Mountain Village School News

Thanks to all who came out for our family hike and picnic yesterday! I hope everyone enjoyed it. A few of you commented that it was fun to watch the children play together since you don't get to see it too much at school; I felt the same way watching you all as families. You parents really are super heroes in the millions of ways that you care for, support, and love your children–bravo for being your incredible selves, and thank you for having us along on this journey. Recently we've been talking about a new book called 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do: Raising Self-Assured Children and Training their Brains for a Life of Happiness, Meaning, and Success by psychologist Amy Morin. Mental strength seems to be similar to resiliency for the brain; in an interview with the Washington Post she stated: "There are three parts. One is regulating your thoughts so you think realistically. Not overly negative but not overly positive. If I’m too c...

Allergies and allergens are concerns for many families of young children, as it's becoming apparent that early experiences have a big impact on whether our bodies develop allergic reactions to certain allergens. A 2014 study led by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that infants exposed to bacteria-rich environments with high levels of household allergens during their first year of life were less likely to develop environmental allergies and wheezing (which can develop into asthma) at age three. Of course at MVS we're not about to stop sweeping and mopping, but this is yet another reason why we love dirt! Another rigorous study led by Dr. Gideon Lack in 2016 found that early introduction of certain foods to infants greatly reduced their risk of developing allergic reactions to those foods. Foods introduced between 3 and 6 months included cow's milk yogurt, fish, sesame, peanut butter, eggs, and wheat. A thorough review of the study is available on the Science...