000 meals and 13,800 snacks served a month for nearly 1,000 children.

Watch both videos below.

LVCC School-Age Artwork To Be Displayed at Allentown Art Museum

The after-school participants from LVCC at Lincoln School in Emmaus pose with Artist Jill Odegaard
and their woven rug, which will be on display at the Allentown Art Museum. 

LVCC families will have the opportunity to view their children's artwork at the Allentown Art Museum this summer. Nearly 100 children, ages five through 12, participated in Woven Welcome, a community-based art project conducted by the Allentown Art Museum. Woven Welcome utilizes weaving as a way to connect individuals and groups through the creative process. The program is the brainchild of local artist and Cedar Crest College Art Department Chair, Jill Odegaard. 

Museum representatives brought mobile looms to LVCC's after-school programs at Muhlenberg, Lincoln and Shafer Elementary Schools, as well as Nazareth Area Intermediate School.

The children learned the art of weaving rugs while working in teams, which required communication and problem solving skills. They quickly caught on to the pattern of looming over and under the warp.

Each weft thread represents individuals weaving through our day-to-day lives, and the many roles we play. As more material is added, a "community" soon forms.

Beginning June 3rd, the colorful rug segments will be connected and then unveiled as part of larger exhibit at the Allentown Art Museum throughout the summer. LVCC's rugs will be tagged for easier identification. Admission to the Museum is free on Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 4:00 p.m.

The after-school participants from LVCC at Nazareth Intermediate proudly show off their finished rug.

The woven rug made by LVCC at Muhlenberg School students will be among the many displayed.

LVCC Preschoolers Honor Mothers Through Kiwanis Project

Happy Mother's Day! Ask the mother of any young child about her favorite Mother's Day present and you will most likely be shown lovely handmade artwork, made with love. The preschool and Pre-K Counts classes from LVCC on Walnut Street won't disappoint! They worked diligently to create a beautiful floral gift to present for mother's special day. The Kiwanis Club of Allentown generously sponsored the project by providing the gardening supplies, then helping out in the classroom.

Painting outside of the lines was not only permitted, but encouraged! By allowing the children to choose their own colors and designs, their imagination soared. Ordinary flower pots were transformed into a creative display of color.

Using motor skills and brainpower while measuring, the children filled biodegradable seedling pots with potting soil.

While planting the flowers into the pots, the preschoolers were introduced to the different parts of a flower - from root to petal. Gardening is an excellent activity to nurture a child's natural curiosity by exploring the workings of nature hands-on.

Volunteers from Kiwanis assisted the teachers and children 

throughout the two-day project.

The finished project, ready to take home to mom! 

To complete the memorable gift, the children made their own card for mom. A decorative inkblot pattern was created by (1) painting half of a sheet of paper, (2) folding it in half, and then (3) pressing down evenly on the paper. The result - a one-of-a-kind symmetrical piece of art to be cherished by mom forever.

Thank you to Kiwanis Club of Allentown for making this program possible.

Kiwanis Supports Early Ed through Easter Egg Hunt

A number of LVCC infants, toddlers, and preschoolers discovered there really is an Easter bunny... and he's a Kiwanian!

The Kiwanis Club of Allentown Northeast sponsored the annual egg hunt for nearly 70 children enrolled at LVCC on Union Boulevard in Allentown. Our benevolent friends hid all the eggs, then helped in the search. Even the crawling infants discovered a few eggs.

Although the weather didn't cooperate for the egg hunt to be held outside, the children had just as much fun pursuing the colorful, candy-filled treats indoors. And the playground equipment in the gross motor room offered some pretty tricky hiding places. Just Born, Inc. generously donated candy and marshmallow Peeps for the event.

All the activity searching for the eggs wore out this toddler, but only for a minute before he hopped away.

Kiwanis International performs service projects and raises charitable funds for local communities and all over the globe. Their partnership has brought happy smiles to many tiny faces at Lehigh Valley Children's Centers. Thank you, Kiwanis!

Valentine's Day with Our Families

Decorating hearts and trading "Be Mine" messages with friends are popular Valentine's Day activities for all ages. Many LVCC early learning sites made the holiday even more special by inviting families to Valentine's Day parties.

LVCC at Monocacy Manor in Bethlehem welcomed moms, dads, and other family members on Friday. The children first delivered Valentine's cards to their friends - many with little treats attached. They then guided their families through the different learning areas of the classroom.

The younger toddlers and teachers decorated their room with hand-printed hearts.

In the older toddler room, family members read stories with their children. 

From building blocks to the class-made playhouse, the older toddlers were excited to show off everything in their room.

The older toddlers introduced mom and dad to their class pet, Mattie the hamster. Mattie helps the young children learn gentle touches when handling small animals.

The older toddlers enjoyed their snack of crackers and milk with their families. Healthy meals and snacks are served daily. For this month's menu, visit our website.

 

The preschoolers decorated with mosaic hearts made of cut pieces of paper.

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Week of the Young Child Success

LVCC's Campus Center

Pennsylvania State Representative Joe
Brennan with Pre-K Counts

Our Pre-K Counts class at Campus Center enjoyed a reading of the book "Bear at Work" by State Representative Joe Brennan when he visited Monday. Rep. Brennan also brought us each a coloring book and crayons to keep! See more photos...

The Pre-K counts and preschool classes held a "Hop-a-thon" fundraiser for the Muscular Distrophy Association. We enjoyed hopping around and using up lots of energy!

PNC Bank representative with Pre-K Counts

A PNC Bank representative came to visit our Pre-K counts and preschool classes. She read us a story and talked about how saving our pennies can add up. 

LVCC's Fowler Center on Main Street

Bethlehem Fire Lieutenant Mike
Rampulla with LVCC's Fowler toddlers

In between fighting fires, Bethlehem firemen made a stop at our toddler and preschool classes. They talked about what to do in case of a fire and let us try on the fireman hat. In addition, Fire Lieutenant Mike Rampulla read about llamas to the toddlers. See more photos...

Pennsylvania State Representative Steve Samuelson 
with LVCC's Fowler Center Pre-K Counts.

State Representative Steve Samuelson also visited our students. He read "Way Down Deep In the Deep Blue Sea" to the Pre-K Counts class. Rep. Samuelson seemed impressed that we all knew the words and could rhyme in time with him. We were highly attentive and enjoyed his visit.  See more photos...

LVCC's Judith Chase Early Learning Center

Ellen Kern, Senator Pat Brown's
Chief of Staff , with thank you tree.

Senator Pat Browne's Chief of Staff, Ellen Kern, came to our center to read to the preschool classes. As a thank you for visiting us, our preschool class gave her a piece of our artwork. Each student wrote their own name on each leaf of the tree. See more photos...

Our Pre-K Counts class received a K-Nex construction demonstration. We were able to build structures and received a K-Nex gift to take home.

Bernie Krokus of Allentown Health Bureau
performs puppet show for preschool.

The Allentown Health Bureau brought their traveling puppet show to preschool. Using a cat and dog puppet, they explained to us about petting friendly animals with permission and to not approach strange animals. See more photos...
The whole center held interactive activities where families could spend time with their children. Some classes had a family breakfast or lunch, while others made family murals and a family quilt.

Pre-K Counts performs a "Recycling" play.

It was standing room only during the Pre-K Counts performance of a play about recycling to improve our environment. Our class created the entire play ourselves. We wrote the script, artfully made the costumes and the backdrop, and picked out our own props. Family members gave a standing ovation for the wonderful theatrics of 4-year-olds. Allentown's Mayor Ed Pawlowski received a private performance afterward. The city's recycling initiative is what gave the class the inspiration for the play. See more photos...

LVCC at Lincoln School
To coincide with the investing theme for the week, our school-age class read "A Chair for My Mother" and discussed saving money for things that we may need.

Our Mad Science program continued. This time the mad scientist brought along stunt planes and gliders, arousing interest in aeronautics.

We were given a special treat by our teachers. We ate lunch at Sweet Memories in Emmaus!

LVCC at Lower Nazareth

Pennsylvania State Representative Marcia
Hahn with LVCC at Lower Nazareth students.

State Representative Marcia Hahn visited our school-age students enrolled in LVCC at Lower Nazareth. She read "Stop Snoring Bernard" and spoke with us about our interests. Rep. Hahn also brought us each a gift of "Billy & Betsy" coloring books!

LVCC at Muhlenberg
We performed fun and exciting experiments when the Da Vinci Science Center brought their traveling laboratory to our classroom. It gave us the opportunity to "think like scientists" and formulate our problem-solving skills.

A school year photo montage was on display for our families during our special parent/child snack. We gave our parents a gift made with love. Each of our classmates received a piggy bank and a book about how to manage money from our teachers.

LVCC at NAIS student cleans
up for Earth Week.

LVCC at Nazareth Area Intermediate
Our Earth Week project was to weed and pick up the garbage in front of our school. Everyone chipped in. By working as a team, we were able to get the job done quickly.

LVCC at NAIS students make
S.A.D.D. cards for prom.

Our female classmates made cards for Nazareth Prom participants. The S.A.D.D. (students against destructive decisions) club asked us to make a card personally addressed to each student going to the prom and placed at their table. The message inside the card is to encourage the prom-goers to be safe and make good choices.

We held interactive activities with our parents, including an art project, reading station, and a science touch-and-feel station. We also created a child and parent photo album to take home. Our families had the opportunity to watch the safety videos that we created earlier in the year.

LVCC at Ritter School

Pennyslvania State Representative
Steve Samuelson with LVCC at Ritter.

State Representative Steve Samuelson visited our school-age class. After he read a story about Native Americans, we drew illustrations depicting our ideas about the book. We then had conversations about the story and our many interests. Rep. Samuelson told us some facts about himself too.  See more photos...

LVCC at Shafer School
We also held interactive activities with our parents, including an art project, reading station, and a science touch-and-feel station. We created a child and parent photo album to take home. Our families had the opportunity to watch the safety videos that we created earlier in the year.

LVCC's South Mountain

Pennsylvania State Representative
Justin Simmons with Pre-K Counts.

State Representative Justin Simmons brought along one of his favorite childhood books during his visit to LVCC's South Mountain. He read "Tootle" to our Pre-K Counts class, which we really liked. We remained highly attentive and excited when Rep. Simmons asked us each about our name tags that listed what we want to be when we grow up. See more photos...

Allentown's Mayor Ed Pawlowski
with Pre-K Counts.

Allentown's Mayor Ed Pawlowski read to both preschool and Pre-K Counts. He brought each of us a pack of crayons and a firetruck coloring book. See more photos...

Allentown's Mayor Ed Pawlowski
with preschool. 

Pennsylvania State Representative
Joe Brennan, Ms. Oval, and preschoolers
singing "Build a Bridge..."

LVCC at St. Luke's
Our preschool class kept State Representative Joe Brennan engaged in lots of activities during his visit. He spoke to us about how he once wanted to be a kindergarten teacher and the importance of education. We sang "Build a Bridge, Dig a Tunnel, Build a Road" with Rep. Brennan, which involves a partner and lots of hand motions. Rep. Brennan taught us some math and measuring skills when we asked him his height. We compared Rep. Brennan's height of 6' 5" when he stood next to Ms. Oval who is 5'. Rep. Brennan also brought us each a "Billy & Betsy" coloring book and crayons to keep!  See more photos...

Toddlers stretching like otters with
Bethlehem librarian, Ms. Regina.

Ms. Regina from the Bethlehem Library read "Stop Snoring Bernard" to our toddlers. She made the book fun by having us participate with questions and answers, and then moving around to get out our wiggles.  See more photos...

Our families were invited to join us for breakfast muffins where we gave them a hand-made gift. We also had our picture taken with our parents, which will later be displayed on our family tree in the center's foyer for everyone to see.

We started our children's garden by planting seedlings. The garden will continue to grow as we add painted river rocks.

Pennsylvania State Senator Lisa Boscola
with LVCC at St. Luke's preschoolers.

Senator Lisa Boscola had a room full of precocious preschoolers while reading "When I'm Feeling Kind." One of our preschool classmates brought the book from home and asked if the Senator could read it to us. She asked us questions about the book and we all wanted to give answers.  See more photos...

Toddlers and preschoolers dancing with
Tooth Buddy Tales puppet show.

Our toddler and preschool classes watched an exciting puppet show by Tooth Buddy Tales. Using comedy and colorful puppets, the father and son acting team taught us the difference between good, healthy snacks (like fruits, vegetables, and milk) and bad, cavity-causing snacks (like candy, chips, cakes, cookies, and pies).We laughed at the funny puppets and actors. We danced to high energy music. The entire audience, including the teachers, participated. We all became tooth buddies because we learned how to fight cavities by brushing our teeth regularly and staying away from sweet and sticky treats!  See more photos...

 LVCC at Stones Crossing

Pennsylvania State Representative
Bob Freeman with LVCC at Stones Crossing

State Representative Bob Freeman read two rainy-day, sleepy-time books, "The Napping House" and "Stop Snoring Bernard" to our infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. He kept us highly engaged and entertained with his witty impression of Bernard, the otter with a snoring problem.  See more photos...

Pennsylvania State Representative
Joe Emrick with LVCC at Stones Crossing

State Representative Joe Emrick also visited our center. He was very animated and lively while he read "The Napping House" and "Stop Snoring Bernard." We enjoyed having him as a special reader.  See more photos...

Our parents deposited "centamints" into a center piggy bank. On these slips of paper, they wrote us notes of love and how much they value us. Our teachers later read these notes to us, which give us a smile throughout the day! We also had a family fun time, where families could decorate a square for the center's family quilt.

LVCC at Truman

Pennsylvania State Representative Justin
Simmons with LVCC at Truman

State Representative Justin Simmons visited our school-age class. After reading to us, he talked with the whole class about what he does as a legislator. The class had lots of questions. He also asked us about our interests.  See more photos...
We constructed cards for senior-citizens at local nursing homes. Some of our messages included jokes and inspirational notes to give the elderly recipients a smile. With this project, we discussed what happens when we age and how we can learn from older adults.

A TD Bank representative came to our center to talk about the importance of saving money. The representative explained some of the best ways to start saving at an early age.

Pre-K Counts planting flowers
at LVCC on Union Blvd.

LVCC on Union Boulevard
Our Pre-K Counts class instituted "Project Pretty" this week. We cleaned up and beautified the outside of our center by planting flowers in planter boxes. We used teamwork skills to help one another weed and plant.  See more photos...
Quiver Traveling Farm came to visit in our play yard. Our classes had the opportunity to pet and feed the various animals which included, a 19 lb rabbit, a calf named Lorelie, ducks, chickens, baby chicks, a goat, a lamb, a turkey and a pig. We LOVED the animals!  See more photos...

Pre-K Counts family tree project

Our Pre-K Counts families joined us in making our own family tree. Our families added photos while we drew creative artwork. Our teachers then displayed our family trees together on the wall so we can see all the different photos.  See more photos...

Walnut Street preschoolers doing "The Otter
Hokey-Pokey" with Allentown librarian, Ms. Joan.

LVCC on Walnut Street
Ms. Joan from the Allentown Library read our preschool class two special books, "Stop Snoring Bernard" and "Otter On His Own".  She engaged us with questions about the books and brought along animal toys to bring the books to life. We especially enjoyed dancing and singing to "The Otter Hokey-Pokey" with Ms. Joan.  See more photos...

LVCC at Wilson

Pennsylvania State Representative Bob
Freeman with a few LVCC at Ritter students

State Representative Bob Freeman visited the school-age center in honor of Week of the Young Child. After reading "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss, he asked us questions about the book. Rep. Freeman had one-on-one conversations about our interests. He also entertained us with his slight-of hand tricks that we tried to mimic.  See more photos...