Children Improve Dental Hygiene Through Puppets

With the help of puppet friends, Allentown toddlers and preschoolers discovered all the amazing things teeth can do and how to take care of them. Segal Puppet Theatre & Company presented Tooth Buddy Tales, a free dental care and awareness puppet program for the young children attending LVCC at South Mountain.

Through interactive storytelling and adorable characters, the puppeteers empowered the children in the audience to become "tooth buddies." The children explored how to keep their smiles pearly white. They learned that germs cause cavities, when to brush, and the difference between good and bad snacks.

To further encourage dental health, Ms. Dana read The Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss with her Pre-K Counts class. The rhyming words and funny story engaged the pre-kindergartners' interest in oral hygiene.

Air Products Helps Spruce Up LVCC

LVCC loves volunteers. Whether reading to the children or beautifying the buildings, volunteers help our staff in making the environment safe and supportive of the children's physical, emotional and cognitive development. The young professionals group from the Air Products Career Development Program recently visited two of our centers, providing a little TLC to the facilities.

At LVCC on Walnut Street, Air Products volunteers brightened the entrance of the building by hanging colorful canvases.  Outside, they painted the fencing and porch of our playground area. LVCC parents later commented on the good job by the volunteers.

Another group of Air Products volunteers, armed with gardening tools and shovels, landscaped the grounds of LVCC at South Mountain. They cleared weeds and overgrown shrubbery from around the building. Once finished, the building looked as if it had been professionally landscaped.

Thank you Air Products for sprucing up our centers! We greatly appreciate the time spent and hard labor required to accomplish the task.

Stepping Up with Pre-Kindergarten

LVCC at Walnut Street's Pre-K Counts class is going places.
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Pre-kindergartners, Pre-K Counts class and teachers from
LVCC's Judith Chase Early Learning Center
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The past two weeks marked the final days of the school year. Completing LVCC's pre-kindergarten and Pre-K Counts programs, six centers celebrated with "stepping up" ceremonies for the students and their parents.

"Whether we call it stepping up, graduation, or end of the year party, the main goal is to celebrate children and their accomplishments," explains Joselin Blanco, LVCC's Campus Center director. "It offers the children the opportunity to show their parents what they have learned throughout the school year."

Moving from preschool to kindergarten becomes a milestone in a child's life. Preschool builds the foundation for education, instilling a love for learning that a child can take with them throughout life. Celebrating this milestone helps children realize the importance of their accomplishments.

If asked what some of the most memorable LVCC experiences have been this year, preschoolers may say field trips to the Lehigh Valley Zoo or the Crayola Factory. Ask LVCC preschool and Pre-K Counts teachers the same question. They'll answer, "watching their students blossom from the beginning of the year until now."

LVCC on Union Boulevard Pre-K Counts class and teachers
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Congratulations Class of 2013! 

We are proud of you! 

Rockin' out with LVCC's Campus Center Pre-K Counts ceremony
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Aloha from LVCC's Fowler Center on Main Street
pre-kindergartners, Pre-K Counts class and teachers.
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LVCC at South Mountain pre-kindergartners,
 Pre-K Counts class and teachers
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Constructing a Social Network with K'NEX

Using simple K'NEX components and unlimited imagination, the school-age children from LVCC at South Mountain built innovative large-scale models as a team. Working together encouraged social interaction and collaborative problem-solving. Developing spatial thinking skills, the group structured problems, found answers, and expressed solutions to complete their project.

All this engaging activity occurred before school. Just think how much they will accomplish in the future!

Hurricane Sandy Relief Drive

While many of us were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, there were many families throughout New York and New Jersey that lost their homes through water and structural damage. In November, LVCC at South Mountain held a drive for families in need. Over 50 LVCC families and staff contributed clothing, hygiene items, non-perishable food, toys, and pet items. On Friday, the older toddlers and kindergartners from LVCC at South Mountain helped staff fill the van for delivery to the Iron Pigs Coca-Cola stadium. From there, the Iron Pigs staff distributed the donated items to families in Lakewood, NJ.

To all the families and staff involved in this relief effort, thank you for all your help!



Seiple Farms Pumpkin Picking

The preschool and Pre-K Counts classes from LVCC at South Mountain discovered life on the farm at Seiple Farms. Mrs. C., the farm educator, explained the different types of pumpkins and gourds, along with the machinery and crops found on their farm. She then led the children on a journey into the corn fields, through the hay maze, on a hay ride, and finally ending at the pumpkin patch.  During the visit, the children explored the barn full of cows, pigs, and llamas. They also picked out their very own baby bear pumpkins. By the end of the exciting afternoon, the children boarded the bus tuckered out with their pumpkins.

 

View More Photos of LVCC at Seiple Farms