Paths in the Grass

Recently Sarah found an article that contained a fantastic analogy about how repeated experiences shape brain development, attributed to psychologist Anne Marie Coughlin:

"Consider the notion of taking a walk in a patch of long grass. As you walk, the grass flattens a bit. Each day as you take this same path it flattens a bit more. As you continue to take this path the grass slowly dies and a solid pathway lays beneath your feet until eventually no grass will grow again and the pathway remains. That’s how connections in the brain are developed."

Young children's days revolve around patterns and routines, some of which we structure for them and some of which they initiate themselves. As adults who already have established brain connections it's sometimes hard to understand why children scoop and dump sand over and over again, or request the same books or songs again and again. But to less-developed brains–vast grassy fields, if you will–these repeated actions form neurological connections in support of language, sensory perception, self-regulation and other cognitive skills. As is so often the case, children are naturally driven to do what they need to do to learn.

In many ways, this grassy field analogy can also be applied to how young children's brains are shaped by relationships with caregivers from birth to age 3. According to Lally and Mangione (2017), "The relationships a child experiences each day and the environments in which those relationships play out are the building blocks of the brain. ...By participating in learning experiences with their caregivers, babies shape their brains to function in the particular physical, social, and linguistic environments of those who care for them." This is why we put so much thought into infant/toddler care routines and relationships with teachers; we know that those repeated daily experiences are shaping their perceptions and expectations of the world around them, as well as how they relate to others. We want their paths in the grass to support trust, respect, cooperation, love, and joy.

Thanks for reading!
Megan

News and Reminders
PreK graduation is coming up this Friday, June 29th! A reminder to everyone that we will close early at 4:00 on that day to prepare for the ceremony. The ceremony will start at 5:00 at MVS, and afterwards we'll head over to the Stowe Elementary School playground for pizza and baked goods. Please bring your own child and adult beverages.

Next Saturday, June 30th, Let's Grow Kids is organizing a flash mob at the Not Quite Independence Day Parade in Waterbury. They are looking for families and children to dance and sing to "Something Beautiful", the LGK anthem for children. First 20 children to arrive get a cape! If you'd like to hop in, contact Maroni: maroni@letsgrowkids.org or 802 798-2162. They'll also be marching at the July 4th parade in Warren.

Kitchen Update
One food highlight this week was beets! In the Infant rooms a few children were hesitant to try them, but after some consideration they took the plunge and didn't look back. Our younger children also enjoyed zucchini muffins and cottage cheese. Fruits and veggies included strawberries, bananas, brussels sprouts and corn.

Classroom Updates
Due to the short week we are missing a couple updates, but here's what we do have:

Infant I by Megan
This week our children did lots of tapping, banging, clanging, singing, and dancing. Even our youngest child couldn't seem to get enough of the tambourine. Explorations in music and sound can happen anywhere with just about anything, and though we initiate songs sometimes, it's usually a child who discovers an interesting way to make sound. Then more children gather around, a teacher joins in to extend the activity, and altogether it becomes a festive social event. This was also L's last week with us before she goes away for the summer–we'll miss you but look forward to seeing you when you get back!

Infant II by Amanda and Hannah
This week's activities included mixing sand and flour in the sensory table, playing with play dough and rolling pins, splashing in the pool with bubbles, painting with sponges, and a walk on Thursday. Several of the children have just become able to climb on and off the spool outside by themselves! When the children succeed at new challenges like that, they often laugh or look around with a big smile, clearly feeling very proud. This is part of the reason why we don't place children in positions they can't get into themselves–we don't want to take away that thrill of achievement. We also continued working on making sure our interactions with each other are kind and waiting our turn for toys and other objects, especially the dump trucks! Have a great long weekend.

Toddlers by Carly
We had a busy and active week in our terrific Toddler classroom! We thoroughly enjoyed painting this week with both paint dobbers and chunky paint brushes, creating magic wands with various sized sticks and brightly colored ribbons, using play dough inside and exploring our new mud sensory hill. This week our interests were piqued by watching the older children create rivers and streams with PVC pipes, which we then recreated ourselves. Our goal for next week includes working on the individual steps of our hand washing skills and strengthening those skills through repetition.

Preschool II by CG
Even though the spirit of the classroom was lighthearted this week, with lots of walking, playing outdoors and thinking about butterflies, I would like to reflect more seriously this week on two topics.
First, I would like to share a link to an article that I came across discussing children’s challenging behaviors. It discusses the challenge of developing self-regulation, which is a goal I have had for our group as a whole. I hope you find it helpful, as I did.
Secondly, I observed children this week discussing the news about children being separated from their families. Their language was very basic, and their understanding was sparse, but they are sad and frightened at this idea. The kids have a lot of questions about who would separate children from their families and why. The question they may not be able to articulate is, will this ever happen to me. If, like me, you find it hard to find the words to answer these questions at this moment in time, I encourage you to listen to your children, to follow their lead, and to support them in the following ways:
 -Let them know that you are never planning to be separated from them
 -Let them know that there is nothing they could do that would ever cause you to want to be separate from them
 -If they ask, discuss potential scenarios for who would take care of them if for some reason Mommy and Daddy couldn’t
 -Wish together with them that all children can stay safe and happy together with their families

And here are some photos from the week:

Working on the Solstice Stroll sun banner

And finally, some scenes from the Solstice Stroll. Thanks to all who came out and made it such a fun event, and to the PCC for organizing it all.