Sweeten Your Day with Fun Fruit Pizza

A vibrant fruit pizza

At Pre-K 4 SA, we are committed to providing our young learners with a high-quality education and opportunities to explore and enjoy new experiences. Today, we’re delighted to share a delightful recipe from our CHEF Partnership program – Fun Fruit Pizza! This colorful and healthy treat is not only fun to make but also a delicious way to introduce kids to a variety of fruits. Let’s dive into the step-by-step instructions for creating this delightful snack.

Before we get started, gather these simple ingredients:

  • Half a banana
  • A few strawberries
  • A small handful of grapes
  • A handful of blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon of cream cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon of honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1 bread (such as tortilla, pita, pancake, or crepe)

Equipment:

  • Knife
  • Tablespoon
  • ⅛ & ½ Teaspoon
  • Plate

downloadDownload Recipe

Instructions:

  1. Prep the Fruit:

Begin by washing all the fruits thoroughly. Then, slice half a banana and a few strawberries into thin rounds. Cut a small handful of grapes and blueberries into bite-size pieces. These colorful fruits will add a burst of flavor and nutrition to your fruit pizza.

  1. Create the Cream Cheese Spread:

In a cup, place 1 tablespoon of cream cheese. Add 1/2 a teaspoon of honey into the same cup. Finally, add 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix these ingredients until they are smooth and spreadable. This creamy mixture will serve as the “sauce” for your fruit pizza.

  1. Assemble the Fruit Pizza:

Take one tortilla, and with the back of a spoon, evenly spread the cream cheese mixture onto it. Make sure to cover the entire surface of the tortilla with this delicious and creamy base.

  1. Add the Colorful Toppings:

Now comes the fun part! Sprinkle the colorful fruit slices and pieces onto the tortilla, covering the creamy spread evenly. Encourage your little ones to get creative and arrange the fruits in fun patterns or designs. Not only does this make the pizza visually appealing, but it also engages their creativity.

  1. Slice and Serve:

Once the fruit is arranged to perfection, it’s time to enjoy your homemade Fun Fruit Pizza. Use a knife or a pizza cutter to divide the pizza into four equal slices. This way, everyone can have their share of this delightful treat.

Conclusion:

The Fun Fruit Pizza recipe is not just a tasty snack; it’s also a fantastic way to introduce young children to different fruits and flavors. The combination of creamy, sweet, and tangy elements creates a well-rounded taste that kids love. Plus, the vibrant colors make it visually appealing, making mealtime a joyful experience.

Growing Healthy with Garden Salad Fun

A serving of salad with vinaigrette

Today, let’s create a simple and tasty Garden Salad together. It’s not just about veggies; it’s about having a good time in the kitchen. So, gather your little chefs, and let’s make a colorful Garden Salad that’s as fun to make as it is to eat.

Before we start, let’s talk about why eating different colors is good for us. Just like a garden needs various things to grow, our bodies need different nutrients to be healthy. Eating a variety of colorful foods helps us get those nutrients, and it’s also fun! Making a salad is like creating a colorful masterpiece with food.

Garden Salad Recipe

downloadDownload Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumber
  • Shredded Carrots
  • Parsley
  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

Equipment:

  • Knife
  • Tablespoon
  • Teaspoon
  • Bowl

Step 1: With the help of an adult, cut lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber into small pieces. Add them to a bowl.

Step 2: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of shredded carrots using a tablespoon. This not only adds a sweet crunch but also brings color to our salad.

Step 3: Tear some fresh parsley leaves and toss them into the bowl. The bright green parsley adds flavor to our salad.

Step 4: Measure 1 teaspoon of sunflower seeds using a teaspoon. Sprinkle them over the salad for a delightful crunch.

Step 5: Ask an adult to help you mix a simple dressing with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pour 1 teaspoon of this dressing over your salad.

Step 6: Take a spoon or fork and gently toss everything together until the veggies are coated in the dressing. Your Garden Salad is now ready to be enjoyed.

There you have it – a Garden Salad full of colors, flavors, and fun. It’s tasty and a fantastic way to learn about different veggies. Enjoy your salad adventure, little chefs! Keep having fun and eating healthy. Now it’s time for the Vinaigrette!

Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe

downloadDownload Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
  • 2 Lemons
  • 1 Teaspoon Honey
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • Pepper (just a little bit)

Equipment:

  • Jar
  • Lemon Squeezer
  • Teaspoon

Step 1: Get your jar and pour in 1/2 cup of olive oil. This is like the base for our special dressing.

Step 2: Grab a lemon squeezer and squeeze the juice of 2 lemons into the jar. Lemons are the heroes here – they’re tangy and bring a lot of flavor.

Step 3: Measure 1 teaspoon of honey and drop it into the jar. Honey adds a bit of sweetness to balance the lemony zing.

Step 4: Add a pinch (or 1/2 teaspoon) of salt to the jar. It might seem tiny, but it makes our dressing taste just right.

Step 5: Sprinkle just a little bit of pepper into the jar. Pepper adds a tiny kick, making things interesting.

Step 6: Put the lid on the jar, ensure it’s tight, and then shake it well. Shake, shake, shake! That’s it – your Cool Lemon Vinaigrette is ready to make your salads awesome.

Now, you have a super easy and cool dressing to make your salad taste even better. Try it out, little chefs, and have fun in the kitchen! Until next time, keep it cool and keep on cooking.

Things to Do Over Winter Break 

A Child makes paper snowflakes

From light displays that brighten up the city to community movie nights fostering togetherness, there are plenty of free, festive moments for you and your family across San Antonio during this holiday break. 
 

FREE PICTURES WITH SANTA! 

When: December 22, 2023  

Where: 910 SE Military Dr. San Antonio, TX 78214 

Cost: FREE 

Bring your camera or phone! Enjoy some hot cocoa and candy canes with Santa inside UCAS, University of Cosmetology Arts & Sciences!  

-Pictures with Santa🎅 

-Hot Cocoa ☕️ 

-Candy Canes🍬 

-Bike Raffle 🚲
 

Holiday Movies at Legacy Park
When: December 22, and 29, 2023, 7:00 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.
Where: Legacy Park, 103 W. Houston St., San Antonio
Cost: FREE 

These holiday movies at Legacy Park are free all season long, brought to you by Legacy Park, Slab Cinema, Centro, and CCDO. Bring blankets, lawn chairs, non-alcoholic drinks, and snacks with you, and enjoy Hollywood’s most popular holiday movies. 

  • December 22, “Home Alone” 
  • December 29, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”

 

H-E-B Feast of Sharing Holiday Plate Giveaway
When: December 23, 2023
Where: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market Street, San Antonio
Cost: FREE 

H-E-B continues its tradition of feeding the local community with its Feast of Sharing holiday plate giveaway, welcoming all San Antonians to join their neighbors for a free, Texas-style, holiday feast. The Feast of Sharing entertains the family with live music, family activities, and free health and wellness services such as flu shots, and more. Come one, come all!

 

37th Annual Light the Way
When: Now – January 6, 2024
Where: University of the Incarnate Word, 4301 Broadway, San Antonio
Cost: FREE 

The annual holiday lights at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) illuminate the way across the campus throughout the holiday season! Enjoy a drive or stroll beginning at 4301 Broadway and admire the one million twinkling lights across the university grounds.

 

Holiday Lights on the Riverwalk
When: Now – January 7, 2024
Where: San Antonio Riverwalk
Cost: FREE 

Every year, the San Antonio River Authority creates a brilliant display all along the downtown stretch of the River Walk. People come from all over to stroll along the river and enjoy the famous sparkly Holiday Lights on the River Walk. Soak in the sights and experience the sounds of the season as caroling boats float along the river in the downtown area. And don’t miss the lights through the Museum Reach and Pearl District!

 

San Antonio Holidays on Houston Street
When: Now – January 2, 2024
Where: Houston St., Downtown San Antonio
Cost: FREE 

Enjoy a new, free holiday experience from the city as a five-block stretch of historic Houston Street, from Legacy Park to the Alamo, is transformed into major downtown holiday attraction, perfect for lights viewing and photo opportunities. Holidays on Houston Street is open and free for anyone to visit, with the exception of a special ticketed event on December 12. They will also host special events like a holiday market December 15-17 featuring local vendors, carolers, and other live entertainment, and festive photo ops. Each night of the holiday market, they will also show Holiday Lights in the Sky (a drone light show). 

More San Antonio Public Library events can be found here: https://www.mysapl.org/Events-News/Events-Calendar

For even more events, check out the Visit San Antonio and Kids Out And About calendar.  

 

Rockstar Glows with the Power of Possibilities

Comic of Rockstar the Mascot

Meet Pre-K 4 SA’s New Official Mascot

Pre-K 4 SA’s logo features the familiar silhouette of a child reaching high for a star above. That extraordinary star is Rockstar, the brightest light in the galaxy over San Antonio and the newest Pre-K 4 SA family member.

Rockstar brings to life our beliefs that every child deserves a high-quality education and that engaging a young learner’s mind, body, and spirit is the most effective approach. The children are the true stars of Pre-K 4 SA, and Rockstar is a beloved friend who helps them face any challenge with a boost of confidence and lights their path as they discover the joy of learning, the strength of friendship, and the unlimited power of their imagination.

You’ll need your sunglasses if you see Rockstar at special events throughout town or at one of our learning centers during the school year—because they’re glowing ever brighter with hope, possibility, and opportunity for the children and families of Pre-K 4 SA and the future of all of San Antonio.

What Your Child Can Expect While At Pre-K 4 SA

child waters plants outdoors

In addition to following the HighScope approach to teaching young children, which is centered on consistent routine and purposeful play, Pre-K 4 SA aims to develop lifelong skills by offering various engaging programs for all their children. While the children think they are just playing, they are actually developing language skills, mathematical thinking, scientific concepts, and literacy. They are also developing strong social-emotional skills, which are critical to not only school success, but life success.

Children acquire knowledge through natural play and interactions with their surroundings, events, and others. Outdoor learning classrooms, CHEF, and Gracias San Antonio: Children Are Citizens are a few programs that uphold our dedication to fostering a child’s critical thinking, social skills, and more. 

Outdoor Learning

Our outdoor learning classrooms are designed to promote learning through play. Children can access recycled and natural materials that encourage them to design, create, explore, and problem-solve. Whether the children are engaging in physical activities in the Pre-K 4 SA motor labs or in the outdoor classrooms, they learn to take calculated risks while jumping, throwing, balancing, and stretching. These areas have a stage for imaginative play, and cozy reading nooks filled with books for quiet time. Children also enjoy the mud kitchens, vegetable gardens, and tricycle tracks. Buckets of chalk, bubble wands, and finger paints let children express their creative side.

Learn more: https://prek4sa.com/why-pre-k-4-sa/our-method/outdoor-learning/

 

CHEF

child eating grapes

As part of the CHEF program, children learn firsthand about healthy eating by growing their food. Each class has a garden bed in the outdoor learning environment and works with a master gardener to grow and harvest the produce. The children use cognitive and fine motor skills to make simple recipes and while learning about math, sustainability, life cycle, and environmental science concepts. We even host a farmer’s market with our partner, San Antonio Food Bank, so the children can take home fresh produce to share with their families.

Learn more: https://prek4sa.com/why-pre-k-4-sa/our-method/chef/

 

GRACIAS

child and adult looking at art

The Gracias San Antonio: Children Are Citizens program encourages children to be civic-minded by supporting the community, creating art, and learning about local nonprofits. Every year, children vote in a center-wide election to select a nonprofit organization to learn about and support throughout the year. Our teachers invite children and their families to explore local parks, historic sites, art exhibits, monuments, museums and other places of interest across the community. Local artists join the classroom to help children create authentic artwork that expresses their perspective of places they visit and explore. Art pieces are then displayed in a public gallery exhibit and auctioned to raise money for the selected nonprofit organization.

Gracias San Antonio is grounded in the belief that children are not just future citizens but also citizens of the city in the here and now, with the right to express their opinions and participate in the civic and cultural life of San Antonio.

Learn more: https://prek4sa.com/why-pre-k-4-sa/our-method/gracias/ 

 

Miss Tristan

two children swimming

In the face of the concerning number of childhood drownings in Texas, Pre-K 4 SA has partnered with the Miss Tristan Foundation to create an innovative program that brings water safety education to Pre-K 4 SA children and their families. The goal is simple: to prevent heart-wrenching water incidents and equip our youngest learners with life-saving skills they’ll carry with them forever.

Water safety education is offered to all children enrolled at Pre-K 4 SA at no cost to families. Daily in-classroom instruction focuses on key water and pool safety for five days. The instruction then switches to a pool facility with trained instructors facilitating swim lessons for five days.

Children will visit a pool site to complete the program. Each class has five certified or trained instructors, ensuring personalized attention and instruction.

Learn more here: https://prek4sa.com/parents/pre-k-4-sa-and-miss-tristan-foundation-partner-to-increase-early-childhood-water-safety-2/ 

 

H-E-B Read 3

Pre-K 4 SA is proud to partner with H-E-B Read 3 to make it easier for parents and caregivers to make reading a part of their daily routine. The H-E-B Read 3 program promotes literacy and nutritious eating habits by encouraging parents and caregivers to read to their children at least three times a week and learn how to prepare healthy food at home. 

During the program:

  • Families receive free books, cooking tips, and healthy snacks weekly at Pre-K 4 SA centers
  • UTSA early childhood undergraduate students and Pre-K staff lead weekly literacy activities and lessons for children and adults
  • Participants receive a backpack with supplies and an H-E-B gift card upon program completion 

Learn more here: https://prek4sa.com/community-impact/pre-k-4-sa-and-h-e-b-read-3-encourage-reading-as-a-family/