April Events for Winona Area Families

Preschooler Storytime • Tuesdays, 10-10:30 am • Winona Public Library Children’s Department
• Sign up at 452-4592.

Easter Egg-Stravaganza • Fri, Apr 6, 9:30 – 11:30 am • Children’s Museum, 207 5th Ave S, La Crosse
• Kids ages 2-7 can find eggs to exchange for Bunny Money to use for prizes/goodies, play games, make crafts and more. $6 per child; pre-registration and pre-payment required. More info: (608) 784-2652 or www.childmuseumlax.org

Using a Baby Sling • Thurs, Apr 12, 4-5 pm • ECFE classroom at Goodview School, 5100 W. 9th St.
• Get hands-on help using a baby sling to feel safe and comfortable. Come with or without a sling. More info: 494-0913

James and the Giant Peach • Fri, Apr 13 & Sat, Apr 14, 7 pm • WSU Performing Arts Center
• The Winona State University Department of Theatre and Dance presents James and the Giant Peach. Tickets cost $5 for WSU students and seniors citizens, $7 for the general public and $3 for children 14 years and younger. The PAC Box Office is open from 12 noon to 5 p.m. beginning Wednesday, April 4. For tickets and more info: 457-5235

Family Fun Day • Sat, Apr 14, 10 am-1 pm • Winona Senior High School, 901 Gilmore Ave.
• Celebrate the Week of the Young Child. Family Fun Day is a free event for families and children of all ages. This community event will have tons of activities, including a bounce house, food concessions, story telling, crafts, live music, safety information, games & prizes, resource booths, and children's performances.

Children’s Museum Free Admission • Sun, Apr 15, 12-5 pm • Children’s Museum, 207 5th Ave S, La Crosse
• Enjoy all three floors, crafts, refreshments and door prizes for free. More info: (608) 784-2652 or www.childmuseumlax.org

Here Comes Kindergarten • Mon, Apr 16, 23, 30, 5:30-7:30 pm • ECFE Room 106, Goodview School, 5100 W. 9th St.
• This 3-week class is for parents and their 3-5 year old child(ren). There will be activities for both parent and child to do together that will be skill-focused. The class will separate for a parent discussion time. Sibling care will be available. This class is free but pre-registration is required. More info and to register: 494-0913

Daddy and Me • Tues, April 17, 6-7:30 pm • ECFE classroom at Goodview School, 5100 W. 9th St.
• Dads and kids spend time together experimenting with CO2 balloons, battle volcanoes, color bombs and more. $5 fee per family. Pre-register at 494-0913.

Baby Drop-in • Thurs, Apr 19, 1 - 2:30 pm • Goodview School, 5100 W. 9th St.
• Come to the special drop-in time for babies ages newborn–12 months. Meet with other parents, weigh your baby, discuss issues and more. Class is free and pre-registration is not required. More info: 494-0913

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder • Thurs, April 19, 1:30-4:30 (seminar) and 7 pm (public talk) • Somsen Auditorium, WSU
• Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, will be in Winona on Thursday, April 19 to offer a professional development seminar from 1:30 - 4:30 as well as a free talk open to the public at 7 p.m. at Somsen Auditorium, WSU. Today's kids are increasingly disconnected from the natural world, says child advocacy expert Louv even as research shows that "thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can...be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorder and other maladies." Registration for the professional development seminar is $40 for CEU, $30 non-CEU. Register through Winona County Environmental Services; call 457-6405 for more information.

ECFE Sock Hop • Sat, Apr 21, 6-8 pm • Goodview School Gymnasium, 5100 W. 9th St.
• Grab your favorite little kid and dance under the lights to kid-friendly music. Refreshments will be served, and a cake walk and silent auction will be held at the same time. This event is a fundraiser to support the activities of the ECFE PTA (including this monthly events calendar). $3 per person or $12 per family (non-walking children free). More info: 494-0913 or www.winonakids.org.

5 Tips for Quick Healthy Meals • Thurs, Apr 26, 6 - 7:30 pm • ECFE Room 106, Goodview School, 5100 W. 9th St.
• Get ideas for meal plans, different shopping techniques, meals kids will eat, time-saving strategies and much more. Child care will be available. Please register. Class fee is $5 per family. More info: 494-0913

Earth Day Celebration • Sat, Apr 21, 10 am-4:30 pm • WSU Student Union Kryzsko Commons (park near 8th and Winona, follow signs)
• Musical entertainment, booths, exhibits, speakers, food, drink and hands-on activities. “Procession of the Species” parade at 3:30 pm followed by the drumming group Batucada Nossa Senhora. Free. More info: 457-8258

The Great MOMS Walk 2007 • Sat, April 28, 10am – 1pm ● Lion’s Pavilion at Lake Park East, Winona
• Free activities for the kids: bouncy castle, face painting, tattoo art and more. Registration fee for the 3.2 mile walk is $18 by April 18 and $21 at the walk. Participants receive a Great Moms Walk gift pack; limited supply. Sponsored by Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS). More info and to register: 454-2701 or 494-0005

This calendar is sponsored by the Early Childhood Family Education PTA. For more information about Early Childhood Family Education programs and events, call 494-0913. If you know of an event for families with kids age 5 or under, e-mail winonaecfepta at gmail.com to have it listed in next month’s calendar.

ECFE PTA Sock Hop: Spread the Word

The Early Childhood Family Education PTA is holding a Sock Hop fundraiser on Saturday, April 21, from 6-8 p.m. at Goodview School. The Sock Hop will include a variety of dance music for pre-K kids and their older siblings--plus dance lights, refreshments, a cake walk, and a silent auction. Admission is $3 per person or $12 per family at the door. All proceeds will support the many activities of the ECFE PTA. This year the ECFE PTA has helped to organize a literacy fair as well as sponsoring infant CPR training, a presentation on nutrition for small children, the Winona Area Family Events Calendar, Gym Nights, as well as other activities promoting strong families.

Please help to spread the word to your group or organization. For more information or for flyers to distribute, please call ECFE at 494-0913.

Study: Early Child Care Linked To Increases In Vocabulary, Some Problem Behaviors In Fifth And Sixth Grades

From a recent study that appears in the March/April 2007 issue of Child Development (summary from Science Daily.com):

The most recent analysis of a long-term NIH-funded study found that children who received higher quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did children who received lower quality care.

The study authors also found that the more time children spent in center-based care before kindergarten, the more likely their sixth grade teachers were to report such problem behaviors as "gets in many fights," "disobedient at school," and "argues a lot."

However, the researchers cautioned that the increase in vocabulary and problem behaviors was small, and that parenting quality was a much more important predictor of child development than was type, quantity, or quality, of child care.

Read the rest of the article at ScienceDaily.

Family Fun Day, April 14

Come celebrate the Week of the Young Child at FAMILY FUN DAY, Saturday, April 14, 10 am-1 pm at the Winona Senior High Concourse. Performances by area preschools, kids' activities, and resource booths. This annual event is fun and free admission for all!!

Ready to Learn Backpacks Given Out at Early Childhood Screening

The Winona Early Childhood Initiative has teamed up with the Early Childhood Screening Team to give kids another reason to get ready to learn--bright red backpacks filled with crayons, wikki stiks, rhyming books, and the ever-popular blunt-tipped scissors.

Each child who attends Early Childhood Screening (scheduled through Winona Community Education) receives the goody-filled backpack at the end of his or her appointment. The backpacks are designed to be fun for kids, but more importantly, to give them opportunities to practice skills that all three to five year olds need to know to be ready for kindergarten.

"This has been a great way of getting materials into the hands of kids and their parents," said Lezlea Dahlke, WECI Co-coordinator and Winona Children's Librarian. "We wanted to to a project that would be fun for kids and reach a lot of families. It's been great working with the Screening team because they know so much about encouraging kids to get excited about learning."

For more information about Early Childhood Screening, contact Winona Community Education at 507-494-0900.