We hope that you are finding the cooler temperatures to be a bit of a relief from the heat that seemed never ending in September. This time of year always presents fresh opportunities for outdoor exploration including a simple walk near your home, visiting a pumpkin patch, or an apple orchard, checking out a new park or taking advantage of the number of Fall festivals within our community.

Celebrate the changing seasons with this awesome, and simple autumn activity that’s fun for all ages. This creative sensory activity is simple to set up and perfect for inviting your toddler or preschooler to explore the wonders of fall. Tape a piece of clear, self-adhesive Contac paper to a window and invite your child to stick their collection of leaves onto it. It will only be temporary but young children love this type of sticky collage…and parents like that it’s not at all messy!

For many of our families, group connections are something you have never experienced or only experienced virtually. This year, we will be offering a combination of indoor and outdoor in-person, as well as virtual group connection options. As we transition back to some in-person group connections, we wanted to take a moment to share more about what group connections are and what you can expect from them.

One of the four components of the Parents as Teachers model is Group Connections. These are intentionally planned events that provide opportunities to share information about parenting and child development with a group of families. Group connections offer:

• An organized time and place where families can interact with one another
• Opportunities to form support networks, share common experiences
• Ways to discover new ideas for addressing the day-to-day challenges of parenting
• Methods to promoting parents’ involvement in their children’s education

Throughout the year we will offer:

• Parent-Child events. These events are opportunities for children to engage in activities with their families/caregivers and involve a series of stations or activities you will go through with your child(ren).
• Parent Education. Parent education events are typically for parents only and have a guest speaker or panel of parent educators that speak on a specific topic.
• Family Connections. These events focus on helping families connect with each other and offer social opportunities.

November 10th: 6 - 7:30 PM. Intro to Conscious Discipline. See below for more details

December 6th: Exploring Speech and Language Development (virtual events)

• 5:30-6:15 children aged Birth -3 years old
• 6;30-7:15 children aged 3-5 years old

January 25th and 26th: Winter Wonderland for all ages

We loved seeing so many families out enjoying the night! We captured a few pictures but would love to see yours as well. If you posted pics on Facebook or Twitter please add #NKCPAT and share your fun moments with us!

Conscious Discipline is a research-based curriculum that uses everyday life events to teach children and adults self-control, conflict resolution, character development, and social skills while building stronger, more positive relationships between you and your child. It is a program that works well in both the home and school environments and is the social-emotional management program used by NKC Schools Early Education programs and supported by NKC Parents as Teachers.

Throughout the year we will be offering you opportunities to participate in Conscious Discipline classes, both single-night events as well as a 5-week series. We will also be sharing Conscious Discipline resources, videos, and activities each month.

I Love You Rituals are part of the Conscious Discipline system and are playful, one-on-one interactions that build loving bonds while increasing attention span, decreasing power struggles, and promoting language and literacy at school or at home. These brain-building interactions facilitate optimal development for young children and create lifelong bonds between children and adults.

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater (wiggle your booty or twist your waist)

Had a friend he loved to greet (shake hands with child)

Treated her with kind respect (Gently put your left arm on child's right shoulder and demonstrate a kind touch)

And in the morning hugged her neck (gently hug child)

This time of year presents a number of experiences where candy is present; from festivals to family functions.

Some candy safety precautions include:

• For young children remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys.
• Instruct your children to show you all their candy before eating it so you can carefully inspect it for tampering.
• Tell your children not to accept or eat anything that isn't commercially wrapped.
• Throw out candy or treats that are homemade, unwrapped, or have torn wrapping.
• Use the candy as a learning tool by sorting by color, size, shape, and so much more!
• Encourage your child to feel empowered, allowing them to make choices about which candy they will keep, and which they will donate/ trash/ give away.

Managing the Candy craze:

• Reduce excess candy munching by giving your children a snack or light meal before you leave the house.
• Decide ahead of time how many pieces of candy they can eat.
• Don't forget to brush your teeth as a family!

We need your help spreading the word about all the great work happening in Parents as Teachers. When you post pictures of your family having a great time at a Group Connection or engaged in an activity during a personal visit, we would love it if you'd add #NKCPAT.

Speaking of #NKCPAT...did you know we are on Facebook, and Twitter? Click the links at the bottom of the newsletter to follow us. You'll find great parenting tips, updates on events, and connections to the community every week!

Email: jennifer.hansen@nkcschools.org
Website: https://www.nkcschools.org/Page/699
Location: 6479 North Prospect Avenue, Gladstone, MO, USA
Phone: 816-321-5453
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NKCParentsAsTeachers
Twitter: @NKCPAT