Random Parent Tip: "What's Missing?"

Fellow parents:

Like many (all?) three year-olds, my child can get restless sitting at a restaurant table. After I've reminded her a dozen times to stay in her seat and use her inside voice, I find myself asking questions like, "Why do we even bother to leave the house?" From there, it's a slippery slope to "This is why we can't have anything nice," and "Because I said so!" and then we can basically make it official that I've become my mother.

In desperation, I used this activity at a restaurant the other night and it worked like gangbusters, so I thought I would share it with you.

"What's Missing?"
Take any five random objects from the table or the bottom of your purse and lay them out in a row. Have your child close his/her eyes. Remove one of the objects, then have your kiddo open her eyes and tell you what's missing. The end.

This game entertained my young'un for a solid half hour.

Chances are, your child will want to take turns being the one to remove an object. Great! This is how we learned that if we use SIX objects, we can stump my husband every time.

Don't worry; he doesn't know this blog exists.

-Brooke

Let's help each other! Do you have a fun parent tip you'd like to share? Have you learned something from patient research and devoted study of the development of small children? Or, like me, have you managed to accidentally fail upward? E-mail us your tip - we'd love to post it!

Meet A Family - The O'Connors

Some of the features of the old printed newsletter are moving here to the blog - for example, Meet A Family. Meet A Family is compiled by Nicole Stephens, mom to Alexi (Sunflower) and Beatrix (Sprout). Thanks, Nicole! If you'd like to introduce your family to the Sunflower community, let us know. 

This month we have the pleasure of meeting Cian O’Connor’s family. Cian just turned 4 and is in Ms. Lindsay & Ms. Reina’s class in the Sunflower program. Thank you to Cian (4), his brother Evan (8), & his mom & dad, Kim & Rory, for taking the time to answer some questions & give us a little window into their great family.

A bit about the parents...

Where were Cian’s parents born & raised? Rory was born & raised in Wolf Point, Montana, & Kim was born in Connecticut & raised in upstate New York. 

How did you find your way to Missoula? 

We both came here as college freshman–Kim in 1993, Rory in 1996.

What are your educational backgrounds? 

Kim’s degree is in elementary education & Rory’s is in photo journalism.

Occupations? 

Rory is a milkman (& works for the Great Burn Study Group on some summer & fall weekends). Kim is a 3rd grade teacher.

About the fam...

Do you have pets? 

We have a black lab named Cinco.

What are your family’s favorite things to do? 

We love to be outside together–skiing, hiking, backpacking, sledding, snowman-making. And we’ve

all recently started watching movies together–pretty fun!

What 3 words describe the personalities of each of your family members?

Cian: smiley, adventurous, sweet 

Evan: strong, determined, funny

Rory: happy, funny, up-for-anything 

Kim:silly, happy-to-be-a-mom, fun

Does your family have a favorite family vacation? 

We really like going to NY to visit family, although it’s been awhile since we’ve been able to go–our family keeps moving to Missoula. ☺ We went to Seattle last year over spring break and it must have made a huge impression on Cian as he asks to go to Seattle at least three times a week! We also do a yearly friend reunion trip in the summer. The location changes every year, but the fun families are the same.

Does your family have any holiday traditions? 

Cutting down our Christmas tree. We make it a whole day event with hot chocolate and sledding.

How long has Cian attended Sunflower? 

He started at Sunflower when he was 6 months old.

What is your favorite part about the Sunflower program? 

We love Katie & Correy, the food, the learning, tools, the philosophy...we started Evan with them when he was just turning 2, so we’ve been with Sunflower a long time. We can’t imagine what we’ll do when we don’t have a kiddo at Sunflower. ☺

Does your family have a favorite book and/or movie? 

Cian loves Gossie and Gertie, Curious George books and shows, Peep and the Big Wide World...these

are the ones that Evan & Cian really like together.

Meet Your Farmer!

Please enjoy the following guest post by Max Smith, whose farm will be providing the produce and grains for Sunflower's organic meal program. Below, he mentions how Sunflower families can purchase the same delicious, farm-direct produce he'll be providing to the school - at a discount! If you like what you read and you want to participate in this amazing farm-to-table program, I've printed membership contracts and will make them available at the sign-in tables at each building starting Tuesday. -Brooke

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Howdy Sassparillas,

I’m your child’s farmer.  

But, in keeping with the imaginations of the kids at Sunflower, I’d like it more if you thought of me as something more descriptive.  And much more real.  After all, I’m not just some bumpkin in overalls.  I’m a human being trying my best to harvest solar energy, provide habitat for the life of predatory and pollinating insects, and feed the soil foodweb. And now that my departure from Bozeman and Montana State University nears (the graduation ceremony is in early May), I’m as anxious as ever to start applying everything I’ve learned on 10 acres 25-miles from the school.  We call our project the Missoula Grain and Vegetable Company and for 20 weeks, the school will be preparing our veggies, but also the grains and legumes and fruits as they ripen.

Visiting Sunflower over my spring break and talking agriculture with your sons and daughters was the highlight of the year thus far. 

I’ve been tucking in their ‘Weisnichts Ukrainian’ tomatoes, their ‘Oro de Valle’ quinoas, their ‘Bright Lights’ chard ever since.

If you’re a gardener, you may have started a few seeds inside already, too.  It’s such a wonderful experience – rediscovering, really, how much care you have to put into every interaction you have with these plants, because they’re at the fragile seedling stage.  

I haven’t clocked any hours of parenthood, so I won’t draw any comparisons.  But I’d like to think that what I’m feeling right now is similar.  It’s a massive dose of responsibility in any case.  It’s caring deeply about many things.  From what enters their bodies to what environmental conditions and organisms they’re exposed to, and, ultimately, how their young life on this planet is spent.  These are every day realities endowed every mom and dad and stepmom and stepdad.  But for me, it’s all new.  It’s all good. 

Sending your child to Sunflower is something you’ve done to ensure that their bodies and minds are fed well from the beginning.  Meeting Correy and Katie, the many teachers and the school chef in March left me with such an incredible impression.  These are people that don’t just know what they’re talking about when it comes to food…They’re clearly acting on their understanding and beliefs.  Their resolve was enough to convince me that I need to do more to surround every Sunflower kiddo with good chow whether they’re at school or the family dinner table.  

To start, I’m offering every family a Sunflower Discount!  If you’d like to pick up your son or daughter AND a weekly supply of produce at the end of a long day, you deserve a 10% discount.  That chalks up to two free week’s of food for full share members of the farm.  And one free week if you become a half share member.  

I also want to make this an affordable thing.  Generally farm shares are paid off in one or two lump payments – which is a major barrier for many families.  But if you’d like to pay as you eat, you can.  Just check out our Agriculture Supported Community (ASC) option.  

Whether you buy a full share, a half share, or whether you support our work with a mighty check in May, or many payments throughout the season, I’ll see to it that your farm share is ready for pickup at the school on Wednesday afternoons for 20 weeks, June through October.  

Here’s an example of what we’ll harvest and deliver each week: 

Every week’s delivery is accompanied by a farm update + several recipes we send paperless to your email inbox.  We imagine these emails can be read with your kids in the kitchen and at “story-time” before they descend into dreamland.  Obviously we’re open to other ideas you guys might have about connecting your family to the farm – that’s what farm membership is all about!

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Here’s a little more about your farm and farmers:

• The Missoula Grain and Vegetable Co. is a cooperatively managed farmscape. 
• Here’s what we grow – nearly 140 vegetable varieties, and several types of grains, legumes and pseudocereals. 
• Our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program gives farm members an opportunity to source a consistent stream of veggies each week of the growing season.  Members are also treated to tree-ripened fruits, local honey, and a variety of staple crops harvested and cleaned in the fall.  
• For Sunflower-ians, half shares are $225 … while full shares can be had for $450. 
• This isn’t my first growing season.  Last summer I had the pleasure to work alongside these guys … the summer before that, I apprenticed here … but it was the Blue Barn Farm of Moiese, Montana that really started me on this path in 2009. 
• My degree is in the sustainable crop production option of the Sustainable Foods and Bioenergy Systems program

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This is getting a little lengthy, but before I sign off, I want to express how UNBELIEVABLY busy this first season is going to be.  It’s something I need to apologize for right now (!) because it will mean that I won’t be able to do all of the things I want to organize (family picnics at the farm, a well-structured farm tour, and more) for you.  Greater things will come.  But in the meantime, it’ll be my pleasure being the guy behind the scenes at Sunflower.  Just knowing that your offspring’s chowing down – on the three beet varieties we grow as well as the many apricot, apple, plum, and pears we pick from unsprayed Missoula neighborhood trees – will be enough to keep me treading through the busy.  

That said, I hope you’ll come out to visit.  You are all welcome to come out most every day (except harvest days – Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday mornings) to see your farm.  I’ll be sending photos Brooke’s way to update the blog.  And we’ll also give you a few in-field writings throughout the season.  You’ll definitely want to keep on the look out for any happenings – especially the YOU-PICK alerts which we’ll send out when the edamames, the sugar snap peas, and the kohlrabi are so abundant we need you and your munchkin’s help bringin’ home the bounty! 

Yer Farmer,

Max Smith

P.S. I think everyone who finishes a blog deserves a gift.  So thanks for readin’ about Sunflower’s farm!  Now enjoy this if you haven’t already!!

Curriculum Notes: ELEMENTARY

MARCH

Ms. Manda’s class has been studying South America, focusing on both its political and physical geography. We have been talking about the colorful festivals celebrated on this vibrant continent.  

We have been learning the song "Los Pollitos":

A special book we have been sharing is Venezuela ABCs by Sharon Katz Cooper.  

In our science curriculum we have been turning our focus to our favorite subject – GARDENING!! -talking about our future garden plans and studying our composting worms. Thanks to our new farmer Max and Sunflower parent Mindy Goldberg for coming to talk to our class about their farms! In our practical life activities we have been working on weaving.

APRIL

For the month of April, Ms. Manda’s class will be studying Australia.  We will be talking about the different geographical features of Australia and New Zealand, and studying aboriginal customs.  We will learn the song "Willoughby Wallaby Woo":



In our science curriculum, we will begin talking about life cycles of butterflies, frogs, and seed planting. 

Our special book for the month will be Let’s Look At Spring by Sarah L Schutte.  

Our practical life activity will be measuring soil for planting!

Curriculum Notes: SUNFLOWER (Ms. Indima's Class)

MARCH

Over the past month, Ms. Indima’s class has been studying the continent of Europe.  We have talked a lot about Italy and all of its famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.  At lunch time, we have been talking about the Italian origins of entrees such as pasta and pizza. 

In science class, we have been investigating insects. 

Our special book this month is Mouse Soup.  

Our new song is Peter Works With One Hammer. 

In our practical life curriculum we have been working on hand washing.  

APRIL

For the month of April, Ms. Indima’s class will be studying the continent of Africa.  We will take a look at the pyramids in Egypt and talk about all the great animals of the African savannah. 

Our song will be "Hermie The Wormy."

In our science curriculum we will begin to look at seeds.  

In practical life we will work on folding napkins diagonally.  

For helping your preschooler at home with language and math skills, it is important to find games and activities you both enjoy and have fun doing together.  This helps lay the foundation for a positive attitude towards learning.  

-Ms. Indima

Curriculum Notes: SPROUTS

MARCH

Ms. Jen’s and Ms. Julie’s classes talked about St. Patrick’s Day and Easter.  We have been practicing the song "Five Little Ducks" and have been reading The Runaway Bunny:

We have been studying natural materials such as rocks and sea shells, and talking about their different textures.  Our new practical life activity is working with a scrubbing bucket with soap and water, practicing squeezing out the sponge.  

Everyone is doing a great job with potty training!

APRIL

In April we will talk about Earth Day.  Our song we will practice will be "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat"

(Ed. note: I was tempted to link to this one instead)

and our special book will be The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  

We will be taking Nature walks outside to explore all of our sprouting plants! Our Practical Life activity will be gardening, watering the plants as they grow. 

Spring is on its way! Sprouts love to get dirty, so get those kiddos working in the garden at home too! 

Curriculum Notes: SEEDS

MARCH

In the Seeds program we have been singing "1, 2, Buckle My Shoe."


We've been enjoying the book David Smells! by David Shannon

And we've been working on transferring activities.

APRIL

In April, we'll be singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider":

We'll be reading the book The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss.

For our special practical life skill this month we will be practicing putting our shoes on and going outside to finally enjoy some sunshine! (So, if you haven't already, make sure your little Seed has sunscreen).