Dear QA Co-Op Families,
I wish you all the happiest of holidays. I am very much enjoying being at Queen Anne this year and would like to thank all of you for your warm welcome into your community!
This time can be difficult for kids as routines are not regular and people may be coming and going. I’d like to encourage you all to acknowledge and identify the feelings your children are having and show them/tell them ways to channel it in productive ways.
On another note, I am reading this book, Widening the Circle, and I’d like to offer a quote to remind us that acceptance in our families, school and community is vital for our children’s growth as human beings and individuals.
“To most people being “safe” refers to freedom from danger or the threat of harm. But there are many kinds of safety. Physical safety is clearly a requisite for being comfortable, but psychological or emotional safety is essential for us to thrive. Part of feeling psychologically or emotionally safe means knowing that you will be accepted, that your personal characteristics or identities will not keep you from participating with others or being seen as a whole person. Deep safety comes from knowing you are accepted no matter what.” (Sapon-Shevin, 2007).
I wish you all a happy winter break and look forward to seeing you in 2018!
As always if you have questions, concerns, needs please feel free to contact me.
QACP Parent Educator Jamie Cho, PhD
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HOLIDAY GINGERBREAD RECIPE
(1.) Prep ingredient list: 3 cups white flour, 2 cups sugar, 4 tsp ground ginger, 1 T cinnamon, 1 cup butter, chilled, 2 eggs, well beaten, 6 T molasses, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 ½ tsp salt, 2 cups buttermilk (or instead, I use 1½ tsp vinegar stirred into 2 cups regular milk)
(2.) Optional add-on: whipped cream for serving
(3.) Preheat oven: 350 degrees
(4.) Spray: 9 x 13 inch baking pan
(5.) Combine: 3 cups flour, 2 cups sugar; 4 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 T cinnamon
(6.) Add & mix ‘til crumbly: 1 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
(7.) Remove & set aside: ½ cup of the crumbly mixture for later use as topping
(8.) Add to flour mixture: 2 eggs (well beaten), 6 T light molasses
(9.) Dissolve: 2 tsp baking soda & 1 ½ teaspoons salt into 2 cups buttermilk (or, use 1 tsp vinegar in 2 c regular milk)
(10.) Add: milk to the main mixture, beating ‘til smooth
(11.) Pour: batter into sprayed 9 x 13 baking pan
(12.) Sprinkle topping: evenly over batter
(13.) Bake: for about 30 minutes…use a toothpick to test for “done-ness”
(14.) Enjoy: with a fluffy dollop of whipped cream!
Happy Holidays from QACP Parent Educator Kate Calhoun c. 2017
Queen Anne Co-op Preschool 