Mountain Village School News

A very fast newsletter this week, back to our regular format next time! Nature Corner Activity: Have me help you when you do work outdoors. I can help rake grass or leaves, dig in a garden, sweep sand, pull weeds, arrange rocks, or even spread wood chips. Why?: When I am regularly exposed to green spaces for play of physical activity, it can lead to better motor coordination, fewer attention problems, and an increased ability to concentrate.  As Seen at MVS     Thanks for Reading! -Sam 

Happy Father's Day We hope all you dads are enjoying some quality time with your kiddos. Here's a little soundbite for your special day:  "The only way I can describe fatherhood--it sounds stupid, but--at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas , you know how his heart grows like five times? Everything is full, it's just full all the time. " -Matt Damon  Got Nature? Happy Summer. As we bask in this longest day of the year, we want to take this opportunity to discuss the importance of nature in the lives of young children. While we love getting outdoors in every season here at Mountain Village School, we can certainly appreciate the ease and wonder that summer days bring; there is much to explore, much to experience, and much to learn from the world around us. So, why nature? Well, for a simple explanation... More specifically, the positive impacts of outdoor, nature based play is backed by a wealth of scientific research. The Natural Learning I...

Summer. The Longest Day. It's right around the corner. Can you feel it? We can! Life as a Frog... "Think of it," said Frog. We will skip through the meadows and run through the woods and swim in the river. In the evenings  we will sit right here on this front porch and count the stars...      ~From Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad are Friends A few frogs made their way to school this week (thanks, Mike!). On Friday, the Pre-K class relocated them to a cozy spot in the woods near a pond, shade and plenty of little tadpole friends.  Here, one of the Pre-K students reenacts the small frogs jumping to their new home. One has to wonder about the life of a frog. At the ready in prime hopping position. And here....we.... Go! Classroom Happenings Infant I: The babies in Infant I enjoyed an artwork experience this week. The children manipulated colored ice cubes and paper inside zip bags.The results were impressive to...

A slightly different format in this newsletter. Our photos will help to tell the stories of the play and learning the children were engaged in this week.  Observation: The Focus of a Child Centered Curriculum The title for this article comes from a book I find myself a bit immersed in these days called Reflecting Children's Lives: A Handbook for Planning Your Child Centered Curriculum   by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter. Curtis and Carter, along with many other experts in the field of early childhood education laud the various benefits that come when teachers keenly observe and record the goings on of children. In at day at school, these observations can take on a variety of formats, from recording the social interactions between children, to listening closely and noting all of the story lines involved in a child's imaginative play.  When adults observe and then reflect on what they have observed, it allows for a few things to happen (and note, that observatio...