No 15: April – June 2006

The Sunbird News

Newsletter of The Sunbird Child Development Centre

Dear Parents,

It’s in the news. Hand, Foot, Mouth (HFM) disease has been increasing lately in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. At the Sunbird, we are not taking any chances to protect all our children. However, we need the cooperation and support from all our parents to do so. For your child’s own safety, please check to see if he/she has any ulcer-like white spots in the mouth (including the gums), hands and feet. If so, you should take your child to see a doctor. At the centre, our teachers will also check. Children found to have such signs and symptoms of HFM will need to stay away from the centre and be medically cleared with a doctor’s letter before returning. If your child is found to be not suffering from HFM by the doctor, I am sure all of us will be relieved. It is always better to be safe than sorry. We know it is inconvenient for parents but we are sure you would want to put your child’s health and safety first before personal conveniences.

Please encourage your children to wash their hands more regularly, especially before meals and if they have been in public places.

At Sunbird, we are taking extra precaution by sanitizing outdoor playground equipments before the children use them. We are also having more hand-washing and hygiene reinforcement.

We’re OK! We are pleased to inform parents that Sunbird has just been re-certified ‘OK’ for hygiene and sanitation by the National Environment Agency (NEA). NEA awards a Certificate to preschools that meet their stringent standards for health and hygiene. We received our Certificate when the campaign first started in 2003 and once again, Sunbird has received a clean bill of health from the authorities!

While we remain vigilant about our children’s health, it is important that we continue in our daily activities to make coming to Sunbird a fun, loving and educational experience for all our children!

Dr Khoo Kim Choo, Consultant/Chairman

Ms Anna Soong, Principal

These are what we shall be learning in the next three months.

Toddlers and Nursery 1	Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes (x2) Eyes, ears, mouth, and nose
Mummy, Daddy, I Love You Mummy, mummy, I love you Chorus: You know that I really do I know that you love me, too So, I sing for you Daddy, Daddy, I love you Chorus Mummy, daddy, I love you Chorus:		Two Little Eyes Two little eyes that open and close, Two little ears and one little nose, Two little cheeks and one little chin, Two little lips and the teeth close in.

Nursery 2
Fingerplay: See My Family (Hold up all five fingers) See my family? See them all? (close hand) Some are short (Hold up thumb) Some are tall (Hold up middle finger) Father (Hold up middle finger) Mother (Hold up pointer finger) Sister (Hold up ring finger) Brother (Hold up thumb) And me! (Hold up little finger)
Song: I Love You I love you, you love me We are a happy family. With a great big hug And a kiss from me to you, Won't you say you love me too?
Kindergarten
Rhyme: When I Grow Up When I grow up So big and tall, I think I'll be a doctor Or nothing at all. And then, perhaps, A fireman, I'll be, Putting out fires That's fine with me But then, again, Flying planes is fun, As a pilot I can be number one! So, let me see, Shall I a doctor, a fireman, or pilot be? Can't make up my mind I think I'll be all three
Song: A Family is a Family (K1 & K2) Some (clap, clap) have a daughter Some (clap, clap) have a son Some (clap, clap) have many cousins Some (clap, clap) have none Some are very big and Some are very small But it really doesn't matter at all Because a family is a family When there's love in the air Maybe a dozen Or maybe a pair A family is a family Whether twelve or two We could be a family Just me and you
Repeat using:-  "Some have a father...mom...aunts and uncles..."                        "Some have a sister...brother...grandfather...grandmother..."
Poem: Shadow, Shadow (K1 & K2) Shadow, shadow, follow me, Grow as tall as tall can be. Tumble, tumble from the sky, Once again, grow high, high, high. Shadow, shadow, follow me, Grow as wide as wide can be. Twirl and twirl and twirl around, Touch the sky and touch the ground. Shadow, shadow, follow me, Grow as small as small can be. Shadow, shadow nod your head, Even shadows go to bed.

LET'S MAKE SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT TOGETHER

Recipe for Home-made Butter
Here is something you can make easily with your child in 10 minutes! It has no sodium and tastes yummy.

What you need:

• 100ml UHT Whipping Cream
• Small empty glass jar with tight lid (e.g. jam or pickle jar)
• a cup

1. Pour the whipping cream into the empty glass jar.
2. Tighten the lid on the jar and shake it fast and hard.
3. The whipping cream will harden and will turn into a yellow lump, which is butter.
4. Pour out the excess liquid into a cup (excess liquid is milk and can be drunk).
5. Keep the butter in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
6. Spread the butter onto bread, crackers, etc. Enjoy!

CHILDREN'S FIELD TRIP

Hurray! We are going on a field trip. All the children will be visiting Changi Airport to see the planes coming down and taking off! They will have lots to share with you after the trip. Date for Children’s Outing: Thursday, 20th April 2006

FAMILY'S FIELD TRIP

Join us for a family field trip to celebrate Mothers’ Day!

Date: Thursday, 11^th May 2006

Location: Visit to Farm Mart in Kranji. This is a huge market in the countryside with open-air shops selling vegetables and fruits, including organic, straight from the farm. There are also aquarium fishes and pets.

MEET OUR TEACHERS!

Meet our Senior Chinese Language Teacher – Ms Lin Yun. She hails from Fujian and has over 10 years of early childhood education experience in Singapore. She has two daughters aged 3 plus and 7. This petite teacher loves sports and plays badminton and table-tennis. She also loves reading, nature and, of course, children. “I love children because they are so spontaneous. I always enjoy talking with them”.

Ms Jasmine has 14 years of experience working with a wide range of children - from toddlers to primary school children, This highly energetic lady has 2 boys of her own, aged 12 and 15. Ms Jasmine loves sewing, art and craft and all beautiful things in life. Nothing gives her more pleasure than doing art and craft activities with the children.

KIDS HAVE THE LAST SAY

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING

The Nursery 2 children were told to get ready for their morning activity. Some of the children started to play and talk to one another. Miss Janet reminded the children to get ready, but they continued to be rowdy. At last, Miss Janet said: “I am going to be angry, if you don’t get ready soon.” Upon hearing that, Natalie, who was chatting non-stop with her friends, immediately looked at the teacher with big innocent eyes and chipped in: “Miss Janet, I love you.”

PEER TEACHING