Mountain Village School News

Another week comes to a close as we shake off January and head into what will hopefully be our snowiest month...looking for more outdoor winter adventures! Classroom Happenings Infant I: The older children completed a large scale painting project this week. It spanned two days, and while we always emphasize process over product in making art, the end product is rather beautiful! The children worked with both warm and cool colors as well as tape to influence their design. They used their bodies, brushes, and sponges to paint. There is a lot of walking and exploration of the classroom space, and the younger children have been sitting up, grabbing toys, and inching forward on their bellies. On Thursday, the children played in the pop up canvas structure and were very happy to play peek a boo with teachers and peers. Infant II: Some delicious oranges made their way to school from Florida, and it's led to a rather "citrus centric" week. The children enjoyed sitting together

Drop Off Dilemmas and Hope to Cope I firmly believe that the "morning person" is a very special breed. It's that individual who seems to effortlessly float through the morning with plenty of time to sip coffee and read the news, having packed all the lunches the night before, preemptively setting out the next day's outfit, all while fortifying their body for the day ahead with slow cooked steel cut oats dashed with walnuts. Then, they breathe deeply through any traffic snafus and arrive relaxed at work, feeling their best.  I am not of this ilk. Invariably, I forget something at home, squeeze in too much, leave my coffee atop my car, or mismatch my socks. And I don't even have children. So, when I see our parent superheros making their way in the world, juggling everything and not even appearing to break a sweat, well, needless to say, I think you're kind of a big deal.  I don't need to say, but I will, that parenting can be stressful. And that st

Closed for MLK Day A reminder that we are closed this Monday the 18th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday when we reopen.  Classroom Happenings Infant I: All of the children are adding new challenges to their day. What does that look like? For instance, one of the babies who just started to walk, is now trying to carry objects while walking. Another child who has been holding toys is now starting to shake and manipulate them. Social interactions are still flourishing with babies mimicking each other, waving, clapping, and saying "hi" and "bye." Additionally some of the older children are using sign language to communicate with teachers at mealtimes. Starting on Monday we will transition from using the paper daily sheets to a white board; it will contain all of the same info regarding your child's day. And, last but not least, we welcomed a new student this week! Infant II:  We had another great week in Infant II. Despit

Free Parenting Workshop at Lamoille Family Center The Lamoille Family Center is presenting a free 3 session parenting class using the book and video, 1-2-3 Magic developed by Dr. Thomas Phalen. 1-2-3 Magic provides participants with parenting strategies for children without yelling, arguing or spanking. Childcare is available for this three session workshop which takes place on January 12th, 19th and 26th. Click here for more info. Classroom Happenings Infant I: This week a new baby started school, welcome! The class has been exploring sensory play by bringing some of the snow indoors to our sensory table. The children have been painting a lot this week with hands, bubble wrap, ping pong balls and textured balls. They also drove cars through the paint and onto paper, comparing the textured tires to the smooth ones. The babies are on the go, there's lots of movement including climbing, walking and crawling. Social interactions continue to evolve; we're observing more and