Holidays Archives |

Reading Under the Stars

July 9, 2019 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

Looking for a new way to incorporate reading into summer adventures? Plan a backyard campout where you lay out and read stories together by the light of a fire pit or lanterns. Or, better yet pack up and go on a real camping trip with your books. Don’t let Colorado weather ruin plans. This can be easily be set up in the house as well if the weather is uncooperative. A weekend of any variation of this will be a highly memorable thing for your children. It combines so much fun along with education that they may not even realize is happening.

You could even plan a theme for the evening. Tell ghost stories, make it a Disney book night, or family favorites. Find children’s books about camping while they are experiencing it. Get some s’mores going to add to the excitement. Pitch the pop-up tent and have the puppies and stuffies join you. Try to fit as many blankets and pillows in the tent to make it extra comfortable for the ultimate reading fort.

Whether you’re backyard camping or great outdoor camping you can plan a reading discussion for the following night as well. The next day take the kiddos on a hike. Have them write down or draw the things that they see on their hike. Bring along a wilderness book to see how many of the same things they encountered during their day. They will be so excited to talk about it and learn more about what they saw. This is a simple and fun way to unplug with the whole family for a night or the whole weekend!

-Ms. Brooke
Lead Pre-kindergarten teacher
Curriculum Coordinator
Literacy Coordinator

Sweet Summer Fun

June 11, 2019 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

Finally! Its summer y’all! Have you been counting down the days like we have?! As the cold days become fewer and fewer, my family is in the mood for sunshine and fun. I have begun planning mini vacations, weekend trips, and the day to day activities. I think these will be great to do this summer. In previous years, we have had a ‘go with the flow’ type of schedule. On the weekends we would go to the pool and try to catch things that were free around town. While that has been great, I wanted to try something new this summer! We are making a summer bucket list! This list is going to have daily goals and also BIG summer fun goals included. Here are a few tips and some of the ideas that my kids and I have come up with!

Depending on the age of your kiddos, you may need to make separate goal sheets for each child. My vision for this is to include daily goals they can accomplish easily. And also family goals or a summer bucket list. I feel having this tool for the summer will help keep us busy and have a more organized schedule. Because truth is, I say that I want to do these ‘things’ over the summer and I either end up forgetting what I wanted to do (seriously…) or I get lazy and take the easy way out and make park and pool trips. Which is totally fine. But it means that I never followed through with what I wanted my kids to experience over the summer.

Daily goals

Depending on age, these are simple things that they need to get done daily. You could turn this into chore type activities. Or small learning activities that will help keep those brain cells busy in the summer months. My preschooler has 3 daily goals:

to read 30 mins total (with sissy or a parent),
feed the dog dinner (he picked),
and play a writing/letter game with mom.

So, this is a combination of chores and learning. It is important to include your kiddo in making these decisions. It makes them feel the responsibility of making a choice. These goals will most likely get switched up during the summer. This way, he can focus on other things he needs to work on and will be involved in that process too. Now, I have thought of also doing a reward system for this…but decided against it. I want these goals to really feel important to him and not become something he is doing for a sticker/toy. This means working with my preschooler so he understands the concept a bit more. I want to pump him up so he meets his goals and feels proud.

Little boy with summer bucket list — A well thought out summer bucket list

Family goals or Summer Bucket List

This is a concept that I came across online, but I put my own spin on it. Online, the picture had all the places they wanted to go visit. While that will work, I just wanted to be more specific and expand it a little. So, for our Summer Bucket List we are coming up with a list of things that we really want to do/see/explore and also some kindness activities. I picked a few items on the list and I let each of my kiddos choose things to add. Most of the things we added are things that we are surely able to accomplish and will be awesome to be able to cross them off.

Some of the ideas my kiddos came up with fall into the ‘we will sure try’ category. While I am not sure if we will be able to do some of the items, I still wanted to include them. I think it is also important for them to see what happens when goals are not met as planned. That way, they get to have conversations and examine their feelings on it and grow from it.

I really feel this system will make a positive difference in our summer adventure. I want them to really have a busy, fun, and engaging summer! Having a small outline of what this will look like will help keep us all accountable. I also recently read a quote online that said “You only get 18 summers with your children, that’s it. So make it count.” Boom. Right to the feels for sure. Being a kid is such an experience that can be truly magical. MY daily goal is to act like a kid and have fun, that way my children will have the most memorable summer ever!

-Ms. Whitney

Lead Prekindergarten Teacher

Curriculum Coordinator

Importance Of Summer Reading

June 10, 2019 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

We are all told that it is important to read to our children and have them read every day especially in the summer time. But some take it as a side thought like sunscreen application; something that should not be optional. It is important in all areas of your kiddo’s education to keep them reading regularly throughout the summer. Children lose more during the summer than they gain during the school year when they stop ALL learning. Summer reading is a simple and fun way to keep those brains chugging until school starts up again.

Most libraries have summer reading programs of some kind. They even offer rewards for reading so much in a certain amount of time. This is fun for the competitiveness in us all. Check your local library or online to see what they have planned for the summer and make a commitment of going once a week.

Just the short amount of time during the summer can put your child up to two years behind their peers who were reading during the summer months. They will not catch up because they spend the following school year trying to get back to where they were at the end of the previous year. These statistics are terrifying to see how fragile learning is. If we leave it, we lose it.

Reading during the summer is such an effortless activity that can save your kiddo tons of heartache and you in the long run. You are much less busy during the summer (so to speak) that reading can become an activity that replaces something you do during the school year (like band practice or dance lessons). Make the commitment you won’t be sorry.

Books are everywhere. Make finding new books a game. Take trips to the library, thrift shops, garage sales, do book exchange play dates, and keep books in the car during vacation travels. If you have reading times set in place already then just stick with those through the summer as well. You are setting the tone for the love of reading into your children now, then it does not feel like work for them late on in life. It is simply something they enjoy doing just like other activities. Happy Summer reading friends!

-Ms. Brooke
Lead PreKindergarten Teacher
Literacy & Curriculum Coordinator

Finding Santa In Colorado Springs

December 10, 2018 by Admin Leave a Comment

Children love the magic of Christmas and Santa Claus coming to town has made many Christmases merry and bright. Santa can be found in many different locations during the holidays but finding the perfect Santa experience for you children and family can be a little daunting. Listed below are a few of the Winter Wonderlands you and your family can visit this year.

Santa at the Chapel Hills Mall is a fun and convenient way to let your children visit Santa while also getting some Christmas shopping done. Santa is available Monday-Saturday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm with breaks from 1:00-2:00 pm and 5:00-6:00(Even Santa has to stop to eat), Sunday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm with a break from 2:00-3:00 pm, and December 24th from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm with a break from 1:00-2:00 pm. He will be at the Mall through December 24th. Do your fur babies want to meet the big guy? Chapel Hills Mall offers pet night every Monday through December 17th from 6:00-8:00 pm. Pictures can be purchased at the time of visit.

Another convenient way to meet Santa is through the Citadel Mall. They have the same hours for Santa as the Chapel Hills Mall but instead of offering pet night, the Citadel has partnered with NORAD Tracks Santa. Their web page https://www.noradsanta.org opens December 1st and tracks Santa though the Christmas season.

Santa’s Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops offers a different free craft each week, a free 4X6 photo, and games and activities. From now through December 1st Santa is available Monday-Friday 5:00-8:00 pm and crafts from 5:00-7:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm with crafts from 12:00-5:00 pm, and Sunday 12:00-5:00 pm with crafts those same hours. December 2nd-24th hours are Mon-Sat 10:00 am – 8:00 pm and Sunday’s and Christmas Eve from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. with crafts on weekday evenings 5:00-7:00 pm and weekends 12:00-5:00 pm.

If you are looking for a Santa tradition for your family, catch the Santa Express Train from the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. Pricing Varies from day and seating; $44-$74 for adults and $34-$69 for children ages 1-12. Guests can pre-purchase meals or purchase them on the train. Passengers can also buy a photo to document their Santa Express experience. Call or log on to make reservations 719-276-4000 or https://royalgorgeroute.com/santa-express-train/ Santa Fe Depot off of Highway 50 Canon City CO 81212

Holiday Evening at Rock Ledge Ranch invites you to celebrate an old fashioned Christmas with light tours, blacksmithing demonstrations, barn dancing, Victorian celebrations, Edwardian festivities, and a visit from St. Nicholas. The general store will be open for purchasing hot cider and other goodies. This event takes place December 15th starting at 4pm. 719-578-6777. 3105 Gateway Rd 80904. Adults $8, Seniors $5, andChildren 6-12 $4.

Here are just a few places near Colorado Springs to bring the magic of Christmas to your family. No matter how you chose to visit Santa, with kids and/or pets, in the mall or on a train, be sure to have fun and enjoy time making new holiday memories.

-Ms. Blair
Health & Wellness Coordinator
Lead Early Preschool Teacher

Let’s Skip Stuffing Those Stockings To the Max

December 6, 2018 by Admin Leave a Comment

little girl reading a Christmas book — Get exciting Christmas books

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, the countdown to Christmas is in full swing! Decorations all over town are going up, Christmas lights are shining bright, and the Christmas music is blaring. As you walk into every store all the Christmas displays are set up and all the advertisements are filled with Christmas sales. I’m sure your kiddos have started to make requests about things they want for Christmas and all the relatives are asking what to buy. Some might be feeling a bit of anxiety as the season approaches when this should not be the case. I would like to share how to take a step back a little on the Christmas presents this year and to focus on what matters most.

As you start to plan out what your Christmas will be like this year, it doesn’t have to be consumed by the number of presents under the tree. This is something to really think about when your children are young. As you begin starting your Christmas traditions, don’t make it about filling the stockings to the brim. If you are stacking gifts under the tree to the max, they may start to expect it as each year passes and they become more aware of what is going on. This could cause your kiddos to loose sight of what Christmas is all about.

A really awesome idea I heard about a few years ago was to plan your gift giving around this mantra: Give your child what they want, need, wear and read. So simple! It really narrows it down to four easy categories to shop for and will drastically cut down on over giving. This really works great for all ages! Maybe you feel compelled to do a few items in each category depending on your family dynamics, but still stick to the categories. Buying even 2 items from each one will still cut down on the overflow of gifts. Continue to have fun and have your child create their Christmas list, but have them break it down into these categories.

Include them in the idea of not buying all the toys off the shelf and help them to understand as they grow older as to why. Also, it’s super important to not spend beyond your budget. Set a budget for each child and really stick to it! It is hard, I know! But doing the want, need, wear, read breakdown really helps!
Be intentional about filling Christmas time with other things instead of presents. Make the memories and show kindness to others during the holiday season. There are lots of events around town to attend, looking at Christmas lights while drinking hot coco is always fun, or even reach out by having you and your children do kind things for others or those in need. Christmas is really not about checking every item off your child’s Christmas list; it’s about spending time together, creating memories and starting lasting traditions as a family.

-Ms. Whitney
Curriculum Coordinator
Lead Pre-K Teacher