Big news for little ones from Beth Yeshurun Day School! They are starting a new program for parents and babies. BYDS Admissions Director Mireille Chait explains more about the program here.

"We are very happy to announce that this year, Beth Yeshurun Day School is starting a new Parent Toddler class for children 3-12 months.  This will be held every Tuesday from 9:00am to 10:30am starting on September 3.  

This class will be taught by one of our very experienced Twos teachers, Natascha Gotesky, and will include story time, song time, finger plays, a nutritious snack, mommy support and lots more. We will be incorporating an ABC Music and Me Program, created by Kindermusik International.  This is a research based early childhood curriculum that uses bundled, thematic lessons to help young children learn important language, listening and social skills."

They will also continue with their already established Parent Toddler class for children 12 months and up, on Thursdays from 9:00am-10:30am, starting on September 12. 

Please contact BYDS Admissions Director Mireille Chait, at mchait@byds.org or 713-666-1884, for more information.

Tips for a Sunny Summer Transition
Originally posted by The PJ Library on their website on 06/23/13. You can sign up to receive free books from PJ Library here.

Many children will be saying Shalom Chaverim  to their school friends this month, and saying hello to the fun summer days of play. While the respite from everyday school routine can be fulfilling for many PJ Library readers, many still may nevertheless need some help making the transition.

Below are some ways parents and families can help their preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary-aged children make a happy and healthy transition into summer.

TALK IT OUT
As it’s put in the Scholastic.com article, “Saying Goodbye to the School Year,” parting with school friends can by tough for young children. “Some children will even appear to regress to an old behavior, such as separation anxiety or childish misbehavior,”Scholastic.com states. Talking it over as a family, including discussions about the future (and when school returns) can go a long way.

MAKE PLANS TOGETHER
A good way to foster a positive feelings toward the coming summer months is to permit the child to take an active role in the plan-making. As Robin McClure writes in her About Childcarepost, “Helping Preschoolers Transition Summer and School,” inclusion can go a long way. “If your child will be taking swimming lessons, seek her input about which session or time to choose (that is, if you’re willing to go with what your tot chooses),” she writes. “If you are planning a vacation, begin talking about where you’re going, what you’ll be doing while there and how the trip will include a ride on an airplane or a long family drive.”

KEEP SCHOOL IN MIND
Esther Leung is a special needs consultant. In her post on The Friendship Circle website, “Transitioning to Summer: 9 Tips for Special Needs Parents,” she explains the ways in which academics can be included in summer plans. She advises parents to conduct an evaluation and review of the school year, plan “retention activities” designed to reinforced what was taught during the last year, and to visit the next year’s classroom.

MAINTAIN EXISTING FRIENDSHIPS
Just because your child isn’t seeing his or her friends each day doesn’t mean they must go completely without contact. The value of Dibbuk Haverim, attachment to friends, can be expressed during the summer months through a letter, an e-mail, or an occasional play date.

Get your child thinking about his or her friendship by reading on of the PJ Library books listed on our “Friendship & Loyalty (Re’ut/Dibbuk Haverim)” page.

ENCOURAGE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
As we explain in the PJ Library blogpost, “Friends & Family: Two Values for Summer,” chaverim (friends) and mishpacha(family) are important Jewish values, but they’re also integral to happy summer experience.

“Whether at Jewish overnight camp or in your home’s backyard or neighborhood park, spending fun time with friends often represents the epitome of summer freedom.”

CONSIDER CAMP
Many families like Jewish day or overnight camp as a summer option for children. In our blogpost, “Why (Jewish) Summer Camp?” we spell out some of the benefits that come with this type of experience.

However you family transitions into summer, we at PJ Library wish you all a relaxing and fulfilling season of warm weather and colorful books!

Everyone has a chance to win this awesome OOGIAH Snack Time Rocks gift pack, and help the San Francisco Jewish Community Preschools as well. Their online auction is going on now, and we were so excited to participate by donating this musical snack pack. Is includes a blue plastic bowl filled with a reusable grocery bag, 4 CDs by Bay Area bands that kids love and coordinating snacks! Alison Faith Levy's World of Wonder and chocolate globes; The Alphabet Rockers and alphabet cookies; Octopretzel and pretzels and The Juice Box Heroes and...juice boxes! And some cookies from OOGIAH! Right now you can get $100 worth of this cool stuff for $35! You can bid here. 

Posted by Rachel Teichman

For someone who loves the book One Smart Cookie, and who named her company after a cookie (OOGIAH is cookie in Hebrew), it took my smart cookie friend to tell me that I should review this book, which she just gave to my daughter for her birthday!

This book is such a lovely introduction to preparing for academic life, whether in Kindergarten, or beyond. And it does it all within the context of baking cookies, one of my family's favorite things to cook together. The book gives advice such as telling you to always be organized, and not to be disorganized, but always in the context of how it will affect your cookie making. It is so "sweet!"

And we can't wait to make the Smart Cookies with the recipe at the back of the book. Just need to get some Smarties candies. Thank you to our sweet friends!

Posted by Rachel Teichman