Welcome back to the start of another year, we hope everyone had a relaxing and fun filled holiday break. Over the two week Christmas and New Year holiday we had many families away or at home; which made our daily attendance substantially lower than the normal. Having lower numbers during this time allows an extra educator to do some regular maintenance that a daycare rooms requires. We fixed toys, organized shelves and children’s binders, and did a thorough and deep clean. This way we can start the year off fresh and new. Slowly as children have been returning from holidays we have re-introducing our big idea of Cause and Effect. Provocations such as a baking soda and vinegar experiment, blowing bubbles with straws in the water table, making slime with Epsom salts and glue, and a tent to practice zipping. These provocations are prime examples of Cause and Effect as they allow the children to use materials in there original state and then once combined they can see the effect they have on each other right before their eyes. It happens in an instant! Another thing that has been observed after the holiday break is the amount of language we are hearing from the children. Instead of just vocalizations and hand gestures when children are making requests we are now hearing more recognizable words and even some attempts at educators names. This is very exciting for us educators! There is nothing more heart warming than hearing a child say your name.