Last month the New York Times ran a feature about how educators and regulators in several European countries have begun to recognize the benefits of moderated risk in children's play. Both Britain and Australia have recently revised their playground safety standards with language that discusses the benefits of risky play. It's a complex legal topic and I recommend reading the full article for a better understanding, but ultimately these educators have recognized that the path through school to steady, lifelong employment is not as straightforward as it used to be. Children need risky play to develop creativity, resilience, and a confident self-image, and those are the skills that will make them successful in an unpredictable future job market and society.
Sarah has written before about how we allow children to experience risk in their play environments at MVS, and this is something that we all believe in. We create learning environments that are challenging and interesting for children cognitively, physically, and socially, and we moderate the risks we offer by closely observing what our children are capable of and trusting their judgement from the beginning. Particularly with infants and toddlers, when I see a child taking a physical risk, I watch carefully and move as close to them as I need to in order to help if necessary. If I'm concerned, I'll also talk them through what is happening before I physically intervene; sometimes that is enough to help the child consider the risk more carefully. But often I find that I worry more than I need to. The child's sense of what is safe is usually more accurate than my own, and they have developed this sense through their past self-initiated risky play. Physical risks are often the easiest to observe, but look for cognitive and social risk-taking during your child's self-directed play, too. Just about all children I've known are quite courageous when left to their own devices.
Thanks for reading!
Megan
News and Reminders
We have just purchased many sets of school rain pants so that children can wear them in the mornings and keep their own rain suits dry for afternoon play. They are clearly labeled; please return them if they go home with you.
Summer is coming, and it's a great time for potty training! Especially at school, the lighter layers and simpler dressing process make the experience much less frustrating for children and grown-ups alike than trying to do it during winter. We always recommend the book Oh Crap! Potty Training ('scuse the title but there's great info there!) and if you feel your child is close to being ready, let us know and we'll happily start the process at school.
A few parents have organized a good-bye party for Jacob and his family as they are moving away soon. All MVS families and teachers welcome. It will be on Sunday, May 6, 3:00-5:00pm at the David Gale Rec Center in Stowe. Rain or shine, and cupcakes and light snacks will be served.
Kitchen Update
Kitchen highlights this week included a tomato and spinach soup (slurped enthusiastically in the Infant rooms); egg, spinach, and cheese muffins; blueberry muffins and some very sweet pears.
Classroom Updates
Infant I
This week several children made strides in their physical development (well, not quite literal strides but we're getting there!) including developing a true crawl and a unique crawl/scoot hybrid, learning to scoot forward, and even a little unsupported standing. Outside we found ourselves in lots of puddles, and we are so looking forward to more mitten-free days. Our oldest child had a big adventure out back, where he found a fascinating sand box, new stairs to climb, and lots of friendly, curious, and gentle older children. All parties involved enjoyed exchanging high-fives, talking as much as possible ("Da da!" interjected during a conversation about parents), and lots of observation.
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| Holding an "umbrella" for A |
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| High-five! |
We continued working on good hand washing skills this week and independently getting dressed and undressed. Playing with sand, water and scoops has been a favorite along with digging dirt and snow outside. The children have had high energy all week and we've been working on saving our loud voices for outside. On Wednesday we had a smaller class and enjoyed more one-on-one interactions with teachers and peers. On Thursday we played a game of hide-and-seek outside with Megan, and the children were very inventive and exuberant in their version of the game. It also gave them a chance to practice counting to ten, which several of the older children were quite capable of!
Toddlers
We had a quieter week in our classroom with several children on spring break (fun!), but we were still a lively and energetic bunch. This week we were quite focused on sand play both inside and outside the classroom. Inside the classroom, we enjoyed the addition of brand new sand in the sensory table. We scooped, moved, raked and dug into wonderful new sand with tools and our hands. Outside we enjoyed sensory play with mud, sand, dirt and slush. We are definitely in mud season, so please send in extra clothing for both inside and outside play. Also, please be sure to check your emails for Teaching Strategies GOLD invitations.
Preschool I
The children have demonstrated they're finished with The Three Billy Goats Gruff, as they only asked to do it on Monday, and then not once after that. Thus, we've gone back to observing and documenting play and conversation to determine emergent interests. We are also experiencing a spike in testing behavior. While this can be difficult on the adults, we also recognize that it is healthy for the children, as they are seeking their independence and learning how they relate to others. They are also asking for more time with art materials, especially markers. We are working on paper care of markers to make sure that they "stay juicy."
Parents, it is crucial this time of year to send extra dry clothes. Feel free to hang up your child's Tuffo in their cubby to dry overnight so we have it the next morning. Thank you!
Preschool II
This week, I have enjoyed getting to know the children, discovering their interests, and observing their skills and abilities. Since Jacob's departure, much of the classroom remains intact, but some things are inevitably changing. We keep that conversation going as we move through daily routines. I asked the children to tell me what was important about their classroom. They agreed that being kind and gentle was the most important thing! In the classroom, dice have been very interesting for the children. Their dice play incorporates emergent math, fine motor skills, and negotiation. Together, we used a large oversized die to create a group game hopping to carpet squares as we counted the number rolled. Later, we used the carpet squares for other gross-motor games that can offer controlled movement opportunities in the classroom. I look forward to seeing how next week emerges! -CG
PreK
Highlights in the PreK classroom this week were definitely in the trips! We are SO ready to be out in the world, moving our bodies purposefully from place to place, breathing fresh air. (Preferably with some warm sunshine on our faces, thank you.) We were able to spend some time at the SES playground where we’ve discovered some new parts of the climbing structure like the fire pole, the xylophone and the ... whirlybird ...whirligig? I’m not sure what it’s called but I am sure that if a grownup is present to help whirl it around children will wait endlessly in line for a turn. We also attended a program about raptors put on by the Stowe parks and rec department, and we took the MVS bus out for another trip to ECHO. We are planning to take many more trips as the weather finally warms up (knock on wood) and would love for you to send in a well-labeled water bottle for your child to bring along on our adventures.
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