We are excited to announce Berry Tender has started using the online app called Himama! This is a real-time app, where parents get notifications about their child's day. The lead teachers are just in the beginning stages of learning all there is to offer on this app. I hope all families take advantage of this way to stay connected to Berry Tender!

Berry Tender is hosting a Scratch Cupcake Fundraiser! Contact Jessica at 563-933-2514 to place an order!

Berry Tender will be hosting an end of Summer Party on Friday, August 19th. There will be free music from D.J. Vinnie, Food's Here Mobile food truck, and Scoop there it is Ice Cream for purchase. We hope all the families of BTCC can stop out that evening and visit with their kids friends parents!

Summer has kept us busy at Berry Tender! It's hard to believe next week is August 1st.

There has been an average of 12 kids in the Duckling room, between the ages of 6 weeks and 23 months. This fall/winter we will be welcoming 5 new babies! The kids in the Duckling room love doing row, row, row your boat, crawling through the tunnels and climbing on the chairs and each other! They also beg the teachers to read the same color book over and over, and like practicing animal sounds. The walking Ducks we able to venture outside and play as well.

The Bear room had a mixture of 2 and 3 year old's at the beginning of the summer, and most recently have only had 7 two year old's and one teacher. At the end of August we will be welcoming 4 new 2 year old's to the Berry Tender, as well as 3 of our current Ducks advancing to the Bear room on their 2nd birthday. The Bears especially enjoy looking at their reflection in handheld mirrors, using stamps, doing the freeze dance on the ipad, and watching other short educational videos. They have also painted and colored each day.

The Tiger room has been full of kids of all ages! We have a ton of school age kids, therefore somedays the Tiger room has the over flow, and somedays not. There's been an average of 17 kids between the ages of 3 and 5 in the Tiger Room.

The Lion Room usually has 15 kids and one teacher, although somedays there's between 17 and 26 Lions! Berry Tender will seem pretty quite when Starmont starts school August 23rd!

The Bears, Tigers and Lions have done lots of activities. On Mondays and Wednesdays, the Lions and some of the Tigers attended the summer reading program at the library. All the kids have enjoyed popsicles on hot days and playing in the sandbox, often trying to bury themselves to keep cool. The kids have also, tie dyed shirts, played kickball, played with play-do, made Oobleck (like slime!), drew pictures with sidewalk chalk and had an ice cream party. Many kids like to catch bugs and ants while outside, ewe!

What a busy week at Berry Tender! Fun activities included, Beach Day, a visit from the police officer and the tigers making zoo animal masks.  We also had a visit from Lisa from Child Care Resource and Referral. She gave the teachers great ideas on room arrangement and has purchased a couple new items for the Bear Room, including a children's kitchen set and personal cubby space.

We welcome Sydnee Becker as a Teacher's Assistant in all the rooms this summer. Sydnee will also be the manager at the Strawberry Point Swimming Pool this summer.

School will be out after next week. Marissa and MacKenzie have planned lots of fun days to do extra activities with your children this summer to keep them busy!

BTCC will be having a float in the Strawberry Days Parade on Saturday, June 11th. If you are interested in you and your children being a part of the float, let Jessica know!

As summer approaches, please let Jessica know your summer schedules (meaning if your children’s normal hours will be changing) so she can make sure she has enough staff to meet ratios!  ​

DUCKS
Jessie, Lexi, Jenna, and Michelle have been keeping a watchful eye on the Ducklings! They have been singing Old MacDonald, Baa Baa, Black Sheep, and The Wheels on the Bus. All the Ducks love sitting in the highchairs and chewing on the frozen teething toys. The bigger Ducks also spend time running back and forth in the room, while the smaller Ducks watch from the floor, bumbo seats or excersaucers.
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BEARS
Melany, Salena, and Marissa have had their hands full with the Bears! It is a big job transitioning kids from the Duckling room, where they get to run free, to the Bear room, which has more structure and a different routine.  The Bears love getting outside on the new playgrounds and playing in the sandbox. I apologize in advance for all the sand your children most likely bring home!

TIGERS
MacKenzie and Jessica keep the Tigers busy! Mackenzie does lots of one-on-one work with the Tigers, teaching them how to write their name and recognizing letters. While Jessica tends to put them to work, like setting the tables, delivering snacks and lunch to the Bear and Duck rooms, helping put cots out for nap time, and switching the laundry. The Tigers also get tons of play time in!

LIONS
Heather and Savana play games with the Lions after school. They are also always busy getting them cups of cold water to drink, the bus must be hot! The Lions enjoy going outside and to the gym, as they can be rowdier and not get told to settle down like in the Tiger room.

May all the families of BTCC have a wonderful Easter Weekend! 

There is a sign-up sheet at the BTCC entrance for volunteers to help clean up our playground next Friday, April 22nd. BTCC will provide pizza for supper, please sign up so I have an idea on how much to order. If the weather is not ideal, we will postpone to Friday, April 29th instead.
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BTCC is hiring! Please help spread the word. Playing with kids all day, keeps a person young at heart, that is my selling line!

All parents are always welcome to enter BTCC. It works well with the security door to drop off and pick up your children at the entrance, although if you ever want to step inside it is ok! DHS does require anyone entering the building sign in on the sign in sheet outside the entrance. Feel free to come on in!

​DUCKLING ROOM
This week the older Ducks were busy stacking blocks, pushing toys around the room, and trying to get into trouble! The smaller Ducks kept busy sitting in the bumbo seats and highchairs watching the big kids run around playing on the floor.  We also have some rollers, and the jumpers are a favorite hangout place.

BEAR ROOM
This week the Bears dobber painted eggs, colored Winnie the Pooh and played with play-do.  Other activities included playing with the tool bench, building with Legos, and filling the grocery carts with toys and play food and dumping all over the room!  The Bears played duck, duck, goose, and ring around the rosy, they also practiced a tornado drill.

TIGER ROOM
This week the Tigers colored boiled eggs with shaving cream and liquid watercolor paints.  For art the Tigers also made bunny headbands, colored Easter pictures, and made an Easter egg sun catcher.  Other activities included singing and dancing, practicing writing their names, number, and ABC flash cards, and practicing a fire drill.  Jessica and MacKenzie quizzed the Tigers on what to do in case of a fire, and which exit to use depending on where the fire was. This really got their minds turning and is always a good thing to talk about and be prepared for!  In the gym the Tigers played with the parachute, and Jessica lead the kids in a game of duck, duck, goose.  Wednesday the Tigers went to the library and Miss Patty read books about spring animals and had puppets to play with, that was fun!

LION ROOM
This week the Lions played outside and in the gym after school.  Thursday was exciting with a non-planned early out, the Lions actually got to play in the Lion room, while the Tigers napped!! 

We are excited to introduce Jenna Kelchen to our team at BTCC! Jenna has a 3-year-old daughter, Teagen, who attends BTCC. Jenna will be working in the Duckling Room.  BTCC is still looking to hire more full and part time help, spread the word!
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DUCKS
It seems all but 3 of our babies are all grown up!  We average 12 kids in the Duckling room each day, and out of the 12, 10 eat table food. Mealtime is busy! The smaller 3 ducks are growing fast as well!  Activities in the Duckling room include, rolling around on the floor, sitting in the bumbo seats (big ducks try to sit in them too!) dumping toys out, and picking them back up, repeating words the teachers say, like animal sounds and other kids’ names, and they love running around the room and banging against the registers!

BEARS
This week the Bears welcomed 2 new kids into their classroom, Max and Alaina.  They talked about the letter W. For art the Bears dobber painted a W and colored a whale and a worm. They also practiced a tornado drill and ran races in the gym.  In the classroom they have tons of options for free playtime, including a tool bench, kitchen set with grocery carts, and toy cars and a road.
 
TIGERS
This week the Tigers learned the letter W.  Tiger room activities included, painting a paper plate watermelon, writing their names, cutting paper, playing bingo, talking about the weather, and helping put cots out for nap time. We also changed the toys out in the Tiger room, so there are lots of different options for them to use at free play, including castles, stackable colored counters, my little ponies, and mini fruit counters. Of course, the magna tiles are always a favorite!
 
LIONS
The Lions were lucky to spend last Friday and this Monday at BTCC all day long!  They played with army guys and castles, a variety of board games and put together floor puzzles.  Monday the library hosted the movie Clifford, which the Lions (and some Tigers) attended.  Other activities included painting, cutting and glittering Easter pictures.

Congratulations to the Alex and Nicole Neswold and Ryan and Shelby Backes families. They were put into a drawing for $25.00 in free child care for selling all their Pancake Breakfast Tickets and working their scheduled shift, and won!
Thanks to all the families of BTCC that donated to make this fundraiser a success!

DUCKLING ROOM
The Ducklings have been busy:
Testing the teacher’s patience 😊       
Building with Mega Blocks
Bouncing in Bouncy seats
Rolling and Crawling
Having tummy time
Running and giggling!
 
BEAR ROOM
The Bears loved playing with the tool bench and musical instruments in the gym!  For art the Bears dobber painted umbrellas and the letter U.  Other activities included going to the library and listened to a story with a puppet!  The Bears also played with toys in the library, used tag bags, which practice fine motor skills by buttoning and velcroing, matched colors with rings, watched an ABC video for letter U, and pretended the floor was lava! 

 TIGER ROOM
This week the Tigers learned the letter U.  MacKenzie was on vacation this week and Jessica was the teacher.  Along with doing their own jobs, the Tigers helped Jessica do hers, like setting the tables, getting the cots out for nap time, and switching the laundry.  For art the Tigers made underground pictures and umbrella pictures.  Other activities included thinking of words beginning with U, using the balance beam, tumbling mat, tool bench, musical instruments, and steppingstones in the gym, and playing at the library.
 
LION ROOM
The Lions spent time in the gym and in the Tiger room after school.  Some of the kids glued pictures to paper, while others built with magnets and played board games with the teachers.

​DUCKLING ROOM
The Ducklings have been listening to the birds tweeting and crows cawing this week, as the teachers have had the windows open, what beautiful weather the beginning of March brought us!  The bigger Ducks keep their teachers on their toes, while the little Ducks give them lots of snuggles!  The teachers in the Duckling room are Jessie Leonard, Lexi Piper, Chloe Thein and Michelle Becker.  Thanks for your dedication, ladies!

BEAR ROOM
The Bear Room teachers are Salena Quario, Melany Kelley and Marissa Swales.  This week the Bears started using a new behavior chart.  When they have good behavior, their name moves up and when they need to think about their choices their names move down.  The Bears are catching onto this concept fast!  For art the Bears tore orange paper to glue onto a Tiger.  They also colored a Turtle and the Letter T for T week.

 TIGER ROOM
This week the Tigers talked about the Letter T.  They listed words that begin with the letter T and watched a T video.  For art the Tigers painted tree.  They also painted a tooth with a toothbrush, colored a Tiger and glittered a variety of paper cut outs.  Wednesday the Tigers went to the library and learned about Dr. Seuss.  They made a Dr. Seuss hat, listened to a couple of his stories and took pictures as Thing 1 and Thing 2.  The Tiger’s teachers have been MacKenzie Swales and Jessica Haynes.

LION ROOM
Monday was a scheduled no school day at Starmont, the Lions watched the movie Encanto with Patty from the library. It is wonderful being in the same building as the library!  The rest of the week, after school the Lions played games with their teachers, like Life on the Farm and memory.  The Lions also have puzzle races, draw pictures, and build structures with blocks and magnets to park matchbox cars inside.  The Lions teachers are primarily Heather Haynes and Savana Mesplay.

DUCKLING ROOM
This week the bigger Ducks got all excited when the teachers got the tunnel out to crawl through!  The bigger Ducks are also great teacher helpers, looking after the smaller Ducks, helping put dirty bottles in the sink and throwing trash away in the garbage cans.  The smaller Ducks have been busy sitting in the Bumbo seats and rolling around on the floor.  A few Ducks have been practicing walking around the room holding onto their teachers fingers.

BEAR ROOM
This week the Bears talked about the letter S. They dobber painted a shovel and bucket picture and made starfish.  The Bears also love doing puzzles and reading the same book over and over again!

TIGER ROOM
This week the Tigers learned the letter S. They played in shaving cream, practiced writing their names, drew on the chalk board and played in the sand table.  For art they made snakes out of the letter S with paper and glue, made tissue paper snowflakes and dobber painted a Sun.  The Tigers were also big helpers doing teacher jobs, like setting out cots for nap time and setting the tables for lunch.

LION ROOM
The Lions had a snow day this week and got to spend the whole day at daycare!  They love going to the gym and drawing their own pictures and playing games using their imaginations.  I would guess they are based off of a real game, although they create their own pieces and rules and play it themselves.