Be safe and stay warm!

Please plan to join us for Share Day, even if your class is not offering activities, and bring your friends and families to share the fun.  Remember that in addition to class displays, all children are invited to bring in a project from home to display and we will have time for them to explain what their project is about if they so choose.

All activities will take place at the Lutz Children’s Museum.  There will be no official monitors on duty this day, so please be responsible for your own children.  Especially remember that all children need to have an adult with them when outside the building for any reason.  Since all of our activities are taking place in the Multi-Purpose Room, and many people will be bringing in display items, it is okay to use the back door to come and go, with one exception:  Please do not use the back door from after 12:30 pm. Acrobatics will be doing a make-up class in the Multi-Purpose room at this time.  The rest of the museum will be open until 1:30pm, and you are welcome to take advantage of that space for conversations and children needing to play.

Share Day Schedule Winter 2011

Display Set-up: During this time we will be setting up class displays in the Multi-Purpose Room.  We will also have tables available for display of any individual projects children have completed at home that they would like to share with the group.

Sol Lewitt Modular Structure Activity: This is an opportunity for people to try making paper blocks. These look really cool all stacked up into a single sculpture. Come check it out and get in on the fun.

Keva Challenge: Hex Bug Habitats: Drop by and see what all the “buzz” is about.  This session one of our favorite Keva challenges was building Hexbug habitats.  Join our MHC builders and try your hand at this fun and surprising Keva activity. Bring your own Hexbug if you’d like, but if you do, please make sure it has your name on it (masking tape works well).  We’ll have our class pests (er…pets) to share around too.

Show and Tell, Displays: Everyone is welcome bring something to share during this time.  Classes may have items on display, and space will be available for children to bring projects from home to display as well (see Display Set-up above).  We will also invite children to tell us about what they have on display, if they choose to.

Acrobatics: Acrobatics will be holding their final class during this time.

If you have questions, or would like to know how to get items to them if you are not currently attending classes at the museum, please post these as a comment below so that Jim or Jody can answer them directly.

We will keep you all updated on the changing needs of our friends as time goes on and the process of replacing or rebuilding their home begins.

Addendum: Sammy’s birthday is 3/13 (he’s turning 5) and Jody is taking up a collection to help buy BD presents and throw him a party.  In addition to the basket for donations, we’ll also have an envelope on Monday for anyone who wants to contribute cash, either for the party or just for the family in general. They would also be very happy if someone had an old Nintendo DS they were no longer using.  Both Sarah and Luke lost theirs to the fire, and the family is hoping to get Sammy one for his birthday.

All the best,

Laurel

Enjoy your vacation everyone! We’ll try to bring you back some nice Florida sunshine!

I missed seeing you all next week, and I’ll miss you again this week.  But on my way out of town, here is your weekly update:

1.     Parking/Shuttle to Country Club: This past Monday someone wound up walking back and forth to the country club because there was no parking at the Lutz and they were unable to find a ride back and forth when they needed one. We have, therefore, discovered that the walk over to the country club is not a very safe one.  In order to make sure no one has to do this again, Michelle has offered to shuttle people back and forth as needed.  If you find that there is no parking, just pull up in front of the building, bring your children on in and ask Michelle to follow you over to the country club and give you a lift back.  When you need to leave, she can give you a lift back over to pick up your car.  In order to ensure that she doesn’t lose her own parking spot while serving as the MHC shuttle, we will be placing our big orange cones in her parking space to reserve it for her while she’s not there.  Please do not move these cones!

This will only work if all parents in the museum are willing to step in and either help each other’s children get to class, or keep an eye on a few extra children for the time it takes to run over to the country club and back.  I have every confidence that you can all handle this and that winter will be over soon! J

2.     Children Flying Solo: I know that it is frequently the case that the children are finished eating before the grown-ups, but please be sure that they do not re-enter the museum without an adult after lunch.  This past Monday, there were quite a few children on their own in Main Street for a period of time toward the end of lunch.  There should be at least one grown-up in each room if children are present, and two is much better than one.  Nothing was broken and no one was hurt, but if those things happen we run the risk of losing our privileges at the museum.

3.     Supporting Older Children: Along those lines, please continue to support older children as they spend time in the museum.  The museum is definitely a place for parents to connect, but it is important to always be aware of the energy of the children and whether they need support.  Continuing to encourage children to bring activities from home to share is a great way to help them channel some of this energy.  We have chess boards (which I heard got some nice use), but kids should also feel free to bring in cards, board games, crafts to share, etc…whatever they would like to do with their friends.  We can find them a space to do it in!

4. Vacation Week – Monday, 2/21: Please remember that Monday, 2/21 is a vacation week for MHC.  The Lutz is open to the public that day.

5. Facebook: Don’t forget you can find us on Facebook.  Anyone who has attended classes in the past year or so can join the Monday Homeschool Classes facebook group.  Hope to see you there.

Have a great Monday and I look forward to seeing you all in person in a couple of weeks!

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I’d like to welcome both old friends and new back to MHC at the Lutz for this very cold and snowy Winter session! I usually write this blog post after the first week, but I have been so busy shoveling I’ve gotten a little behind on other things.  So now we have two weeks of updates.  Please bear with me and read them all the way through.

1.     Snow: I am so amazed that we have not had to cancel classes due to snow, but remember that if we do, I’ll send out an email by 9am and there will also be an announcement on the website.

2.     Parking: As I’m sure you’ve all noticed, there is a decided lack of parking this session due to the snow covered streets and therefore the lack of on-street parking.  If we could just free up 3-4 parking spaces I think we’d be okay.  The best way to try to do this is to carpool.  If just a few of us were to meet a friend over at the Country Club (just past the Lutz) and ride in together, we would probably be okay.  If you’re not able to do this because not all of you will fit in one car, feel free to drop your children off, then head over to leave one of the cars at the Country Club.  Other parents can help by watching children while cars are being shuttled over.  I would prefer to have this work out informally, because that is so much less work for the committee, but if it doesn’t, we’ll need to set up some kind of formal shuttle program.

3.     Hallway Monitor Sign-ups: Thanks to everyone who has been signing up for Hallway Monitor Duty.  Having someone to cover the front door and keep an eye on the children in the hallway is really crucial to the success of our programs.  Each week we post the slots for the following week (and any remaining slots for the current week).  Please help out so that the same people don’t have to do this every week.  If you’re unsure what this job entails, just talk to me or another committee member, or whoever’s currently on-duty when you come in.

4.     Curriculum Table: Last session we brought up a small table for families to use for selling or swapping used curriculum or other items.  This table is still available, but we don’t want to bring it up unless there’s still an interest.  Just let us know if there is!

5.     Pictures: Check out the website for new pictures from this session.  The page is password-protected to protect the privacy of our families.  Check your email for the password.  Please do not share this password with anyone outside of the group and remember not to share the photos without the express permission of the parents of each child in the picture.

6.     Supporting Older Children: The exhibits in the museum provide excellent enrichment opportunities for children when they’re not in classes.  However, they are designed for children between the ages of 2 and 10 and we now have a number of older children in our group.  Because the museum exhibits are not always engaging for these kids, we are always on the lookout for ways to support them when they are not in class.  One thing you can do to help your older children, is to encourage them to bring in activities to do with their friends.  If they find they need a separate area for these activities, we are always willing to carve out a space.  Along these lines, we have received a request to create a time and space for an MHC Girls Tween Club, and have been able to do so.  For more information, check out the website (www.mhcct.org).  There is a new page called “MHC Girls Tween Club” under the “About Us” page.  If you have trouble finding it, just let me know.

Another group I’ve noticed could use some support is the boys in the 7-11 age range.  There are a couple of times when several of these guys are not in class, and they seem to need more than the museum can provide without adult support.  Last week, I listened to what they wanted to do, and supported them in creating a treasure hunt, and then in beginning to design a snow fort.  However, since I can’t do this every week, I would like to ask for a volunteer to step into this role.  It doesn’t have to be the same person, but we need someone each week to be able to listen to the boys, help them listen to each other, and support them in their active play.  If you feel you could help out with this, please talk to me this Monday.

We have had an amazingly creative and peaceful first two weeks this Winter.  If we continue to deal with the needs of our children proactively, I believe this can continue for the rest of the session, and into the spring.

7.     Spring Session: And speaking of the Spring, we are beginning to plan for the MHC Spring session.  Please speak to a committee member if you have ideas for Spring classes, or if you would like to volunteer to teach a class.  Anna Salo is our official teacher contact, but you can talk to any committee member informally and we’ll help you flesh out your ideas, or brainstorm about how to find someone to teach what you’re interested in if you’re unable to offer the class yourself.  We’ll be sending out our call for classes soon, but if you already have a great idea, feel free to go ahead and email it to Anna at committee@mhcct.org.  We would also love to hear your feedback about our current classes, and whether you’d like to continue any of them into the Spring.  Talking to us, either in person or by email, is the only way to ensure that we plan classes that will benefit your family!

That’s it for now and I’ll see you all on Monday!

Best,
Laurel