Easy ways to serve healthy snacks!

This fall, try offering these wholesome snack options in place of traditionally less-nutritious snacks:

• INSTEAD OF fruit drinks or other sugary beverages TRY frozen cubes of 100% fruit juice in cups of water

• INSTEAD OF cookies TRY graham crackers dipped in unsweetened    applesauce
• INSTEAD OF sugary cereal TRY mixing different shapes of whole-grain cereals, such as oat O’s, bran squares, and corn flakes
• INSTEAD OF potato chips TRY baked vegetable chips       
• INSTEAD OF crackers TRY whole-grain crackers with apple butter or fruit
• INSTEAD OF cheese puffs TRY thinly sliced vegetables and low-fat ranch dip
• INSTEAD OF cupcakes TRY zucchini or carrot mini-muffins
• INSTEAD OF ice cream TRY yogurt and fruit parfait 

• INSTEAD OF gummy fruit snacks TRY fresh fruit, cut in small piece 

These small changes can help your child eat healthier and learn to enjoy nutritious food and make good food choices.

These ideas come from Let's Move Child Care (LMCC). Joy Kids is proud to be a partner with LMCC to make positive health changes for the children in our care.
www.healthykidshealthyfuture.org 

Apple week at Joy Kids

It's Apple week at Joy Kids Learning Center! We've learned about apple trees and apples. We learned that apples have skin; some are red, some green and some yellow!  We tasted all three apple colors and graphed our favorites. Six of us like red apples best, three of us like yellow apples best and two of us like green apples best! We cut up apples, added sugar and cinnamon and baked them, yummy!
Come visit next week, we are going to make apple burritos!

First Day Jitters - how to help your child

 Is your child starting at a new school or child care center?  Here at Joy Kids Learning Center we had several new children start this week. Below are some suggestions to help ease the transition for you and your child.

During the first few weeks of school, don’t be alarmed if your child:

• Is shy and clings to you                                  
• Is aggressive and won’t share
• Hits and refuses to take turns
• Tires or cries easily              
• Won’t talk about their day              

These are all symptoms of stress and normal reactions to a new situation.  As your child becomes familiar with the routine and comfortable with the teachers, these behaviors will disappear.  As a parent, you can help your child through this time of transition by being sympathetic and supportive. The following are helpful ways in which transitioning can be made easier for the child, parent and staff members:

You can help by:

• Letting your child stand back and watch. Observation is one way of participating.
•  Allowing time for personal routines, a nourishing breakfast and a pleasant ride to school.
• Having a cheerful and positive attitude as you say good-bye to your child.
• Encourage discussion about school by asking specific questions.

REMEMBER

The more relaxed and happy you are the more relaxed and happy your child will be!

Our new Joy Kids friends!