Ribbons, holiday paper,

Scotch tape, and cards!

How much should we

spend? What gift can I

give? The emphasis on

material things during

the holiday season can

lead to frustration and

concern. But you can use this special

season to help your children learn an-

other lesson. There are gifts that don’t

cost a cent, that don’t need to be

wrapped and that can’t be found under

any tree. Talk with your children about

these gifts and how they can give them.

Kids can give the gift of helping:

They can help set the holiday table.

Even the youngest children can manage

napkins and silverware.

They can help with cleaning around

the house. Give them specific assign-

ments that they can finish, so they ex-

perience success as well as the satis-

faction that goes with helping. They can help decorate the tree. Kids

will develop favorites among the bulbs

that go on the tree every year. And

getting that tinsel on

so it doesn’t clump can

be a challenge that all

kids enjoy. Kids can give the gift

of welcoming:

They can get up

and give big hugs when

grandparents arrive. Even if they are

engrossed in their favorite movie, get-

ting up and greeting visitors is always

appreciated. They can be greeters at the door at

the annual holiday party. And, an offer

to take coats to the closet is another

way to give the gift of welcoming. Kids can give the gift of time:

They can play with a younger

brother or sister for the afternoon.

Giving time for play, even though the

game may be “baby,” is a great gift.

They can bake cookies with their

mom. Measuring the ingredients, mix-

ing the dough, and putting the dough

balls on the baking tin are all activities

that parents and kids can do together. They can take the dog for a walk.

Kids can give the gift of patience:

They can wait in line quietly at the

grocery store. Often it’s the parents

who practice patience, but it’s a won-

derful gift kids can give a tired, fraz-

zled mom or dad. They can go to the fifth store of the

day without complaining. An afternoon

of shopping can make anyone cranky and

impatient, so the gift of patience is

especially appreciated. Even though you can’t wrap these gifts

with paper and ribbons, you can wrap

them with kindness and consideration.

Ask your children to keep their eyes

open. They can see when someone might

need some kindness to brighten their

day or some consideration to help them

with a difficult task. And give your

child these gifts. They may be tired

and stressed and will learn how special

it is to be given help, time, a warm wel-

come and patience during these trying

moments. Sharing these gifts will help

make the holidays a special and festive

time for all. http://www.pbs.org/parents/holidays/

gifts-dont-wrap/

The Gifts You Don’t Have To Wrap

Ways to Teach your Kids Charity 1. Be a Role Model. Show your chil-

dren how you donate by bringing kids

with you when you reach out to those

in need.

2. Donate gently used items. Allow

them to select which clothes or toys

they wish to donate. Take them with

you when you drop the items off.

3. Pitch in together. Volunteer at a

local food bank or soup kitchen. Bake

bread for the homeless.

4. Throw a charitable Birthday Party.

Ask guests to bring a gift of a book (new

or used) to be donated to a local charity

at the party.

5. Donate to the humane society. Allow

your children to spend some time with

the recipients of the gift.

7. Start a Donation Jar. Invite chil-

dren to share some of their allowance

through donating to the jar. Decide as a

family where to donate the contents.

8. Help elders. Do things for the eld-

erly that they have trouble doing for

themselves such as gardening, cleaning

or washing a car.

December 2015

Head Start Gazette Community Coordinated Care for Children Inc. (4C)

Wishing you all the Hope, Wonder, and Joy that the Season can bring!

Polite Preschoolers: Ages 3-4

This is the prime time for teaching

hard-core manners, since children

this age love to master new "big kid"

skills. But it's still a gradual process

that will take many reminders from

you.

WHAT TO WORK ON

Following simple table etiquette. By

the time she turns 3, your child

should be able to eat with utensils.

Now is also the time to start enforc-

ing basics: Use your napkin (not your

sleeve!), chew with your mouth

closed, don't talk with your mouth

full, sit up straight, and ask to be

excused when you're finished. Focus

on one or two behaviors at a time so

your child doesn't get overwhelmed,

and try to make it fun. Have a "good

manners" tea party

and use a British

accent. And it's okay

to let things go

sometimes, says

June Hines Moore,

author of You Can

Raise a Well-Mannered Child. "Don't

be the manners police, fussing at

your children constantly."

Expanding his polite vocabulary.

Work with your child to say "may I

please." Give him a do-over when he

forgets, so he has a chance to cor-

rect himself. Also introduce the all-

important "excuse me." He should say

it after burping or passing gas, as

well as when he needs your attention.

When he goes to a play date make

sure he knows to thank his host for

having him, and to

thank friends for

coming when they

visit your house.

Being kind. This

means taking

turns, not grab-

bing, and saying she's sorry if she

hurts someone. When a conflict

arises, avoid vague reminders like "Be

nice." Instead, talk to your child

about what to do, so she'll eventually

have the words to work things out on

her own: "It looks like Ruby isn't

done with that doll. Let's talk to

Ruby. Ruby, when you're done with

the toy, can Ava have a turn?" If

your kid needs to apologize, ask her

to say what she's sorry for, and talk

about what she can do to help --

whether it's giving back a toy or get-

ting her friend a play bandage. http://

www.parents.com/kids/responsibility/manners/teaching-

manners-kids/

When children and

grandparents live far

away from each other,

letters and telephone

calls can still be ways

of sharing closeness

and caring. Even

grandparents who are no longer alive

influence a family - with handed-down

traditions and memories that parents

can share with their children. As we

In all of our histories there are par-

ents, grandparents, and great-

grandparents who came before us.

Learning about these generations can

help young children understand more

about what "families" are. Grandpar-

ents often play a very special role in

the lives of children: They do many

things to help children grow and learn

and they often have more "free" time

to give to children than parents do.

help children understand

more about the people who

came before them, we also

help them learn more

about who they are them-

selves, as well as the many

different ways they're

growing.

- Fred Rogers

http://www.pbs.org/parents/rogers/theme/1531.html

Page 2

Grandparents: Appreciating people that came before

Teaching Manners--It Still Matters: How to Teach Good Manners

Head Start Gazette Page 3

Guest Readers Week: October 26-30 2015

munity and program work

together as a whole to

achieve the goal of school

readiness. Program Govern-

ance is also how parents can

be involved in the program

policies and decision making

by garnering their assis-

tance and support, in order to iden-

tify ways to deliver a high quality

program to our children. It was a

day full of learning, incentives and

working together. Thank you to all

the parents and staff that attended

this training!

Kimberly Rainey from

Rainey Day Strategies

presented this year’s Pro-

gram Governance Training

held in Orlando on Satur-

day, October 24, 2015.

Program Governance is the

way parents, family, com-

Program Governance Training

Apples, a cereal bar and some raisins

are all you need for this easy Rein-

deer treat.

Bagel with cream cheese, broccoli,

carrot, red pepper (substitute with

more carrots), Black olives

(substitute raisins) and celery.

Grapes, apple, raisins carrots, pret-

zels and banana are all you need to

create this dessert snowman.

Healthy Holiday Kid Friendly Snacks

Holiday Trivia

How did Santa Claus become the symbol he is today?

Dutch colonists brought this tradition with them to North America in the 17th century. The English-speaking majority

adopted Sinterklaas but called him Santa Claus, and united the legend of a kindly old man with old Nordic folktales of a magi-

cian who punished naughty children and rewarded good children with presents. The resulting image of Santa Claus in the

United States crystallized in the 19th century and appears poised to continue into the 21st

Why do people hang mistletoe in doorways?

The ancient druids believed mistletoe had magic powers as well as medicinal properties. Later, the custom developed in Eng-

land (and, still later, in the United States) of kissing under the mistletoe, an action once believed to lead inevitably to mar-

riage.

Where does the White House get its Christmas tree?

The National Christmas Tree Association presents the First Family with a tree every year, after selecting it at their annual

convention.

What does Kwanzaa mean?

Kwanzaa is Swahili for "fresh fruits." The holiday is based on African harvest festival traditions.

What is the origin of Kwanzaa?

Maulana Karenga, a professor of black studies at California State University at Long Beach, created Kwanzaa in 1966 as a non-

religious celebration of family and social values for African American families.

In what year was the New Year's ball first dropped in New York City's Times Square?

This Times Square tradition started in 1906.

Graham Cracker Candy Village

Pick out various types of candy and small cookies; grab a few tubs of frosting and gra-

ham crackers. To make the base for your buildings, stack graham crackers to make a

cube, then build the walls around it. Use frosting between pieces to stick them to-

gether, and decorate your buildings with sprinkles and candy.