 By: SaraMae These tasty and healthy treats will have the littles begging for me! Thanks to fellow Mommy SaraMae for sharing this delicious recipe she found. They are her son's favorites and his bestfriend LOVES them so much he even had them for his birthday! Anything with carrot and zucchini Is sure to be delicious. Plus these morsels can be frozen and used later! Now off to prep the garden for some zucchini and carrots for the spring so we can make these! Enjoy!
 Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Do YOU have a recipe you want to share? Email us your contact info with the recipe with pictures and directions and we are happy to share it with our readers! Original recipe: https://veganfoodaddict.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/whole-wheat-carrot-zucchini-muffins/
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Founded in 1926, The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children from birth through age 8. NAEYC convenes thought leaders, teachers and other practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders and sets standards of excellence for programs and teachers in early childhood education. Many of the schools on the Cape are NAEYC accredited, which consists of a rigorous collection and implementation of curriculum, leadership, health, and safety standards for young children. I have served as a facilitator in the Falmouth Public Schools initiative towards full district accreditation and a presenter at the NAEYC annual conference. In my opinion, finding a preschool with this accreditation would be a starting point for me. Many of the preschools on the Cape are accredited. You may search for accredited programs in your area through the NAEYC's handy search engine.  Also check out NAEYC Radio where you can learn about different topics each month surrounding early childhood education. This month learn "Why Boisterous Play is Essential to Learning" by clicking the Radio button. You can also subscribe via iTunes!
Kindergarten is a public school program to help young children get ready for 1st grade. Kindergarten helps children become ready for school by developing their social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and language skills. Most children start kindergarten when they are five years old. Kindergarten attendance is NOT mandatory in Massachusetts. However, Massachusetts regulations require all public school districts to offer a free kindergarten program for their residents. The kindergarten programs must include a minimum of 425 hours of structured learning time per academic school year, or 2.5 hours per day. I find it interesting that kindergarten attendance varies so much from state to state. Not only does the birthdate in relation to entrance to kindergarten fluctuate but also numerous states do not require your child to go to kindergarten at all. These states include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, MASSACHUSETTS, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Why is is that kindergarten is not mandatory? I have taught kindergarten in Massachusetts for 8 years now and I have never understood why states would not require students to attend. The advantages that a child receives help to foster their continued growth in first grade. In addition, students create peer and teacher bonds that support their expanded learning. Though when I searched to identify why states do not require kindergarten I did find a variety of conversations between mothers, teachers, politicians that debate the importance of kindergarten. Some say they want their freedom to choose. Which to me is unclear. I mean families can choose to homeschool. Why should they have a choice about kindergarten but not about first grade and beyond? Having an inside view of of one kindergarten program on Cape Cod I must say that the amount of direct literacy instruction alone that kindergarteners are privy to is quiet extensive. Many say kindergarten is the new first grade; and I tell you they are not far off. The expectations are more stringent in just my 8 years of teaching. I have my own beliefs but please share yours... 
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Most of your school-aged children encounter this medal in picture books in school. It looks like this:  This year the winner is A Sick Day for Amos McGee illustrated by Erin E. Stead. The two honorary books are David the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave illustrated by Bryan Collier and Interrupting Chicken illustrated by David Ezra Stein. Make a special trip to the library to share these beautiful stories with your child and take the opportunity to teach them about the Caldecott Medal. You may even want to hunt for books that carry this prestigious award!  As adults so often we forget to engage our children in conversations about print when we read to them. It is so easy to begin these conversations with infants and continue them up through schooling. I know when I read to my son I will ofter reference the title and author of the story while pointing to them. At times I also point to the print and follow it with my finger. Though he is just shy of 5 months it provides me with the structure and habit of doing it. When your child reaching kindergarten age they will be expected to use their knowledge of concepts of print.
Concepts of Print - based on Marie Clay's investigations Functions of Print: That print contains a message, makes sense, tells a story Print corresponds to speech – word for word Conventions of Print: Print is print, no matter where it appears Printed words are made up of individual letters/ sounds A letter versus a word The first versus the last letters of a word Words are separated by spaces Sentences are made of up words Sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark Where to start reading Text is read from left to right with a return sweep to the next line Lines of text go from the top to the bottom of the page Text goes from the left page to the right page and then the page is turned Book Conventions: The front and back covers of the book The spine of the book That the book is held right-side-up That the book has a Title Page The book has an author and sometimes and illustrator The book has pages and the left page is read before the right page Pages are turned one at a time in order from front to back I love to share resources with other parents that will assist them in supporting their child's growth and development. As parents we all want what is best for our children. We want them to feel loved, safe and secure and be successful individuals. School has really taken a step up and children have much higher expectations then they did in the past. Children are expected to come in with more knowledge not only academic knowledge but social knowledge. PBS offers a great informational site about developmental skills for children up to age 5. They have worked really hard with the Whole Child movement to provide a surplus of resources for families and teachers. They also have a great section for parents with suggested readings, and a forum for parents to connect with one another.  Check them out!
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