Welcome, 2016!

As school ends, Nurturing Genius is back on! Here are a few things to be aware of this year:

I will hold an open house sign-up event on Monday, June 6th from 10:00 am-12:00 pm. This will be an open event for anyone who wants to sign up, ask questions, look around, donate, etc. If you would like to fill out a form before you come, you can find one here. (If for any reason this does not work, please email me and I will send you the Word document.)

My time is very limited. I'm keeping our activities down to one a week instead of two so that I can keep up with the rest of my crazy life, and I'm due to have a baby in the first few days of August-- as you mommas know, that may or may not put his birth date in July. This really limits my time with your kids, so I plan to utilize the time we do have. 

I've been considering holding activities in the morning this year, as I do not have to work and I'll have more energy at that time of day. This would put activities at about ten a.m. so I don't go over lunch time and have hungry kids on my hands. If this is too early, please let me know and I will do everything I can to accommodate. 

I am tentatively planning on Wednesday mornings. This is subject to change due to your feedback on the Facebook page (if you haven't seen this yet, please stop over and visit Facebook, or comment here which days you prefer). I may add some activities on Saturdays as bonus activities as well. 

Activity Ideas

The following is a list of ideas from activities. It's a compilation of my own ideas and ideas from last year's group. The kids will have an opportunity to vote for their favorites at the open house activity, following which an official calendar will be posted, including activities and days/times I will need drivers. 

Pet Day- Everyone brings their pets to share and enjoy!

Write a Book- We tried this last year, writing individual books. It ended up being too much of a workload for the kids. If we try this again, we will brainstorm, draw, and write a book altogether as a group in one activity, thus making the process both easier and faster. The book will be available to buy online at Blurb.com (look here to see an example of one I did with the 1-2 graders from Promontory.)

Visit a Beehive- This is one we wanted to do last year, but were unable to organize. I know several people who own bees and may be able to help us out this year.

Plants- Kids may choose their own favorite kind of flower or vegetable to plant. If this is done, it will be the first activity, so the plants have time to grow and blossom. 

Shark Week- This week begins Sunday, June 26th and continues throughout that week. I would love to have that week's activity be dedicated to sharks and shark activities. This may include water play this year, as I have a yard! 

Science Day- This was a big hit last year. One of the kids brought her collection of science experiments and showed her peers. We had an absolute ball.

Crochet/Knitting Day- This may have to be a bonus activity held on a Saturday so Mr. Burgan can be available to help with knitting. If not we will learn to crochet a basic chain stitch to make bracelets, necklaces, cat toys, etc. 

Outside Day- This may end up being in conjunction with Shark Week if we choose to play outside games.

World Wars/ History Day- This was a request from last year that I thought was excellent. With your permission, we will learn about the history of the world and do our own version of the Candy Drop. (What is a candy drop/ who is the candy bomber?)

Baking Day- I tried this with one child for a tutoring session on Fractions. With your permission, we will bake cookies (or another treat, designated beforehand,) and learn about fractions. (Allergy information is essential for this activity.)

Make Play Dough- This never gets old no matter how big you get. 

Fathers' Day- Make cards/gifts for dads. Learn about the history of Fathers' Day. 

Poop Light- Mr. Alan Riser has invented some incredible innovative technology dedicated to making life easier for people in third-world countries. His mantra is to "Live Life with No Regrets". We were able to visit with him at Promontory School a year or two ago, and I would love to invite him to build one of his lights with our group. This is tentatively offered, as I don't know if Mr. Riser will be available, and I would need to ask for donations to cover the cost of supplies.

Minecraft Days- These were a lot of fun for everyone involved last year. If they happen this year, they will be bonus activities held on some Saturdays, so that Mr. Burgan can conduct them (I don't have the expertise.) On these days, we use Minecraft to build together and learn about teamwork.

If you or your kids have any additional ideas, shoot me a message and I'll add them to the list! 

This post and future posts will be updated with information as it becomes available. Thank you, and be sure to share!

Long Time, No See!

Hello again lovely parents! We've been in school for nearly a month now and it's been a blast! I absolutely love teaching your kids, and even the kids I don't teach anymore brighten my day with their smiles!
We have an eensy weensy problem- I forgot to give back your kids' plants. Here they are:

 As you can see, Klowi's lovely plant is growing away happily. It needs a bigger trellis!

They are looking lovely and hopefully will bloom this year! Unfortunately, it takes Mr. Joe a lot of attention to keep them all alive, and he would like to have them returned to their rightful owners. 

Please come get your plants! We are available anytime between 3:30-6:00 most days, so please just stop by! If you'd rather message/email me a time go for it! Just please do it before the end of next week. It would be a shame to have them die here having never known their rightful owners! 

Thank you!! Starting next month (October,) I may plan one activity per month, most likely on a Saturday, just for fun. Look for my emails! 

Jenica Burgan 

(435)-279-5928

nurture.genius@gmail.com

Nurturing Genius.org

Or find me on Facebook @ Nurturing Genius

Monday, August 10th

Monday is Pet Day! The kids have been asking for this since the summer began, so I hope you can all make it!
Here are a few things you need to know:
1. Pets can't come inside. I wish they could... But they can't. Gotta keep that dandruff out of the house!
2. Pets who aren't in cages or carriers need to be on a leash! If you have a dog in a carrier, please bring the leash along so he can be leashed if he wants to come out.
3. Caged pets, such as hamsters or mice, can't come out of their cages unless an adult is there to help handle them. (Kids, I know you probably handle your pets all the time, but if a pet got lost in my yard you would be very sad!)
4. I have said before that cats should not be brought due to allergies, but I'd like to amend that statement: if you have cats and you'd like to bring one, I will have a corner just for them. They MUST be in a cage or carrier, however, because we do NOT want any allergic reactions! If you do have a cat you'd like to bring, please message, text, call, or email me to let me know.
5. Our student who is allergic to nuts will sadly not be there,  but I would still like to keep nuts and seeds away just in case. Thanks!
6. Pets need to be brought in through the back fence. I will have it open so you can see your way through.

PLEASE RSVP for this activity with how many kids, adults, and pets will be coming, along with which kinds of pets. I'd like to have each place set up specifically for the kids and their pets so everything can run smoothly.

Please contact me with questions! There are numerous ways to contact me and I'll answer to all of them! I would rather answer lots of emails, texts, and phone calls than get to Monday and have everyone confused. Thank you so much and DONT FORGET to RSVP!

You're awesome!

Miss Jenica
(435)-279-5928
nurture.genius@gmail.com
nurturinggenius.org
Or find me on Facebook @ Nurturing Genius

Schedule Update- Monday, August 10th

There's been a change in schedule! We won't be having Nurturing Genius on Friday (August 7th) due to an unexpected event in my family that will be taking up all my time that day. I know we will have some sad kids if they don't get their pet day, so pet day will be held on Monday, August 10th instead of a community garden visit*. Please be prepared to bring your pets** and enjoy meeting lots of fun animals!

*I will be visiting the garden on Wednesday, August 12th around 3:00 for those of you who wish to join me. I will also be visiting the food pantry, so those who want to see where the vegetables go may want to come! 

**I am requesting that no cats are brought, as we have a child who is allergic, and if there are any rodents (rats, mice, guinea pigs, etc.) who eat peanuts, please do not bring nutty treats for them, as another child is allergic to nuts. Thank you!

Quick Overview and Catch-Up

Over the last few weeks, we have written, studied Independence Day, Celebrated Shark Week, and made our second visit to the Community Garden! Below are pictures and explanations for each of these activities.

Independence Day (July 3, 2015)

We learned a few Independence Day Facts. Ask your kids these questions to see if they remember!

1. What was the war for our freedom called?
2. What's the name of the letter our country sent to England to tell them to leave us alone?
3. When was that letter signed?

There may be other facts they remember, but these are the basics.

Shark Week (July 6, 2015)
Wow! We learned some cool stuff about sharks. Here are some photos from the activity!

This taught us about pollution. The oils, chemicals and garbage from us humans gets in the ocean- nasty! Nobody wants to live in that!

 This is our awesome spyglass. We used it to peek into the ocean bottom to see some amazing things!

 We made origami sharks... And boats... And all sorts of things. It was a fun day.

Community Garden Visit (July 13, 2015)
More weeding! The plants grew tons!! It was so cool to see how big they got. :) Once I figure out where the pictures have gone, I'll post them, too!

Catching Up

Phew! Between moving, holidays and school coming up, we've all been busy! I don't think I've seen your kiddos since our World War One activity last Friday. I'm super excited to see them today and do some Science!
Here are a few photos from the WW1 activity. Enjoy!

 This rice bowl was a representation of how many people were killed in World War One. Each grain of rice represents 100 people.
One of the most shocking things about this visual for me was that in World War Two, the amount of deaths was four times this many.

 Showing them where WW1 took place.

 They went home with little bags of rice (that hopefully didn't explode) to remind them of the magnitude of the war. With eacf grain representing 100 people, this pile of rice is 1\15 of the people who died in the war.

 They built scenes from the war.

 Wondering what a rice plant looks like?

We also learned about many types of animals used in the war. Here are a few:

See if your kids can tell you what they were used for! Thanks again for letting me borrow your amazing kids. I have a blast with them and I'm learning tons!
Keep up the good work!

On Friday...

Note: Somehow I didn't post this when I wrote it! This was Friday, June 26th.

We started our books! We spent most of our time writing and had some tired brains by the end. We're learning that writing a full-length story is harder than we thought!

Lola and her cousin. You can see Harli poking her cute head out too!

Sofia was practicing the letters of the alphabet. We love her!

Roman, furiously taking notes on World War 2 to use in his writing.

I think they might have had a sleepy brain episode halfway through.

Lola sharpening her pencil.

Klowbug spied out the window while she wrote about 'something suspicious'...

Hannah barely stopped for 'breath' writing about the last tiger on earth... The suspense is killing me!

We made a list of her favorite things and which letters they start with.

Jared was deep in thought writing about the kittens at his house.

Zach's story about Kings and dragons was very enthusiastic.

Harli worked hard writing about her dog, Mookie.

This cutie wrote all about her dog, too- named Lucey! She's a dog lover for sure.

So much fun! We saw some stories begin to take shape today. Loving this journey!