Sample Menu

Children who are in my home full-time are fed breakfast, lunch and two snacks. Menus such as the one below are posted daily. I use the USDA's Food Pyramid Menu Planner to ensure that each day's meals are well balanced.

Breakfast:

• Ham & Cheese Omelete
• Whole wheat banana muffin
• Fresh Florida Orange Juice

Snack

• Organic Vanilla Yogurt with crushed Pistachios

Lunch

• Macaroni & Cheese
• Organic Applesauce
• Milk
• Homemade Gingerbread Cookies

Snack

• Green bean "french fries" (Organic freeze-dried green beans)
• Fruit Cup

I primarily serve organic whole foods and/or 'processed' foods that don't have the bad guys, i.e. no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors or preservatives etc. I do, however, occasionally give the children homemade treats like cookies, cupcakes or fruit smoothies, but they are always made with high quality natural ingredients like fresh ground organic flours, unrefined natural sweeteners and fresh fruits & veggies (think chocolate chip zucchini cake - yum!). Oh, and yes, we do make some together for their parents from time to time!

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What is an Emergent Curriculum?

Children between the ages of one and five do not learn because they are taught. They learn as a result of their own doing…through actions, relationships, inquiries, opportunities, and repetition. This knowledge is the foundation of an emergent curriculum.

Teachers take on the role of research partners with children, seeking answers to questions and supporting investigation. My home is their laboratory, offering materials and tools to inspire each child.

Young children develop an astonishing number of brain cell tendrils called ‘dendrites’ during the early years. Dendrites grow when learning occurs, connecting one cell to another in very important and lasting ways. Without these connections, brain cells die. Children learn (and therefore develop brain cell connections or dendrites) when they: