We’re excited to once again help host the Community Baby Shower during the We Care For Kids-sponsored Family Fun Day on March 21st, 2020. Please share this information with any pregnant mom or mother of a newborn within Montcalm County.
Update (2/21/2020): All available Pack ‘n’ Plays and Car seats have been reserved. But don’t be discouraged, any Montcalm County new moms are still welcome to attend the Baby Shower and receive a free bag of goodies for mom and baby! And all are welcome to have some fun at the annual Family Fun Day. See flyer below!
Once every decade, the U.S. Census works to count every person living in the United States. The 2020 Census will help determine which areas qualify for important programs that children and families depend on for the next 10 years – programs like food assistance, school meal programs, Head Start, childcare, housing support, public schools, early intervention services, children’s health insurance, and more.
Did you know, in the 2010 census, 10% of children under age 5 were not reported – that’s 1 MILLION children! Newborn babies and young children under five are often missed in the census.
Every Michigander Counts! Accurate census data impacts every person in the state of Michigan. We want to make sure everyone is counted because it’s critical to the future success of Michigan.
Invitations to respond will arrive in mailboxes starting in March 2020, with three easy ways to respond: by mail, phone, or online. The census is 100% confidential and secure and your information will not be shared with anyone.
Ezra Jack Keats’ 1962 classic The Snowy Day has been checked out more times than any other book in the history of the New York Public Library. Jonathan Blanc/The New York Public Library
Winter is a great time to snuggle up and read. Does your family have a list of favorite books to read? One of my favorites when it’s blustery weather is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in the C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia series.
The New York Public Library recently calculated the most checked-out books in their 125 history and discovered Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day was at the very top of that list, with 485,583 checkouts from the NYPL since the book was published in 1962. (Source: NPR)
Here are some other great books for snowy days:
The Mitten by Jan Brett
The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll
Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Another great book resource for all children birth to age 5 who live within the Montcalm Area Intermediate School District is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Enrollment is free for participants, provided by grants and donations.
Contact mtrain@maisd.com to enroll your child and help expand their at-home library and foster a love of reading! More information can be found online at Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Get out and explore Mother Nature for art supplies. You’ll find plenty of leaves, sticks, rocks, and even bird feathers that can be turned into beautiful fall art. Use this fall art to create keepsakes for yourself, gifts for family and friends, and seasonal decor for your own home.
Enjoy Cooler Bike Excursions
Bikes get parked in the garage when the weather gets too hot. And once that kickstand goes down for a few days, kids tend to forget about their bikes until next spring. But fall is the perfect time to dig them out of the garage to go on some bike excursions.
Play Indoors
Build a fort or go to the closet and play flashlight games. There’s so much fun you can have with your kids in the house that gives you quality time together and prevents them from spending the day in front of the TV or on their tablets.
Leaf Pile Race
To play this game, you will need plenty of autumn leaves. You can save the ones you rake from your yard in large bags until ready to play. Divide the players into two teams. Place two hula hoops on the ground in the yard. Pour out the leaves around the yard. Give each team a rake, and set a timer. Teams have until the time is up to rake up, carry, gather, and pile as many leaves as they can in their hula-hoop circles. When time is up, the team with the tallest pile of leaves wins.
Alpha Family Services and Montcalm County Great Starts invites you to:
Come join us February 27th from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at the Flat River Community Library in Greenville for a Fun Free Family Event!
Come get your picture taken with the Tooth Fairy and joins with us in:
Story Time
Activities
Snacks
Crafts
Prizes
For More information or to RSVP, please contact: Alpha Family Services at 616-225-2265 or Montcalm County Great Start at 616-225-6146 or email cdavis@maisd.com
