It’s hard to believe we’re entering the last weeks of the 2024–2025 school year! 😲😊 What an exciting and busy time for all our families!

🎉 Congratulations to our amazing GES 5th grade students! 🎓

We are so proud of all you've accomplished. While we're sad to see you go, we're thrilled to watch you grow and succeed in middle school and beyond. You've got this!

But don't worry, families — we’re not going anywhere! This summer, we’ll be here to help ease into the break with fun-filled days of playgroups, family activities, special gifts, and exciting trips! ☀️🎁🚌

📅 Be sure to check out our calendar for all the upcoming events.

We can’t wait to spend the summer with you!

The Judith P. Hoyer Center Early Learning Hubs, also known as “Judy Centers,” benefit everyone in Maryland by improving the quality of life for families. Through a dedicated staff of early learning professionals, they help prepare children age birth through kindergarten for school readiness. Located at Title I schools in every Maryland county, Judy Centers play an important role in the communities they serve. Judy Centers provide services or connect families with local service providers for some of the following options:

• Adult Education
• Case Management
• Developmental and Health Screenings
• Family Engagement Activities
• Parenting Classes
• Playgroups
• Early Intervention Identification

Each Judy Center is unique in meeting the needs of its communities, thus if there is a service you are in need of please let us know!

This month we will explore the fascinating world of insects like ladybugs, butterflies, and fireflies through creative, hands-on learning and play! This theme focuses on insect life cycles, body parts, and habitats, encouraging curiosity and discovery.

Here are a few fun and simple ideas to keep the learning going at home:

🌿 Sensory Play

• Bug Hunt Bin: Fill a bin with sand, shredded paper, pasta, or beans. Hide plastic bugs for kids to dig up and "catch" using tweezers or fingers.

• Bug Slime: Make slime with bug figurines inside for a gooey, exploratory activity.

🎨 Art and Crafts

• Bug Painting: Paint butterflies with coffee filters, or stamp ladybugs using potato halves.

• Bug Decorating: Use wiggly eyes, pipe cleaners, and pom-poms to decorate cut-out bug shapes.

• Bug Houses: Build little bug hotels from recycled materials like cardboard, paper rolls, and egg cartons.

🔢 Counting & Early Learning

• Ladybug Counting: Use printable ladybugs with numbered spots for simple math and number recognition.

• Firefly Phonics: Match beginning sounds with glowing firefly cards.

• Butterfly Shape Puzzles: Match and name shapes to complete butterfly wings.

🤸 Motor Skills & Movement

• Dance Like Bugs: Flap like butterflies, wiggle like caterpillars, and buzz like bees!

• Life Cycle Relay: Act out the stages of a ladybug or butterfly in a movement-based game.

• Bug Scavenger Hunt: Search for bug cutouts or figurines hidden around the classroom or yard.

🎭 Dramatic Play

• Butterfly Garden: Create a play space with flowers, bug nets, and wings for imaginative play.

• Bug Hotel: Set up a pretend habitat for kids to care for and study toy insects.

📚 Books and Story Time

Read engaging bug-themed books like:

• Backyard Bugs by Jill McDonald

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

• Ladybug Girl by David Soman & Jacky Davis

🔬 Science Exploration

• Bug Slime Science: Explore textures and mixtures while creating bug-themed slime.

• Bugs in a Jar: Observe (plastic or real, safe) bugs in jars with magnifying glasses.

🚶 Nature Walks

• Take kids outside for a bug hunt! Look under leaves, in the grass, or on tree bark to find real-life insects in their natural environment.

1. Safety and First Aid

https://www.verywellfamily.com/top-summer-safety-checklist-tips-620524

2. Nine Tips to Help Kids Keep Safe During Summer from Johns Hopkins Medicine

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-tips-to-help-kids-keep-safe-during-summer

3. Ten 10 Summer Safety Tips for Kids Cleveland Clinic

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/summer-safety-tips-for-kids

4. Six Water Safety Tips for Adults and Children

https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/news/2021/6-water-safety-tips-to-help-save-a-life-this-summer.html

In 2025, the solstice moment will fall at 2:42 UTC on June 21 (9:42 p.m. CDT on June 20). What is it? At the June solstice, the sun reaches its northernmost point. This point is on the celestial Tropic of Cancer, a parallel around the sky, 23.5 degrees north of the celestial equator.

Come explore foods and a garden activity with your littles ones!

Email: judycenterges@gmail.com

Website: www.smore.com

Location: Grasonville Elementary School
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100087158001512/
Phone: 410-827-9436