To see where it all began, go to our Facebook page and view a Bellingham Herald article from 1998! The person who wrote the article had his children enrolled. They are now in high school and college.
For the next couple weeks we will be celebrating our teachers! To begin with we would like to honor Erin and Linda. Erin was recently selected as an “Employee of the Quarter” and Linda celebrated her 15th anniversary at Blossom!
That Linda received the MacGyver Award at our holiday gathering is not surprising to those of us who know her well! Her talents are endless and her knowledge vast. From naming all the trees on our campus to making jam with a group of five year-olds, it seems there is nothing she can’t do, nor is afraid to try. As the Sunflower House Cook for many of her years, Linda balanced cooking and gardening naturally with the children throughout the day. If a salad sounded good for lunch, she gathered a group of children to harvest one from the garden. She has gifted hundreds of children meaningful experiences in the garden, and shared her knowledge with many teachers over the years.
Erin will celebrate her 7th year at Blossom this June, and 34 years in the Early Childhood field. She worked for her last employer for 20 years (Wow!). During the time she has been at Blossom she has cheerfully pitched in and helped in every classroom at the Early Learning Center...even if it means changing diapers almost all day long. The Snapdragon bathroom has on occasion been called her “office.”
She provides consistency for the youngest children with her perfect attendance and willingness to go wherever needed to fill in a gap in the schedule or cover for another coworker. She even came to work the day after breaking her wrist!
Erin is never afraid to ask questions or seek feedback and always considers life’s hiccups as learning opportunities. She attends local conferences regularly and is a lifelong learner. She finds joy in the daily discoveries of the children and is always willing to share stories of what they are learning.
Oh stormy weather! We don’t let it slow us down… Here’s a peek at some of the things we’ve done this month.
Take care everyone!
It’s been so nice to have more good weather! We are busy preparing for wet weather though. Shelters are being constructed for the children to gather under as it becomes rainy. The first can be seen on the field below the Sunflower House.
The School Age Program is up and running. When not online the children have been keeping busy making applesauce, exploring on the trail and reading to siblings. There are still spots available in the school age and toddler programs if families are interested. Please spread the word!
One of the parents recently inquired why some children are wearing masks and others aren’t. The Health Department requires masks for school aged children when they are in close proximity to each other.
Please let us know if you have questions and thank you for your support as we continue to navigate everything this year is bringing us…
We do like to be in motion here at Blossom…so many things to do.
Including practicing our walking skills!
As Autumn approaches we are making adaptations to prepare for cold weather and rain. One of the things we have done is redesign the Willow and Snapdragon rooms so that the spaces are more contained. This has been accomplished with dividers and by moving the big brown shelf that could be seen in the Snapdragon room.
We will still be spending large parts of the day outside. The courtyard off of the Willow room is used daily for center time. There will be a covered area so that we can continue to use this space as much as possible as the weather changes.
Here is a little peek at the space:
The days are busy and it is so easy to lose track of time…
We hope you enjoy this glimpse into our days.
Summer has arrived! The days are about gardening, fort building and water play. Balls have been a popular item.
So much to do!
Until next time!
Communication and finding ways to share with families has never been more important than it is now…. We hope you enjoy these glimpses into a day at Blossom.
All the best,
The Blossom Staff
We hope this finds everyone well! We’ve had a request for menus from our attending families. If the technology is working, we will post on Thursday the menu for the following week.
We are keeping busy here at Blossom! There is so much to do…
All the Best!
Blossom
Hello everyone!
Today is all about the “A,B,C’s”
A few friends requested Sarah sing about the alphabet.
Hmm…someone is hiding in the door.
Peek-a-boo!
Melissa is helping a few friends write words.
Cookie sheets make great portable magnet trays.
Can you write your name?
Have a great day!
The Blossom Staff
Hi everyone! Just a short update today. Andrea managed to get a picture of the bird that is nesting on the Toddler Playground! It’s a Junco. Have a great day!
The Blossom Staff
Keeping children healthy and following best practice has always been a priority for Blossom. Some of the changes that COVID has brought are certainly different than what we have done before, but other changes are just stepping things up a bit more. We are staying current with recommendations from the CDC, the Health Department and our Licensing Department. This is what we are doing and what classrooms may look like as you and your child return. The children who have been attending Blossom have adapted well to these changes and have been thriving.
Drop off and Pick up: Children are being dropped off and picked up in the parking lot. We will continue this for as long as it seems best to limit the amount of adults coming in and out of the center.
We are asking parents to complete a health check at home daily, including taking children’s temperatures. Upon arrival at Blossom, teachers will ask if families have passed the health check before they leave children.
Hand washing has always been important. Teachers supervise or wash hands with the children at drop off and before bringing them out to the car at the end of the day. As always we wash hands before and after meals, after diaper changes or potty turns, after coming in from outside, and as needed. Teachers wash hands at these times as well.
Brother and sister hand washing.
Conversation. We need to ask that in person conversations with teachers be kept to a minimum. If you need further information or to pass on more information, please write a note, call or email.
Masks: The CDC does not recommend children under 2 wear a mask. If you have an older child that you would like to wear a mask, we will do our best to support this however we cannot force a child to keep a mask on. Teachers wear masks when they are with coworkers or children.
Bleach and cleaning. All classrooms have been deep cleaned and are cleaned regularly. Toys are washed between use by children or at nap time and then again at the end of the day. They are washed with soap, rinsed, and then bleached. Our bleach dilution in all cases is 4 teaspoons per quart at this time. Anything difficult to wash has been removed from the classroom or is only used by an individual child.
Food. We are not serving food family style currently. Food is plated up in the kitchen and then brought to the classroom. Food is not placed on the tables and teachers serve all following helpings of food.
Classrooms and Teachers. The CDC continues to recommend that groups sizes stay small. Children and staff have been returning at different times. For this reason, children may not be able to return to the classroom that they were in when they left or have the teacher they were with. We have worked hard to make sure children have familiar faces and are in spaces that they know. We will be maintaining small group sizes and minimizing the amount of adults children are exposed to.
Toddler group sizes have always been lower than the recommendations for group size given for COVID. To begin with, the smaller classrooms will maintain a group size no larger than six, while the larger classrooms will have no more than seven children. These classes will have one primary caregiver and one support teacher for breaks and transitions. While on the playground the group size will be kept to seven.
Children 2 1/2-5 years old, will be in a group no larger than 10 with one teacher. The teacher will be supported by one consistent support teacher. Playground spaces will be kept at a group size no larger than 10.
As much as possible we are spacing activities so that children are spread out, With the younger children this is difficult and we will do our best. If a toddler needs a hug or physical attention, we will meet this need.
Illnesses. We will continue to follow stringent health requirements for both staff and children. Like the children, the staff is completing a daily health check. “Abundance of caution” to continue to guide our decision making about attendance decisions.
Important Reminder: We are asking parents to give us at least one week notice before returning so that we have time to prepare classrooms.
Please let us know what questions or concerns you have. This is a challenging time for all of us, with many issues to consider. Keeping everyone healthy, mentally and physically, will continue to be a priority for us as we move forward.
All the best, Blossom Childcare and Learning Center
Hello! Hope everyone had a great weekend!
On Friday Andrea set up an art activity. Here’s what happened:
The children at the Sunflower house have been finding snails. Can you find any snails in your yard or garden? Or maybe on a walk? Debbie found 4 on her steps this morning.
Have a good day everyone!
The Blossom Staff
Good morning everyone! We are still having some technical difficulties so just want to quickly thank everyone who has left a message on the fence for us! They are so very greatly appreciated!
Happy Earth Day!
Good morning everyone! Just a quick post today as there seems to be some technical difficulties this morning and it’s hard to upload. How about a dance party? Put some music on and dance, dance, dance!
Good morning everyone! Happy Friday!
Here’s a greeting from Ashley. And who is that sneaking through?
Elephant went to see the chickens today. How many chickens do you see?
Look what the Sunflower House found!
“We have been seeing ants around, and the kids are curious about any babies and what they eat so we read the book Ant Cities by Arthur Dorros (page 12-13 (for the lifecycle) and 24-25(examples of different ants and food)) today at circle.
Coincidentally today we saw an ant dragging a honeybee to their colony; “this is like the Army ants in the book!” said one of the children.
We had conversations about the importance of each insect and agreed it was sad but also not to intervene because the ant may have needed food for its colony. “ Darian
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
The Blossom Staff
Hello again! First, yesterday’s videos are fixed. Sorry about that, there is still a learning curve with the videos. Debbie
Chrissy and Coleen take their masks off for a minute to say hello!
Elephant is ready to try something new! What adventures are you having?
Ashley has a math activity for you to try!
And Rachel has some friends to introduce.
Have a fabulous day and if you try something new today, let us know!
The Blossom Staff
Hello everyone! Another sunny day!
Erin’s turn to say Hello!
Elephant’s out looking for a place to play again! Can you guess where he is?
Here’s a bit of Darian’s circle time. Can you find the letter “O” today? What words do you know that start with the letter “O?”
Here’s an update on the Sunflower garden. Keri has some info about watering. Maybe you can try it out?
Have a great day everyone!
The Blossom Staff
Good morning everyone! Alli would like to say Hello today!
Elephant went out to play again. Can you guess where he is?
Andrea is wondering something…
Everyone is taking turns watering. Do you have anything in the garden that needs to be watered?
Have a great day!
The Blossom Staff