Saturday, October 24th, 2009
11:00am to 2:00pm

My Small Wonders is almost ready for it’s second annual Harvest Festival!
This year we are raising money for Reach Out and Read to help support Early Childhood Literacy.
The festivities begin at 11:00am on Saturday, Oct 24th and will include games, activities, costume contests, food, and silent auctions!
Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes! A professional photographer will be on site to take candid and family photographs!
We could still use some more items for the silent auctions, folding tables, and a tractor to pull our hay ride! Please email Nancy or Bill if you would like to help with these requests.
This event is open to the community so invite your friends and family to come see our school and help raise money for a worthy cause.
To see pictures from last years event, click here.

Coming October 24th, 2009

My Small Wonders is beginning preparations for our second annual Harvest Festival! Last years festival was a great success raising over $3,000 for charity.
This year we hope to do even better and we are asking for parent volunteers to help us obtain donations for the silent auction and raffle and also food donations.
See pictures from last years event here.
If you would like to be on the Harvest Festival Committee, please email Nancy.

Coming in October

My Small Wonders is beginning preparations for our second annual Harvest Festival! Last years festival was a great success raising over $3,000 for charity.
This year we hope to do even better and we are asking for parent volunteers to help us obtain donations for the silent auction and raffle and also food donations.
See pictures from last years event here.
If you would like to be on the Harvest Festival Committee, please email Nancy.

The pre-k classes at My Small Wonders, the Apollos and Monarchs, took their first field trip ever! The children had tons of fun thanks to the efforts of MSW staff and the parent chaperones. 
We thought it was going to rain but it didn’t and the cool weather had an added benefit of bringing all the animals out of hiding! They got to see everything from the lions, wolves, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, and even the dinosaurs!
This field trip was a great success and we’d like to thank the parent chaperones again for donating their time to help with this activity!
Click here to view the online photo album!

Friday May 1 & 8, 2009
4:30-6:00 p.m.

Lisa Doan has been taking some wonderful pictures of the students at My Small Wonders and now has them available online for you to view! A portion of the sales will benefit the center.

She would like to encourage you to view the pictures online but, rather than ordering through the website, just write down the file names/frame on this order form. Here is the price list for the prints.

Visit http://www.collages.net

Mrs. Lisa also has photo gifts available (some are on display near the center entrance) and will be onsite this Friday showing the rest, as well as a selection of Matilda Jane clothes, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. The price list for the gift items is here.

Please submit your order forms to Mrs. Nancy so that we can keep track of the sales and submit them to Mrs. Lisa as a group.

My Small Wonders is seeking sponsors for the new Children’s Garden area to be constructed this spring. The plan is to install a raised garden that will be fun and accessible to all the children from toddler to school age. 
Total cost for the project is estimated at $1200. Donations of child size gardening tools and gloves would also be appreciated.
Here are some of the benefits that gardening could easily provide the children:

1. Science

In planting, children are indirectly taught the wonders of science like the plant’s life cycle and how human’s intervention can break or make the environment. They can have a first hand experience on the miracle of life through a seed. This would definitely be a new and enjoyable experience for the kids.

2. Life

Watching a seed grow into a tree is just as wondrous as the conception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids will learn to love their plants and appreciate the life in them. Gardening could actually help simulate how life should be treated — it should be with care. The necessities to live will be emphasized to kids with the help of gardening – water, sunlight, air, soil. Those necessities could easily be corresponded to human necessities, i.e., water, shelter, air, food. By simply weeding out, one could educate how bad influences should be avoided to be able to live life smoothly.

3. Relaxation

Studies show that gardening can reduce stress because of its calming effect. This is applicable to any age group. More so, it stimulates all the five senses. Believe it or not, gardening may be used as therapy to children who have been abused or those who are members of broken homes. It helps build one’s self-esteem.
If you are interested in sponsoring this project in whole or in part, please contact Bill Epperly.

The most hopeful thing any human being can do is to offer hope to someone else. When children feel able to contribute by helping others, they feel good about themselves.
Throughout the month of March we will hold our first annual Penny Pail event, a program that involves the students, ages 2-5, in helping those in need. The students should perform chores at their home specifically to earn money to give to those less fortunate. They will deposit their earnings in the Penny Pail at school.
The goal is to help the students build a moral foundation and enhance their social and cognitive development by earning rewards and giving to others. The proceeds will be donated to the Edmond Association for Retarded Citizens (EARC).

The theme for January was "Big Trucks". Our classrooms really had a good time with this theme. We had many visitors this month!

We had fireman Derek come visit the Skippers and Buckeyes. We had Ms. Erin from the USPS bring her mail truck by and teach us about mailing letters. We also had Ms. Natalie from EMSA show us her ambulance and her loud sirens. Towards the end of January we had Mr. Charlie show us his Police car. Mr. Charlie spoke with the children about following rules and being a good citizen. We sure enjoyed meeting all of our new friends in the community (click the links to view the photos)!

The classes at My Small Wonders will be having their Valentines Day Parties on February 13th and will be exchanging cards with the whole center! The classes have lots of fun activities planned and your teachers would welcome any parent volunteers to help with the festivities!

Please let your teacher(s) know if you would like to volunteer or donate anything for their party!

February 7, 2009, 2-4pm

Coffee Creek Recreation Center West, 706 Prairie Village Drive, Edmond, OK  73003

Hosted by Nancy Epperly

RSVP: 405-285-7752 or 405-370-4140

Necessities Details:

• Gender: Unknown
• Color Scheme: Brown & Orange
• Pampers Swaddlers Diapers
• Wipes
• Blankets
• Burp Clothes
• Bottles & Drop-Ins
• Onesies
• Pajamas – Sleep Bags
• Breastfeeding Essentials (Medela)
• Bath Time
• Etc!