Memorial Day
Please remember that we will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday May 25th. We look forward to seeing you and the children the following day.
And Psssttt...
You probably don't need another reminder, BUT! once again, the Parent Potluck is on Friday the 22nd from 6-7.
Teaching the Teachers: Recent Training Notes
We wanted to pass along a few notes regarding trainings we have attended lately! As we've mentioned before, we're in constant pursuit of new learning in our field.
Last weekend, Sarah spent a day in Hanover, NH at a workshop led by Charlie Applestein, an educational consultant and trainer. This was an inspirational talk with a few big take aways:
This is not the first time we've mentioned Let's Grow Kids in the newsletter (and it certainly won't be the last). Stay tuned next week for a chance to win a fancy shmancy Let's Grow Kids give away pack which includes a t-shirt, stickers, buttons and more.
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: As the class grows, we find ourselves constantly looking at our schedules. Our sleep patterns have changed and teachers seem to be detectives trying to uncover just what works best for each of the children from a developmental perspective. We're watching the babies do a lot of new things, and one of the biggest focuses from the week has been becoming truly comfortable outdoors. We are spending less time holding the children while outside, we want to allow them to really take in what it means to be outside and experience all of the natural world around them.
Infant II: Whales and drumming! "Baby Beluga" has been a song of choice, along with listening to whale sounds/talking, and even playing with a whale watering can outdoors. The class has been exploring sound in all it's forms: rocks in containers, drumming on bongos, knocking sticks together and clapping. A few outdoor instruments have appeared as well. Our play has also become very dynamic. This week the children pretended to take naps during free play. The kids encourage each other to "lay down" and then cover one another with a scarf and pat their friend's back.
Toddler I: A chilly morning this week had the class resorting to wearing socks on their hands for warmth. And we all know that socks on hands means an instant puppet show. The children watched as Hannah and Melissa made their hands "talk" and then tried it out themselves. What followed was plenty of creativity and laughter. In the classroom, the kids have enjoyed using a new baby carriage on wheels and a little camera. Say cheese!
Toddler II: The class as a whole seems to be very fascinated with engineering projects. The have been using pipes and tubes to roll or move objects (like balls, rocks, sand or water) from one place to another. Towards the end of the week, the children were using crates or the stumps outside to prop up their tubes to different heights to increase the slope and thereby the speed. Holy science Batman. This week the class also did some painting with different textured brushes, and found a lot of entertainment in a new garage with a spring loaded pad that ejects cars.
Pre-K: This week the kids got their hands dirty in the soil of our front garden. They dug holes, discovered worms, planted tomatoes and re-potted some starts. The children also took a walk down the road to visit the beaver dam. You may recall hearing about this last summer when seeing the dam prompted a few weeks worth of investigations on these creatures. The class collected sticks to help the beavers dam up a section, but when the class returned the following day, they discovered that the beavers had removed and rearranged those sticks. Tricky little guys.
As Seen At MVS
Thanks for Reading!
-Sam
Please remember that we will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday May 25th. We look forward to seeing you and the children the following day.
And Psssttt...
You probably don't need another reminder, BUT! once again, the Parent Potluck is on Friday the 22nd from 6-7.
Teaching the Teachers: Recent Training Notes
We wanted to pass along a few notes regarding trainings we have attended lately! As we've mentioned before, we're in constant pursuit of new learning in our field.
Last weekend, Sarah spent a day in Hanover, NH at a workshop led by Charlie Applestein, an educational consultant and trainer. This was an inspirational talk with a few big take aways:
- There's no such thing as a "bad kid." This is Charlie's motto. He encourages a positive and respectful approach in all interactions with children. To show children we love, care for and respect them, it's important to consider our affect, tone of voice and approach. This also means speaking to them at eye level or below, something that's easy to try next time you're communicating with your child.
- Building positive relationships with children is also a vital component to their early years, and those relationships go a long way. You might remember last week's newsletter, where we focused on the connection between resiliency and positive relationships.
- Lastly, Sarah felt the most important part of the training was that Charlie advocated for a "strength based approach." Essentially, this means beginning with the belief that all young people have or can develop strengths and utilize past successes to mitigate problem behavior and enhance functioning. This is certainly something we believe here at MVS, and is part of our daily work with the children.
- Understanding the current work and goals of the Let's Grow Kids Campaign.
- Learning about the progress made in the most recent Vermont legislative session.
- Breakout sessions to develop the skills necessary to become an ambassador for Let's Grow Kids and speak to Vermonters in depth about the importance of focusing on the first years.
This is not the first time we've mentioned Let's Grow Kids in the newsletter (and it certainly won't be the last). Stay tuned next week for a chance to win a fancy shmancy Let's Grow Kids give away pack which includes a t-shirt, stickers, buttons and more.
Infant I: As the class grows, we find ourselves constantly looking at our schedules. Our sleep patterns have changed and teachers seem to be detectives trying to uncover just what works best for each of the children from a developmental perspective. We're watching the babies do a lot of new things, and one of the biggest focuses from the week has been becoming truly comfortable outdoors. We are spending less time holding the children while outside, we want to allow them to really take in what it means to be outside and experience all of the natural world around them.
Infant II: Whales and drumming! "Baby Beluga" has been a song of choice, along with listening to whale sounds/talking, and even playing with a whale watering can outdoors. The class has been exploring sound in all it's forms: rocks in containers, drumming on bongos, knocking sticks together and clapping. A few outdoor instruments have appeared as well. Our play has also become very dynamic. This week the children pretended to take naps during free play. The kids encourage each other to "lay down" and then cover one another with a scarf and pat their friend's back.
Toddler I: A chilly morning this week had the class resorting to wearing socks on their hands for warmth. And we all know that socks on hands means an instant puppet show. The children watched as Hannah and Melissa made their hands "talk" and then tried it out themselves. What followed was plenty of creativity and laughter. In the classroom, the kids have enjoyed using a new baby carriage on wheels and a little camera. Say cheese!
Toddler II: The class as a whole seems to be very fascinated with engineering projects. The have been using pipes and tubes to roll or move objects (like balls, rocks, sand or water) from one place to another. Towards the end of the week, the children were using crates or the stumps outside to prop up their tubes to different heights to increase the slope and thereby the speed. Holy science Batman. This week the class also did some painting with different textured brushes, and found a lot of entertainment in a new garage with a spring loaded pad that ejects cars.
Pre-K: This week the kids got their hands dirty in the soil of our front garden. They dug holes, discovered worms, planted tomatoes and re-potted some starts. The children also took a walk down the road to visit the beaver dam. You may recall hearing about this last summer when seeing the dam prompted a few weeks worth of investigations on these creatures. The class collected sticks to help the beavers dam up a section, but when the class returned the following day, they discovered that the beavers had removed and rearranged those sticks. Tricky little guys.
As Seen At MVS
-Sam