It's 'Kansas Reads to Preschoolers' Week!

The 2010 Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week is officially upon us!

For today (and every day), make it your goal to read with your little one. Here are some great tips on how to do this effectively!

Don't forget about our awesome KS Reads To Preschoolers PJ Milk & Cookies event this Friday, November 19th, at 6:30 PM in the Munson library. Read more and RSVP on our NEW facebook page! Be sure to invite your local friends with little ones birth-three to join in the fun!

Move 'N' Groove Tonight!!

Just a reminder that our October Move 'N' Groove will be held tonight in the Munson library from 6:30-7:15. Feel free to dress the kids in costume!!

Grins & Squiggles: Apples & Worms

Last night, we met for our first Grins & Squiggles of the school year. WOW, we had a fantastic turnout!



After we shook our sillies out, we read Ten Apples Up On Top!, and then did some apple & worm finger plays. Once we were finished, the kids practiced their cutting and gluing skills, making apple trees with construction paper and dot paint. We had a worm factory (aka play doh station) and some worm coloring pages, too!



We had a light snack of green apples, juice, and cheese "worms", and then headed outside for playground play and the most exciting part of the night for the kids- our "animal visitors"...






Remember, Grins & Squiggles is a GREAT opportunity for the kids to try things they may not have the opportunity to try at home! :)

Lil' Monkeys @ My Gym!!!

Last week, we held our inaugural private playgroup at My Gym Wichita.

From My Gym's website:

My Gym has developed an extraordinary program and facility devised to help children 6 weeks thru 13 years of age develop physically, cognitively and emotionally. We have over 200 locations in more than 25 countries offering structured, age-appropriate, weekly classes that incorporate music, dance, relays, games, special rides, gymnastics, sports and more. Children have loads of fun as they gain strength, balance, coordination, agility and flexibility while developing social skills, confidence and self-esteem.

My Gym affords us a great opportunity to let our children explore their physical capabilities withing the boundaries of safety. We are thankful for the chance to offer My Gym open play time to our PAT families!

Take a look at some of the fun things our PAT "students" had the chance to try:









We are pleased to announce that we will be holding a Mulvane PAT My Gym playtime the third Tuesday of the month from 5:15-6:15 throughout the remainder of the summer! We hope you all will be able to join us next month!

For more information about My Gym Wichita, and for a schedule of the classes they offer, please visit the My Gym Wichita website or call 316.260.9122. My Gym also offers neat birthday party packages!

Lunch Bunch @ Island Park- Winfield

Overcast skies wouldn't hold us back! Mulvane PAT joined for our 2nd Lunch Bunch gathering this summer at Island Park in Winfield, KS.

Island Park Playground was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the existing park in 2008. It's a beautiful playground, complete with its own "Tot Lot" for the under 5 crowd! Our kids had a fabulous time exploring the park...













Stay tuned for our Lunch Bunch destinations for July... now taking suggestions. :)

Summer Happenings...

I've had several requests to compile a list of local activities, classes, workshops, programs, and places to see/visit over the summer. I will try to exhaust the possibilities in time, so if there is something that I leave out, please leave a comment, email, or call, and I will get it added. Thanks!

{Anytime you see purple text, you can click on it to link to the resource!}

Summer Workshops/Classes/Offerings:

Botanica
Exploration Place
Great Plains Nature Center
Kindermusik Derby
Kindermusik Wichita
Monart @ The Art Park
My Gym Wichita
Sedgwick County Zoo
Tanganyika Wildlife Park
The Wichita Art Museum
Wichita Center for the Arts
Wichita Children’s Theater & Dance Company
Wichita Water Center

Summer Reading Programs/ Library Classes:

Mulvane Public Library- 316.777.1211
Wichita Public Library
Derby Public Library
Andover Public Library
Borders Bookstore
Barnes & Noble Bookstore
Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge

Discount Summer Movies/ Movie Deals:

Dickinson Northrock 14 Summer Movie Series
Derby Plaza Theater Summer Movies
Palace West Wichita
Morningstar Community Church FREE Family Movie Nights
Dickinson Northrock 14 Family Value Sundays- Admission to all shows before 6:00 PM- $5.50. Concessions- 2 large drinks and large popcorn for $4.50 during this time period on Sundays.

Water Fun:

Mulvane Community Pool
Rock River Rapids
Winfield Aquatic Center
YMCA Aquatics
Wichita Interactive Fountain Parks

Recreation:

Mulvane Rec
Derby Rec
Wichita Area YMCA
Wichita Ice Center
KidsBowlFree.com

Parks:

Mulvane Parks
Derby Parks
Wichita Parks
Andover Parks
Winfield Parks
Rose Hill Parks
Augusta Parks
Maize Parks
Bel Aire Parks

Kansas Festivals and Fares:

Kansas Festivals & Fares Association
Compilation by Month

A Few More Favorites:

All Star Sports
Crown Uptown Children's Series
Great Plains Transportation Museum
Intrust Bank Arena
Keeper of the Plains
Old Cowtown Museum
The Donut Whole
Wichita Historical Museum
Wichita Wingnuts

Additional resources for finding things to do:

Wichita Searchable Summer Activities Database
Wichita on the Cheap Entertainment Section
Go Wichita
Eagle Entertainment Section
360 Wichita
Eagle article: Fun Things to do in Kansas this Summer!
"Top 10" Wichita Experiences

Lunch Bunch @ Great Plains Nature Center...

We met at Great Plains Nature Center this morning for some PAT fun!

GPNC is a great local resource for families! There is an indoor museum, several live animals to view, a 2,200 gallon aquarium, a beautiful observation room that looks out over a great natural setting with plenty of wildlife, and a series of outdoor trails that range from 0.5 to 1.7 miles long.

We began inside. The kids made binoculars for our animal adventure. We walked through the indoor museum, visited the fish tank, and explored various sounds, sights, and textures in the many interactive displays.





Next, we headed towards the quail trail, where we saw a variety of plants, trees, flowers, birds, turtles, and bugs!





When we were finished with our trail, we headed to a shady spot under some trees for our picnic lunch. The kids had a great time and us parents were able to talk, share some ideas for summer and outdoor fun, and enjoy the breeze under the shade!



The best part about GPNC... it's a completely FREE place to visit with your family! They are open Monday-Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM. Check online or call 316.683.5499 for information about upcoming events, classes, and FREE story times!

Grins & Squiggles Tomorrow, 5/7

Join us for a special Mother's Day Edition of Grins & Squiggles.

Friday, May 7th
7:00-8:00 PM, come and go
Munson Library

Dads, Grandpas, and friends: Give Mom the night off and bring the kids on to make a special Mother's Day card and gift. OR, take time as a family to stop in and make something for Grandma, Aunt, or special teacher or caregiver! :)

Hope to see you all there!

Please RSVP to Heather: hleggettATusd263.k12.ks.us

Tomorrow is Ready, Aim, Play!

Join us in the PAT room tomorrow (4/21) from 3:45-4:45 pm. The kids can enjoy open play time while the adults discuss our winning topic:

Making Family Memories... on a Budget!

Hope to see you all there!

Grins & Squiggles: How Does Your Garden Grow?

We met Tuesday night for a special edition of Grins & Squiggles! With spring in full bloom, we decided to go with a garden theme. Miss Debbie led us in a caterpillar finger play:

The Fuzzy Caterpillar
(Tune: The Itsy Bitsy Spider)

The fuzzy little caterpillar
climbed upon a leaf.
She spun her little chrysalis,
and then fell fast asleep.
While she was sleeping,
she dreamed that she could fly.
And later when she woke up,
she was a butterfly!

Then, Miss Debbie told the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, using a board book and interactive story boards. We worked on identifying various fruits and vegetables.







After story time, we broke off into groups. Some of the children stayed inside the PAT room for potato stamping, which promptly turned into finger painting, thanks to some fabulous imaginations!



Who's afraid of a big, bad mess? WE'RE NOT!!!



Our hallway activity consisted of hands-on gardening. Each child was able to plant a starter flower in a peat pot. We also planted pole bean seeds into small cups so that the children could witness the process of germination at home. Our students had no problem digging in and getting their hands dirty! Look at all of their beautiful work:



We closed with another finger play:

Out in the Garden by Jean Warren
(Tune: Down by the Station)

Out in the garden early in the morning,
See the red tomatoes all in a row.
See the happy farmer coming out to pick them,
Pick, pick, pick, pick, off he goes.

Additional Verses: See the yellow squashes all in a row; See the blueberries all in a row; See the green string beans all in a row; See the orange carrots all in a row; See the purple cabbages all in a row.

The older children were assigned a visual representation of each vegetable, and came up to form a row as we sang the appropriate verse. Not only did we learn to identify our veggies, we also worked on our colors!

All in all, we had a very successful garden edition of Grins & Squiggles. Hope to see you all next time!

Grins & Squiggles: Outdoor Fun!

We met last week for some awesome outdoor fun! We painted with water, used sponges, made creations with sidewalk chalk, made egg maracas, and poured and sprayed water to stay cool!

See how much fun we had?

Infantino Baby Sling Recall

More than 1 million Infantino baby slings have been recalled due to suffocation risk. Read recall notice and steps to get a replacement product here.

Grins & Squiggles TONIGHT!!

Join us for some winter fun! We will meet in the PAT room (737 Munson) at 6:30 to delight in stories, songs, crafts, and a special treat related to snow, cold weather, and all things WINTER!