Outdoor Clothing
'Tis the season! The air has turned chilly and the days are getting shorter and shorter. If you haven't already, please take a moment this week to bring summer items home and replace them with appropriate clothing for cool/cold and wet weather. Please ensure your child has changes of clothes available in case they get wet or muddy during the morning hours. If you have any questions regarding what to send, please let us know.
Also, please know that we are talking about the change of season at school and how to keep our bodies warm and comfortable with the proper clothing. Sometimes the reintroduction of jackets and different footwear can be something children might want to resist. (Who really wants to put their shorts away anyway?!?) Talking about the cooler weather at home is another way to ease this transition.
Farewell Beth
As many of you already know, Beth's last day at MVS was Friday. She moving on to pursue a new opportunity at Thatcher Brook Elementary School. Beth has been with MVS for two years, and we thank her for her hard work and wish her well on her new adventure!
Meagan and Sam will be teaming up with Hannah in Toddler I in the interim.
From Struggles to Success
Eureka! It's that moment where something tricky suddenly becomes clear. There's an incredible satisfaction in finding a solution that stemmed from a point of frustration. Perhaps it's in the 11th hour as you bump up against a work deadline, or the little fix you've conjured up in the garden, whatever the situation, it feels good to solve a problem effectively. But to get to that point, we have to persevere through moments of confusion or challenge.
Childhood is a prime time for these eureka moments. However, as adults, we have to allow those moments to unfold without rushing in to interrupt the process. Imagine tackling a new skill as an adult...think about trying to click into a ski binding if you've never done it before. You clamor around with your boot, misjudge the angle, get snow wedged deep in the grooves making it impossible to make good contact. Your frustration level rises as others on the slope ski by. Suddenly, a hot shot skier stops near you, quickly grabs your foot, effortlessly clicking the boot into the binding and skis away. Sounds like kind of a rude, unlikely situation doesn't it? But this is a way that adults interact with children all the time. At the first sign of a struggle, an adult quickly moves in to correct the problem that a child is faced with.
Now, to be clear, we adults have the best of intentions! We're wired to help. It's our job to protect our children. So when we see them in a moment of distress, we want to fix it. To be clear, we're not talking about dangerous moments, but rather, times when children encounter challenges that can be solved with patience and determination. When we swoop in and solve it, we do a child a real disservice by robbing them of the valuable process of solving the problem on their own.
What about the frustration of getting dressed? It's not easy! There are multiple steps, some which must be done in a certain order, there are inside out sleeves and wacky left and right shoes. While frustrating for many children, it's a safe struggle. It's a moment in the day to allow a child to struggle in an environment of support. That environment of support does not mean an adult dresses the child. Instead, an adult could provide minimal interventions to allow the child to complete the task as independently as possible. Depending on the child and their age, this could mean simply being nearby and narrating aloud the steps to getting dressed. Or it could mean allowing the child to steady themselves on your shoulder as they put their shoes on. As time goes by, the child will need less and less adult assistance to complete a particular task. In the midst of these day to day struggles, a child can achieve her eureka moment. "OH! When I open the Velcro straps and put my finger in the back of my shoes, they slide on! I've GOT this!"
Janet Lansbury also references the power of the safe struggle and the importance of balance; knowing when to get out of the way of a child, and knowing when to step in if the frustration becomes too great:
"If we want to encourage our baby’s ingenuity, persistence, and self-confidence, it’s best to try to stifle our urge to “help” and provide plenty of opportunities for safe struggles, even when they cause a little frustration. Our infant might need to work for days, even weeks struggling to roll from back to tummy, or stretching himself to reach the toy that is just out of his grasp. If we stay out of the way, just verbally comfort, acknowledge and encourage our child, (giving him breaks, or helping minimally if he starts getting too frustrated or exhausted) he eventually experiences (and completely owns!) the thrill of his accomplishment."
And isn't that what we want? Confident, determined children? It starts with stepping back and patiently allowing them to work through the obstacles that they will certainly encounter throughout their lives. Why not leave the "hot shot skier" approach behind, and opt instead for the gentle steadfast guidance that allows children to "get it" all by themselves and in their own due time.
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: We are working hard through healthy levels of frustration as we approach new milestones. Whether we are learning to roll, crawl, or play independently, we are allowing some space for the babies to soothe themselves in moments of challenge. The room remains very social, and our fascination with sound continues as we explore the clanging of wood and metal against each other.
Infant II: We have been very into story time. It's become a relaxing ritual during our day. The children have been requesting it and picking out the books in advance. The children have been listening to the context and content of the stories and then go on to reenact the stories during different parts of the day. A note for parents: If your child is at school at 5pm, please send along an additional snack for that time of the day.
Toddler I: Last week we did a lot of art; watercolors, dot painting and coloring with colored pencils were all really engaging activities for the children. We are also collecting fall materials for upcoming art projects. The class has also been very involving in a lot of play cooking, mainly with the pom poms and tongs in the kitchen.
Toddler II: We've been talking a lot about fall from apples to pumpkins, from acorns to jackets. Several days last week involved rainy day play and we were very involved in pouring and transferring water to and from various containers. During our long walk to town, we observed a lot of yellow colors in the leaves, and when we returned to school we added turmeric to our white paint to match the vibrant yellows we saw. We also continue to do a lot of singing outdoors as well.
Pre-K: Often heard in our classroom is the phrase, "Use your words" to communicate with peers. But recently we've been talking more about listening deeply in conversations and conflicts. Does it really work to use our words if people aren't listening carefully? We have been practicing this skill on a daily basis. This week we really enjoyed two books: The Spooky Eerie Night Noise and I Love You Stinky Face.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
-Sam
'Tis the season! The air has turned chilly and the days are getting shorter and shorter. If you haven't already, please take a moment this week to bring summer items home and replace them with appropriate clothing for cool/cold and wet weather. Please ensure your child has changes of clothes available in case they get wet or muddy during the morning hours. If you have any questions regarding what to send, please let us know.
Also, please know that we are talking about the change of season at school and how to keep our bodies warm and comfortable with the proper clothing. Sometimes the reintroduction of jackets and different footwear can be something children might want to resist. (Who really wants to put their shorts away anyway?!?) Talking about the cooler weather at home is another way to ease this transition.
Farewell Beth
As many of you already know, Beth's last day at MVS was Friday. She moving on to pursue a new opportunity at Thatcher Brook Elementary School. Beth has been with MVS for two years, and we thank her for her hard work and wish her well on her new adventure!
Meagan and Sam will be teaming up with Hannah in Toddler I in the interim.
From Struggles to Success
Eureka! It's that moment where something tricky suddenly becomes clear. There's an incredible satisfaction in finding a solution that stemmed from a point of frustration. Perhaps it's in the 11th hour as you bump up against a work deadline, or the little fix you've conjured up in the garden, whatever the situation, it feels good to solve a problem effectively. But to get to that point, we have to persevere through moments of confusion or challenge.
Childhood is a prime time for these eureka moments. However, as adults, we have to allow those moments to unfold without rushing in to interrupt the process. Imagine tackling a new skill as an adult...think about trying to click into a ski binding if you've never done it before. You clamor around with your boot, misjudge the angle, get snow wedged deep in the grooves making it impossible to make good contact. Your frustration level rises as others on the slope ski by. Suddenly, a hot shot skier stops near you, quickly grabs your foot, effortlessly clicking the boot into the binding and skis away. Sounds like kind of a rude, unlikely situation doesn't it? But this is a way that adults interact with children all the time. At the first sign of a struggle, an adult quickly moves in to correct the problem that a child is faced with.
Now, to be clear, we adults have the best of intentions! We're wired to help. It's our job to protect our children. So when we see them in a moment of distress, we want to fix it. To be clear, we're not talking about dangerous moments, but rather, times when children encounter challenges that can be solved with patience and determination. When we swoop in and solve it, we do a child a real disservice by robbing them of the valuable process of solving the problem on their own.
What about the frustration of getting dressed? It's not easy! There are multiple steps, some which must be done in a certain order, there are inside out sleeves and wacky left and right shoes. While frustrating for many children, it's a safe struggle. It's a moment in the day to allow a child to struggle in an environment of support. That environment of support does not mean an adult dresses the child. Instead, an adult could provide minimal interventions to allow the child to complete the task as independently as possible. Depending on the child and their age, this could mean simply being nearby and narrating aloud the steps to getting dressed. Or it could mean allowing the child to steady themselves on your shoulder as they put their shoes on. As time goes by, the child will need less and less adult assistance to complete a particular task. In the midst of these day to day struggles, a child can achieve her eureka moment. "OH! When I open the Velcro straps and put my finger in the back of my shoes, they slide on! I've GOT this!"
Janet Lansbury also references the power of the safe struggle and the importance of balance; knowing when to get out of the way of a child, and knowing when to step in if the frustration becomes too great:
"If we want to encourage our baby’s ingenuity, persistence, and self-confidence, it’s best to try to stifle our urge to “help” and provide plenty of opportunities for safe struggles, even when they cause a little frustration. Our infant might need to work for days, even weeks struggling to roll from back to tummy, or stretching himself to reach the toy that is just out of his grasp. If we stay out of the way, just verbally comfort, acknowledge and encourage our child, (giving him breaks, or helping minimally if he starts getting too frustrated or exhausted) he eventually experiences (and completely owns!) the thrill of his accomplishment."
And isn't that what we want? Confident, determined children? It starts with stepping back and patiently allowing them to work through the obstacles that they will certainly encounter throughout their lives. Why not leave the "hot shot skier" approach behind, and opt instead for the gentle steadfast guidance that allows children to "get it" all by themselves and in their own due time.
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: We are working hard through healthy levels of frustration as we approach new milestones. Whether we are learning to roll, crawl, or play independently, we are allowing some space for the babies to soothe themselves in moments of challenge. The room remains very social, and our fascination with sound continues as we explore the clanging of wood and metal against each other.
Infant II: We have been very into story time. It's become a relaxing ritual during our day. The children have been requesting it and picking out the books in advance. The children have been listening to the context and content of the stories and then go on to reenact the stories during different parts of the day. A note for parents: If your child is at school at 5pm, please send along an additional snack for that time of the day.
Toddler I: Last week we did a lot of art; watercolors, dot painting and coloring with colored pencils were all really engaging activities for the children. We are also collecting fall materials for upcoming art projects. The class has also been very involving in a lot of play cooking, mainly with the pom poms and tongs in the kitchen.
Toddler II: We've been talking a lot about fall from apples to pumpkins, from acorns to jackets. Several days last week involved rainy day play and we were very involved in pouring and transferring water to and from various containers. During our long walk to town, we observed a lot of yellow colors in the leaves, and when we returned to school we added turmeric to our white paint to match the vibrant yellows we saw. We also continue to do a lot of singing outdoors as well.
Pre-K: Often heard in our classroom is the phrase, "Use your words" to communicate with peers. But recently we've been talking more about listening deeply in conversations and conflicts. Does it really work to use our words if people aren't listening carefully? We have been practicing this skill on a daily basis. This week we really enjoyed two books: The Spooky Eerie Night Noise and I Love You Stinky Face.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
-Sam
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