Northern Illinois Early Childhood Network : March: East Network Early Childhood Meeting

School of the Month: St. Andrews, Park Ridge

Ministry Stories:

· Preschool family- Camden is three years old and brother- baby Jackson (born in October) we both baptized together in January. Their family is now becoming members at St. John, Lombard!

Upcoming Conferences:

· -DCFS Daycare Forums – Several throughout the month of March – see attached flyer

· -1^st Annual YWCA Metropolitan Chicago Educator’s Conference: Empowering Educators – April 22, 2017, 7:30 – 3:30 https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07edwb0ps96f8bf9be&oseq=&c=62445e90-7d8f-11e3-830b-d4ae52843dc7&ch=62c24120-7d8f-11e3-83dc-d4ae52843dc7

· -ISBE online Webinars https://www.isbe.net/Pages/ISBE-Webinars.aspx (for Illinois State Licensure)

· -Gateways https://registry.ilgateways.com/ (for DCFS Licensed Centers)

· -Concordia,Chicago’s Early Childhood Conference Friday, August 4, 2017 Information will be on the website within the next month

· - NID Teachers Conference: Friday, October 6^th at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb

· -The Leadership Connection Conference, Wheeling, $100 discount right now, May 18 -20, McCormick Foundation – Early Childhood Focus: www.mccormickcenter.nl.edu

Upcoming Special Events:

· Tuesday, March 21, 2017 -

o STEM Family night at St. Paul, Aurora

· Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 6:45 pm -

o Live artist, Jordan Blake will be painting to recording music artist, Jennifer Daniels at Trinity Early Childhood Center in Naperville. The center will have the children’s artwork on display

· Friday, April 28^th, 2017

o Early Childhood Learning Fair/Grandparents Day at St. Paul, Aurora

· St. Andrew Park Ridge Art Show, May 12^th at 6 pm.

o Children perform in the church prior to show!

Discussion:

Summer Camp Registration is in full swing. We discussed summer camp options with regards to pricing, ages, days, payment, and themes. It was mentioned that this would be a great topic for a meeting next year.

Topic for the Night: CREATIVE ARTS

Creative arts are activities that actively engage children's imagination through art, dance, dramatic play or theater, puppetry, and music. The creative arts engage children across all domains—cognitive, language, social, emotional, and physical – and spiritual!

Discussion included:

Process vs. Product

Aesthetic Domain

Art show based on a book kids walk in dressed as the painting,

You Are a Work of Art

A Beautiful Oops

The Dot

Texture, etc. take one chunk and they can learn it. Color mixing, ketchup/mustard in ziplock bag

Art Theory/Elements

Color Texture Form Shape, etc.

Three Artists to focus on through the year

Follow Facebook: Process Art with Maryann Kohl