Happy Father's Day
We hope all you dads are enjoying some quality time with your kiddos. Here's a little soundbite for your special day:
Got Nature?
Happy Summer. As we bask in this longest day of the year, we want to take this opportunity to discuss the importance of nature in the lives of young children. While we love getting outdoors in every season here at Mountain Village School, we can certainly appreciate the ease and wonder that summer days bring; there is much to explore, much to experience, and much to learn from the world around us.
So, why nature? Well, for a simple explanation...
Nature Corner
This summer, we will be featuring a "Nature Corner" which focuses on ideas and tips for getting out in the natural environment with your children. Here's our first go!
Activity: Let's take two ice cubes outside on a warm day to see what happens. We can place one in the sun and one in the shade. Let's see how quickly they can melt.
Why? Hands on activities provide optimal learning experiences for the brain. The natural world is an enriched environment that includes both challenge and feedback.
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: Some real movers and shakers! Many of the babies are on the move; they are crawling more and climbing the carpeted stairs in their classroom. With this increased movement comes more interaction with their peers. The children are also making more noises overall and mimicking sounds, expressions and hand gestures. There has been an increased interest in board books, not only listening to the stories, but holding the books themselves and physically turning the pages. Our newest babies are working on settling into classroom routines.
Infant II: On Friday, the children discovered a tiny little frog in the front yard. This was a really, really big deal. Heart stopping in fact. The children were fascinated by the frog and observed it's activities. This week, the class has been working more and more on self help skills, specifically, putting shoes on and taking them off independently. The teachers are using patience, verbal encouragement and support to allow the children the time and space to complete the task. Another activity this week was time in the pool and using small containers, jugs and buckets to dump, pour and transport water.
Toddler I: It has been a busy week in Toddler I to say the least. The class has gone on several long nature walks, and decided to trek all the way to the Post Office on Friday. An art project the kids worked on was constructing caterpillars and butterflies from egg cartons. The discussions about insects continued throughout the week. Other highlights included fun in the outdoor sensory table, play with magnets on the fridge and the door, exploring some new play dough made by a student and his family (thanks!), and planting pumpkin seeds for Father's Day. A quick note to families: Please be sure your child has shoes that fit/are easy enough for the kids to take on and off by themselves. Thanks very much!
Toddler II: The children noticed a large dump truck parked in the lot behind the back yard, and for several days this week the truck would appear, making loud dumping noises. The class listened for the truck and tried to get glimpses of it through the trees. Our interest in trucks is still very much alive. The class has also been very excited to welcome some little tadpoles, they have been reading books about tadpoles and frogs, and are enjoying watching the quick swimming and darting motions of the soon-to-be frogs.
Pre-K: Crickets, tadpoles, pollywogs, oh my! It's been a bit of a wildlife wonderland in the Pre-K room this week. Jen brought in some crickets, and the class worked on constructing a cricket habitat, complete with multiple dining options. The tadpoles and pollywogs were also a source of fascination, and the children observed the creatures and drew interpretations of what was going on in their tank. There was also time spent in the garden, and the kids are moved their pole beans to the back playground to watch them grow. Along with this has come the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, and discussions about climbing up the beanstalk or "keeping our feet on the earth."
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Next week's newsletter will be a very quick one as Sam takes a little summer hiatus to attend a family wedding. Look for pictures and "Nature Corner" next time. -Sam
We hope all you dads are enjoying some quality time with your kiddos. Here's a little soundbite for your special day:
"The only way I can describe fatherhood--it sounds stupid, but--at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you know how his heart grows like five times? Everything is full, it's just full all the time. " -Matt Damon
Got Nature?
Happy Summer. As we bask in this longest day of the year, we want to take this opportunity to discuss the importance of nature in the lives of young children. While we love getting outdoors in every season here at Mountain Village School, we can certainly appreciate the ease and wonder that summer days bring; there is much to explore, much to experience, and much to learn from the world around us.
So, why nature? Well, for a simple explanation...
More specifically, the positive impacts of outdoor, nature based play is backed by a wealth of scientific research. The Natural Learning Initiative out of North Carolina State University lists these as just a few of the many benefits children reap from nature based activities:
- Supports creativity and problem solving
- Enhances cognitive abilities and improves academic performance
- Improves social relations
- Increases physical activity
...to again, name only just a few. Read the NLI's more in depth report here.
And the good thing is, that outdoor play is something that lends itself to the innate curiosity that young children possess. In his book, Babies in the Rain, author Jeff A. Johnson highlights this well, "Children are born explorers. They belong in the rain. They belong outside in the grass and the dirt. They need to explore and engage their senses and minds--stimulating them, but not overstimulating them the way too many of today's 'educational' toys do" (3).
Fostering play in nature does not have to be overly complicated. The primary things needed are an environment in which to explore, and time. Children "don’t need sprawling spaces or eye-popping vistas. Their attention naturally focuses on tiny and manipulable pleasures: on dandelions rather than rose gardens; on earthworms rather than herds of bison; on a patch of dirt to dig in rather than a yawning cave" (Finch).* So nature play can take many forms and can be accessible to all children, with a little pre-planning. Take it from the author of this newsletter, a Chicago native who as a child, loved making mud pies along the curbside.
Frequency of nature play is important as well, "If we want it to have maximum impact, then it needs to be part of the regular rhythm of life," says Robert Finch, founder of the Green Hearts Institute of Nature in Childhood.* Allowing children the daily opportunity for uninterrupted play outdoors is another vital component to a child's growth. You'll certainly note that outdoor time is a prime focus of our day, and as you can tell, with good reason.
So, this summer, we will be talking more about our commitment to a nature-based program, and providing resources for parents and families to learn more about supporting nature play away from the school day. One of the ways we'll be doing this is through our new summer segment called "Nature Corner" below, so be sure to check it out each week.
In addition, here are a couple more pieces to investigate:
Nature Play as Everyday Childhood Joy by Robert Finch.
Wisdom of Nature, a downloadable booklet by multiple authors, covering a variety of topics on nature in education.
*Excepts taken from Nature Play as Everyday Childhood Joy by Robert Finch
This summer, we will be featuring a "Nature Corner" which focuses on ideas and tips for getting out in the natural environment with your children. Here's our first go!
Activity: Let's take two ice cubes outside on a warm day to see what happens. We can place one in the sun and one in the shade. Let's see how quickly they can melt.
Why? Hands on activities provide optimal learning experiences for the brain. The natural world is an enriched environment that includes both challenge and feedback.
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: Some real movers and shakers! Many of the babies are on the move; they are crawling more and climbing the carpeted stairs in their classroom. With this increased movement comes more interaction with their peers. The children are also making more noises overall and mimicking sounds, expressions and hand gestures. There has been an increased interest in board books, not only listening to the stories, but holding the books themselves and physically turning the pages. Our newest babies are working on settling into classroom routines.
Infant II: On Friday, the children discovered a tiny little frog in the front yard. This was a really, really big deal. Heart stopping in fact. The children were fascinated by the frog and observed it's activities. This week, the class has been working more and more on self help skills, specifically, putting shoes on and taking them off independently. The teachers are using patience, verbal encouragement and support to allow the children the time and space to complete the task. Another activity this week was time in the pool and using small containers, jugs and buckets to dump, pour and transport water.
Toddler I: It has been a busy week in Toddler I to say the least. The class has gone on several long nature walks, and decided to trek all the way to the Post Office on Friday. An art project the kids worked on was constructing caterpillars and butterflies from egg cartons. The discussions about insects continued throughout the week. Other highlights included fun in the outdoor sensory table, play with magnets on the fridge and the door, exploring some new play dough made by a student and his family (thanks!), and planting pumpkin seeds for Father's Day. A quick note to families: Please be sure your child has shoes that fit/are easy enough for the kids to take on and off by themselves. Thanks very much!
Toddler II: The children noticed a large dump truck parked in the lot behind the back yard, and for several days this week the truck would appear, making loud dumping noises. The class listened for the truck and tried to get glimpses of it through the trees. Our interest in trucks is still very much alive. The class has also been very excited to welcome some little tadpoles, they have been reading books about tadpoles and frogs, and are enjoying watching the quick swimming and darting motions of the soon-to-be frogs.
Pre-K: Crickets, tadpoles, pollywogs, oh my! It's been a bit of a wildlife wonderland in the Pre-K room this week. Jen brought in some crickets, and the class worked on constructing a cricket habitat, complete with multiple dining options. The tadpoles and pollywogs were also a source of fascination, and the children observed the creatures and drew interpretations of what was going on in their tank. There was also time spent in the garden, and the kids are moved their pole beans to the back playground to watch them grow. Along with this has come the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, and discussions about climbing up the beanstalk or "keeping our feet on the earth."
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Next week's newsletter will be a very quick one as Sam takes a little summer hiatus to attend a family wedding. Look for pictures and "Nature Corner" next time. -Sam