Guest blogger June Thiemann, writer and former Joyce Preschool parent and board member, writes about her experience as a guest at Vino.Arte.Comunidad. in past years:

When the ice and the slush or the lack thereof has kept you in a corner of your couch for all of January and you’re starting to assume a frozen shape yourself, there’s nothing more freeing than to salsa on over to the annual Joyce Preschool benefit, Vino.Arte.Communidad. I’ve been going since the very first one in 2007. Because of this, I can confidently report that after partaking of exquisite wines, delicioso hors d’ouevres, irresistible art, and that zesty energy that only comes from a cutting-edge, bilingual, bicultural program like Joyce, it never fails to feel like spring after a night at Vino.Arte.

If you’re anything like me, you will have brought home as many great wines and artistic masterpieces as you can slide back along the ice with you and these will pop up like daffodils and tulips the next day, reminding you of the light and heat of the fiesta in its aftermath. As you think back on the evening, your heart will beat faster. You came. You saw. You gave. ¡Buenísimo!

From left to right: Joyce Preschool Director Sarah Clyne, former Board Members June Thiemann and Heather Eisenmenger, and Vice Chair Paola Nuñez-Obetz.

Vino.Arte.Comunidad. 2011

Today’s color was green! We mixed blue and yellow finger paint to make green, talked about green snacks (spinach, green muffins, lettuce, and celery were hot topics), and read the book My Colors, My World (Mis colores, mi mundo) by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Tomorrow’s color is brown.

Written by Brian Carter, AmeriCorps*VISTA at Joyce Preschool

On the 9th of September 2008, at 4 AM in Minneapolis, MN it is 11 am in Cairo, Egypt, which makes it 8pm in Melbourne, Australia and 5 pm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  All across the world, the Muslim community observes Ramadan, the holy month when the Quran, Muslims’ holy book was revealed.  We fast from drinking and eating from sun up to sun down.  In Minneapolis the Somali-Muslim community wakes up and open the doors to the Mosques for morning prayer and eating Shurbad (Somali oatmeal) and tea before the day’s Ramadan fast.  In Cairo, Muslims have started their days at work during this last week of fasting.  In Melbourne, Muslims have broken their fasts at sundown and are lined up shoulder to shoulder for tarawih (night-time prayer during Ramadan).  They stand, bow and prostrate, praying in unison in the direction of Mecca, the Islamic holy city.  In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia I walk through the bustling Ramadan market to buy some Ayam Rendang (chicken curry), Nasi Lemang (literally translated as “fat rice”, but is rice cooked in coconut milk), the halia (sweet ginger tea), and dates to break the day’s fast.

Nasi lemang

Whether you come from Latin America or the U.S.; whether you come from the Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, or other tradition; people during the holidays gather together over one thing…food.  The Islamic tradition is no exception, at the heart of it, we’re foodies.  Muslims have two large holidays during the year.  The first is Eid al Fitr meaning the feast of the end of fasting, celebrated at the end of Ramadan.  It reminds us of those that do not have food, it brings peace, generosity and humility along with a sense of unity.

The second is Eid al Adha meaning the feast of sacrifice, commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God.  To reward Abraham and his son’s faith, God let him sacrifice a sheep to feed his family and community instead.  Eid al Adha is also known as the greater feast.  It’s difficult to beat the feasting after a month of fasting, but Eid al Adha does it.  For example, I explained to a Saudi friend of mine about what a “turducken” (a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken, served at some Thanksgiving dinners) is, thinking he would be blown away, he laughed, “We have something like that for Eid al Adha.  It is a roasted camel with roasted chickens circled around it.” (No photo available).  For Eid al Adha, to commemorate the idea of sacrifice, families will distribute the animal: a third for family, a third for neighbors and a third for those in need.  It is a day that lets us reflect on what we can give back to our family and community.

Dates, traditionally eaten to break fast

Three years ago in October of 2008, during Eid al Fitr I was reminded again of this feeling of community.  I only knew a few people while in Malaysia.  It was a foreign country with a foreign language and without knowing anyone in the same hemisphere, it had been a very lonely Ramadan.  I emailed my university back in Oregon about a preschool we were working on for my practicum I was doing.  One of the professors had told me that a former PhD student had been doing some of the same work adapting it for Malaysian culture and language at a University one hour south of where I was staying.  I contacted her and she invited me down for a traditional Eid al Fitr feast with their family.  The family met me at the train station with smiles and hugs.  We drive to their home packed with neighbors and family with tables and chairs filling the street to fit all the guests.  We eat Satay (seasoned grilled chicken with peanut sauce), ketupat (cubed sticky rice), spicy sambal (Malaysian hot sauce) and fruit.  We talk about our Ramadan fasts, Oregon, favorite Malaysian foods, and all we are thankful for.

Satay with ketupat and sambal

No matter where in the world, Ramadan and the feasts bring the Muslim community together.  As my religious teacher said back in Portland, during Eid we are reminded of the symbolism of prayer.  We pray side by side, together, with nothing separating us, in one common direction.  All around the world we have our different foods and clothes and language, but are united by our common stories, traditions and of course, love of food.

Holiday cheer was in full swing at Joyce Preschool’s annual Holiday Fiesta, on Sat. Dec. 10^th.  Kids and parents from one of Minneapolis’ only Spanish-English dual-immersion preschools gathered for a truly unique event.  The staples were there: food, games, face painting, and Santa, and the merriment was expressed fluently in both English and Spanish.  The students sang and danced for their parents – an adorable version of Feliz Navidad and of course the Itsy Bitsy Spider along with other preschool classics.

Come lunch time, lines formed quickly across Lyndale Public School’s large cafeteria for the ever popular pupusas, a Salvadoran flat bread with cheese and meat.  Tasty Taco Taxi was equally popular, together with plenty of home-baked holiday sweets and horchata or the always delicious Peace Coffee to drink.  Conversations in the room were continuous, parents taking time to catch up with other parents and their children’s teachers.

The fiesta naturally brought to life parent involvement in education – one of Joyce Preschool’s key values.  “It was wonderful to see the great turnout of our current families,” Sarah Clyne, the Executive Director of Joyce said.  “It’s events like this that display the commitment and sense of community that we work hard to nurture at Joyce.”  Having one community full of so many cultures rang true as this Holiday Fiesta kicked off many families’ holiday season!

To all those who supported the event and made it a success, Joyce Preschool thanks you!

For more information on Joyce Preschool (a 501c3 non-profit), visit joycepreschool.org.   We are located at 1219 W 31^st St., Mpls.

November’s theme of Healthy Habits, Exercise, and Nutrition is one of my favorites! Last month in the 2 day class we did a lot of exciting activities, from cooking to yoga to learning how to properly cover a cough!

Some of the highlights were:
1. Food circle: The teachers divided a circle table into large, medium and small sections that represented “a lot”, “just enough”, and “only a little”. With the help of a teacher the students sorted plastic toy food into the appropriate section. It was fun and generated a lot of interesting conversations!
2. Coughing beak: A teacher explained that the best way to cover your cough/sneeze is to use your elbow because this way it is less likely for germs to be shared. Then the students painted cone shaped paper cups to be their “beaks” and remind them how to cover their mouths.
3. Visitors: During the month of November we had a visit from a yoga teacher and the Children’s Museum of Minnesota! With the yoga teacher we learned some fun stretches that students can do at home with their families, and with the Children’s Museum we learned about healthy eating and some of the most organs in the body.

Ask your students about what they remember from last month (pinning clothes on the boy game, making vegetable soup, using the tricycles) to continue having conversations with them about good hygiene, nutrition, and exercise!

Es cierto que en el mes de Diciembre, nos juntamos más seguido con familia, hacemos regalos a nuestros amigos, y celebramos las tradiciones de nuestras culturas. Este mes en el Preescolar Joyce, vamos a aprovechar de la belleza de las fiestas para enseñar a nuestros niños temas importantes de la amistad, respeto, y diversidad. Esta entrada del blog es el primer en una serie que explora las distintas tradiciones durante este mes.

La celebración de Hanukkah empieza al atardecer el martes, 20 de diciembre, y dura ocho días hasta el 28 de diciembre. Un símbolo importante de Hanukkah es la menorah, que es un candelabro tradicional con nueve ramas; una para dar luz, y las otras ocho representando cada noche de esta fiesta religiosa celebrada por judíos. Se prende una vela cada noche, y la celebración termina cuando todas las velas están prendidas. El nombre “Hanukkah” significa en el idioma hebreo “dedicar,” y viene de la dedicación del templo en Jerusalén cuando los judíos ganaron de nuevo el control de esa ciudad.

Una comida típica de Hanukkah es latke, o panqueque frito de papas. La ostumbre es comer comidas fritas o horneadas en aceite de oliva para acordarse del milagro del aceite que duró ocho días en el templo dándolo luz.


Un juego típico para niños es jugar con la perinola, un estilo de trompo que tiene cuatro lados con letras hebreas. Se juega con monedas (reales o de chocolate), o nueces, pasas de uva, u otros marcadores. Dependiendo en el lado que está arriba después de girar la perinola, hay que dar o coleccionar las monedas.

¿Qué tradiciones tienen en su familia? Por favor, compartan con nosotros dejando un comentario a este blog, o entrando en la conversación en nuestra página de Facebook. ¡Felices Fiestas!

Joyce Preschool’s third annual Barristers’ Breakfast, a fundraising and networking event for legal professionals, was a great success! We were excited to host nearly 50 guests, Joyce’s biggest turnout yet for a breakfast event, and introduce them to our unique program.

Keynote speaker Isabel Gomez, former Hennepin County District Court Judge and director of the MN Sentencing Guidelines Commission, spoke eloquently of her own family’s emigration from Spain, and of the challenges and loss involved in leaving one’s home country. Her family came to the United States for educational opportunities, so she understands firsthand the important role education plays in transforming not only individual lives, but entire families.

Joyce parent Maria Cisneros spoke about her family and the impact Joyce Preschool has had for her daughter Xitlalic. She is happy to see Xitlalic learning in both English and Spanish and maintaining a strong connection to the family’s Mexican heritage. Maria also emphasized the importance of Joyce’s team approach, where everyone (staff, teachers, parents) works together to support students.

Other speakers, including Joyce Board Chair Lisa Lodin Peralta and Planning Committee Chair Gerry Fornwald, addressed the importance of education, particularly affordable and accessible early childhood education, in order to build a more diverse professional community in the Twin Cities. The basis of greater diversity in the legal profession lies in the “pipeline” concept, in the simple but powerful logic that it takes a college degree to go to law school, a high school diploma to go to college, a successful middle school and elementary school experience to prepare for high school, and a solid foundation before entering kindergarten in order to learn at grade level and not fall behind.

In other words, in order to have more diverse lawyers, you must have a more diverse group of children graduating from preschool. You must have schools that can help students learn English without losing their native Spanish. You must have programs that work with families, who in turn help their children thrive in school. And you must have scholarships that make all this accessible to families with limited means.

This fall, Joyce Preschool was thrilled to be designated a Recommended Pipeline Program by Twin Cities Diversity in Practice, as well as receiving support for this event from the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association.

The event raised more than $5,000 for preschool scholarships, with additional donations still coming in. To support this initiative, visit Joyce Preschool’s GiveMN profile or MHBA Scholarship Fund page.

Additional sponsors for this event included Peralta & Peralta, Winthrop & Weinstine, and the Latino Law Student Association at Hamline Law School. ¡Muchas gracias!

Enjoy this insightful story from Ashley, a Joyce Preschool volunteer.

As a child psychology major, professors often demonstrate topics through videos, slides, and diagrams, and while I do find these methods helpful, no idea is more clear or easily remembered than watching it unfold in real-world situations. In Erik Erickson’s theory of developmental stages, the “play-age” phase (3 to 5 years of age) is when children desire to mimic the adults around them. During playtime, these children will drive miniature cars, talk on play phones, cook plastic meals, and create dramas between dolls- in essence; they create their own blueprint for what it means to be an adult. While volunteering at the preschool, I have been given many plastic cups filled with “coffee” and taken on countless car rides. One day we pretended that I was the baby and the kids were the parents. After insisting that I drink a cup of milk, they covered me with a blanket, gave me a teddy bear to sleep with, and read me a bedtime story. They tucked me into bed after what they called “a long day of play,” a phrase I assumed they had heard before.  When it was time to wake up, which was about 30 seconds later, they told me to brush my teeth while they brushed my hair. We had just completed a routine that they have done many times before; except for this run, they were the mommies and daddies, who told the baby (me) what to do. They were embodying their own meanings of what it meant to be an adult. I assure you that I will always remember the content of this stage, as well as many other concepts because of my experiences with the children at Joyce Preschool.

While I have these common “Aha!” moments during my time at the preschool, volunteering also services another purpose. Lectures, midterms, and readings define the life of many college students, like myself, and I cannot express the relief of escaping this world for a few hours each week. It provides me with some much-needed down time, yet still engulfs me within my major’s material. The favorite part of my week became seeing those smiles and hearing those laughs. I’m constantly reminded of what I am working towards thanks to the children of Joyce Preschool.

This week, children in the 3-day classes had a chance to try a variety of tasty fruits. Children were given small slices of each fruit (banana, kiwi, blackberries, raspberries, clementines, and pears) and made a silly face with the slices on a paper plate. Then the tasting began! This activity is one of several that children will be participating in this month in an effort to promote our theme: Nutrition, Healthy Habits, & Exercise. Later this month, children will have the opportunity to taste-test a variety of vegetables. Our goal is to expose children to new tastes and provide them with the vocabulary and skills to make healthy snack choices. Check out November’s full vocabulary list below – you’ll learn how to say “eggplant” in Spanish!

November Vocabulary: Nutrition, Healthy Habits, & Exercise

comer frutas y verduras—eat fruits and vegetables
cubrir la boca—cover your mouth
lavarse las manos—wash your hands
dormir muchas horas—get lots of sleep
tomar sus medicinas—take your medicine
hacer ejercicio—excercise
frutas—fruits
vegetales—vegetables
saludable—healthy
doctor/a—doctor
uvas—grapes
piña —pineapple
cereza—cherry
banana—banana
melocotón—peach
espinaca—spinach
coliflor—cauliflower
tomate—tomato
cebolla—onion
berenjena—eggplant
restaurante—restaurant
cocinar—cook
receta—récipe
fibra—fiber
proteína—protein
energía—energy

El 21 de Octubre tuvimos nuestra celebración de nuestra Fiesta de Otoño, donde nuestras familias fueron invitadas, tuvimos disfraces de naturaleza o de la granja, compartimos una merienda, jugamos, y platicamos de los colores de otoño y las hojas. Por último, tuvimos una piñata hecha por nuestros niños que disfrutaron en familia.