Fine Motor Manipulatives

Pin Drop – wide mouth bottle (Gatorade, p-nut butter jar), clothespins. Let child drop pins in jar and dump them out again.

Ring the tube – Canning jar rings, paper towel tube. Adult holds child and paper towel tube, child put rings on tube and off again

Nesting – Collect large laundry detergent lids and let child dump and fill a butter tub or try nesting them

Bean Bag – roll a pair of socks and put inside a third sock. Tie or stitch the top closed. Show the child how to drop or toss the bean bag into an open shoe box, butter tub or small container.

Puzzles – large knob puzzles are great for infants and toddlers

Surprise boxes or jack in the boxes are fun and good for fine motor

Hide a toy under a shoe box or towel for child to retrieve

Sit with child and play pat a cake

Sit with child and play finger games up and down arms and legs

Clank , Clank– empty pringle can with slit cut in plastic lid. Child can put poker chips or other flat pieces (frozen juice lids or baby food lids) through the slot. Makes great noise also. Baby wipes box can substitute for pringle can.

Stacking – collect small boxes, tape lid on with wide packing tape, sit with child and model stacking boxes

Ribbon pull – cut round hole in small butter tub lid, put lid on tub and poke a 2 foot long ribbon or scarf into the tub. Sit with the child as ribbon is pulled from container.

Scarf pull – put scarf through a paper towel tube and tie ends together. Child will have fun pulling the scarf.

Alphabet blocks – cut several square holes into a shoe box lid. Put lid on box and let child drop blocks through the holes into the box

Pour, pour, pour – corn meal, rice, coffee grounds, etc in a plastic dishpan or large food storage container. Let children scoop with a spoon into detergent lids, or play dishes.

Scrunchie Stringing – Older toddlers – provide a length of small gage tubing and hair scrunchies for stringing on to the tubing. Large gage yarn or shoe string can be used after child understands how to string!

Nothing has the potential for calming a fussy infant or whinny toddler like music. Soothing lullabies, something with a beat for dancing, or singing traditional children’s songs are great incentives that most children can not ignore. Many times fussiness or whininess just needs adult attention and distraction.

Singing softly or humming is a new noise to attend and provides just the right intervention. There are many CDs available at the library or for purchase that will appeal to a toddler’s natural instinct to move and dance. Be sure to add props such as scarves, pans, or shakers to inspire their creative dancing juices!

For ideas, call a Child Start Infant/Toddler Specialist at 316-682-1853

Carrie Tiemeyer, the new Butler Co. Community College President of the early childhood student group has about 25 animals that she brings to schools and child care centers for the children to see.  You can find her on Facebook – look under groups, look for Butler Early Childhood Professionals or for more information you can contact her at:

Carrie Tiemeyer 734-6606  thebuglady71@yahoo.com

Kaleidoscope of Kids Kare is back again in Hutchinson this year on November 7th, 2009 at Prairie Hills Middle School.  See the attachment for more information and registration form.

kaleidoscope program

The Kansas Early Learning Collaborative (KELC) is a group comprised of the following partners:

The Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (KACCRRA) is

the network of seven child care resource and referral agencies that serves all 105 counties in

Kansas. We work daily to ensure that families have access to affordable, high-quality child

care all across Kansas, through child care referrals and consumer education. KACCRRA

works with local R&Rs to support child care programs and providers through statewide quality

initiatives. KACCRRA is actively involved in both state and national advocacy efforts that

work to strengthen the early childhood field.

The Kansas Association for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health (KAIMH) is an

association of professionals in Kansas who are concerned with the emotional development of

infants, toddlers, and families through relationship-based training and advocacy efforts.

Founded in 1995, KAIMH has three main goals: to encourage the realization that infancy is a

critical period in the psychosocial/emotional development of individuals; to disseminate

knowledge to its members and to combat the sense of isolation of those disciplines working in

the infancy field; and to provide information to the general public, which will enhance awareness

and bring to public attention the psychosocial/emotional needs of children in their first

years of life.

The Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) is a statewide not-for-profit agency standing

on 115 years of tradition, strengthened by a mission to protect and promote the well being of

children. KCSL provides Healthy Families America, a voluntary program that assists new parents

who are overburdened by stress factors. This national program model has been proven

successful in promoting healthy child development; increasing parent/child interaction; preventing

child abuse and neglect; and helping families link with necessary community resources.

The Kansas Division for Early Childhood (KDEC) has a mission to promote the education

of young children with exceptional needs and to encourage and promote professional growth

and research as a means of better understanding the unique needs related to young exceptional

children. KDEC seeks to work with local communities to strengthen and enhance services

within the tiny-k networks with specific focus on inclusion of all children across all early childhood

programs.

The Kansas Head Start Association (KHSA) represents all 28 Head Start and Early Head

Start programs in Kansas. Our programs serve over 9,000 children and families in 86 counties,

working toward dual goals of school-ready children and self-reliant families. KHSA

works to strengthen early learning programs through advocacy, professional development and

leadership, in collaboration with our state and local partners.

The Kansas Parents as Teachers Association (KPATA) is a 501(c)(3) statewide Kansas organization created to provide networking, leadership, visibility, research, funding, and advocacy

to build quality Parents as Teachers (PAT) programs. KPATA represents 232 school districts,

home visiting programs, child care centers and homes that exclusively utilize the PAT research based curriculums in their programs.

Taken from KACCRRA’s CCR&R Newsletter, September 2009

Fine Motor Skills… Write Out of the Box!®

A Workshop for Early Childhood Professionals

Presented by: Marianne Gibbs, MOT, OTR

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 – 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Stringer Fine Arts Center, Gallery Theatre, 600 East 11th, Hutchinson, KS  67501

Hosted by:  Hutchinson Community College with support from the Carl Perkins Program Improvement Grant

$10 per participant – Checks payable to HCC, HCC students/faculty – No Cost, Pre-registration is required

For more information – 620.728.8152

THIS WORKSHOP WILL – Increase your knowledge of fine motor development as it relates to the handwriting abilities of children 3-6 years old!  Fun and easy-to-implement activities and strategies will be demonstrated with supporting rationale for the WHAT’s, HOW’s, and WHY’s of improving students’ future handwriting efficiency. Occupational therapist and NAEYC presenter Marianne Gibbs will take you through an empowering, educational, and entertaining session.

Educational Objectives:

• The Basics of Developmental Theory
• When Funky Isn’t Functional:  Efficient Vs. Inefficient Pencil Grasps
• Fun Classroom Activities to Promote Fine Motor Development and Efficient Pencil Grasp
• You Can Do This! Classroom Implementation Strategies
• Pre-Writing Stroke Sequence by Age
• Is He/She Ready to Write? The Prerequisites for Writing
• Cutting Tips and Much More!

This information was shared with Child Start by Hutchinson Community College.  For more information please contact the number listed above.

Kansas Public Health Association Fall Conference, September 22-24, 2009

KAEYC Conference, October 10, 2009

The Kaleidscope of Kids Kare, November 7, 2009

Growing With Children & Director’s Chair, March 6, 2009

Annual Statewide CCPC Family Child Care Conference, April 23-24, 2010

Important Information to share with all parents!!!

2009 Parent Leadership Conference

October 2-3^rd, 2009

Holiday Inn
605 SW Fairlawn Rd
Topeka, KS 66606

Registration and meals are free!!!

• FREE child care is available on site!!!!

• Mileage reimbursement and hotel room will be paid for any parent attending the conference.

• Staff are responsible for their own hotel reservations and payment.

 For more information download this brochure in English (pdf)  or Spanish (pdf)

2009 PLC Brochure (english pdf)

2009 PLC Brochure in Spanish (spanish pdf)

The following is a list of the items I am selling as a lot for $2500.00.

(1) 8 ft x 4 ft (5 ft with plexiglass) 14-person coat cubby carpeted on 3 sides
(1) 4 piece wooden kitchen set
(1) 1/2 circle table with 4 blue stackable chairs
(3) 42″ round red laminate tables with 12 blue stackable chairs
(2) Jonicraft wooden sand/water/discovery rolling tables with removable red plastic bins with drains
(1) Lakeshore dress up open closet with mirror
(1) low activity table with 2 self storing drawers (usually advertised as a train table)
(1) Little Tikes pink 2 story dollhouse
(1) Little Tikes work bench
(4) lockable laminate wall cabinets – 2 are 30″ long & 2 are 15″ long
(1) Large wall mounted wooden bead maze
(5) 2-shelf bookselves; (3 wood, 1 white painted wood, 1 green & white laminate)
(1) small wooden table & 2 chairs
(1) Jonicraft wooden rocker/walker
(1) Jonicraft wooden balance beam
(3) Adult red stackable chairs

Call or email Amy Ritchie at 794-3234 or  alritchie@gmail.com

*This posting was entered by a Child Start employee.  Please direct all questions to the above contact.

Lakeshore brand 10 seat table.  6 Chairs included.  Turqouise.  Hardly used, new condition.  Was purchased $450 new.  Taking best offer.

316-788-3029 leave message anytime.