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SANDWICH CHILDREN'S CENTER HOSTING INAUGURAL FUN RUN
The Sandwich Children's Center is hosting its inaugural Fun Run 5k on Saturday morning, Aug. 31. Rather than focusing on individual competition, this event is geared toward shared fun and exercise, while supporting early education.
The day will start with a yoga warm-up, followed by the 5k looping through the Sandwich Fairgrounds, and will end with a "kiddie K" challenge for children.
Register in person at the Children's Center or online by going to sandwichchildrenscenter.org and clicking on the "News & Events" tab. Those who register by Wednesday, Aug. 28, will receive a free class at Yoga Jaya in Moultonborough. Registration will also be available on the morning of the race, beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Plan to arrive by 8:15 a.m., because at 8:20 a.m., Kale Poland, instructor and owner of Yoga Jaya, will lead a 20-minute yoga warm-up session at Quimby Field, located near the Samuel Wentworth Library. This session is open to everyone, including children and people who have never done yoga before. No yoga mats will be necessary. Kale will wrap up the session by 8:40, allowing people to follow their own pre-run rituals.
At 9 a.m., the 5k fun run will begin from Quimby Field. The course will take runners and walkers through the town center, then will loop through the Fairgrounds, and will finish at the Children's Center.
At 10 a.m., children will be invited to join in a fun run of their own – a one-kilometer scamper from the Children's Center toward the town center and back.
The Fun Run is a fund raising event for the nonprofit Sandwich Children's Center, which offers high-quality outdoors- and nature-based early learning and child care. Scholarships are available to make the center open to as many children as possible
The day will start with a yoga warm-up, followed by the 5k looping through the Sandwich Fairgrounds, and will end with a "kiddie K" challenge for children.
Register in person at the Children's Center or online by going to sandwichchildrenscenter.org and clicking on the "News & Events" tab. Those who register by Wednesday, Aug. 28, will receive a free class at Yoga Jaya in Moultonborough. Registration will also be available on the morning of the race, beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Plan to arrive by 8:15 a.m., because at 8:20 a.m., Kale Poland, instructor and owner of Yoga Jaya, will lead a 20-minute yoga warm-up session at Quimby Field, located near the Samuel Wentworth Library. This session is open to everyone, including children and people who have never done yoga before. No yoga mats will be necessary. Kale will wrap up the session by 8:40, allowing people to follow their own pre-run rituals.
At 9 a.m., the 5k fun run will begin from Quimby Field. The course will take runners and walkers through the town center, then will loop through the Fairgrounds, and will finish at the Children's Center.
At 10 a.m., children will be invited to join in a fun run of their own – a one-kilometer scamper from the Children's Center toward the town center and back.
The Fun Run is a fund raising event for the nonprofit Sandwich Children's Center, which offers high-quality outdoors- and nature-based early learning and child care. Scholarships are available to make the center open to as many children as possible
Sandwich Children’s Center
Annual Spaghetti Supper
Wednesday, August 22 4:30-5:30
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Please join us at SCC in our end of the summer celebration to kick off fall program!
Featuring SCC made Spaghetti sauce with fresh herbs and local tomatoes! See you there! |
Sandwich Children’s Center Annual Ice Cream Social
June 15, 2018 4:30-5:30
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Please join us at SCC in our end of the year celebration to kick off the summer!
Featuring Sandwich Creamery Ice Cream and lots of yummy toppings! See you there! |
Spring Clean-Up Day
Saturday, May 5
9am to noon
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Help with outdoor Spring Clean-Up.
• During this Spring Clean-up, we need help with: o Painting the fence and clubhouse o Brush removal o Taking things to the dump o Preparing our gardens o Cleaning up our playground in preparation for warm weather o Installing air conditioners Bring rakes, shovels, work gloves, paint clothes, and your muscles! SCC will provide coffee. Feel free to bring a tasty treat to share. Questions? Call 284-7014 Thank you for your support! |
Ladies Night Cabin Fever Thrift Store!
This Thursday March 8th from 6pm-8pm There will be a fundraiser for Sandwich Children's Center at the Benz Center in Sandwich. It's going to be tons of fun!!
We have been collecting mass amounts of clothing and accessories and will be opening up a "thrift" store for the evening. Come enjoy rummaging and making offers on clothing!
There will also be adult beverages, tacos and baked goods for purchase. Not to mention great company!
If you care to donate any clothing please reach out. We hope to see many of you there for the night or just a drop in. Can't wait to cure some winter blues while helping out the Children's Center!
This Thursday March 8th from 6pm-8pm There will be a fundraiser for Sandwich Children's Center at the Benz Center in Sandwich. It's going to be tons of fun!!
We have been collecting mass amounts of clothing and accessories and will be opening up a "thrift" store for the evening. Come enjoy rummaging and making offers on clothing!
There will also be adult beverages, tacos and baked goods for purchase. Not to mention great company!
If you care to donate any clothing please reach out. We hope to see many of you there for the night or just a drop in. Can't wait to cure some winter blues while helping out the Children's Center!
10th Annual Snow Shoe to the Benz
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 @ 10:00 am
The preschoolers will walk or snowshoe through the
woods to the Doris L. Benz Community Center, just
a short walk from SCC. We will enjoy lunch and some
songs with the assembled seniors. If your child has
their own snow shoes, feel free to bring them. If not,
we have plenty of pairs for all. Please be sure to pack
a picnic style lunch. We hope to have a few parents
join! It is a blast! Give Karyn or Jess a call for more
information, and let it snow!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 @ 10:00 am
The preschoolers will walk or snowshoe through the
woods to the Doris L. Benz Community Center, just
a short walk from SCC. We will enjoy lunch and some
songs with the assembled seniors. If your child has
their own snow shoes, feel free to bring them. If not,
we have plenty of pairs for all. Please be sure to pack
a picnic style lunch. We hope to have a few parents
join! It is a blast! Give Karyn or Jess a call for more
information, and let it snow!
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Please join us at SCC in our end of the summer celebration to kick off fall program!
Featuring SCC made Spaghetti sauce and salad with our own lettuce and local tomatoes!
See you there!
Featuring SCC made Spaghetti sauce and salad with our own lettuce and local tomatoes!
See you there!
Annual Ice Cream Social
Friday, June 16
4:30-5:30
Please join us in our end of the year celebration to kick off the summer!
Featuring Sandwich Creamery ice cream and lots of yummy toppings!
See you there!
Featuring Sandwich Creamery ice cream and lots of yummy toppings!
See you there!
Spring Clean up
Saturday, May 20
9:00-12:00
Help with outdoor Spring Clean-Up.
• During this Spring Clean-up, we need help with:
o Spreading loam
o Preparing our gardens
o Painting our fence
o Cleaning up our playground in preparation for warm weather
o Installing air conditioners
Bring rakes, shovels, work gloves, paint clothes, and your muscles!
SCC will provide coffee.
Feel free to bring a tasty treat to share.
Please RSVP on the sign in sheet if you plan to attend.
Questions? Call 284-7014
Thank you for your support!
• During this Spring Clean-up, we need help with:
o Spreading loam
o Preparing our gardens
o Painting our fence
o Cleaning up our playground in preparation for warm weather
o Installing air conditioners
Bring rakes, shovels, work gloves, paint clothes, and your muscles!
SCC will provide coffee.
Feel free to bring a tasty treat to share.
Please RSVP on the sign in sheet if you plan to attend.
Questions? Call 284-7014
Thank you for your support!
9th Annual Snowshoe to the Benz Center
Wednesday, April 5 at 11:00 a.m.
The preschoolers will walk or snowshoe through the woods to the Doris L. Benz
Community Center, just a short walk from SCC. We will enjoy lunch and some
songs with the assembled seniors. If your child has their own snow shoes, feel
free to bring them. If not, we have plenty of pairs for all. Please be sure to pack
a picnic style lunch. We hope to have a few parents join! It is a blast!
Give Karyn or Jess a call for more information, and let it snow!
Community Center, just a short walk from SCC. We will enjoy lunch and some
songs with the assembled seniors. If your child has their own snow shoes, feel
free to bring them. If not, we have plenty of pairs for all. Please be sure to pack
a picnic style lunch. We hope to have a few parents join! It is a blast!
Give Karyn or Jess a call for more information, and let it snow!
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SCC goes to the Post Office
February 14, 2017
By Jane Horn
Using nature as a classroom is central to the mission of Sandwich Children’s Center, and SCC friends love being outdoors. They regularly bundle up in the winter to play in the snow, and exploring the natural world continues year round. As for school buses to get places, who needs them?
Sandwich Central School kindergarteners (“morning friends”) take a noon “walking school bus” – an SCC teacher meets them at the school and walks with them back to the Children’s Center for the afternoon. Preschoolers walk to the library on Friday mornings for story time, and even the infants and toddlers join in the fun on May Day when the children deliver potted flowers to neighbors’ houses. So when it was time for the preschoolers to go on a field trip to the post office, I knew to wear my snow boots!
As Valentine’s Day approached, the preschoolers wrote love letters to family members. Actually, they dictated their letters to scribes, then signed their names and drew pictures. What’s the #1 activity that the children love doing with their parents and relatives? Playing, of course! (“I love to play with you night and day.”) They also love to color with markers, make snow angels, and bake cookies. Who doesn’t?
The preschoolers also posed questions in their letters: “Can we go to the park?” “Can we go on vacation soon?” “Can you please give me another book?” “Can we go to the Valentine candy store?” (No harm in asking!)
My favorite was a letter to a child’s grandparents: “Dear Grandma and Grandpa, I love you very much. I wish you to come to my house. We can do teamwork. I can do jumping jacks.” That’s covering a lot of territory in a few endearing words.
On Tuesday, four very patient SCC teachers (Sarah, Christina, Chanda, and Tawnya) helped the children into their snowsuits, boots, hats and mittens, and led them up the road to the post office. The children took turns sliding their letters into the mail slot and then peering through the opening to try seeing where the disappearing envelopes went. (“I can’t see anything!”) The mystery was cleared up when Postmaster Deb Lindsey invited the children through the door into the workroom where mail is received, sorted, and sent out.
They were introduced to the giant orange rolling bins (called “pumpkins”) used to transport letters and parcels to and from the loading dock. (One friend declared, “That’s a bed. I could sleep in it!”) And they were fascinated by the lift used to move the pumpkins in and out of delivery trucks.
Postmaster Deb welcomed questions (“Do you know where my cousins live?”), and the children were encouraged to write to Santa, as the letters are actually sent out. This suggestion caused quite a stir, as you can imagine, and one child helpfully volunteered that she knows how to get to the North Pole: “You take a train and there are coyotes.” Sounds dangerous!
The preschoolers seemed less than enthusiastic about the walk back to the Children’s Center until one teacher assured them, “We’ll have time to play in the snow when we get back.” With a resounding chorus of “Yay!” off they went. No bus needed.
Accessories and Adornments Sale
Saturday, December 3 from 9-3
Sunday, December 4 from 10-2
Open House at SCC
A Night Under the Stars
Thursday, November 10
4:30-6:00
Sandwich Children's Center to Participate in CDFA Tax Credit Program.
Local Businesses Can Participate & Support SCC!!
September 26, 2016
Sandwich Children's Center has been awarded a Community Development Finance Authority Tax Credit Grant for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 tax years. Seventeen New Hampshire nonprofit organizations around the state were selected to participate in the grant program.
Any New Hampshire business can support Sandwich Children’s Center’s renovation project and receive a 75% state tax credit for that contribution through the Community Development Finance Authority's Tax Credit Program.
The tax credit can be applied against the NH business profits, business enterprise, and/or insurance premium taxes. Any business paying any of these three taxes in the state of New Hampshire is eligible to participate. The contribution may be treated as a charitable deduction to the extent federal law allows and tax credits may be used at any time during a period of five consecutive years.
Combining the state tax credit and federal deduction means that a NH business can offer critical support to Sandwich Children’s Center for as little as 11 cents on the dollar. This program gives NH businesses control over where their tax dollars are spent and helps provide local employment and economic development.
Sandwich Children’s Center operates in a circa-1855 building that was built as a schoolhouse and served as a hardware store from the early 1950s through the mid 1980s. The Children’s Center was established in 1985 and has used the building since then.
The CDFA funds will be applied to a full renovation of the school-age classrooms which were formerly used as storage rooms for the hardware store. Local businesses and architects agree that the rooms need to be removed, a new foundation established, drainage improved and a new, light filled, open classroom built!
For more information, please contact Karyn Ames at 284-7014 or visit the CDFA website athttp://nhcdfa.org/tax-credits/current-projects. To contribute and participate directly in the tax credit program, visit http://www.nhcdfa.org/electronic-pledge.
Any New Hampshire business can support Sandwich Children’s Center’s renovation project and receive a 75% state tax credit for that contribution through the Community Development Finance Authority's Tax Credit Program.
The tax credit can be applied against the NH business profits, business enterprise, and/or insurance premium taxes. Any business paying any of these three taxes in the state of New Hampshire is eligible to participate. The contribution may be treated as a charitable deduction to the extent federal law allows and tax credits may be used at any time during a period of five consecutive years.
Combining the state tax credit and federal deduction means that a NH business can offer critical support to Sandwich Children’s Center for as little as 11 cents on the dollar. This program gives NH businesses control over where their tax dollars are spent and helps provide local employment and economic development.
Sandwich Children’s Center operates in a circa-1855 building that was built as a schoolhouse and served as a hardware store from the early 1950s through the mid 1980s. The Children’s Center was established in 1985 and has used the building since then.
The CDFA funds will be applied to a full renovation of the school-age classrooms which were formerly used as storage rooms for the hardware store. Local businesses and architects agree that the rooms need to be removed, a new foundation established, drainage improved and a new, light filled, open classroom built!
For more information, please contact Karyn Ames at 284-7014 or visit the CDFA website athttp://nhcdfa.org/tax-credits/current-projects. To contribute and participate directly in the tax credit program, visit http://www.nhcdfa.org/electronic-pledge.
Fall Clean-Up Day at SCC
Saturday, November 5
9:00-12:00
Join the fun and help with outdoor clean up.
Bring a rake, tarps and whatever tools you may have.
Feel free to share one of your family’s favorite treats.
Coffee and refreshments will be supplied.
Even if you are only available for an hour, every bit helps!
See you there!
Bring a rake, tarps and whatever tools you may have.
Feel free to share one of your family’s favorite treats.
Coffee and refreshments will be supplied.
Even if you are only available for an hour, every bit helps!
See you there!
Sandwich Children’s Center would like to thank Paula, Eliot and Michael from Taylor Home and Laura from NH
Electric Co-op, they came over to volunteer for United Way’s Day of Giving Friday, September 16, 2016. They
helped put plastic under our Pollinator Garden and helped with weeding as well. They also helped us finish off a
paper cutting project we are helping with for the Sandwich Fair. So a huge thank you to these lovely people that
took time out of their busy schedules to assist us on some needed projects. Thank you so much United Way and
thank you volunteers!
Electric Co-op, they came over to volunteer for United Way’s Day of Giving Friday, September 16, 2016. They
helped put plastic under our Pollinator Garden and helped with weeding as well. They also helped us finish off a
paper cutting project we are helping with for the Sandwich Fair. So a huge thank you to these lovely people that
took time out of their busy schedules to assist us on some needed projects. Thank you so much United Way and
thank you volunteers!
End-of-Summer Spaghetti Supper: SCC Cooks! by Jane Horn
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The setting was grand, the bidding lively, the music sublime, the food delicious and the weather…moist, plus the mosquitoes seemed oversized. But that really didn’t hamper the merriment at Sandwich Children’s Center’s third annual summer fundraising dinner and auction, held July 9 at Partridge Hill Farm in Sandwich!
“I got more feedback this year about what a good party it was,” said Event Chair Mallory Hathaway. “People said they had a really good fiesta!”
We sold around 130 tickets and saw many new faces, plus the bidding was very competitive. In fact, all lots sold. That’s called a “White Glove Sale” in the auction business, and it doesn’t happen often, according to Hathaway, who worked at Sotheby’s for more than 20 years.
“In the major auction houses, it’s very rare,” she said. “If it happens, it’s usually a single-owner sale.”
So thanks to all of you who bid on lots and helped us achieve White Glove Sale status! And thanks also to the many people who donated the great stuff and interesting experiences which prompted attendees to do all that bidding.
For example, thanks to artist Peter Robinson and his custom bamboo tuteurs, which is the official way to say tomato cages, though they’ll work with any vine. Three of these functional beauties went for $325.
And thanks to Fred Lavigne, who brought in $300 with his offer to take the highest bidder’s party to explore historical sites in Sandwich Notch, including cellar holes, mill sites and more. This informative adventure with Sandwich’s favorite naturalist and history expert was a new auction treasure.
Thanks, too, to John and Susan Davies, who donated a one-night stay at their Jonathan Beede B&B, then tripled the amount of the winning bid and donated it to SCC.
Donors were so generous and creative with their offerings—we loved seeing what you came up with and appreciate you all!
We’d also like to thank our underwriters and sponsors. These are the people and businesses whose generosity, often year after year, lets us put on a fundraising event without it costing us much. We ranged a little farther afield in our “ask” this year, but you’ll recognize many of the businesses listed below as those of friends and neighbors. Our fundraiser wouldn’t net much if our underwriters and sponsors, from town and surrounding towns, didn’t take care of many of our expenses.
We thank our underwriters:
Meredith Village Savings Bank
Valpey Financial Services
BEAM Construction Associates, Inc.
Richard L. Benton, Jr., Carpenter-Builder
H.B. Bullard Construction
Horsch Garage Equipment
Olafsen Building & Remodeling, Inc.
Toomey Construction, Steven Toomey
Bank of New Hampshire
Brand & Sawicki DDS
Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery
Circle Dental
Cooper Cargill Chant, Attorneys
Frase Electric
Marie Gerli, Marie’s Catering
Law Office of Leslie H. Johnson, Attorney
Lamprey and Lamprey Real Estate
Rowan Electric
Brad Streeter Building & Remodeling
Huggins Hospital
Kathleen Sweeney, CPA
Smitty Plumbing & Heating
Melcher and Prescott Insurance
We thank our In-kind Sponsors
Moulton Farm, John Moulton
Sandwich Creamery
Bob’s Baguettes
C.G. Roxane
Tuckerman’s Brewery
Lois Carmody, North Sandwich Store
There’s also a raft of individuals to thank, for their assistance in ways too varied to count:
David Patridge, Katy Clark, Rebecca Price, Becky Sinkler, Pam Urda, Jennifer Wright, Bob Carmany, Laura Dodge, Todd Horn, Chuck Clark, Cathy Teran, Patsy Slothower, Diane Booty, Beth Hamblet, Bill Borrebach and Landra Prins, Abby Hambrook, Kelly Cox, Dan Peaslee, Noelle Beaudin, Ashley Bullard, Marie Gerli, Betty Bullard, Lobin Frizzel, Kit Kilbourn, Steve, Rachel and Elsa Bartlett, Peter Robinson, Rupert and Charlotte Fennell, Barbara Deisroth, John Moulton, Cindy Barnes, Maggie Porter, Patricia Carega, Julia and Stephen Hird, Karyn Ames, Jessica Horsch, PJ Blankenhorn, Cindy Rooks, Jessica Kirwin and Josh Harding.
Finally, on behalf of SCC’s board of directors, I would like to thank Mallory Hathaway. Mallory has a peerless ability to dream up a fundraising event, inspire people to help and to attend, and make it all work to become the best party of the summer. The children and families of SCC and our town are the lucky beneficiaries of her energy, skill and style. Muchisimas gracias!
Rebecca Sykes
Board Chair
Sandwich Children’s Center
Founded in 1985, Sandwich Children’s Center is a non-profit early learning center.
“I got more feedback this year about what a good party it was,” said Event Chair Mallory Hathaway. “People said they had a really good fiesta!”
We sold around 130 tickets and saw many new faces, plus the bidding was very competitive. In fact, all lots sold. That’s called a “White Glove Sale” in the auction business, and it doesn’t happen often, according to Hathaway, who worked at Sotheby’s for more than 20 years.
“In the major auction houses, it’s very rare,” she said. “If it happens, it’s usually a single-owner sale.”
So thanks to all of you who bid on lots and helped us achieve White Glove Sale status! And thanks also to the many people who donated the great stuff and interesting experiences which prompted attendees to do all that bidding.
For example, thanks to artist Peter Robinson and his custom bamboo tuteurs, which is the official way to say tomato cages, though they’ll work with any vine. Three of these functional beauties went for $325.
And thanks to Fred Lavigne, who brought in $300 with his offer to take the highest bidder’s party to explore historical sites in Sandwich Notch, including cellar holes, mill sites and more. This informative adventure with Sandwich’s favorite naturalist and history expert was a new auction treasure.
Thanks, too, to John and Susan Davies, who donated a one-night stay at their Jonathan Beede B&B, then tripled the amount of the winning bid and donated it to SCC.
Donors were so generous and creative with their offerings—we loved seeing what you came up with and appreciate you all!
We’d also like to thank our underwriters and sponsors. These are the people and businesses whose generosity, often year after year, lets us put on a fundraising event without it costing us much. We ranged a little farther afield in our “ask” this year, but you’ll recognize many of the businesses listed below as those of friends and neighbors. Our fundraiser wouldn’t net much if our underwriters and sponsors, from town and surrounding towns, didn’t take care of many of our expenses.
We thank our underwriters:
Meredith Village Savings Bank
Valpey Financial Services
BEAM Construction Associates, Inc.
Richard L. Benton, Jr., Carpenter-Builder
H.B. Bullard Construction
Horsch Garage Equipment
Olafsen Building & Remodeling, Inc.
Toomey Construction, Steven Toomey
Bank of New Hampshire
Brand & Sawicki DDS
Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery
Circle Dental
Cooper Cargill Chant, Attorneys
Frase Electric
Marie Gerli, Marie’s Catering
Law Office of Leslie H. Johnson, Attorney
Lamprey and Lamprey Real Estate
Rowan Electric
Brad Streeter Building & Remodeling
Huggins Hospital
Kathleen Sweeney, CPA
Smitty Plumbing & Heating
Melcher and Prescott Insurance
We thank our In-kind Sponsors
Moulton Farm, John Moulton
Sandwich Creamery
Bob’s Baguettes
C.G. Roxane
Tuckerman’s Brewery
Lois Carmody, North Sandwich Store
There’s also a raft of individuals to thank, for their assistance in ways too varied to count:
David Patridge, Katy Clark, Rebecca Price, Becky Sinkler, Pam Urda, Jennifer Wright, Bob Carmany, Laura Dodge, Todd Horn, Chuck Clark, Cathy Teran, Patsy Slothower, Diane Booty, Beth Hamblet, Bill Borrebach and Landra Prins, Abby Hambrook, Kelly Cox, Dan Peaslee, Noelle Beaudin, Ashley Bullard, Marie Gerli, Betty Bullard, Lobin Frizzel, Kit Kilbourn, Steve, Rachel and Elsa Bartlett, Peter Robinson, Rupert and Charlotte Fennell, Barbara Deisroth, John Moulton, Cindy Barnes, Maggie Porter, Patricia Carega, Julia and Stephen Hird, Karyn Ames, Jessica Horsch, PJ Blankenhorn, Cindy Rooks, Jessica Kirwin and Josh Harding.
Finally, on behalf of SCC’s board of directors, I would like to thank Mallory Hathaway. Mallory has a peerless ability to dream up a fundraising event, inspire people to help and to attend, and make it all work to become the best party of the summer. The children and families of SCC and our town are the lucky beneficiaries of her energy, skill and style. Muchisimas gracias!
Rebecca Sykes
Board Chair
Sandwich Children’s Center
Founded in 1985, Sandwich Children’s Center is a non-profit early learning center.
Annual Spaghetti Supper
Wednesday, August 24
4:30-5:30
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Please join us in our end of the summer celebration to kick off fall program! Featuring SCC made spaghetti sauce and salad with SCC grown lettuce and local tomatoes! See you there! |
Annual Ice Cream Social
Friday, June 17
4:30-5:30
Please join us at SCC in our end of the year celebration to kick off the summer!
Featuring Sandwich Creamery Ice Cream
and lots of yummy toppings!
See you there!
Annual Spring Clean Up
Saturday, May 14
9:00-12:00
Thank you so much Help with outdoor Spring Clean-Up.
During this Spring Clean-up, we need help with:
Bring rakes, shovels, work gloves, paint clothes, and your muscles!
SCC will provide a carafe of coffee. Feel free to bring a tasty treat to share.
Questions? Call 284-7014
Thank you for your support!
During this Spring Clean-up, we need help with:
- Spreading loam
- Preparing our gardens
- Painting our toddler classroom
- Cleaning up our playground in preparation for warm weather
- Installing air conditioners
Bring rakes, shovels, work gloves, paint clothes, and your muscles!
SCC will provide a carafe of coffee. Feel free to bring a tasty treat to share.
Questions? Call 284-7014
Thank you for your support!
Save the Date for our Third Annual Summer Fete
Saturday, July 9
5:30-9:00
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Save the date, mark your calendars, and hold on to your hats! Sandwich Children’s Center’s Third Annual Summer Fete will be Saturday, July 9, at Partridge Hill Farm on Range Road in Sandwich!
This historic property, part of the old Hutchins estate, is made available to us by its current owners, Juli and Stephen Hird. We’ll be using the glorious, gentleman’s showpiece barn for our auction and feast, thanks to their generosity. We loved and appreciated the Crafts Building at the Sandwich Fairgrounds, but decorating it to look festive was always a bit of a lipstick-on-a-pig situation. Partridge Hill Farm’s lovely barn, with its clock over its central area, plus its dairy wing and its horse wing, already and always looks fabulous. Rupert Fennell, formerly of Sotheby’s, will be back as auctioneer. Ashley Bullard and Elevens Mobile Eatery and Catering will be serving up a delicious meal, well worth the price of your ticket alone. It’s going to be a great night out in support of an important local institution, and we look forward to seeing you there! More info to follow, but that’s the news for now! |
Astronomy Week
April 25- April 29
8:30-4:30
8th Annual Snowshoe Event
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Science Olympics Week
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Science Olympics Week Recap
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Open House
Friday, November 20 @ 4:30 PM
Please join us at Open House!
Visit your child’s classroom and share in their
learning and creativity. You will get a chance to see some of the activities
your children are doing, meet other families and chat with teachers.
Bring your appetites!
This year we’re making stone soup for Open House. If you are interested in
contributing to our stone soup, please see the sign-up sheet in the office.
Please RSVP on the sign in sheets in the office by Friday, November 13, 2015.
We hope to see everyone there!
Visit your child’s classroom and share in their
learning and creativity. You will get a chance to see some of the activities
your children are doing, meet other families and chat with teachers.
Bring your appetites!
This year we’re making stone soup for Open House. If you are interested in
contributing to our stone soup, please see the sign-up sheet in the office.
Please RSVP on the sign in sheets in the office by Friday, November 13, 2015.
We hope to see everyone there!
Owls and Eyes: Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Visit
by Jane Horn, PR/Marketing Volunteer, SCC
Why are owl feet covered with feathers? Which is larger – a male or female owl? How many eyelids do owls have? Where did the Barred Owl get its name? These and many more fun facts about owls can now be learned from the preschoolers of Sandwich Children’s Center, thanks to a visit from a naturalist from the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (SLNSC) in Holderness.
When I arrived at the Children’s Center on a sunny, brisk November morning, the preschoolers were bundled up and ready to tromp into the woods following “Dave Duck.” Dave’s last name is actually Erler, but for these special days everyone, including the SLNSC visitor and the SCC teachers, wear animal nametags. There’s Elsa Eagle, Cooper Crocodile, Piper Penguin, and Izzy Iguana, along with a snail, a jaguar, and various other creeping, crawling, scurrying and flying friends.
Every month, a naturalist from SLNSC brings a different surprise animal to the Center, along with a bagful of creative activities to pique the children’s curiosity and give them an experiential underpinning for the upcoming animal encounter. Naturally, lessons begin outdoors!
The theme this fall is the senses, and this day focused on hearing. The children closed their eyes, cupped their ears, and listened for the sounds of the woods as an owl would at night. Next they played a game with blindfolds that involved a volunteer “owl” hunting a volunteer “mouse” by listening for the rustling of leaves that the mouse made as it moved. Most encounters ended in fitting SCC style with the owl hugging the mouse, and one time, it was the mouse that found the owl!
Back inside, Dave showed a drawing of an owl’s extensive inner ear cavity, then donned a leather glove, opened the door of a large wooden box, and with a tweet of his whistle, summoned a gorgeous, enormous Barred Owl. Dave explained that female owls are larger than males, and my eyes were as wide as the children’s when his finger disappeared into the owl’s chest feathers, demonstrating how much of the bird’s bulk was due to its magnificent plumage. The characteristic markings – bars of dark and light feathers – explain the owl’s name, and its soulful brown eyes were hooded by two sets of eyelids, which provide extra protection from obstacles on the forest floor when it’s swooping down to snatch up a mouse.
With the owl safely back in its travel box, Dave passed around a delicate owl skull, an egg (almost perfectly round), a pellet, which led to an explanation of the bird’s digestive system, a wing, which was used to illustrate how silent owls are in flight, and a foot, which showed feathers reaching all the way down to the claws. (Tobin Tiger helpfully pointed out that they’re called “talons.”) When Dave asked if chicken feet are covered with feathers, a few of the children knew from experience on the farm that chicken legs and feet are spindly and bare, the better to navigate a compost pile. The owl’s feathers enable it to unfold its legs silently at the last moment as its feet reach out for an unsuspecting rodent.
The children sent Dave off with an enthusiastic “thank you,” then turned their attention to a game of hot potato, using, of course, a real potato. They were also looking forward to making blindfolds so that they could continue playing owl and mouse on the playground. Inside and outside, playing and learning, SCC children are a curious, enthusiastic, fun bunch. I can’t wait for my next visit!
When I arrived at the Children’s Center on a sunny, brisk November morning, the preschoolers were bundled up and ready to tromp into the woods following “Dave Duck.” Dave’s last name is actually Erler, but for these special days everyone, including the SLNSC visitor and the SCC teachers, wear animal nametags. There’s Elsa Eagle, Cooper Crocodile, Piper Penguin, and Izzy Iguana, along with a snail, a jaguar, and various other creeping, crawling, scurrying and flying friends.
Every month, a naturalist from SLNSC brings a different surprise animal to the Center, along with a bagful of creative activities to pique the children’s curiosity and give them an experiential underpinning for the upcoming animal encounter. Naturally, lessons begin outdoors!
The theme this fall is the senses, and this day focused on hearing. The children closed their eyes, cupped their ears, and listened for the sounds of the woods as an owl would at night. Next they played a game with blindfolds that involved a volunteer “owl” hunting a volunteer “mouse” by listening for the rustling of leaves that the mouse made as it moved. Most encounters ended in fitting SCC style with the owl hugging the mouse, and one time, it was the mouse that found the owl!
Back inside, Dave showed a drawing of an owl’s extensive inner ear cavity, then donned a leather glove, opened the door of a large wooden box, and with a tweet of his whistle, summoned a gorgeous, enormous Barred Owl. Dave explained that female owls are larger than males, and my eyes were as wide as the children’s when his finger disappeared into the owl’s chest feathers, demonstrating how much of the bird’s bulk was due to its magnificent plumage. The characteristic markings – bars of dark and light feathers – explain the owl’s name, and its soulful brown eyes were hooded by two sets of eyelids, which provide extra protection from obstacles on the forest floor when it’s swooping down to snatch up a mouse.
With the owl safely back in its travel box, Dave passed around a delicate owl skull, an egg (almost perfectly round), a pellet, which led to an explanation of the bird’s digestive system, a wing, which was used to illustrate how silent owls are in flight, and a foot, which showed feathers reaching all the way down to the claws. (Tobin Tiger helpfully pointed out that they’re called “talons.”) When Dave asked if chicken feet are covered with feathers, a few of the children knew from experience on the farm that chicken legs and feet are spindly and bare, the better to navigate a compost pile. The owl’s feathers enable it to unfold its legs silently at the last moment as its feet reach out for an unsuspecting rodent.
The children sent Dave off with an enthusiastic “thank you,” then turned their attention to a game of hot potato, using, of course, a real potato. They were also looking forward to making blindfolds so that they could continue playing owl and mouse on the playground. Inside and outside, playing and learning, SCC children are a curious, enthusiastic, fun bunch. I can’t wait for my next visit!
Fall Clean Up
Saturday, October 24
9:00-12:00
Please come help us get our outdoor play spaces ready for winter!
Bring rakes, tarps and work gloves if you've got them, or come just
as you are and borrow ours. Expect light work and lots of chatting;
we do get things done, but we have fun, too. Children love to help,
so bring them along! Don't worry if you can't stay for the whole time
-- come just for an hour, or for whatever time you can give. Thank you!
Bring rakes, tarps and work gloves if you've got them, or come just
as you are and borrow ours. Expect light work and lots of chatting;
we do get things done, but we have fun, too. Children love to help,
so bring them along! Don't worry if you can't stay for the whole time
-- come just for an hour, or for whatever time you can give. Thank you!
End of Summer Spaghetti Supper
Wednesday, August 26 @ 4:30 pm
It's approaching harvest time in the SCC gardens,
and the children are excited to make spaghetti
sauce from the tomatoes they've planted and tended
all summer long. SCC families, board members and
community members are all welcome to join us for
this delicious annual event.
Thanks for a Great 2nd Annual Summer Fete!
The sun has set on Sandwich Children’s Center’s 2nd Annual Summer Fete, and by all accounts it was a delicious and fun evening. Ticket sales were slightly up and net profit was somewhat down, but all in all it was a great night which will greatly help SCC with its charge: helping local families and our community by providing children with high quality early-learning experiences right here in town.
We logged hundreds of hours putting on the Fete. As with anything, this second time around was easier to organize and came off with fewer glitches. But hard work alone wouldn’t have got the job done. We needed YOU to underwrite the Fete with cash, sponsor the Fete with donations, donate items for auction, buy tickets to come enjoy a good meal, and bid, bid, bid, and you did
We’d like to thank our sponsors and underwriters for their generosity. These local businesses and individuals help SCC (and other important community entities) time and time again, and we quite literally could not make the Fete work without them.
Sponsors:
Beam Construction Associates Inc.
Law Office of Leslie H. Johnson
Circle Dental
Brad Streeter Building and Remodeling
Richard L. Benton, Jr. Carpenter - Builder
Rowan Electric
R.N. Peaslee & Sons, Inc.
Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery
Sheldon P. Perry
John & Susan Davies
Charles & Jackie Zaroulis
Boone Porter
Sponsors:
Maggie & Boone Porter
Sandwich Creamery
Moulton Farm
Village Kitchen
United Site Services
Katy Clark
Mallory Hathaway
Cindy Barnes
Bob's Baguettes
Heath's Supermarket
CG Roxane
We’d also like to thank Betty Alcock; Jennifer Wright and her capable checking in and checking out team of Abbie Hambrook, Lauren Hansen, Riley Hansen, Kelly Cox, Catherine Teran and Karyn Ames; Laura Dodge, Cindy Barnes and Beth Hamblet for working the bar; Dan Peaslee and Rhea York; auctioneer Rupert Fennell; Lance Fuher and Captain Bart for cooking a great meal; Susan Mitchell and Maggie Porter for the lovely flowers; Bill Borrebach and Landra Prins for running the 50/50 raffle (and raffle winners Boone and Maggie Porter for donating their winnings back to SCC!); and Louis Brunelle for helping with everything.
Finally, on behalf of SCC’s Board of Directors, I’d like to thank Fete creator and organizer Mallory Hathaway, without whom.
As for next year? We heard from some of you that Old Home Week is so packed with family and events that it can be hard to make it to the Fete. Determining a date for the Fete is tricky because we want to round out the guest list with summer folks and family. We’re thinking to try a different date next year, perhaps the week before OHW. We’ll let you know as soon as we choose a date, but fyi.
Rebecca Sykes
PR/Marketing Volunteer
Sandwich Children's Center
The sun has set on Sandwich Children’s Center’s 2nd Annual Summer Fete, and by all accounts it was a delicious and fun evening. Ticket sales were slightly up and net profit was somewhat down, but all in all it was a great night which will greatly help SCC with its charge: helping local families and our community by providing children with high quality early-learning experiences right here in town.
We logged hundreds of hours putting on the Fete. As with anything, this second time around was easier to organize and came off with fewer glitches. But hard work alone wouldn’t have got the job done. We needed YOU to underwrite the Fete with cash, sponsor the Fete with donations, donate items for auction, buy tickets to come enjoy a good meal, and bid, bid, bid, and you did
We’d like to thank our sponsors and underwriters for their generosity. These local businesses and individuals help SCC (and other important community entities) time and time again, and we quite literally could not make the Fete work without them.
Sponsors:
Beam Construction Associates Inc.
Law Office of Leslie H. Johnson
Circle Dental
Brad Streeter Building and Remodeling
Richard L. Benton, Jr. Carpenter - Builder
Rowan Electric
R.N. Peaslee & Sons, Inc.
Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery
Sheldon P. Perry
John & Susan Davies
Charles & Jackie Zaroulis
Boone Porter
Sponsors:
Maggie & Boone Porter
Sandwich Creamery
Moulton Farm
Village Kitchen
United Site Services
Katy Clark
Mallory Hathaway
Cindy Barnes
Bob's Baguettes
Heath's Supermarket
CG Roxane
We’d also like to thank Betty Alcock; Jennifer Wright and her capable checking in and checking out team of Abbie Hambrook, Lauren Hansen, Riley Hansen, Kelly Cox, Catherine Teran and Karyn Ames; Laura Dodge, Cindy Barnes and Beth Hamblet for working the bar; Dan Peaslee and Rhea York; auctioneer Rupert Fennell; Lance Fuher and Captain Bart for cooking a great meal; Susan Mitchell and Maggie Porter for the lovely flowers; Bill Borrebach and Landra Prins for running the 50/50 raffle (and raffle winners Boone and Maggie Porter for donating their winnings back to SCC!); and Louis Brunelle for helping with everything.
Finally, on behalf of SCC’s Board of Directors, I’d like to thank Fete creator and organizer Mallory Hathaway, without whom.
As for next year? We heard from some of you that Old Home Week is so packed with family and events that it can be hard to make it to the Fete. Determining a date for the Fete is tricky because we want to round out the guest list with summer folks and family. We’re thinking to try a different date next year, perhaps the week before OHW. We’ll let you know as soon as we choose a date, but fyi.
Rebecca Sykes
PR/Marketing Volunteer
Sandwich Children's Center
SCC Wins $5000 Gardening Grant
May, 2015 -- Sandwich Children’s Center has been awarded a $5000 gardening grant from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation.
The grant, a Community Garden Grant from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation’s Healthy Food Fund, will be used to purchase plants, herbs, vegetables and loam for existing gardens, materials for several new raised beds, and to bring new elements to the Center’s garden programs, according to Alfie Kerr, SCC’s executive director.
“Gardening is critical to our philosophy, to our idea of being outdoors and connected to nature,” Kerr said.
That philosophy helped SCC secure the grant, according to Mike Devlin, Director of Grants & Initiatives for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation.
“Sandwich Children’s Center’s focus on nurturing a love for gardening with young children made it a standout for us as we were making decisions about our grants,” Devlin said.
The first garden at SCC was created in 2006 in order to plant potatoes with the children. Since then, the gardens have expanded to number seven. There’s a school-age garden, a butterfly garden featuring plants attractive to butterflies, set around a brick pathway in the shape of a butterfly, an adjacent caterpillar ‘cafeteria’ garden, with plants caterpillars like to munch, a squash and pumpkin patch, an edible garden in the toddler area and two raised garden beds used by all the children.
One result of all this gardening with young children has been the development of some teaching expertise, and SCC educators have twice been sought out to present at a New England-wide farm-to-preschool conference. The awarding of this grant will further deepen the teachers’ knowledge and bring new experiences to the children, SCC’s Director Kerr said.
For example, the grant money will be used to buy two kitchen-cabinet-shaped vertical greenhouses, one for the toddlers and one for the preschoolers, Kerr said. The greenhouses are small enough to bring inside during the colder months, she said.
“That will take SCC’s gardening program, which we do spring, summer and fall, into the winter,” Kerr said.
Lead Teacher Sarah Norton was particularly excited by that expansion.
“With the greenhouses, we can start everything from seed and witness the whole process from beginning to end, from seed to plate,” she said.
The grant also provides money for child-sized gardening tools and gardening books for the classroomThe children love being read to and it will be great to add new books to their gardening-related collection, said Norton, who has twice presented at the farm-to-preschool conference. Among the children’s current favorite garden books are “Pumpkin Jack,” by Will Hubbell, which was the inspiration for the squash and pumpkin garden, and “Wally’s Big Book of Gardening,” by Susanne Tommes, she said.
The Center will also be able to purchase a watering system so the children will be able to water the garden on their own, according to Director Kerr. Currently, the children fill up little watering cans from a hose held by a teacher, a necessity with a group of very young children, even if kids getting wet isn’t considered a problem, which at SCC it isn’t!
The new watering system consists of a large steel tub with a lid and a hand-operated pump affixed to the top. Teachers can fill the tub from a hose, and the children can use the pump to get water into assorted containers to then water the gardens. “It will give them much more independence with their part of the process,” Kerr saidSCC staff will buy the first of the plants in the next few days, according to Kerr. Planting will begin immediately, but the bulk of the planting will probably be done on May 30, which is the Center’s annual spring clean-up day, attended by parents, teachers, board members and volunteers.
All told, this grant from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation will touch many area families by providing much-needed funds for a vital local institution, according to Kerr.
“It’s like an IV of sustainability,” Kerr said. “We have life [at the Center], we have our board, our budget, our tuition, but grants are the IV that allow us to do our programs and do new creative programs that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to do.”
Founded in 1985, Sandwich Children’s Center is a non-profit early learning center.
Summer Fete
Friday, July 31, 2015
There'll be an auction and delicious food and drink in a festive atmosphere at the Crafts Building at Sandwich Fairgrounds. Click on "2nd Annual Summer Fete" on the menu bar, above, or check us out on Facebook for more information and auction items. A sampling of auction items will be listed as they come in!
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Annual Ice Cream Social
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Please join us in our end of the year celebration to kick off the summer! Featuring Sandwich Creamery Ice Cream and lots of yummy toppings!
Spring Clean-up
Saturday, May 30, 2015
9:00am to noon
Come help us prepare our outdoor spaces for spring! Children welcome too; they love to show their families their outside play space and take pride in raking leaves, preparing the garden beds and other spring-time tasks. Bring garden gloves and rakes if you have them but don't worry if you don't. Feel free to come for just an hour if that's what you have available. Many hands do make light work, and there's lots of socializing and laughter along with light refreshments.
Trivia Night Fundraiser
Saturday, May 9
Trivia Night has come and gone, and the feedback was almost unanimously, "That was great fun, and when are you going to do it again?"
A maximum-capacity crowd squeezed into the Doris L. Benz Community Center on Saturday for good snacks, drinks, fast-paced play and between-rounds chatting. Our guest MC Justin Chapman kept the crowd thoroughly entertained and shared a poignant story that reinforced the profound impact of SCC on our community’s children and their families. We raised almost $900, including a $200 donation from a single Sandwich family, and so many of you were similarly generous with your on-the-spot donations for food and drink. Thank you so much!
There were four rounds of questions, including multiple-choice questions, quote-and-speaker-matching questions, and questions of general knowledge. You never know what people know, and Trivia Night brought that into high relief. Among the questions on Saturday were:
What’s the fourth largest U.S. state by land area? Most people can readily get the first three – Alaska, Texas and California, in that order – but number four can be a stumper, and it was, for many teams: the answer is Montana. (Number 5 is perhaps even more surprising: New Mexico.)
Yet most teams correctly identified 1934 as the year of Sandwich’s Great Fire.
And several times, when a team had no idea about an answer, they wrote in the name of the same local resident, one who was definitely NOT the answer and who was not even present at Trivia Night. So once again, for the record, the Sandwich resident who accompanied Admiral Byrd to the South Pole was John Dyer, not Rich Benton!
Thanks again to all who came out to play or who supported SCC by baking or procuring liquid refreshments. Based on your feedback, we will definitely plan to do Trivia Night again, though for now our attention has turned to our 2nd Annual Summer Fete. We had a blast with it last year and you may recall it succeeded as a fundraiser, too. We’ve taken your feedback from last year and have tweaked the event a bit to keep it fresh and make it even better. More details later, but please mark your calendars:
The Summer Fete is on Friday, July 31 this year, once again right before the start of Old Home Week. See you there!
A maximum-capacity crowd squeezed into the Doris L. Benz Community Center on Saturday for good snacks, drinks, fast-paced play and between-rounds chatting. Our guest MC Justin Chapman kept the crowd thoroughly entertained and shared a poignant story that reinforced the profound impact of SCC on our community’s children and their families. We raised almost $900, including a $200 donation from a single Sandwich family, and so many of you were similarly generous with your on-the-spot donations for food and drink. Thank you so much!
There were four rounds of questions, including multiple-choice questions, quote-and-speaker-matching questions, and questions of general knowledge. You never know what people know, and Trivia Night brought that into high relief. Among the questions on Saturday were:
What’s the fourth largest U.S. state by land area? Most people can readily get the first three – Alaska, Texas and California, in that order – but number four can be a stumper, and it was, for many teams: the answer is Montana. (Number 5 is perhaps even more surprising: New Mexico.)
Yet most teams correctly identified 1934 as the year of Sandwich’s Great Fire.
And several times, when a team had no idea about an answer, they wrote in the name of the same local resident, one who was definitely NOT the answer and who was not even present at Trivia Night. So once again, for the record, the Sandwich resident who accompanied Admiral Byrd to the South Pole was John Dyer, not Rich Benton!
Thanks again to all who came out to play or who supported SCC by baking or procuring liquid refreshments. Based on your feedback, we will definitely plan to do Trivia Night again, though for now our attention has turned to our 2nd Annual Summer Fete. We had a blast with it last year and you may recall it succeeded as a fundraiser, too. We’ve taken your feedback from last year and have tweaked the event a bit to keep it fresh and make it even better. More details later, but please mark your calendars:
The Summer Fete is on Friday, July 31 this year, once again right before the start of Old Home Week. See you there!
SCC Celebrates May Day
May 1, 2015 -- The morning was cloudy and cool, but the weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the children of Sandwich Children’s Center, who were waiting to begin their annual May Day walk to distribute potted flowers and warm wishes throughout the neighborhood. In line were sleepy babies in strollers, intrepid toddlers, excited preschoolers, and a few school-age children who were at the Center during the spring vacation week.
One of the older children announced that the group would be walking for ninety minutes. Another said that he had once walked for six hours. Word then spread that we would be walking for six hours. Fortunately, a team of wonderful teachers was on hand to make sure that all were safely back in time for lunch. As an SCC volunteer, I was happy to join the merry band following a little red wagon loaded with small pots of magenta dianthuses, each wrapped with a note wishing a Happy May Day!
Amongst the group were explorers, including a child who lifted a rock and called out, “I found some ants!” There were helpers, such as the small child who put her arm out to direct me away from the side of the road. (Her arm reached my knee.) When I asked why, she replied solemnly, “poison ivy.” And there were critical thinkers, such as the child who, as she was about to place a plant on the front steps of a house, looked at it and exclaimed, “How odd. There’s a four-leaf clover and it’s not St. Patrick’s Day!”
There was also a group of young naturalists who, when given a play break at Spokesfield Common, went right to work stacking up cut evergreen branches. When asked if they were cleaning up, they explained that they were making a bird nest. I suggested that given the size of the nest it must be for a very big bird, and a child patiently explained to me that it was for “one hundred birds and their eggs.” Of course!
Mostly, there were children with big hearts. There was the rambunctious “group hug” at the play stop, and all along the way children called out cheerful “Happy May Day” wishes to passing motorists and neighbors working in their yards.
Then it was back to the Center for lunch and naps before frolicking around a May Pole in the afternoon, welcoming Spring and celebrating being children in a wonderful, warm community.
Jane Horn
PR/Marketing Volunteer
Sandwich Children’s Center
May 1, 2015 -- The morning was cloudy and cool, but the weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the children of Sandwich Children’s Center, who were waiting to begin their annual May Day walk to distribute potted flowers and warm wishes throughout the neighborhood. In line were sleepy babies in strollers, intrepid toddlers, excited preschoolers, and a few school-age children who were at the Center during the spring vacation week.
One of the older children announced that the group would be walking for ninety minutes. Another said that he had once walked for six hours. Word then spread that we would be walking for six hours. Fortunately, a team of wonderful teachers was on hand to make sure that all were safely back in time for lunch. As an SCC volunteer, I was happy to join the merry band following a little red wagon loaded with small pots of magenta dianthuses, each wrapped with a note wishing a Happy May Day!
Amongst the group were explorers, including a child who lifted a rock and called out, “I found some ants!” There were helpers, such as the small child who put her arm out to direct me away from the side of the road. (Her arm reached my knee.) When I asked why, she replied solemnly, “poison ivy.” And there were critical thinkers, such as the child who, as she was about to place a plant on the front steps of a house, looked at it and exclaimed, “How odd. There’s a four-leaf clover and it’s not St. Patrick’s Day!”
There was also a group of young naturalists who, when given a play break at Spokesfield Common, went right to work stacking up cut evergreen branches. When asked if they were cleaning up, they explained that they were making a bird nest. I suggested that given the size of the nest it must be for a very big bird, and a child patiently explained to me that it was for “one hundred birds and their eggs.” Of course!
Mostly, there were children with big hearts. There was the rambunctious “group hug” at the play stop, and all along the way children called out cheerful “Happy May Day” wishes to passing motorists and neighbors working in their yards.
Then it was back to the Center for lunch and naps before frolicking around a May Pole in the afternoon, welcoming Spring and celebrating being children in a wonderful, warm community.
Jane Horn
PR/Marketing Volunteer
Sandwich Children’s Center
Science Olympics Week at SCC a Cork-Popping Success!
February school vacation week was Science Olympics Week in the school-age room at Sandwich Children’s Center, and 14 children attended some or all of the program.
School-age Program Coordinator Erin Murphy created a hands-on science week which posed a different question each day, including how do you design a system of pipes to fill a gallon of water up the fastest and can you create a table out of newspaper and tape which will hold up two people? (For pictures please see below.)
Sometimes the challenge appeared a bit too challenging. For example, almost all the contraptions the children designed to rush the water the fastest ended up leaking rather prodigiously. But none of the children wanted to give up, so Murphy tweaked the goal to simply getting more water into the container and less on the floor, and the activity continued with additional laughs and excitement. “They were just more focused on having fun,” she said.
The most popular challenge of the week was probably the bottle rocket experiment, Murphy said. What ratio of vinegar-to-baking-soda would propel a cork out of a one-liter plastic bottle the highest, and how high would it go? The children concocted various mixtures, trooped outside and with Murphy helping hold the bottle released the cork, which sometimes shot more than 30 feet into the air, she said.
The children, who ranged from kindergarteners to fourth graders, documented their experiments in individual “Science Journals,” either drawing or writing about the experiments. The children also spent 1 ½ to 2 hours outside each day playing in the snow and enjoyed snack, lunch and free play time as well.
All in all, it was a great week and the children were energized and engaged by the challenges Murphy set forth. “Seeing their dedication was definitely the best part for me,” she said. “A lot of them didn’t want to leave when their parents came to pick them up, which is always a good thing.”
Programming for April vacation week (April 27-May 1) is still in the works, but we can give you this two-word preview: solar system!
Founded in 1985, Sandwich Children’s Center is a non-profit early learning center.
February school vacation week was Science Olympics Week in the school-age room at Sandwich Children’s Center, and 14 children attended some or all of the program.
School-age Program Coordinator Erin Murphy created a hands-on science week which posed a different question each day, including how do you design a system of pipes to fill a gallon of water up the fastest and can you create a table out of newspaper and tape which will hold up two people? (For pictures please see below.)
Sometimes the challenge appeared a bit too challenging. For example, almost all the contraptions the children designed to rush the water the fastest ended up leaking rather prodigiously. But none of the children wanted to give up, so Murphy tweaked the goal to simply getting more water into the container and less on the floor, and the activity continued with additional laughs and excitement. “They were just more focused on having fun,” she said.
The most popular challenge of the week was probably the bottle rocket experiment, Murphy said. What ratio of vinegar-to-baking-soda would propel a cork out of a one-liter plastic bottle the highest, and how high would it go? The children concocted various mixtures, trooped outside and with Murphy helping hold the bottle released the cork, which sometimes shot more than 30 feet into the air, she said.
The children, who ranged from kindergarteners to fourth graders, documented their experiments in individual “Science Journals,” either drawing or writing about the experiments. The children also spent 1 ½ to 2 hours outside each day playing in the snow and enjoyed snack, lunch and free play time as well.
All in all, it was a great week and the children were energized and engaged by the challenges Murphy set forth. “Seeing their dedication was definitely the best part for me,” she said. “A lot of them didn’t want to leave when their parents came to pick them up, which is always a good thing.”
Programming for April vacation week (April 27-May 1) is still in the works, but we can give you this two-word preview: solar system!
Founded in 1985, Sandwich Children’s Center is a non-profit early learning center.
Feb. 23-27
February Vacation Is Science Olympics Week at Sandwich Children’s Center!
Test your brain planning, designing and implementing unique solutions to unique science problems. School-age Program Coordinator Erin Murphy has created a fun and challenging hands-on science program for school-agers in kindergarten through age 12.
Here's the daily schedule:
Monday, Feb. 23 Building a table out of newspaper. Can it support two people?
Tuesday, Feb. 24 Making a small motor. Can you get your motor to spin?
Wednesday, Feb 25 Water Challenge: How quickly can you fill your pitcher?
Thursday, Feb. 26 Rockets! How high can your rocket go?
Friday, Feb. 27 Egg Drop: Can you keep your egg safe?
How creative are you? Let’s find out together! Only 10 spots available, and sign up closes Feb. 12, so don’t delay
Program Details
Program runs 9:30-5:30, Monday, Feb. 23 through Friday, Feb. 27, at SCC at 54 Maple Street, Center Sandwich. Breakfast, lunch, snack and all materials included. The children will also have outdoor play time. Cost: $39.00 a day, or enroll for the whole week by Jan. 30 at $34.00 a day. Special discount applies only for families who are not currently enrolled at SCC.
February Vacation Is Science Olympics Week at Sandwich Children’s Center!
Test your brain planning, designing and implementing unique solutions to unique science problems. School-age Program Coordinator Erin Murphy has created a fun and challenging hands-on science program for school-agers in kindergarten through age 12.
Here's the daily schedule:
Monday, Feb. 23 Building a table out of newspaper. Can it support two people?
Tuesday, Feb. 24 Making a small motor. Can you get your motor to spin?
Wednesday, Feb 25 Water Challenge: How quickly can you fill your pitcher?
Thursday, Feb. 26 Rockets! How high can your rocket go?
Friday, Feb. 27 Egg Drop: Can you keep your egg safe?
How creative are you? Let’s find out together! Only 10 spots available, and sign up closes Feb. 12, so don’t delay
Program Details
Program runs 9:30-5:30, Monday, Feb. 23 through Friday, Feb. 27, at SCC at 54 Maple Street, Center Sandwich. Breakfast, lunch, snack and all materials included. The children will also have outdoor play time. Cost: $39.00 a day, or enroll for the whole week by Jan. 30 at $34.00 a day. Special discount applies only for families who are not currently enrolled at SCC.
Wednesday March 11 @ 10:00 A.M.
Annual Snow Shoe Event
The preschoolers will walk or snowshoe through the woods to the Doris L. Benz Community Center, just a short walk from SCC. We will enjoy a hot lunch and some songs with the assembled seniors. If your child has their own snow shoes, feel free to bring them. If not, we have plenty of pairs for all. Parents are welcome to come, too! Give Alfie a call for more information, and let it snow!
Annual Snow Shoe Event
The preschoolers will walk or snowshoe through the woods to the Doris L. Benz Community Center, just a short walk from SCC. We will enjoy a hot lunch and some songs with the assembled seniors. If your child has their own snow shoes, feel free to bring them. If not, we have plenty of pairs for all. Parents are welcome to come, too! Give Alfie a call for more information, and let it snow!
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014
"A Night to Remember" at Surroundings Art Gallery, Center Sandwich
5:30-7:00p.m.
"A Night to Remember" at Surroundings Art Gallery, Center Sandwich
5:30-7:00p.m.
Thanks to all who came out to Surroundings Art Gallery in Center Sandwich to view paintings and drawings done by the children in SCC’s school-age program.
The gallery show was the culmination of the children’s sustained interest in art, according to Erin Murphy, Lead Teacher for SCC’s after-school program. As part of the after-school program, Murphy and the children looked at the collage art work of children’s book author and illustrator Eric Carle, of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” fame. They noted how Carle’s art is readily identifiable, and the children, intrigued, requested more time to explore. Thus began “Artist Fridays.” Each week, the children created art using different materials, including tempura, acrylics, watercolors, and sketching, Murphy said.
This progression well-illustrates the teaching philosophy practiced at Sandwich Children’s Center. It’s called “emergent curriculum,” and it means taking children’s interests and ideas and expanding them to get the most out of the teaching moment, according to Alfie Kerr, SCC’s Executive Director.
“It allows children to become more engaged in what they’re learning or working on,” Kerr said. “That’s why we do it.”
One afternoon, one of the kids proposed making a gallery wall in the classroom to display all the artwork they had created. Spurred by the children’s enthusiasm, Murphy approached Don Sutton, the owner of Surroundings Art Gallery, about displaying the children’s work alongside the gallery’s other works. Sutton was impressed with Murphy’s line of thought and her plan for the children.
“She had a whole series of things she wanted to do with them,” Sutton said. “It wasn’t just an exercise to take up time for the kids during their time at the Children’s Center. It was a project to show them the beginning to the end of the creative process.”
With the gallery notion afloat, one necessary task was making frames so the art could be displayed. One day, while cleaning out a storage area, Murphy discovered a folded pile of canvas which had hung on a wall for another project. She pulled out dozens of staples from the canvas and voila! A surface for the children’s art! (Creative scrimping and re-use has long been the mantra at Sandwich Children's Center.) Long-time SCC volunteer Nan Russell cut long pieces of wood to 12 inches in length and the children used a miter box to cut the 45 degree angles needed to join the wood into a square frame, Murphy said. The children primed the canvas and stretched it over the frame, hammering in staples to secure it, she said.
The artwork will be installed this weekend, and though the children’s artwork is not for sale, gallery-owner Sutton, who is closing his doors next month after a long run, is offering 20% off the artwork of his regular artists. Sutton said he hopes that “A Night to Remember” will be fun for the children, but also that it helps encourage them to be interested in art.
“Art is a big part of life,” he said.
For more information, call Erin Murphy at SCC at 284-7014.
Founded in 1985, Sandwich Children’s Center is a non-profit early learning center.
The gallery show was the culmination of the children’s sustained interest in art, according to Erin Murphy, Lead Teacher for SCC’s after-school program. As part of the after-school program, Murphy and the children looked at the collage art work of children’s book author and illustrator Eric Carle, of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” fame. They noted how Carle’s art is readily identifiable, and the children, intrigued, requested more time to explore. Thus began “Artist Fridays.” Each week, the children created art using different materials, including tempura, acrylics, watercolors, and sketching, Murphy said.
This progression well-illustrates the teaching philosophy practiced at Sandwich Children’s Center. It’s called “emergent curriculum,” and it means taking children’s interests and ideas and expanding them to get the most out of the teaching moment, according to Alfie Kerr, SCC’s Executive Director.
“It allows children to become more engaged in what they’re learning or working on,” Kerr said. “That’s why we do it.”
One afternoon, one of the kids proposed making a gallery wall in the classroom to display all the artwork they had created. Spurred by the children’s enthusiasm, Murphy approached Don Sutton, the owner of Surroundings Art Gallery, about displaying the children’s work alongside the gallery’s other works. Sutton was impressed with Murphy’s line of thought and her plan for the children.
“She had a whole series of things she wanted to do with them,” Sutton said. “It wasn’t just an exercise to take up time for the kids during their time at the Children’s Center. It was a project to show them the beginning to the end of the creative process.”
With the gallery notion afloat, one necessary task was making frames so the art could be displayed. One day, while cleaning out a storage area, Murphy discovered a folded pile of canvas which had hung on a wall for another project. She pulled out dozens of staples from the canvas and voila! A surface for the children’s art! (Creative scrimping and re-use has long been the mantra at Sandwich Children's Center.) Long-time SCC volunteer Nan Russell cut long pieces of wood to 12 inches in length and the children used a miter box to cut the 45 degree angles needed to join the wood into a square frame, Murphy said. The children primed the canvas and stretched it over the frame, hammering in staples to secure it, she said.
The artwork will be installed this weekend, and though the children’s artwork is not for sale, gallery-owner Sutton, who is closing his doors next month after a long run, is offering 20% off the artwork of his regular artists. Sutton said he hopes that “A Night to Remember” will be fun for the children, but also that it helps encourage them to be interested in art.
“Art is a big part of life,” he said.
For more information, call Erin Murphy at SCC at 284-7014.
Founded in 1985, Sandwich Children’s Center is a non-profit early learning center.
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014
Fall Clean-Up Day
9:00-noon
Please come help us get our outdoor play spaces ready for winter! Bring rakes, tarps and work gloves if you've got them, or come just as you are and borrow ours. Expect light work and lots of chatting; we do get things done, but we have fun, too. Children love to help, so bring them along! Don't worry if you can't stay for the whole time -- come just for an hour, or for whatever time you can give. Thank you!
Fall Clean-Up Day
9:00-noon
Please come help us get our outdoor play spaces ready for winter! Bring rakes, tarps and work gloves if you've got them, or come just as you are and borrow ours. Expect light work and lots of chatting; we do get things done, but we have fun, too. Children love to help, so bring them along! Don't worry if you can't stay for the whole time -- come just for an hour, or for whatever time you can give. Thank you!
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The First Annual Pig Roast and Auction has concluded, and
thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, underwriters and the community, it
was by most any measure a success! We sold around 180 tickets, and fed around
135 people, and by all accounts the food was especially tasty and the auction
items quite fine.
One surprisingly popular auction lot turned out to be a truckload of oxen manure. It sold so well we sold two more, bringing in $800 for SCC.
The Egg Wars were another stealth money-maker. We had 5 lots of idiosyncratically packaged dozen-eggs, and the most expensive sold for $70! Imagine the scrumptious omelet they’ll make!
We also have a winner of the 50/50 raffle to announce: Peter Pohl. Peter receives half of the amount raised from raffle ticket sales, and SCC gets the rest.
Alfie Kerr, SCC’s new executive director, addressed the crowd briefly before the auction began, and said afterwards it was amazing to see so many supporters of SCC turn out for the evening.
“It was exciting to see everyone come together in that way,” Kerr said. “Clearly, they’re there because of SCC’s programs, and that speaks volumes for SCC.
Many, many thanks to all who bought tickets, offered up items for the auction, or came out and bid. And additional thanks to those who did all three! We couldn’t do what we do at SCC without you.
We’d also like to thank our sponsors and underwriters. Many of these businesses and individuals donate their products, services or money to many different organizations in the community, including Sandwich Children’s Center, over and over again. We are thankful and lucky they are so community-minded, as we couldn’t run an event like the Pig Roast and Auction without their support.
Sponsors: Moat Mountain Brewery, Squam Lakes Brewery, Tuckerman Brewery, Bob Carmany, C.G. Roxane, Laconia Ice, Maple Ridge Septic, John Moulton & Moulton Farm, Sandwich Creamery, Village Kitchen.
Underwriters: Beam Construction, Patricia Carega Gallery, Gale Clark & Rick Whidden, Richard L. Benton, Jr., Law Office of Leslie H. Johnson, PLCC, Frase Electric LLC, Cynthia Barnes, Mark Tuckerman, Orr & Reno, Circle Dental – Nick I. Fleury and Jeffrey Williams, DMD, Olafsen Building & Remodeling, H.B. Bullard & Co., Sousa Plastering, Steeple View Cabinetry.
We would also like to thank Dan Peaslee, for his behind-the-scenes assistance, and auctioneer Rupert Fennell for his help, front and center.
Finally, on behalf of SCC’s Board of Directors, I would like to thank Mallory Hathaway for bringing her zest, smarts and style to create the First Annual Pig Roast and Auction. Mallory spent hundreds of hours chairing this event, and the children and families of the community have more options and opportunities because she did so.
Rebecca Sykes, PR/Marketing Volunteer, SCC
One surprisingly popular auction lot turned out to be a truckload of oxen manure. It sold so well we sold two more, bringing in $800 for SCC.
The Egg Wars were another stealth money-maker. We had 5 lots of idiosyncratically packaged dozen-eggs, and the most expensive sold for $70! Imagine the scrumptious omelet they’ll make!
We also have a winner of the 50/50 raffle to announce: Peter Pohl. Peter receives half of the amount raised from raffle ticket sales, and SCC gets the rest.
Alfie Kerr, SCC’s new executive director, addressed the crowd briefly before the auction began, and said afterwards it was amazing to see so many supporters of SCC turn out for the evening.
“It was exciting to see everyone come together in that way,” Kerr said. “Clearly, they’re there because of SCC’s programs, and that speaks volumes for SCC.
Many, many thanks to all who bought tickets, offered up items for the auction, or came out and bid. And additional thanks to those who did all three! We couldn’t do what we do at SCC without you.
We’d also like to thank our sponsors and underwriters. Many of these businesses and individuals donate their products, services or money to many different organizations in the community, including Sandwich Children’s Center, over and over again. We are thankful and lucky they are so community-minded, as we couldn’t run an event like the Pig Roast and Auction without their support.
Sponsors: Moat Mountain Brewery, Squam Lakes Brewery, Tuckerman Brewery, Bob Carmany, C.G. Roxane, Laconia Ice, Maple Ridge Septic, John Moulton & Moulton Farm, Sandwich Creamery, Village Kitchen.
Underwriters: Beam Construction, Patricia Carega Gallery, Gale Clark & Rick Whidden, Richard L. Benton, Jr., Law Office of Leslie H. Johnson, PLCC, Frase Electric LLC, Cynthia Barnes, Mark Tuckerman, Orr & Reno, Circle Dental – Nick I. Fleury and Jeffrey Williams, DMD, Olafsen Building & Remodeling, H.B. Bullard & Co., Sousa Plastering, Steeple View Cabinetry.
We would also like to thank Dan Peaslee, for his behind-the-scenes assistance, and auctioneer Rupert Fennell for his help, front and center.
Finally, on behalf of SCC’s Board of Directors, I would like to thank Mallory Hathaway for bringing her zest, smarts and style to create the First Annual Pig Roast and Auction. Mallory spent hundreds of hours chairing this event, and the children and families of the community have more options and opportunities because she did so.
Rebecca Sykes, PR/Marketing Volunteer, SCC
Sandwich Children's Center Welcomes New Executive Director
July 2014 -- Sandwich Children’s Center is pleased to introduce its new executive director, Alfie Kerr! Alfie’s extensive experience, local roots, and career-long commitment to children make her the perfect choice to head up SCC as we approach our 30th year. Alfie has experience both as a teacher in classrooms with very young children and as administrator and manager of programs for children. She liked what she saw at SCC right from her very first visit. “There seemed to be a natural enjoyment of children here that’s really great,” she said.
Alfie holds a BS from the University of New Hampshire in Young Child Development and Early Childhood Education, with additional study at the University of Colorado documenting young children’s developmental growth.
She spent 13 years in the Washington, DC area with several different child development programs, including those for employees of the U.S. Department of State, Georgetown University, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In addition, Alfie has worked as writer and senior curriculum developer for a suite of early childhood education programs; as a consultant on a variety of early-childhood education projects; and as a manager of five Head Start programs serving Belknap and Merrimack counties in NH.
Alfie grew up in Rumney when her family was stateside, but much of her childhood was spent overseas, living in Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt and Bangladesh. She has relatives here in Sandwich and was a frequent attendee at the Sandwich Fair. Alfie and her partner were considering re-locating back to the DC-area from NH when she saw the posting for executive director at Sandwich Children’s Center. Her first week on the job has confirmed what she discerned on her first visit.
“The staff understand children’s development and what’s important right out of the gate,” Alfie said. “The fundamentals and the ethics are there.”
One fundamental is creating a climate of fun and exploration, a place where a kid can be carefree and explore their world, she said.
“We should always be working toward creating those moments,” Alfie said. “Early-childhood education professionals have a responsibility to create those opportunities.”
Alfie and her partner currently live in Plymouth with their yellow lab, Sequoia, and their cat, Felix. Outside of work, Alfie enjoys gardening, photography, Nordic skiing, tennis, rock climbing and needle felting. She is thrilled to be back in her home state and to have found an exciting, professional position in her chosen field at SCC.
“It just was a fit. It was so wonderful to think we can stay and be part of this kind of community,” she said.
Founded in 1985, Sandwich Children’s Center is a non-profit early learning center.
July 2014 -- Sandwich Children’s Center is pleased to introduce its new executive director, Alfie Kerr! Alfie’s extensive experience, local roots, and career-long commitment to children make her the perfect choice to head up SCC as we approach our 30th year. Alfie has experience both as a teacher in classrooms with very young children and as administrator and manager of programs for children. She liked what she saw at SCC right from her very first visit. “There seemed to be a natural enjoyment of children here that’s really great,” she said.
Alfie holds a BS from the University of New Hampshire in Young Child Development and Early Childhood Education, with additional study at the University of Colorado documenting young children’s developmental growth.
She spent 13 years in the Washington, DC area with several different child development programs, including those for employees of the U.S. Department of State, Georgetown University, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In addition, Alfie has worked as writer and senior curriculum developer for a suite of early childhood education programs; as a consultant on a variety of early-childhood education projects; and as a manager of five Head Start programs serving Belknap and Merrimack counties in NH.
Alfie grew up in Rumney when her family was stateside, but much of her childhood was spent overseas, living in Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt and Bangladesh. She has relatives here in Sandwich and was a frequent attendee at the Sandwich Fair. Alfie and her partner were considering re-locating back to the DC-area from NH when she saw the posting for executive director at Sandwich Children’s Center. Her first week on the job has confirmed what she discerned on her first visit.
“The staff understand children’s development and what’s important right out of the gate,” Alfie said. “The fundamentals and the ethics are there.”
One fundamental is creating a climate of fun and exploration, a place where a kid can be carefree and explore their world, she said.
“We should always be working toward creating those moments,” Alfie said. “Early-childhood education professionals have a responsibility to create those opportunities.”
Alfie and her partner currently live in Plymouth with their yellow lab, Sequoia, and their cat, Felix. Outside of work, Alfie enjoys gardening, photography, Nordic skiing, tennis, rock climbing and needle felting. She is thrilled to be back in her home state and to have found an exciting, professional position in her chosen field at SCC.
“It just was a fit. It was so wonderful to think we can stay and be part of this kind of community,” she said.
Founded in 1985, Sandwich Children’s Center is a non-profit early learning center.
Ice Cream Social, June 20, 2014
The Ice Cream Social was a blast this year! Many friends and families attended the nice afternoon festivities full of tasty treats. We enjoyed locally made Sandwich Creamery Ice Cream, as well as yummy toppings supplied by the parents. We thank all who contributed to the social to make it a blast.
The Ice Cream Social was a blast this year! Many friends and families attended the nice afternoon festivities full of tasty treats. We enjoyed locally made Sandwich Creamery Ice Cream, as well as yummy toppings supplied by the parents. We thank all who contributed to the social to make it a blast.
Spring Clean-Up
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Thank you to all the friends,
families, and community members for making the SCC outdoor play space look
beautiful for springtime! Many families attended, assisting in raking,
planting, as well as lots of socializing. A big thank you goes out to the
Barking Dog for supplying coffee and light refreshments for the event. Our
gardens are looking beautiful!
May Day
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Our May Day celebration this year was wet but wonderful. We loaded our 18 May baskets full of pansies into our wagons and walked despite the sprinkles to Spokesfield Common to drop baskets at residents' doors. Then we walked back through town, delivering the rest. The preschoolers had a ball sneakily creeping up to each doorstep to drop off the baskets surreptitiously. The penalty for being caught (and we did get caught sometimes) was to give nice hugs! At one house, we were given a May Day basket ourselves. Thanks, Anne Made!
Once back at SCC we usually proceed with our May Pole celebration, but the preschoolers were cold so we went inside. That worked out great, though, since we were able to do our May Pole celebration that afternoon, and the after-school children were there to celebrate, too! Special guest Diane Booty helped make the event a success, leading us in dance and song as we fluttered our ribbons and wound them round the May Pole. Can't wait til next year!
Once back at SCC we usually proceed with our May Pole celebration, but the preschoolers were cold so we went inside. That worked out great, though, since we were able to do our May Pole celebration that afternoon, and the after-school children were there to celebrate, too! Special guest Diane Booty helped make the event a success, leading us in dance and song as we fluttered our ribbons and wound them round the May Pole. Can't wait til next year!
Winter Showcase!
Friday, February 21, 2014
Despite the snowy weather, many parents attended our late-afternoon celebration of the many
activities the children have been doing so far this winter. The children have
been singing and playing instruments each week with our music instructor Noelle
Beaudin of the New Hampshire Independent School of Music, and our visitors were treated to a short concert showcasing their work on two traditional African American songs. The toddlers used instruments to mark the 4-count rhythm while the preschoolers sang and clapped out the rhythm with their hands. Our "Red Day Installation" was also available for viewing -- this is the armatures each classroom had, festooned with many things red that the children found and placed, wove, taped or tucked into the armatures.
activities the children have been doing so far this winter. The children have
been singing and playing instruments each week with our music instructor Noelle
Beaudin of the New Hampshire Independent School of Music, and our visitors were treated to a short concert showcasing their work on two traditional African American songs. The toddlers used instruments to mark the 4-count rhythm while the preschoolers sang and clapped out the rhythm with their hands. Our "Red Day Installation" was also available for viewing -- this is the armatures each classroom had, festooned with many things red that the children found and placed, wove, taped or tucked into the armatures.
7th Annual Snowshoe to the Benz
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
A foot of fresh snow greeted SCC snowshoe-ers and walkers for our annual trek through the woods to the Doris L. Benz Community Center! Four teachers, a parent, a volunteer and nine preschoolers made the trip through the snowy woods. Two of the adults broke trail through the deep snow. The children managed wonderfully, though they sank to their waists if they got off the trail! They had fun with that and also enjoyed pulling snowy branches down along the way to make snow showers. At the Benz, the children sang "You Are My Sunshine" and "Wading Through the Water" to the assembled seniors, accompanied on guitar by long-time SCC volunteer Nan Russell. A hot lunch and some chat with the seniors finished out our visit, and we went back through the woods to SCC. Thanks to all who helped make this fun adventure happen!
Preschool Sing at the Ladies' Aid Society Annual Luncheon
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013 at the Corner House Inn
The preschoolers recited two poems and sang "Jingle Bells"
while playing their percussive instruments at this enjoyable annual event.
while playing their percussive instruments at this enjoyable annual event.
Sandwich Fire Department Visit
Monday, Nov. 18, 2013
Two firemen and a firewoman visited to speak about fire
safety and show the children their clothing and gear. Afterwards, the children
enjoyed going outside to see the fire tools and gear on the fire truck and take
turns sitting in the vehicle. Thank you to the Sandwich Fire Department for this
informative and fun session.
safety and show the children their clothing and gear. Afterwards, the children
enjoyed going outside to see the fire tools and gear on the fire truck and take
turns sitting in the vehicle. Thank you to the Sandwich Fire Department for this
informative and fun session.
Fall Clean-up Day
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013
Big thanks to the board members, community members, parents and many SCC teachers and their families who joined us for our fall clean up. We raked, put the gardens to bed for the winter, took out the a/c window units and weeded our outdoor toys, taking broken ones to the transfer station. If you've got stainless steel pots and pans we can use in our outside play spaces, please let us know, as we're trying to get rid of the plastic ones that keep breaking. Thanks also to The Barking Dog, which generously provided us with coffee and cookies.
Fall Open House
Friday, Nov. 1, 2013
We were thrilled to show off the Center to the families who came
this year! The Center was abuzz with "mini" sessions of some of
the activities the children do, including circle time, yoga and singing
in sign language. We were especially proud to feature the school-age
room, which, thanks to school-age teacher Emily Sapack, is bursting
with color, activities and artwork. We topped off our Open House with refreshments made by the children and hope you enjoyed them as much
as we did!
this year! The Center was abuzz with "mini" sessions of some of
the activities the children do, including circle time, yoga and singing
in sign language. We were especially proud to feature the school-age
room, which, thanks to school-age teacher Emily Sapack, is bursting
with color, activities and artwork. We topped off our Open House with refreshments made by the children and hope you enjoyed them as much
as we did!
End-of-Summer Spaghetti Supper
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Our end-of-summer shindig was well attended by SCC families, and we were thrilled to also welcome an alumni family and one of our volunteers from the community. The preschoolers made delicious tomato sauce, and we had so many people we had to make extra! The toddlers washed and tore the lettuce for the salad, and parents brought bread and cheese. Our garden wasn't stellar this year -- the lettuce went bitter -- so many thanks to Booty Family Farm for their generous donation of tomatoes and lettuce. All in all, a great cap to a fun summer program. Welcome fall !
2013 Craft Classes Right Here in Sandwich for Kids Ages 4-12
Sandwich Children's Center's Art Collaborative with Sandwich Home Industries
is back by popular demand. Come make a felted ice cream cone, create an action
figure with polymer clay, explore natural fiber weaving, and more!
Classes take place at Sandwich Children's Center at 54 Maple Street and the cost
is just $10 per student for each class, which includes all materials needed to
complete the project. Here is the upcoming schedule:
July 15, 10:00-12:00: Action Figures with Polymer Clay with Deb Fairchild
July 18, 2:00-4:00: Natural Fiber Weaving with Sarah Dunham
July 22, 10:00-11:00: Beginner Collage with Maureen Bieniarz-Pond
August 5, 10:00-11:00: Funky Felt Ice Cream Cones (4-5 years) with Diane Johnson
August 5, 11:00-12:00: Funky Felt Ice Cream Cones (6-9 years) with Diane Johnson
For complete information, please visit Sandwich Home Industries' website at
nhcrafts.org/center-sandwich or call 603-284-6831.
Children currently attending Sandwich Children's Center on
class days are automatically enrolled, but other children are welcome to
come just for the class. Visiting children and grandchildren, too!
is back by popular demand. Come make a felted ice cream cone, create an action
figure with polymer clay, explore natural fiber weaving, and more!
Classes take place at Sandwich Children's Center at 54 Maple Street and the cost
is just $10 per student for each class, which includes all materials needed to
complete the project. Here is the upcoming schedule:
July 15, 10:00-12:00: Action Figures with Polymer Clay with Deb Fairchild
July 18, 2:00-4:00: Natural Fiber Weaving with Sarah Dunham
July 22, 10:00-11:00: Beginner Collage with Maureen Bieniarz-Pond
August 5, 10:00-11:00: Funky Felt Ice Cream Cones (4-5 years) with Diane Johnson
August 5, 11:00-12:00: Funky Felt Ice Cream Cones (6-9 years) with Diane Johnson
For complete information, please visit Sandwich Home Industries' website at
nhcrafts.org/center-sandwich or call 603-284-6831.
Children currently attending Sandwich Children's Center on
class days are automatically enrolled, but other children are welcome to
come just for the class. Visiting children and grandchildren, too!
Record Crowd Enjoys Live Entertainment, Snarfs Ice Cream at End-of-Year Ice-Cream Social
Friday, June 21, 2013
We were happy to have so many current SCC families, grandparents, former students, board members and members of the community join us for this delicious event! Older-child alums scooped the ice cream, and the topping options were legion and included jimmies, strawberries, blueberries, whipped cream and chocolate or caramel sauce. As tasty as it was, the eats were overshadowed by the preschoolers' entertainment. The children sang a song and performed with rhythm sticks, which they had practiced as part of their regular music class with Miss Amy. They also recited and acted out a wonderful poem about planting a seed and the resulting flower which grew. To top it off, the weather was grand -- sunny and warm, but not too warm in our shady outdoor play space. Thanks to all for a fun event, the conclusion of a great school year program and the start of our summer program! We still have some summer slots available, so give us a call. Visiting children and grandchildren are welcome, too.
Many Thanks to Participants in SCC's Annual Spruce-Up!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Though our spring clean-up was lightly attended, we nonetheless got quite a lot done. We raked and cleared the entire fence line, inside and out; got the sand back in the sand box; cleaned up the school-age perennial garden; and moved our blueberry bushes to a different location, where they may grow better. We also needed to move them to accommodate a piece of heavy equipment which will be creating a "hill" for the toddlers to enjoy. Can't wait for that!
With a little more person-power, we would have gotten the loam weeded, made a tee pee for the infants and toddlers, and made some more arbors. We'll whack away at these additional tasks as we can -- in fact, the weeding is already done! Thanks VERY MUCH to those teachers, parents, significant others, children and friends who brought treats, tools and helping hands. We can't do it without you!
With a little more person-power, we would have gotten the loam weeded, made a tee pee for the infants and toddlers, and made some more arbors. We'll whack away at these additional tasks as we can -- in fact, the weeding is already done! Thanks VERY MUCH to those teachers, parents, significant others, children and friends who brought treats, tools and helping hands. We can't do it without you!
May Day Celebration
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Our May Day event was big fun! The flowers the children planted earlier this spring did not come up, but that did not dampen our day. Director Karyn Ames found daffodils on sale, so we fit right in to the flower theme in town this year! Our school-age children wrote May Day greetings on popsicle sticks in indelible black ink and the preschoolers decorated them, and then we loaded all the daffodils into a wagon and paraded to Spokesfield Common. Once there, the children took turns "sneaking" up to each door and depositing a flower in a pot on each doorstep. Then we paraded back to SCC, leaving our extra flowers on the doorsteps of homes along the way. Back at the center, we all enjoyed dancing around the May pole and singing May Day songs. Happy Spring!
Stop-Motion Animation Week Was Excellent! April 22-26, 2013
Check out some student work:
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Sandwich Children's Center's first stop-motion animation workshop was small on number of participants but way big on enthusiasm. Two boys from Sandwich and a girl from Inter-Lakes signed up to do stop-motion animation, which is the art of taking an idea
and turning it in to a short visual story. The movement of student-created paper or clay characters, sets, and props are captured with a still camera or webcam incrementally and then streamed together to create the illusion of movement.
Initially slated to run from 9:00a.m. to 12:30p.m., each day the elementary-school children arrived a little earlier, until finally they asked if they could come a full hour earlier, which they did, according to workshop teacher Rebecca Price. "They were so enthusiastic and interested, it was fantastic," she said.
Eighty percent of stop-motion animation is coming up with ideas, cartooning and then cutting out the characters and sets from colored paper and other materials, according to Price. At times the classroom looked like an explosion had occurred in a paper factory, with slips and strips of colored paper strewn about the large table around which the children worked on their individual projects.
Price was impressed with the level of thoughtful collaboration between the children, who did not all know each other beforehand. "They pitched their ideas out to the group and helped each other raise the caliber of their ideas just by talking to each other," she said. "Seeing them working so creatively together was the best part of the week for me as an educator."
Once their characters and settings were complete, it was time to use computers and web cams to record the "movement" of the characters through the setting. Though some types of animation rely heavily on technology, stop-motion animation does not. "You need to record your story, and really that's all we're doing with computers," Price said.
The resulting animation shorts ranged widely in content, from two shrimps fighting a cocktail-sauce monster to a woman and three narwhals floating through a magical rainbow land to a jogger's unfortunate encounter with a crow, an open manhole, and an alligator.
SCC received a grant from the Alfred Quimby Fund to run the workshop and received logistical assistance from Sandwich Central School Principal John Hansen, according to Karyn Ames, SCC's director. SCC is gearing up to provide more opportunities for school-age children, including hiring a new after-school educator specifically for this age group, Ames said. "The stop-motion animation workshop is the first of what we hope will be many offerings for school-age children," Ames said.
Ames and workshop teacher Price are looking into ways to offer another stop-motion animation workshop over the summer, but parents be forewarned: attending may cause issues at home. One child's mother said her son was so invigorated by the class that he had a hard time getting to sleep, according to Price. His mom went upstairs to tuck him into bed one night and he said, "Only 12 hours and eight minutes before I get to go back to animation class," Price said. "I guess that means it was a success!"
Workshop Description:
Students will explore the craft of stop-motion animation by developing a short animated 2D paper film.
Exploration will include writing a short story, creating characters and sets, and filming using StopmotionPro software by moving characters incrementally and capturing the images with a webcam. There will be time each day for breaks and lunch, which is provided.
The schedule is roughly as follows (tailored to meet the student animator's needs):
Monday: Introduction, brainstorming ideas, writing screenplays.
Tuesday: Finish screenplays, create characters.
Wednesday: Finish characters and begin making sets.
Thursday: Final set work and beginning filming.
Friday: Filming.
Details:
Workshop is open to children in grades 4 through 6 and will take place at SCC at 54 Maple Street, Center Sandwich. Limited to 8 students. Cost is $15/day, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., including a hot, made-from-scratch lunch. Earlier drop-off and later pick-up times are possible, from 7:15a.m. to 5:30p.m., for an additional cost.
For more information call Karyn Ames, director, at (603) 284-7014.
Students will explore the craft of stop-motion animation by developing a short animated 2D paper film.
Exploration will include writing a short story, creating characters and sets, and filming using StopmotionPro software by moving characters incrementally and capturing the images with a webcam. There will be time each day for breaks and lunch, which is provided.
The schedule is roughly as follows (tailored to meet the student animator's needs):
Monday: Introduction, brainstorming ideas, writing screenplays.
Tuesday: Finish screenplays, create characters.
Wednesday: Finish characters and begin making sets.
Thursday: Final set work and beginning filming.
Friday: Filming.
Details:
Workshop is open to children in grades 4 through 6 and will take place at SCC at 54 Maple Street, Center Sandwich. Limited to 8 students. Cost is $15/day, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., including a hot, made-from-scratch lunch. Earlier drop-off and later pick-up times are possible, from 7:15a.m. to 5:30p.m., for an additional cost.
For more information call Karyn Ames, director, at (603) 284-7014.
What is Stop-Motion Animation?
Stop-motion animation is a 2D or 3D animated film technique where the movement of paper or clay characters, sets, and props are captured with a still camera or webcam incrementally and then streamed together to create the illusion of movement. Watch the following short stop-motion film using a paper character!
April is Free Money Month for SCC from the Tamworth Lyceum!
Have a cup of coffee at the Tamworth Lyceum during the month of April, 2013 and they will donate ten cents to Sandwich Children's Center. Thank you, Lyceum, and thank you coffee patrons!
Our auction fundraiser was a lot of fun and we are, once again, very grateful for the rollicking generosity of community members.
Highlights included:
$215 for boat rental and overnight island camping from Squam Lakes Association
$85 for fly tying and fly casting with fisherman Dan Kusch
$120 for tea for two in the "Sky Parlor," Wentworth Hill barn's cupola
Various excessive amounts for a dozen eggs from assorted chickens from Center Sandwich, North Sandwich, Holderness, Moultonborough and Tamworth. The winning dozen was from North Sandwich and commanded $40!
In addition, we had $360 donated specifically for our new facilities fund. This is an emergency fund recommended by board member Jon Jakubos, who heads up our facilities committee. We're off and running towards our goal of $10,000 for this fund, which would be used in case of a failed boiler or other such facilities emergency.
And we had our first-ever online auction, which raised $55!
Many, many thanks to all, bidders and donors alike.
Highlights included:
$215 for boat rental and overnight island camping from Squam Lakes Association
$85 for fly tying and fly casting with fisherman Dan Kusch
$120 for tea for two in the "Sky Parlor," Wentworth Hill barn's cupola
Various excessive amounts for a dozen eggs from assorted chickens from Center Sandwich, North Sandwich, Holderness, Moultonborough and Tamworth. The winning dozen was from North Sandwich and commanded $40!
In addition, we had $360 donated specifically for our new facilities fund. This is an emergency fund recommended by board member Jon Jakubos, who heads up our facilities committee. We're off and running towards our goal of $10,000 for this fund, which would be used in case of a failed boiler or other such facilities emergency.
And we had our first-ever online auction, which raised $55!
Many, many thanks to all, bidders and donors alike.
6th Annual Snowshoe and Sing at the Benz Center
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Sunny weather and snowy woods made for a fun outing for the preschoolers, teachers and friends on our annual snowshoe walk to the Doris L. Benz Community Center. Three bold preschoolers elected to wear snowshoes, while the other preschoolers preferred to simply walk. Once at the Benz, the children enjoyed a hot meal and singing to the assembled community seniors, accompanied on the guitar by long-time SCC volunteer Nan Russell.
Sunny weather and snowy woods made for a fun outing for the preschoolers, teachers and friends on our annual snowshoe walk to the Doris L. Benz Community Center. Three bold preschoolers elected to wear snowshoes, while the other preschoolers preferred to simply walk. Once at the Benz, the children enjoyed a hot meal and singing to the assembled community seniors, accompanied on the guitar by long-time SCC volunteer Nan Russell.
Children's Snowshoe Race
Saturday, February 23, 2013 Quimby Field, Center Sandwich
In partnership with Sandwich Parks and Recreation during Sandwich Winter Carnival, please join us at Quimby Field for this fun event. 9:30 a.m. kids' races, with sleds/skates/snowshoes. For more information please call Sandwich Parks and Recreation at 284-6473.
In partnership with Sandwich Parks and Recreation during Sandwich Winter Carnival, please join us at Quimby Field for this fun event. 9:30 a.m. kids' races, with sleds/skates/snowshoes. For more information please call Sandwich Parks and Recreation at 284-6473.
Preschoolers Sing-A-Long at the Corner House Enjoyed by All
Preschoolers, teachers and Sandwich Women's Club members enjoyed singing together at the Corner House on this pleasant winter Wednesday, 2013.
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SCC's Annual Ski & Skate Sale
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Fall Clean-up Day Was Fun and Productive
We had a great turn out of families, friends, staff and community members for our Fall clean up in October, 2012. We raked leaves, removed our air-conditioners, pruned our trees and put our gardens to bed for winter, all while enjoying coffee donated by Mocha Rizing and cookies donated by E.M. Heath. Many thanks to all!
Second Annual Tennis Carnival A Smash Hit!
Tennis guru and SCC parent John Marlowe holds the attention of young participants, despite high temperatures and dripping face paint! The free tennis lessons were just a small part of SCC's Second Annual Tennis Carnival, which took place on July 17, 2012. Join us again next year for this free event, and many, many thanks to our generous sponsors.
