1. May 2012 Newsletter
Wow, this is has been a busy month and I apologize for the delay to get this out to you. As I prepare for my
maternity leave I wanted to let you know that Robin and Sara will be assisting with my responsibilities while I am
out. Please see them if you have any questions or concerns, and they will have access to my email as well. KELC
news this month is that Jennifer graduates from the JVS Early Childhood program this month! We also applied for
the Intergenerational Program of Distinction award and will find out later this summer if we have received this title
as we strive to have a quality educational and Intergenerational program. For the month of July and possibly
August we may need to cancel swimming due to construction in the pool area. As it gets closer to these dates we
will keep you posted. Marketing let me know yesterday we will be featured in the Oberlin Tribune and the
Advocate with our participation in the May Parade, so keep our eyes open for the article. A big thank you to
everyone who walked in the parade with us as well earlier this month. We appreciate your support greatly. Have a
great month! Jeni
Upcoming Dates:
May 3rd – Birds’ Library trip Birthdays This Month:
May 14th – Tuition Due
May 8th – Madilyn turns 5!
May 16th – Swimming with Giraffes
May 9th – Miracle turns 4!
May 18th – Giraffes Library Trip
May 23rd – Giraffe Eli Trip Happy, Happy
May 28th – Tuition Due Birthday to You!
May 28th – Closed for Memorial Day
May 30th – Giraffes Swim
June 7th – Birds Library Trip
June 15th – Giraffes Library Trip
Intergenerational News
Grandfriends are very special to the Birds! A favorite is when our grandfriend, Janet, comes to read books. The
children love to read books with their grandfriends. During our time on Wednesdays, Gene loves to read books.
Books are a great tool to bring friends together. Cooking is also a good way to connect with our grandfriends. In
the new Country Kitchen we will be cooking every Monday with a few grandfriends and four Bird friends at a time.
The Giraffes have been busy enjoying and celebrating spring with our Kendal grandfriends.
We made rain sticks and danced to rain songs. We also made Mexican flowers to celebrate Cinco
De Mayo. We are also very happy that Helen Hunt has been joining us and playing the piano.
The children really enjoy dancing to her music. On a much sadder note, we were so sad that
our friend Eva passed away and is no longer with us. We were so blessed to have her be a part of us.

2. Bird Tweets:
April was fun and the children had a blast celebrating
themselves. They loved making bubbles, the ice cream social, and
flying kites with residents. Now May is here and we are talking
about planting and gardening. The children planted tomatoes,
peppers, and green beans into cups. When they start growing they
will be transferred to the garden out in the play yard. We are also
growing grass and radish seeds. The children love planting, and a
favorite activity has been playing with dirt in the sensory table. We
have given the children pots and artificial flowers to “plant”
flowers. They love it!
During May we will also be talking about Mommy! We
will also focus on rhyming as we talk about popular Mother Goose
rhymes. We attended the opening of the new Whittier Expansion
down in the Care Center. A few children have already enjoyed
cooking with a few grandfriends in the new country kitchen.
Hope everyone has a great month!
Sara, Jeni, and Jennifer
Giraffe Whistles:
In April we enjoyed 2 ELI field trips. The first one was to the
Cleveland Museum of Natural History to see all the mythical
creatures. It was a great opportunity for the children to
experience the difference between real and pretend. The second
one was to the Karamu House in Cleveland to see “Seussical
the Musical”; the children really enjoyed the performance.
On Earth Day we walked around Kendal and picked up litter,
then talked about the importance of keeping our environment
clean. The children also used recyclable materials to create
their own masterpieces. We have been planting various
vegetable seeds as well to plant in our garden outside.
On Friday, May 4th, we had the opportunity to explore the new
Whittier expansion as well as bake cookies with the residents
in the new kitchen.
We would like to thank all of you for your help during the
Week of the Young Child. We enjoyed reading your thoughts
on what makes your child special. We also appreciated your
attendance at our ice cream social.
Karen & Julie