One may ask how one month of curriculum can be completely devoted to “art and artists.” The answer is in the approach. Art is more than paint, crayons, and crafts- it’s inventive, complex, and diverse; we’ll introduce art through a multitude of expressive forms.

At Harmon Oaks, we start the month by celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday. We’ll celebrate his colorful stories that ooze creativity yet teach meaningful lessons about humility, compassions, trial and error, and remind us to try new things, dream BIG and be persistent. Dr. Seuss also revolutionized storytelling- applying color, rhythm, rhyme, and science through an exciting world of imagination. We’ll celebrate his influence on the lives of children, media, and storytelling by reading two new Dr. Seuss stories each week. Moreover, we’ll expand on each of the stories whether by incorporating it’s meaning during circle time, painting our very own Lorax, and trying green eggs and ham!

While Dr. Seuss will certainly kick-start an adventurous month, art does not stop with storytelling, color, and rhyme. We’ll introduce classic and contemporary artists through poetry, fine art, media/film, architecture, music, and dance. Parents can also build on our curriculum at home. During your drive home, introduce jazz or a different genre of music. Ask your child how the music made them feel. Use pictures to point out the instruments in the piece, ask them to clap in sync’ with the rhythm, and dance to the melody together!

Should you have an age-appropriate art piece (whether an art poster, book, or music), please do share it with us! 
♥ Ms. Mariya 

Harmon Oaks Nursery School kick-started this month’s theme- Healthy Habits- with smoothies – healthy fruit smoothies!

We’re so excited to combine the Holiday season with this month’s theme. When dropping your little one off, take notice of their work hanging from our walls. From sorting food into groups, and defining what it means to be sick and how we can help each other stay healthy, to creating ornaments, we are staying cozy, enjoying the holiday season, and learning at Harmon Oaks.

Our toddler and preschool programs combine emergent and theme based curriculum that is age appropriate. So while there is plenty of time for self-directed discovery, we plan when and how to introduce new concepts, ask “why” and “how,” encourage our children to use their words, and model good manners.

While I’m certainly biased, I must say that I love the combination of theme and emergent curriculum. Themes insure the collaboration of staff creativity, and the reinforcement of a new concepts in each learning station– art, music, reading, etc., surrounding a theme. Meanwhile, emergent curriculum allows us to adjust daily discovery, activity times, etc., and keeps staff alert of learning opportunities that may emerge throughout the day. For example, while we were out discovering the outdoors this week, our class spotted a Praying-Mantis. While it would have been time to go back inside, we stayed out instead! Ms. Lourdes explained why praying mantis’ are green, we tried to feed it, learned how to be VERY gentle with it, observed it using our magnifiers, and finally let it free, back into the ’wild’. This discovery was a result of ‘play’. While play is self-directed, it serves an equal significance in the development of our little ones– socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively.

I should add that I was able to capture the most AMAZING photos with the praying mantis! Discovery is truly beautiful!

Smile– it’s contagious & it’s a healthy habit!

♥ Mariya Danayan, Administrator

P.S. Speaking of Healthy Habits...if you're anything like me and wake up to a list of things to do on a Saturday and Sunday morning which inevitably prevents you from strolling through the Farmers Market options in Encino, Lake Balboa, and North Hollywood areas, there's a good weekday option that might make for a great adventure. Try the Sherman Oaks Farmers Market on Riverside! It's open from 3pm to about 8pm every Tuesday, and makes for a great toddler or preschooler adventures. If it sounds like too much 'work'- take a stroller, but encourage holding hands and walking. Give your child a 'pep' talk on the way there about how to behave and what he or she should and should not do. Ask your child to help you fill up a bag or place a few items in your carrier. Asking them for help and giving them a meaningful responsibility- one they can feel proud of- keeps them out of trouble. Finally, have your little one pick out a fruit or vegetable to eat that night as a snack. When it's their "choice," it's typically easier to get them to eat it!  Have fun and stay warm, and do email me at info@harmonoaks.com should you take me up on the suggestion. 

Join Us- Saturday, December 14!

We have so much to be thankful for: our kids, parents, teachers, and for a safe and enriching first month of school!

Harmon Oaks will close for Thanksgiving break on both Thursday and Friday; operations will resume on Monday, December 2nd.

We hope all our families enjoy a warm and lovely Thanksgiving Break with friends and family!

As a counselor and educator, I’ve had my share of conversations with parents. Every year I hear the same questions, concerns, and conversations. What particularly increases this season, with progressively shorter days and gloomy mornings, is the concern for a lack of time.

Kids can never have ENOUGH parent time (no matter how long, they always want more!). And naptime is always a battle. After they have fall asleep, you might get the “guilt-ache” in your stomach. You think about how fast the little one is growing, and how he/she isn’t going to be your little munchkin for long; how everything will pass, and pretty soon the hugs and kisses they give won’t be as long lasting or as wet and slob-full as they are now. “Why couldn’t I just let him cuddle with me in bed for just a bit longer!”

If this sounds all too familiar, know that you are not alone! Give yourself a break; we’re all human! Mommy’s and daddy’s need time to themselves, just as kids do. Instead of dwelling on the “10 more minutes” you should have spent with them, make plans for the weekend!

Children are not going to remember the days you were adamant on only reading ONCE, or the day you didn’t make it home in time for bath time. They are not going to remember the store plans that got crushed by the surprisingly high water bill or the “time you let them just cry it out.  And let’s face it- you won’t remember their tantrums, or the evenings they refused to let you wash their hair. They (and you) WILL remember the love, the hugs, the weekend adventures that were captured on film or camera, and the funny and frustrating moments each memory inevitably carries. So let’s plan for more of those memories and let the guilt of “thirty more minutes” pass.

Planning for the weekend helps that ‘guilt-ache’ relieve- and it does so quite quickly. So what can families do each weekend that (1) won’t break the budget, (2) allow for bonding, and (3) offer some ‘enrichment’ for all?

Here are a twelve ideas for this Fall Season: 

Talk a stroll around the block (don’t take the stroller with you- you won’t be out for too long!):

Collect some autumn leaves, twigs, etc., and bring them home with you.
Make a collage.
Decorate your table by placing a handful of leaves in a glass vase.
Count the number of leaves collected.
Have a conversation about why and how these leaves changed from green to yellow and brown.

Go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt, and make a short list of items before hand:
Squirrels; different colored leaves- red, yellow, orange, etc.; puddles; rakes, beetles, scarecrows on someone’s lawn, Halloween décor, etc.
Don’t make it too complicated!
You can repeat the same activity next week with a similar list of items!

Instead of buying all autumn themed décor for home, make them!
Go online ‘window’ shopping! Instead of purchasing the items, ask yourself if you can make it with your little one with a few resources!
Pick an item each week to make.
Don’t try to tackle a few pieces in one day.

Go to a Pumpkin Patch!

Decorate a Pumpkin
Pumpkins don’t need to be scary! If you don’t have older children in the house who insist on Halloween themed pumpkins, make your pumpkins HAPPY, SILLY, and ODD.
Treat the pumpkin as the “snowman” of the Winter Season
Let your child dig out the inside with a large spoon or spatula. It will take them some time, but it’s fun, a good kind of messy, and great for their motor skills!

Enjoy the Park without having to constantly worry about SUNSCREEN!

Go to the Farmers Market to buy a few autumn season fruits and vegetables. “Are persimmons baby pumpkins?”

Go to the library!  It’s an outing perfect for any season!

Visit your local Barnes & Noble: You get morning coffee, or season pumpkin spice latte your little one begins to destroy the children’s section!  You don’t need to be so QUIET…it’s not a library!

Make a Thanksgiving Tree
Each day add/hang something that your family is thankful for.
If your little one is of age, have him/her draw. Then, ask for an explanation. “Tell me about your drawing.” Finally, write what he/she said on the bottom of the drawing- try not to paraphrase!

Fall Closet Cleaning (Because you know that they will NOT fit in the same clothes next Summer!) Not only does this create a culture of giving and community, it also helps indirectly reinforce the fact that materialistic things are secondary to relationships, and being a good person. 
Clean out summer clothes to make room for warmer clothes. Then take those clothes to a nearby donation center.
Have your little one help pick out the clothes, shoes, etc.
Put the clothes in a bag and tell your little one what a great thing he/she is doing by donating and essentially sharing their clothes with children who are less fortunate.
Take a trip down to the donation center and have your little one be the one to give the bag away.