Step into 2022
It’s been SO COLD this month!! Believe us when we say we understand the impulse to stay under a warm blanket, sip hot cocoa, and play wordle until Spring.
BUT we are holding a 6 week step challenge for our teachers and we will tell you why!
While we are staying outside as much as possible to maintain a firm “fresh-air” defense against the Covid-19 pandemic, there are so many health benefits to keeping outside and getting consistent movement.
Getting daily sunlight is essential for people of any age. Sunlight boosts mood, helps with sleep, increases Vitamin-D production, and helps you sleep! Balanced and Barefoot author Angela Hanscom also goes into detail about how outdoor activity boosts strength, reduces anxiety, helps with attention issues, sensory issues, and behavioral issues.
Consistent daily activity nourishes nearly every system in your body. A study published in the journal Comprehensive Physiology found that 35 different chronic health conditions are accelerated by physical inactivity. They range from heart disease and stroke to depression and constipation.
1. You could strengthen your heart.
Someone who gets 10,000 steps a day will have a bigger stroke volume—how much blood the heart pumps per beat—compared with someone who gets 1,000 steps a day. “A larger stroke volume is a sign of greater aerobic capacity,” says John Thyfault, PhD, associate professor of physiology at Kansas University Medical School in Kansas City, Kansas. “Aerobic capacity is arguably the best predictor of mortality and disease risk.”
2. You could store less body fat.
Calories eaten by someone who gets 10,000 steps a day do not travel the same path when they’re consumed by an inactive person. Thyfault has performed studies that shows when someone who exercises regularly eats that food is used differently by the body to fuel key systems compared with an inactive person. In someone who is habitually physically inactive, however, those calories are more likely to be stored as fat or in the muscle or liver. Evidence shows that habitual exercisers are also better able to handle those inevitable periods of excess—splurges like Thanksgiving Day, for example—without gaining as much weight.
3. You could help stabilize your blood sugar.
“The person who gets 10,000 steps a day will have a much lower glucose and insulin response in their blood after a meal,” he says. “The inactive person will have a much bigger response. That surge of glucose and insulin after a meal is a predictor of who will develop diabetes down the road and also a predictor of cardiovascular disease risk.”
4. You could improve your brain's performance.
The ability to learn new tasks, grow new brain cells, and stave off cognitive decline are all aided by daily moderate exercise. A study in the journal Current Biology showed that just one bout of exercise enhanced the brain’s ability to reorganize, repair, and adapt to new situations. Aerobic exercise, such as walking, may also spur new cell growth in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that regulates emotion and memory, according to a study done on rats that was published in The Journal of Physiology.
5. You'll reinforce healthy habits.
There is one difference between a stepper and non-stepper that can’t be seen on a glucose monitor, brain scan, or electron microscope: strength of will. Small successes build upon themselves. If someone got 10,000 steps yesterday and the day before, they are more likely to hit that mark again the following day.
“The whole 10,000 steps model is based upon making movement part of a normal routine where it wasn’t there before. It facilitates behavioral change,” says Brian Richardson, MS, NASM-PES, co-owner of Dynamic Fitness in Murrieta, CA, and associate professor of exercise physiology at nearby PGCC junior college. “When it comes to weight loss, behavioral change is dependent upon creating habits.”
We are hoping that in the next six weeks, along with providing healthy competition and fabulous prizes, we help our teachers develop and maintain lifelong habits that will keep them healthy and happy for years to come! We invite you to join us. If this is something you’d like to do SCHOOL-WIDE, let us know in the comments! We would love to hear from you!
Your CG Family.
Learning Begins at Birth: Infant Curriculum
We have written quite a lot about how are preschool teachers are not just “babysitters.” They are early childhood professionals who give your kid a whole-body, play-based learning experience. We have seen time and time again that our approach encourages our students to be confident, independent learners who have a leg up when they begin kindergarten!
Now it is time to give our infant and toddler teachers credit where credit is due. They are phenomenal, educated, practiced professionals at their trade, and they are giving your babies an enriching childhood experience.
No Small Matter is an eye-opening documentary all about how early REAL LEARNING truly begins. We talk about this a little in our Conscious Discipline Spotlight, but essentially children start looking to you for guidance at birth.
Our teachers are constantly talking to our tiniest students. They are singing. They are describing everything they’re doing. They are making that uninterrupted eye contact and responding to any attempt at communication. All of these things are helping build essential those neural pathways for learning.
Here are some examples of how our infant teachers do lessons through play.
Songs with colorful pictures help associate words with tangible objects.
Coloring and themed sensory play help with fine motor work!
Coloring with chalk is perfect for cause and effect with fine motor work.
Animals and weather velcro gloves help with cause and effect and word association!
Playing outside in every weather helps with sensory, self-regulation, attention, and physical fitness.
Our little explorers learn so much, and it is a joy to watch. Don’t you wish you were here?
Love, Love, Love,
Your Common Ground Family
Team Spotlight: Kindergarten + School Age
Our Kindergarteners, better known as “The Jellyfish” are doing swimmingly with Miss Janette!
The small class experience has really allowed Miss Janette to take our kids on a hands-on, personalized adventure for their first year of elementary school. They do yoga, they utilize play in all their lessons, they get up-close and personal with science projects and class activities. It has been such a delight seeing them grow so much in so little time!
Our School-Age Kids don’t “check out” when they check in, thanks to Ms. Victoria!
Once the Before/After care kids get to their outdoor classroom, the fun really starts! Ms. Victoria has taught them kickball, read Encyclopedia Brown, even made elephant toothpaste! They are even making a HAUNTED HOUSE for our Trunk or Treat Spooktacular!
They may only be here for a few hours, but our School Age crew really makes that time count for something.
We have found that, for both groups, the more focused physical activity the better. These two teachers really get to know the students in their care, take account of what they need, and make sure they provide for them in a patient, structured way. In doing so, these kids feel confident in trying new things and exploring their curiosity.
Thanks, Elementary School Team! You exemplify what Common Ground stands for.
Team Spotlight: Our 4 year olds DIG their Routine!
Our 4s teachers are absolutely incredible at what they do to get their kiddos ready for kindergarten.
What’s the main thing they focus on? Self-Motivated Learning. This requires our preschoolers to feel safe, supported, and free to explore their surroundings without fear.
A clear, firm, interactive schedule provides an excellent foundation to a child. The teachers have a schedule complete with pictures of their students doing each activity! Having pictures tied to words helps form tangible understanding of each task and is really helpful for prewriting skills. Plus, seeing themselves in pictures DOING the activities is often a fun incentive to get them to stick to it!
Jobs and Responsibilities. The students have to take care of their classroom! To encourage them to be excited about this, their teachers give them SPECIAL JOBS every day to show them how to be leaders!
Practice Practice Practice. Every day the kids help guide circle. Every day the kids draw whatever they like in their journals and have discussions with their teachers about it (there’s no WRONG way to draw a squiggle). Every day they get a chance to be the person they want to be when they step through the door. Their teachers are here to encourage them, not punish them, and making mistakes is an essential part of GROWTH!
Family Photos. We are all Common Ground. Our teachers understand how integral a child’s family is to their growth and learning journey, and do not expect them to leave that at the door! Each child has a family photo with them so that they can be reminded they are loved ALL the time, 24/7.
The Love Bugs and the Busy Bees have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to preschool. Our kids go into kindergarten confident in themselves and comfortable in the learning environment. We have found that in this time of uncertainty where everyone is a little more stressed and unsure, we need these foundational tools more than ever! So parents, take as much comfort as your kiddo does that they are safe, healthy, happy learners here at Common Ground Childcare.
Love Love Love,
Your CG Family.
Team Spotlight: Infant and Toddler teachers make our days bright!
As we all know, LEARNING BEGINS AT BIRTH.
Our Bubble Buddies, Little Penguins, and Playful Pandas Teachers are incredible about offering what all babies need: Undivided attention, opportunities for curiosity, full-body play, and daily outside time.
We all know that children function better in countless ways if they get to be outside for multiple hours each day. The little ones, especially the LITTLE little ones that are not ambulatory, sometimes make this tricky…
So what do your fabulous infant and toddler teachers do? They lay out blankets and let them stare up at the sky while getting leg stretches. They go on lovely nature walks where they narrate the new and interesting surroundings. The teachers talk about leaves and bird calls while the kids stare in wide-eyed wonder and peace. They let them play with age appropriate toys, practice their walking skills, or sometimes just read them a book in the bright sunshine! It is such a joy to see them go on their mini-adventures.
How do we do this all year, rain or shine, cold or hot weather? Take a peek at our EXTRA DAILY SUPPLIES for all seasons! We recommend you make sure your children are prepared for any weather at all times. We are outside as much as possible to protect against the Covid-19 pandemic, but also because kids just learn better after running around breathing fresh air.
THANK YOU, INFANT AND TODDLER TEACHERS!! You are all shining stars, and our babies are so lucky to have you.
Team Spotlight: Our 2s and 3s are ROCKING AUTUMN!
September is in full swing and our Dancing Monkeys and Rising Stars are really bringing Autumn into their classrooms! All of our lessons are rooted in full-body play and exploration, which means our littles get to really experience nature with their hands while they learn colors, numbers, and shapes!
In the Monkeys, our two year olds are playing with pine needles and leaves they collected themselves! In the Rising Stars, the three year olds are painting their own houses and learning how to be curious in circle time. Our teachers are amazing at letting kids become brave, independent learners who realize that the only thing FAIL means is “First Attempt In Learning.”
How can you bring Autumn into your daily life?
You can collect Acorns and Pinecones and discuss their role in the life cycle of trees.
You can do a leaf freeze dance!
You can have a sunset journal and talk about all the different things that happen in each season.
What else? Let us know in the comments! We will also post more lovely things our teachers are doing each newsletter!
Thanks again, Rising Stars and Dancing Monkeys! Our kiddos are lucky to have you.
— Your CG Family
