A little magic at Bothell Family

Written by Chitra Kosusu

On Wednesday, the children were treated to a magical experience with a kids magic show put on by local magician, Sarah from Zero and Somebuddy.

The children were filled with excitement and anticipation and eagerly awaited the start of the show. Sarah made her grand entrance, dressed in a black and white outfit, complete with a top hat and wand.

The children were mesmerized as Sarah performed a variety of tricks, including her naughty magic wand Matilda, breakaway wands, turning the wheel of wonder from balloons and pulling an endless stream of colorful papers from her mouth.

The highlight of the show was when Sarah drew a face on a board and made the face talk and interact. The children were left wondering with curiosity and in awe. In another trick Sarah made the children magically fill in a coloring book by making them say the colors out loud, and then made the colors disappear, followed by making the drawings disappear too. Sarah's rabbit made a special appearance in the end and the children loved petting the rabbit.

Throughout the show, Sarah made sure to include interactive elements, encouraging the children to participate and ask questions. The children were delighted, laughing their hearts out throughout the show and many were left wondering and in awe of how the tricks were done.

The children were thoroughly entertained and engaged throughout the entire show. They laughed, clapped, and cheered along with Sarah, making it a truly magical experience for all involved. Overall, it was a fun and magical experience that the children will remember for a long time.

Winter activities fun ideas

Written by Chitra Sharma

Winter is a great time for kids to get outside and enjoy the snow. However, with shorter days and colder temperatures, it can be a bit trickier to find fun and engaging activities for kids to do. Here are a few ideas for winter activities to help make the most of the winter season.

Building Snowmen or snow fort: One of the most classic winter activities, building a snowman is a fun and easy way for kids to get outside and enjoy the winter weather. All you need is a big pile of snow and some basic supplies like buttons, a carrot for the nose, and a scarf

Ice Skating: There are indoor ice skating rinks that have public sessions to learn ice skating. Even if your child is too young to skate on their own, they can still enjoy.

Indoor Activities like Board games, puzzles, and Arts and Crafts: When the weather outside is not appropriate, it's a perfect time for indoor activities. Board games, puzzles, and arts and crafts are fun and educational activities that kids will love.

Go on a Winter Hike/ Snowshoeing: Winter hikes and snowshoeing can be a great way for kids to explore the outdoors and learn about nature. Whether you're walking on a nature trail or exploring the woods, a winter hike is a great way to spend time with the family

Winter Storytime: Share winter-themed books with your preschooler, to enhance their imagination, vocabulary and creativity. Most local libraries have stories online and in-person story time for children. It's a fun way to keep the children engaged.

Kitchen Fun: Make winter-themed snacks together like snowmen cookies, and hot cocoa is a must.

Sledding: Sledding is a favorite winter pastime for kids of all ages. Whether you have a traditional sled or a plastic saucer, sledding is a great way to get some exercise and have fun at the same time. Just be sure to dress warmly and supervise children while they're sledding.

Visiting children's museums: Museums are a great way to spend quality time with your child and learn new things together. Whether it is going to science museums, children's museums, art museums or history museums it is a fun and interactive experience for children of all ages.

Overall, the key to having fun during the winter months is to get creative and make the most of the season. No matter what winter activity you choose, the most important thing is that you're spending quality time with your kids and enjoying the winter season together.

Hopelink Food Bank drive and Soup-er Night

Written by Chitra Sharma

With the initiative of food donation, Preschool time had an added event every school day.  During preschool, teacher Beth would explain about Hopelink, food donations and their purpose.  Then she would add up the latest donations and declare an updated grand total.  When the time to drop off the donations arrived, the grand total reached a whopping 550 items.

Finally, the donation day arrived with some of the preschoolers and their families going to the Hopelink food bank. Visiting the food bank, a first time for some of us turned out to be a great learning experience.

After the donation, few families stayed back at the Juanita Beach park for some more fun. Children had a blast playing in the park. The sun was shining bright on this fall day which made the afternoon perfect. With great reluctance, the kids finally agreed to wrap up beach play time. All the families headed back home, eagerly looking forward to meeting everyone in a bit for the soup night.  

A beautiful sunset greeted everyone making their way towards the preschool that evening. As we entered the preschool teacher Beth greeted everyone with a warm smile. Wafting through the air, was a mix of a rich, intense aroma, an aroma of cuisines from around the globe weaved together through multiple cultures, evolving with families and finally landing upon the preschool tables, ready to be consumed by the kids, the parents.

Although one parent would typically be at the school once a week, having the bigger family in one room was a rare moment that brought our preK families together.  It was a great opportunity for connecting with other families, strengthening the community and of course, tasting multiple cuisines from the BFCP family. Once supper was wrapped up, the parents and kids came together to quickly clean up and set the school back to how it was an hour earlier.

Finally, the customary circle time took place with teacher Beth introducing every family to everyone else. And then, it was time to go. With heavy hearts and full stomachs, slowly each family strode back into their vehicles to end the beautiful soup-er night!

The Power of Cooperation

Ever wondered what our logo means?
I see an adult and a baby elephant with a tree in between them,
all three connected to each other.

The Elephants
A mama elephant and a baby elephant connected by a tree in our logo. Elephants are herd animals.  They are a tight knit group and they always stand for each other and move forward as a group.  As a wise person said,  it takes a village to raise a child.   Elephant herds respect the saying too.

After a massive two year gestation period, very soon after the delivery,  the mother and the newborn need to keep up with the herd, barely getting any rest. The calf is born blind and uses its trunk to keep up with unwavering support from the rest of the herd, all other elephants chiming in as need be.  

As depicted in popular culture, elephants typically do walk a single file. When in search of food or water,  babies typically hold on to a mother's tail with their trunk while the rest of the herd surround them to protect against any danger. I believe the calves look up to every member in their herd for support, protection,  love and together the herd fosters a beautiful community.

And just like that, our children require the same unconditional support from our human herd. And perhaps a little more, a community who understands and accepts them as they are,  and provides an environment for the little leaders to thrive.  

Being part of such a community provides children a sense of belonging, a sense of identity and helps them to experience secure relationships. It helps them to be empathetic and appreciative of what they have. Just like the calves, our children grow in the context of a community. A supportive community provides relationships that children can depend on, that provide security, love, growth and confidence. 

But the power of a herd doesn't just end there.  The young adults and growing members of a herd get quick parenting and life tutorials with the rich experience from the herd.  And for us human parents, being part of a community provides numerous similar benefits. It allows families to be a part of the richer, broader network of resources,  connections, experience and support system. It provides a sense of togetherness, the support to thrive through good times and bad.

The Tree
A German forester and author, Peter Wohlleben, who has a rare understanding of the inner life of trees, conveyed that forest trees have evolved to live in cooperative, interdependent relationships, maintained by communication and a collective intelligence. Latest scientific studies show that all the trees in every forest are connected through an underground fungal network. Through the network, trees share water and nutrients, and also communicate. For the young seedlings growing in a greatly shaded part of the forest, the network is a lifeline. Lacking sunlight for photosynthesis, the big trees including their parents provide them food using the network.

The Connection
Symbiosis is the essence of life. The current view of our world that we are aware of is formed by a complex web of innumerable, unexpected and sometimes inexplicable symbiotic relationships. Zooming in from this abstract perspective just into the set of humans, one can quickly notice similar rich symbiotic relationships providing crucial support for different humans from different parts of our society to thrive. In every culture we can find references which explain the importance of a community, that we are all connected. In Sanskrit, the phrase, "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", means, "The world is One Family".  The South African proverb, “Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu” or “I am, because we are”, explains that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others and caring for those around us. 

These are the same values our community fosters at BFCP. The values of an elephant herd, to stand up for each child as our own,  to help each child to grow,  to protect our children and to help each other to grow in life. Just the way a tree provides warmth,  shade,  food, we at  BFCP aim to provide the values that help children grow with fun,  friends,  confidence,  unity and positivity.

References: 

Richard Grant, March 2018

"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-whispering-trees-180968084/

Oh! What it means to rhyme, all the time

The Gruffalo

Sometimes I get up with the rising sun,
always happy when the day has begun,
soon it is going to be bright,
will all the hullabaloo that comes with daylight,
I am ever-ready to have some fun!

I hear a word,
a song from a bird,
my brain tries to rhyme,
form a perfect chime,
two words to rhyme,
a bonus is a third!

Children's early language skills are about listening and speaking rather than reading and writing. Rhyming is important for learning because it teaches children about language.
Rhyme helps children learn about word families such as bug/rug/hug/slug/jug or Cat/mat/hat/bat/pat

Phonological Awareness
Phonemes are the smallest units comprising spoken language. Phonemes combine to form words and sounds. Rhyme helps children develop phonological awareness, the ability to work with sounds in a language. Developing phonological awareness provides the link between written letters and spoken language. Rhyming helps children expand their vocabulary by providing ample fun with word play.
For example,
Good night sun,
hello moon,
I am sleepy,
see you soon.

The Gruffalo

In almost every culture rhymes have successfully been a part of storytelling. Julia Donaldson's, "The Gruffalo", an epic bedtime favorite, is a delightful rhyming story of a mouse and a monster. Beautiful rhyming verses with little modifications flow through seamlessly to depict a story loved by children and adults alike.
”’A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood.
A fox saw the mouse, and the mouse looked good.
’Where are you going to, little brown mouse?
Come and have lunch in my underground house.’”

Rhyming in storytelling provides a memorable and engaging experience. Rhymes often incorporate patterns and sequences which help children develop memorization and strong recollection capabilities. It helps them memorize parts of a story or an entire story effortlessly! Rhymes stick in the brain much more easily than other spoken languages. It is not surprising to see that because of the impact of rhyming, many adults can remember songs or poems they had heard in their childhood.

Rhyming is a powerful learning tool that can be used anywhere to make learning a lot more engaging and fun. With fall season around, here is something that comes to my mind,

Fall has arrived in town,
The trees are changing to Red, orange, yellow, brown,
I walk on the ground,
Making that crackling sound,
Watching the leaves slowly fall down.

Some rhymes stay with us forever. Every time I hear, "Jack in the box" or "I am special" song it reminds me of Teacher Beth's everyday ritual at BFCP. Hoping to see every kid and their parents rhyme at least sometime.

A Summer Playdate at BFCP

Summer playdates are great especially when children get to meet their friends during the long break. The playdate being organised at BFCP meant a trip back to school and reopening the associated memories. The playdate gave an opportunity to meet parents and children from across the different classes at preschool and being part of the bigger BFCP community.

There was palpable excitement in the air which turned to glee as kids spotted the bubbles. Inside, it was like opening a surprise box, so much to play with, so much to explore. Bubble wands, water tubs, buckets, paint brushes, sand and balls. The custom multi tap water station was a perfect addition for a hot sunny day. What could be more fun and cooling than playing with water! Creative play was a treat to witness with children making strawberry cupcakes, ice cream, pizza and more using the sand. Some kids had fun finding earthworms and beetles under the logs. It took teamwork to lift the big stumps, finding the worms and putting them back in place. After asking for help a few times the kids decided to do the challenging task on their own. A sense of achievement reflected on their faces as they completed the task. The shade of the trees provided respite from the heat though the heat didn't seem to bother the kids. Eating cool fruit freezies given by Teacher Beth was a treat.

A little before noon it was time to clean up, bid goodbye and the time to wait, wait to come back as the vacation ends. The playdate confirmed that there is much to look forward to when the preschool reopens. Plenty of opportunities to grow, learn, play, explore and make friends.

Raising Money & Bringing the Community Together Through Art

As the sun begins to peek from behind the clouds and teeny green buds can be seen, Bothell Family Co-op Preschool is also preparing for spring. With a special spring fundraiser!

“Teacher Beth, our Fundraising Chair Danielle, and I  began talking way back at the beginning of the school year about different ideas for our spring fundraiser,” said Rebekka Ferbrache, Assistant Fundraising Chair and ceramic artist. They came up with an absolutely stellar idea: a mural that will be placed in the outdoor area by the preschool.

The spring fundraiser has traditionally been an auction, but this year BFCP decided to pivot once again. “We really wanted to focus on our special BFCP community,” Rebekka said. “The idea was a group effort, and when we floated the idea of a community sponsored mural, I ran with the idea, using my background in ceramics as a resource.”

The mural will incorporate at least 100 tiles that BFCP families and friends can buy for $30. Each tile, which is four inches square, will be used in the mural Rebekka has designed. The goal is to hit 100 tiles, but Rebekka assures us that if more than 100 tiles are purchased, she’ll incorporate them into the mural as well. “I hope our fundraiser is that successful!” she said.

Because personal art from students and families will not be featured as a part of the mural, the fundraiser is two parts. A paint-your-own-tile event will be held during the last weekend of March, with each DIY tile costing $15. Rebekka will fire these tiles as well to be returned to families. Be sure to sign up for a time slot at the paint party!

“I’ve always loved art, ever since my childhood,” Rebekka said. “But in college, my sophomore year at Notre Dame, I discovered the Ceramics Department, and I was hooked! I continued doing ceramics on the side after I graduated. In 2009, the recession gave me the ‘opportunity’ to make ceramics my full time occupation, and I haven’t looked back since!”

We are so excited to see Rebekka’s artwork come to life here at the preschool! Orders forms are due to a marked box in the mudroom by March 27th with the tile painting party on the 27th from 12-4p. Email the fundraising team with questions!

Why Bothell Family Co-op?

In a time of global and local distress, many families are looking for wonderful moments of warmth and joy. And many families have found just that at Bothell Family Co-op Preschool.

“It was honestly love at first sight for all of us,” said first-time BFCP parent Katie Sordahl. “The whole school, vibe, and everyone we met was great!” Her son especially loved the reading nook and the outdoor area.

“I felt very welcomed into the community and I love the idea of being involved with our child’s learning experience,” Katie Keller said. “I love watching Lincoln get more and more comfortable exploring and I know eventually he will make fun friendships. Kind of hard to get 18-24 month olds to play together.”

For years, BFCP has operated in the community as a beloved preschool and resource for parents. In 2020, with the news that COVID-19 was spreading across the globe, BFCP board members and teachers did what they do best - adapted. And thus, outdoor preschool was launched for the 2020-2021 school year.

“Originally we were hoping for a more nature-based program, so being 100% outdoors was actually something we were pretty excited about,” Katie S. said. “We stayed at BFCP because it was such a warm and welcoming environment for our whole family,” said long-time BFCP parent Jocelyn Goldsmith. “I was not interested in a school that told me I needed to leave my kid at the door and walk away.” All of Jocelyn’s children have attended BFCP and she is so thankful to have found community and friends at the preschool.

With registration for the 2021-2022 on the horizon, both Katies and Jocelyn are encouraging interested families to attend the socially distanced open house March 6th and 7th. More information can be found at https://www.bothellfamilycoop.org/registration. They have some suggestions for families to consider.

“For new families I would say ask as many questions as you have, nothing is too small and the answers will probably help out, especially now when we all have to determine what exposure risks we are willing to take with our families,” said Katie S. “The co-op model is unique, so ask lots of questions and make sure your schedule works with the co-op,” Jocelyn said, backing up Katie S. “If it doesn’t, see if you can adjust your schedule somehow because the community that you build at a co-op is unmatched.”

Jocelyn, Katie K., and Katie S. agree that BFCP’s teachers and model have helped both with their children’s success at school, and with providing a wholesome, comforting space for children and adults during a challenging time in our history.

“These early years with your kids are so fleeting, so make the most of them with the support of other parents who will easily become friends at BFCP,” Jocelyn said in her advice to curious parents looking for a preschool. “If you have the desire to get your child involved in a social learning environment through the pandemic times - this is a safe and fun place to have them start!” Katie K. emphatically agreed.

While we love our indoor school space, filled with so many wonderful choices for children to learn through play, we are incredibly lucky that we have such a beautiful and expansive yard in which to re-imagine the preschool experience. We look forward to one day (hopefully soon) being able to safely go back inside and once again enjoy our creatively rotating themed dramatic play area where kids could dress up, pilot a rocket ship, care for babies, run a restaurant, visit an apple orchard, etc. We miss seeing our kids communing around the snack table learning to serve themselves, painting a Thanksgiving turkey platter print in the art room, getting cozy in the reading nook with a new book, and working together to build epic block creations, but as a community we have been able to come together to create new and exciting learning opportunities adapted to the challenges of today. So for now, come join us cooking in our sand kitchen, dig potatoes from our garden, scramble through an obstacle course, and search for worms and other wildlife in our forest, rain or shine. Because as we say at BFCP, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.

If you are interested in learning more about BFCP, feel free to visit our website at www.bothellfamilycoop.org and reach out to our registrar at registrar@bothellfamilycoop.org with questions about our upcoming, socially distanced open house.

Bringing Our Community Together (Socially Distantly) Through Fundraising and Outreach

By Annie Carl

Happy November to all of our BFCP families and friends! The first full month of outdoor preschool is joyfully completed and we’re excited for the coming months. 

Our wonderful preschool has been doing some really fun fundraisers recently. While fundraising is important, this year it’s about so much more! “This year is a little different with COVID and all the precautions the preschool is taking, we really want to use fundraising as a way to help bring our teams together in a fun yet safe and socially distant way,” said Danielle Jude, Fundraising Chair.

The Deck the Halls Wreath Fundraiser through Stadium Flowers is again providing wreaths, poinsettias, evergreen boughs, and other wonderfully festive decorations for the winter holidays. Items will be ready for pickup at preschool the week before Thanksgiving. If you have any questions, feel free to email fundraising@bothellfamilycoop.org.

We also held the first ever BFCP tee shirt campaign which was resounding success! We interviewed BFCP’s fundraising chair Danielle about the tee shirt sale, which went superbly well. “A huge thank you to everyone who participated,” Danielle said in her email. “We sold 59 items and raised $600 for the preschool.” This money will be used for scholarships, future field trips, circle time speakers, and other programming needs around the school. This was the first year the fundraising committee put the tee shirt fundraiser together, and it went better than expected.

BFCP always places a high priority on giving back to the community. This year’s October Food and Funds Drive brought in much needed food and money for Food Lifeline. We collected $75 in funds and over 300 food items which will help feed over 500 families. These drives are so important for the forthcoming colder months! The Food and Funds Drive ran the entire month of October, and all food and money collected will be delivered to Food Lifeline.

Food Lifeline’s work to end hunger is vital to our communities, more so than ever. Last year they sourced 58,00,000 pounds of food and had almost 18,000 volunteers working with them, according to their website. Thank you to everyone who helped out this year by donating food and money!

The Clothing Swap on October 10th was very successful. Many families and parents found new clothes for the cooler months approaching. Thank you to everyone who participated for donating and picking up clothes!

Our Little Free Pantry also continues. If you are in need or know someone who is, non-perishable food items, baby supplies, and clothing items are available in the cabinet on the preschool’s front porch. If you are able, please consider sharing what you can to keep this resource available!

Thanks to our amazing community for phenomenal participation in fundraising and community outreach endeavors during this challenging year! Together, we can do so much!

Places Please! A Look Inside Dramatic Play with foundry10

By Amanda Johnson

On April 25, BFCP parents will come together for an all school meeting. All school meetings are a great way to stay up to date on all things Bothell Family, connect with parents from other classes and meet new members of our co-op community. The evening promises to be a treat with a special guest from foundy10 speaking on the value of Dramatic Play and Creativity, a subject near and dear to many of our hearts. I’ve written before about the importance of creative play in preschoolers in my article Playing With Your Food. But I must admit I didn’t understand how dramatic play fits in there. I mean, isn’t it all kind of the same thing? Turns out it’s not. Similar, for sure, but not quite the same. Let me explain. Or, ahem, let Chelsea explain.

Chelsea LeValley, founder of foundry10‘s dramatic arts program, describes dramatic play as structured discovery-based learning while in character. Or as she calls it ‘in role’. (I love this. We’re creating tiny actors.) It’s guiding students to use their imaginations and develop stories and characters through a given context. Preschoolers are naturally gifted at this. They have an innate ability to suspend disbelief and engage in imaginary circumstances that gets lost as we grow into adults. These imaginary circumstances can help children problem solve and interact with others. Dramatic play structures and guides their activity in make believe with literature while introducing new concepts, settings and environments.

With this new insight, I liken dramatic play as an extension of the broader concept of creative play. To engage in creative play, a preschooler doesn’t need to take on a role within their favorite story. It can be as simple as making sand pies during Outdoor Time.

Dramatic play is important because, as research proves, students who see adults modeling play are more engaged for longer periods of time. This type of activity is beneficial for the brain, as a way to connect with others socially and emotionally, and helps develop imaginations. foundry10 teaches kids how to play by modeling this behavior. This gives children a framework so when they are at recess or engaging with peers they can integrate their learning from their school environment to their outside world.

foundry10 Dramatic Arts program was created on the idea that by examining the way students engage with drama, we can better learn how to foster creative leadership and individual identity. They create, produce, direct, collaborate and teach programming for students ages 3-adult. They often partner with schools and organizations to support the professional development of educators in the arts as well as the traditional classroom and to provide students with access to unique dramatic arts related experiences.

Thank you, Chelsea, for telling us about the Dramatic Arts program at foundry10! I’m excited to learn more about this concept and how to implement it with our preschoolers at our upcoming meeting.

To my fellow parents: see you there!

All Parent Meeting details:

When: Thursday April 25th 6:30-9:00pm

Where: Inglewood Presbyterian Church

Topic: The value of Dramatic Play and Creativity

Speaker: Duncan Frost