Creating New Ideas for Preschools By Jeanette Prather Thinking outside of the box in education has become a super norm as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Outdoor schooling becoming more popular, more accessibility to personalized learning and governmental funding supplementing early education, to name a few of the scholastic pivots. Some preschools are taking these opportunities to continue developing their own new and alternative curriculums. “This year, I’ve set up a classroom outside so that we can safely be together,” said Westside Parent Education Nursery School (WPENS) director and teacher Cory Cherk, who is also a 25-year veteran of the preschool co-op scene and a current parent education…
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Valentine Gift Guide
Ann’s Picks Norrie’s Gift & Garden Shop UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden shopucscarboretum.com/ [email protected] Offering unique, interesting, and beautiful plants in the outdoor nursery or buy online. Also shop for household items, jewelry, gifts, and more. Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History 1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz 831.420.6115 santacruzmuseum.org [email protected] Unique gifts for all ages celebrating the beauty and nature of Santa Cruz County, including apparel, books and field guides, science, souvenirs, surfing, and more. Woodhouse Blending & Brewing 119 Madrone St. Santa Cruz woodhousebrews.com [email protected] Offering delicious small-batch traditional & non-traditional beers as well as handcrafted barrel-aged blends. Delicious Brazilian-inspired cuisine by @sampakitchensc. Live music. Spacious…
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Kiddos, Coloring, and Cookies
Ryker and Asher Big Foot Coloring Contest Winners January coloring COntest Ryker and Asher colored our January Big Foot coloring page at their preschool Play, Laugh, and Learn and each won a dozen cookies generously donated by Cookies Cruz! Do you want your chance to win great prizes? Entries for our March Coloring Contest end March 20. Your kiddo could win a fun filled box from Bookakery Boxes.
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February 2021 Celebrations
Monday 1 Sutter Maternity Postpartum Wellness Group Mondays 10:00-11:30am Call 831-477-2229 for log-in Santa Cruz County Moms onlyNational Freedom Day This day was founded to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy as U.S. citizens, freedoms that we should never take for granted. Specifically, the holiday commemorates the day in 1865 when President Abraham Lincoln signed what would later become the 13th Amendment. This amendment is so important because it effectively ended slavery in the United States. Freedom is one of the founding principles of the United States of America National Get Up Day National Dark Chocolate Day National Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day Tuesday 2 Gateway Tours by Appointment February…
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Kitty Coloring Page
Ballerina Kitty Coloring Contest Deadline March 20 Submit your coloring entry to [email protected] and we will select one to win a Bookakery Box! You can also mail them to Box 3505, Santa Cruz, 95063
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Sand Mining Ends in Monterey
It’s A Big Deal Sand Mining on Our Sanctuary Shores Ended Katherine O’Dea, Save Our Shores Executive Director | Santa Cruz The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the removal of that sand was causing the highest rates of erosion along the entire California coast. This month marks the final taking of sand from the last coastal sand mine operating in the U.S. on the shores of our Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Marina, CA. The closure was achieved as a negotiated outcome of a multi-year advocacy campaign initiated by concerned citizens and activists in Monterey County including Ed Thorton, a Professor of Oceanography at the Naval Post Graduate School, Marina…
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Vaccine Timeline
Understanding Vaccine Timeline and Questions By zach friend, county supervisor TUES | FEB | 2Supervisor Zach Friend hosts a COVID -19 Tele-Town Hall, 6-7 pm Supervisor Zach Friend will host a tele-town hall on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, from 6-7 pm with Dr. David Ghilarducci, EMS Medical Director and Deputy Health Officer for the County of Santa Cruz. Dr. Ghilarducci is a board-certified EMS Medical Director with extensive public safety and front line experience. Dr. Ghilarducci was previously a Fire Captain and Acting Battalion Chief with the Santa Clara County Fire Department and after transitioning to medicine served as president of the Emergency Medical Director’s Association of California, EMS Medical…
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February Teachers of the Month
The Pinnacle of Dedication A tribute to the Mount Madonna School Faculty by Christine Smith As we wind down 2020 and welcome 2021 with cautious optimism, I tip my hat to a group of individuals who are as good as it gets, and maybe even better: the faculty at Mount Madonna School! Blessedly, our world is full of good – good art, good innovation, good people. So, when it comes time to recognize a person for their contributions, the choice can be tough. Look at Time magazine, which has often chosen a group of individuals rather than just one person for its coveted recognition as “Person of the Year” –…
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Just Wear the Mask
Just Wear the Mask by brad kava Wearing a mask during a highly contagious pandemic is no more depriving one of freedom than are laws demanding we wear seatbelts or forbidding smoking in restaurants and public halls. Just wear the mask. Do we really have to say that after a year of a pandemic ravaging the country? I guess we do because there are days at the local parks when two thirds of the kids and parents aren’t wearing them. Maybe they figure they are safe because they are outside, but you know how close kids get when they are playing. Even if mask wearing for the youngest ones is…
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Computer Value
Is a Cheaper Computer Really Better? By Luigi Oppido As the new year comes, and we close off whatever you wanna call 2020, deals abound for new computers with all new technology and brand new software. How do you know when a deal is a deal? Computers break down into four or five basic components. Processor, ram, storage, video card, and if a laptop, screen type. Without getting into each item and diving into the history of computing here’s a brief synopsis of each item: ProcessorThe better the processor, the faster click-to-completion. Meaning, if I want to double-click on a program, how long does it take for it to launch, and…
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Kids’ Dentistry and Covid
How to Handle Kids’ Dentistry and COVID-19 February is Pediatric Dentistry Month By Alison Jackson Early every morning, before anyone else is in the office, I sit at my computer and review the chart of every patient I will be seeing that day. After each visit, I make notes about what we did, what we talked about and what we will do next time. Today, one of my notes read, “treated with silver diamine fluoride, reviewed hygiene routine, re-evaluate in 6 months after pandemic.” In hindsight, that was wishful thinking. Ten months later, pediatric dentists in our area have adjusted to this new normal. We’ve secured our offices and we’ve…
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Local Artist Mimi Chappelear
Mimi Chappelear local artist Mimi Chappelear is a 22 year old self-taught local artist who grew up in Santa Cruz. Mimi has a passion for nature and vibrant colors. She is also a beachcomber, who has a great interest in paleontology, archeology and science illustration. She uses acrylics on paper, canvas and wood. Mimi takes pictures of all things beautiful on our local shores. You can find her art on @daysdreamin_ and her beachy photography, @beach_scavenger on Instagram.
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February Mom
by suki wessling Suki Wessling is a local writer and the mother of two adult children. You can read more at SukiWessling.com Welcome to a New Monthly Feature! Every study of gender roles in life-as-normal illustrates what most families know to be true: When it comes to childrearing, moms tend to do the bulk of the work. Moms spend more time driving children, miss more work because of children, and do the bulk of the housework, even when they are the primary breadwinner. What happens when you put a pandemic on top of what was already an inequitable situation? For a lot of moms, Covid has meant crisis. Lacking childcare,…
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School Safety During Covid
Face to Face: The Follow Up School Safety During Covid-19 by Jeanette Prather Demonstrating an admirable resilience in the face of a pandemic, students have adapted and adjusted to the times, and teachers have shown that their valiant efforts and unwavering passion can and will educate children across many platforms and over a variety of wavelengths. As local schools make a slow crawl aAs local schools make a slow crawl away from what was undoubtedly the strangest school year in modern history, they’re looking onward while trying to keep it together, safe, and “normal” for the kids.“Based on our experience with distance learning in the spring, there was little question…
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Preschools Persevering in the Pandemic
Preschools Persevering in the Pandemic Early childhood educators are passionate about their work and even with a poverty level annual salary, want to go back to work. The silver lining of the pandemic is the added layer of insulation that it gives new parents. March 13th 2020; the day our schools and preschools closed. This was a monumental moment for our nation, and undoubtedly for our school system. COVID-19 was wreaking havoc and life, as we were all accustomed, was about to change. We were embarking on uncharted territory, and both schools and families were panic-stricken. During these next few weeks and following months, many schools and preschools spent their…
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Lego My LEGO
Lego my LEGO LEGOs on the Floor are Torture. What can we do? By Jhoneé Fillmore Man, LEGO building sure is awesome. My two young boys absolutely love them and I must confess I love building with them. We love to build from kits as well as freely. A LEGO is always on a wish list for gifts or a trip down the toy aisle. They are great for the minds of our young ones, fine motor skills and creativity. They are a blast! Let’s be honest though about the other side of these awesome toys…… they are tiny, they are sharp (our feet know this) and they roll and…
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Black History Month
by Jeanette Prather Other Resources & Ideas to Celebrate Black History Month “To Know My Name: A Chronological History of African Americans in Santa Cruz County,” by Phil Reader and available online for free from the Santa Cruz Public Library (history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/files/original/1612eddc50044cc672a5c7c756332b60.pdf) NationalToday.com/black-history-month BlackLivesMatter.com According to the United States Census Bureau, what is now officially National African American History Month (often referred to as Black History Month), didn’t originate as a month but rather a week. “American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week (then called ‘Negro History Week’) nearly a century ago, [with] the event first celebrated during the second week of February 1926, selected because it coincides with…
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Compassion in Action
Compassion in Action Tara redwood school The Compassion Cards are a unique expression of every student’s creativity. The cards are beautifully designed by the Tara kids and inscribed with intentions for peace in the world. The art cards are printed in stacks of 12 and as an option, the cards are available for purchase by family or frieds. The learning objective for the children is to feel personally empowered to take action to make a positive difference in the world. The cards are truly beautiful pieces of art, hand drawn on best quality paper with mixed media watercolors or acrylics and ink. They make gorgeous holiday gifts or birthday cards.…
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Kids, Politics, and the Pandemic
What to Tell Kids About Politics and Pandemic? Contributed First and foremost, experts agree that parents need to be open with kids about what is happening, while being conscious of what the child is capable of handling emotionally and intellectually. The dual stresses of political chaos and a prolonged pandemic challenge all of us. The complexity of guiding children through these difficult times can be overwhelming. But there are simple strategies that can help parents and caregivers help children — and themselves — appropriately discuss and understand current events while being mindful of their feelings. First and foremost, experts agree that parents need to be open with kids about what…
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Love Language
Showing Love in Many Languages By Nicole M. Young, MSW The primary love language of children and teens may change as they grow, so it helps to learn how to “speak” each language and be ready to show your love in multiple ways. “Back in the day” (before COVID-19, when I had to drive places), I used to see an older couple taking morning walks as I drove to meetings or dropped my kids off at school. It always warmed my heart to see them walking the same route, holding hands, swinging their arms in unison, and smiling as they walked and talked. Even from a distance, I could tell…
