Welcome Emma!
Unfortunately, at "press time" we didn't have a photo of Emma to share, but our welcome is just as warm! We'd like to welcome Emma to Mountain Village School; she attended the University of Vermont and has a degree in Elementary Education. She is currently a paraeducator at Stowe Elementary, so she is certainly a familiar face to many of you. Emma will be joining us in the afternoons on the back playground, so be sure to say hello and welcome her when you pick up your children.
An Adult's Role in Supporting Intentional, Constructive Play
You may remember that last week we explored the importance of play for young children. If you missed it, check it out below. This week, we'll look at how adults can support children's learning through play.
Space and Time: This is a tricky one isn't it? Allowing ourselves to slow down and give children the space and time they need to play can sometimes be one of the biggest impediments to meaningful play. Janet Lansbury, a parent, educator, author, and student of Magda Gerber reminds us that, "your presence is enough." Lansbury argues that your presence is actually better than enough. Just by being present in play, you are helping babies and young children explore their interests. It's though being their audience rather than their entertainer that we can empower children make their own discoveries, while at the same time discovering who they are. (Take some time to check out her blog, it's great!) So, don't rush, and feel free to let go of the constant tug of, "We need to head somewhere entertaining," or "We have to plan the whole day." Chunks of time at home or in the backyard with just a few different options offers children choice, sparks their creativity, and is full of quality time with you!
Avoid the "Director" Role: Imagine this scenario. Your child is playing kitchen with some toy fruit. Your son picks up a wooden apple and shows it to you, "This my pear for making pear jam." It can be hard to not correct him; "You mean an apple? You're going to make apple jam?" Perhaps your child knows full well that he's holding a toy apple, but in his mind and imagination, there is pear jam to be made! Correction can place limits on play. Instead, try extending the child's creativity, "How will you make your pear jam?" And fear not, moments like this when your child "misidentifies" an object in play won't lead to a lag in his learning and language. He'll learn his fruits and veggies. It's the capacity for creativity that allows your child a richer learning experience. Play is a place to let the child be in the driver's seat, and you get to go along.
Finally, know that supporting play looks different as your child gets older. Infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers do need different things from adults to ensure their play is engaging and enriching. For instance, infants need safe spaces to play and plenty of uninterrupted time on their backs. Toddlers benefit from having their need for gross motor activities embraced. Patience is another way to support toddlers, if they want to build a tower twenty times and knock it down, go with it! And, be curious, ask your toddler follow up questions and show your interest in what they are doing. Pre-schoolers thrive with reasonable challenges, and feel success when they persist through an obstacle. Encouraging a pre-schooler to try something out, or in a different way is an important step in developing their problem solving skills. For more developmentally appropriate ways to encourage play, check out this info from the NAEYC.
So, play on. And check out the sidebar for more on play, we'll be adding more links soon!
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: The babies in Infant I have really taken to the new soft floor book. It's farm-themed, so it's quite fun to see the children sitting on top of the book and in with the cows and sheep. Another popular book this week was Put Me in the Zoo. This brought of lots of smiles and laughter to the classroom. A source of fascination has been texture balls. One has wavy lines and the other has raised soft pegs. A high point this week is that one of the babies began eating solid foods!
Infant II: On Wednesday, there was a a school-wide fire drill, and the children of Infant II did an outstanding job, there were no tears, and all the children were happy to ride in the evacuation cribs. Well done! Carly and Kari have been working on cognition skills with the children this week, integrating counting wherever possible. The students have been stacking blocks and counting as they go. Another area of focus has been communication. When frustration builds up -as it naturally does- the class is working on being pro-active: mainly, asking children to sign for help, and having them communicate their frustration instead of hitting or biting.
Toddler I: What if the hokey pokey really IS what it's all about? The hokey pokey was very popular this week, along with Pete the Cat in the literature department. Some new toys have been very engaging to the children, of special interest have been lacing cards, peg boards and bristle blocks. Another new activity includes a pair of cows that keep ending up in the back of a wooden truck, while being pushed around the classroom to the sound, "moo, moo!" On Friday, the children enjoyed the addition of mango to their fruit salad. A reminder from Melissa and Hannah to please remember to take home lunches and containers at the end of the day, thank you!
Toddler II: The class was very thankful for more time outdoors this week, especially sunny mornings on the front playground. With the addition of new classmates in the last few weeks, some of the instructional time is being spent on scaffolding classroom norms. This way, all of the children have an understanding of the expectations. (We talked about scaffolding a few weeks ago here in the newsletter). For instance, a few things the class is working on include: sitting calmly during circle time and while at the table for lunch and snack.
Pre-K: Though the Pre-K class could not get to the library this week due to the cold, the temps did allow for a few adventures this week. On Tuesday the class took the "secret path" to the BIG BIG hill. On Friday, the explorers walked into town to watch the ice sculptors in action. On their trip they also saw three bears…and a monkey?!? (See photos below). Indoor time was spent dressing up and working on several small group fine motor activities like geoboards, snipping with scissors, and lacing.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Enjoy the weekend! -Sam
Unfortunately, at "press time" we didn't have a photo of Emma to share, but our welcome is just as warm! We'd like to welcome Emma to Mountain Village School; she attended the University of Vermont and has a degree in Elementary Education. She is currently a paraeducator at Stowe Elementary, so she is certainly a familiar face to many of you. Emma will be joining us in the afternoons on the back playground, so be sure to say hello and welcome her when you pick up your children.
An Adult's Role in Supporting Intentional, Constructive Play
You may remember that last week we explored the importance of play for young children. If you missed it, check it out below. This week, we'll look at how adults can support children's learning through play.
Space and Time: This is a tricky one isn't it? Allowing ourselves to slow down and give children the space and time they need to play can sometimes be one of the biggest impediments to meaningful play. Janet Lansbury, a parent, educator, author, and student of Magda Gerber reminds us that, "your presence is enough." Lansbury argues that your presence is actually better than enough. Just by being present in play, you are helping babies and young children explore their interests. It's though being their audience rather than their entertainer that we can empower children make their own discoveries, while at the same time discovering who they are. (Take some time to check out her blog, it's great!) So, don't rush, and feel free to let go of the constant tug of, "We need to head somewhere entertaining," or "We have to plan the whole day." Chunks of time at home or in the backyard with just a few different options offers children choice, sparks their creativity, and is full of quality time with you!
Avoid the "Director" Role: Imagine this scenario. Your child is playing kitchen with some toy fruit. Your son picks up a wooden apple and shows it to you, "This my pear for making pear jam." It can be hard to not correct him; "You mean an apple? You're going to make apple jam?" Perhaps your child knows full well that he's holding a toy apple, but in his mind and imagination, there is pear jam to be made! Correction can place limits on play. Instead, try extending the child's creativity, "How will you make your pear jam?" And fear not, moments like this when your child "misidentifies" an object in play won't lead to a lag in his learning and language. He'll learn his fruits and veggies. It's the capacity for creativity that allows your child a richer learning experience. Play is a place to let the child be in the driver's seat, and you get to go along.
Finally, know that supporting play looks different as your child gets older. Infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers do need different things from adults to ensure their play is engaging and enriching. For instance, infants need safe spaces to play and plenty of uninterrupted time on their backs. Toddlers benefit from having their need for gross motor activities embraced. Patience is another way to support toddlers, if they want to build a tower twenty times and knock it down, go with it! And, be curious, ask your toddler follow up questions and show your interest in what they are doing. Pre-schoolers thrive with reasonable challenges, and feel success when they persist through an obstacle. Encouraging a pre-schooler to try something out, or in a different way is an important step in developing their problem solving skills. For more developmentally appropriate ways to encourage play, check out this info from the NAEYC.
So, play on. And check out the sidebar for more on play, we'll be adding more links soon!
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: The babies in Infant I have really taken to the new soft floor book. It's farm-themed, so it's quite fun to see the children sitting on top of the book and in with the cows and sheep. Another popular book this week was Put Me in the Zoo. This brought of lots of smiles and laughter to the classroom. A source of fascination has been texture balls. One has wavy lines and the other has raised soft pegs. A high point this week is that one of the babies began eating solid foods!
Infant II: On Wednesday, there was a a school-wide fire drill, and the children of Infant II did an outstanding job, there were no tears, and all the children were happy to ride in the evacuation cribs. Well done! Carly and Kari have been working on cognition skills with the children this week, integrating counting wherever possible. The students have been stacking blocks and counting as they go. Another area of focus has been communication. When frustration builds up -as it naturally does- the class is working on being pro-active: mainly, asking children to sign for help, and having them communicate their frustration instead of hitting or biting.
Toddler I: What if the hokey pokey really IS what it's all about? The hokey pokey was very popular this week, along with Pete the Cat in the literature department. Some new toys have been very engaging to the children, of special interest have been lacing cards, peg boards and bristle blocks. Another new activity includes a pair of cows that keep ending up in the back of a wooden truck, while being pushed around the classroom to the sound, "moo, moo!" On Friday, the children enjoyed the addition of mango to their fruit salad. A reminder from Melissa and Hannah to please remember to take home lunches and containers at the end of the day, thank you!
Toddler II: The class was very thankful for more time outdoors this week, especially sunny mornings on the front playground. With the addition of new classmates in the last few weeks, some of the instructional time is being spent on scaffolding classroom norms. This way, all of the children have an understanding of the expectations. (We talked about scaffolding a few weeks ago here in the newsletter). For instance, a few things the class is working on include: sitting calmly during circle time and while at the table for lunch and snack.
Pre-K: Though the Pre-K class could not get to the library this week due to the cold, the temps did allow for a few adventures this week. On Tuesday the class took the "secret path" to the BIG BIG hill. On Friday, the explorers walked into town to watch the ice sculptors in action. On their trip they also saw three bears…and a monkey?!? (See photos below). Indoor time was spent dressing up and working on several small group fine motor activities like geoboards, snipping with scissors, and lacing.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Enjoy the weekend! -Sam