I am Leilani’s Mom, Sonja, the web designer and blogger and would like to convince all of us to not bring candy to school.

At Leilani’s previous school there were 2 teachers for about 30 kids. The classroom had a few hideaway corners, one of them being the entryway, where the kids were dropped off and picked up. One day I opened the door, and a 5 year old boy was making friends by handing out brightly colored peanut M&Ms from his lunchbox, the kids were eating it on the spot, blue and green color on their faces. Just like MNS the school had a strict no-nuts policy.

Fortunately nothing that bad has happened at MNS, but over the summer kids did hand out candy to other kids, and part of it was eaten at school. This may be OK for a couple parents and tolerated by a few more, but some of us really do not want this. Candy is bad for their teeth, unhealthy, empty calories, and it spoils the appetite for healthy food. Some of the candy I took away from a 2 year old was definitely a choking hazard. Leilani is allergic to certain food dyes. Juvenile diabetes is on the rise. I could go on…

Please try to make sure you and your child are aware of this and do not bring candy to school.

Even if it goes into a birthday goody bag and is sent home with the kiddos – it leaves some of the parents in the unhappy situation of taking the candy away from a hopeful kid. If you feel the need to pass out goody bags there are many non-edible options. Or consider donating a toy to MNS instead. Sand toys would be a good option. Or find more on the wish list.

Thanks so much for your understanding,

Sonja

Enjoy the gallery of Pre-K graduation below.

And a little video… the kids were so cute as they performed “The Very Hungry Caterpillar’

Thanks to everyone for all the work that went into the celebration!

A new study in the journal Pediatrics associates exposure to pesticides with cases of ADHD . ADHD rates of diagnosis have risen 3% a year between 1997 and 2006. Increasingly, research suggests that chemical influences, perhaps in combination with other environmental factors — like video games, hyperkinetically edited TV shows and flashing images in educational DVDs aimed at infants — may be contributing to the increase in attention problems.

Researchers at the University of Montreal and Harvard University examined the potential relationship between ADHD and exposure to certain toxic pesticides called organophosphates which are commonly used in North America on non-organic strawberries, blueberries and celery. Children are most likely to ingest the chemicals through their diet — by eating fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed while growing

The team analyzed the levels of pesticide residue in the urine of more than 1,100 children ages 8 to 15 and found that those with the highest levels of dialkyl phosphates, which are the breakdown products of organophosphate pesticides, had the highest incidence of ADHD.

“I was quite surprised to see an effect at lower levels of exposure,” says Bouchard, who used data on ADHD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a long-term study of health parameters of a representative sample of U.S. citizens.

Bouchard’s analysis is the first to home in on organophosphate pesticides as a potential contributor to ADHD in young children. Organophosphates are known to cause damage to the nerve connections in the brain — that’s how they kill agricultural pests, after all. The chemical works by disrupting a specific neurotransmitter, acetylcholinesterase, a defect that has been implicated in children diagnosed with ADHD. In animal models, exposure to the pesticides has resulted in hyperactivity and cognitive deficits as well.

“I am very confident in the correlation in this study, because we controlled for quite a few things that we thought could play a role,” says Bouchard. “Adjusting for those things did not change the results very much. Which indicates that there is very little potential for confounding in this association between pesticides and ADHD.”

The study also raises the possibility of setting a national threshold for safe levels of exposure; the study authors note that according to the U.S. Pesticide Residue Program report, organophosphates were detected in 28% of frozen blueberries and in 19% of celery samples tested for pesticides. It is not clear whether those levels pose a threat to cognitive function in children, but the current study’s findings suggest it may be wise to figure that out.

In the meantime, Bouchard suggests that concerned parents try to avoid using bug sprays in the home and to feed their children organically grown fruits and vegetables, if possible. While pesticide-free fruits and greens may be more costly, Bouchard says they may be worth the price in terms of future health. While one article suggested that, parents should be careful to scrub all produce to reduce residue when using non-organics, another one pointed out that washing the fruit does nothing to get rid of the pesticides as they penetrate the skin and reside in the part of the fruit that we eat.

The sad news is that neurologist have known that pesticides are harmful to cognitive function for a long time. They have seen children exposed to pesticides on farms suffer cognitively as a result of organophosphate exposure and have warned against having young children close to fields during fumigation.

What they did not know is that even very small levels of exposure are harmful. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits how much residual pesticide can be left on food but this allowed amount, as it turns out, is harmful. In a way this is very similar to the lead story. The EPA set limits on the lead exposure that was considered ‘safe’ and but the allowed exposure level can actually cause cognitive problems and ADHD.

Pet products can also contain toxic pesticides so avoid pet shampoo, flea collars and other flea medicines with organophosphates and avoid using toxic pesticides in the home and garden.

The study was published online in the Journal Pediatrics on May 17 2010.

I found a guide of which other fruits and vegetables are high in pesticide residue at Foodnews, which is part of the Environmental Work Group.

It was a real low-work day for the working parents, all the kids were so busy and fascinated by this new activity. The children worked so well in teams and they stayed surprisingly dry too.

If you think about it, there is so much the kids can learn from this fun activity. Teamwork, sharing, taking care of and being responsible for their own needs and their own stuff, cleaning. Just like out motto: Learning Through Playing!

And it wasn’t just that the kiddos loved it – everything was sparkly clean at the end.

What a fun field trip!

When we wanted to leave the train was almost 15 minutes late and we sat and sang for a while. I also filmed some of the singing, I hope I’ll get around to posting it soon, stay tuned…

See the images in the Flash Gallery below. These galleries do not work on most smart phones – for sure not on the iPhone – in case you use one of these please click here to see many of the photos

Most of the photos were taken in the beautiful and spacious playyard, it is the biggest playground I have ever seen at a school. I always admire how happy the children look, this is especially true if they are taking pictures of each other, and no adult prompts them to “smile for the camera”.

That was among the photos, I thought it makes a good alternate title for this post. “What I See”

Playing a ball game

See many more images in the Flash Gallery below. These galleries do not work on most smart phones – for sure not on the iPhone – in case you use one of these please click here to see all the photos

Much appreciated is all the thought and work that goes into preparing these events.

Thank you to the teachers and staff for their compassion and creativity and encouragement, as we see our kiddos “learn through play.”

And thank you to all our MNS Families

I would also like to thank all who contributed this school year to the school’s newsletter. It has been great working with all of you!

Amy Maschio suggests checking out the website www.kidsbowlfree.com for some summertime fun.

Sherry Scardino would like to say thank you to all of you who helped with the Silent Auction

Have a great summer!

Susan Capilitan Miranda

Megan and I would like to thank all of our parents for all the help and support you have given us. Being that this is our first year with Millbrae Nursery School, we want to thank everyone who has been helpful and encouraging in what we have done and what we hope to do. It has been a pleasure to watch the children grow and develop so much from the beginning of the year. The kiddos have been so much more vocal in being able to express themselves and even carry on conversations with each other. It has been a great pleasure and privilege to teach them and watch them grow. Megan and I hope that you all have a great summer and can’t wait to see you again in the fall.

Teacher Megan & Teacher Norma

Participating at the art table is another area now explored. Story time, predicating the outcome of the stories we read, they have done a wonderful job learning, exploring and working cooperatively with each other.

They all are effective learners. Continue to work and expose your kiddos to learning lessons through the summer months. The learning lessons never stop. These little ones are so inquisitive. It is because of your support and love that they continue to blossom. Well done FAMILIES!! Have a wonderful, restful, renewing summer. Thank you for this opportunity to work with you and your kiddos.

Always, Teacher Brigidan