Stuffy Sleepover at the BOOK FAIR
ON MONDAY 28TH, WE ARE HOSTING ANOTHER STUFFY SLEEPOVER!!
What is a Stuffy Sleepover? We are glad you asked!
Kids bring their favorite toy. It can be a stuffed animal, a doll, an action-figure, an excavator! They leave them in the loving care of our teachers for a night of music, books, and awesome activities. Kids can watch their favorite toys play with their best friends’ favorite toys from either Facebook Live or YouTube.
Basically, it is a heartfelt way for kids to be together without BEING together.
We had seen them before, Scrawl Books does an especially fun series of them featuring amazing children’s authors.
They are ridiculous fun for everyone involved. CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS FROM THAT NIGHT ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
STUFFY SLEEPOVER VIDEOS
OUR THEME THIS TIME IS FALL FUN! We will be doing Autumn crafts, reading Autumn books, and singing fun songs that may or may not be Autumn themed, but DEFINITELY sing-a-long-worthy!!
Then, in the morning, all our stuffed animals will board the Common Ground bus and be returned to their best friends with stories to tell and goodies to share.
Sign Up Right Here!
$30.00 Donation to our COMMON GROUND GIVING TUESDAY Campaign gets you a ticket for the stuffy sleepover! It includes the goodie-bags, the fun, the live-videos, and more surprises!
Then you can drop your stuffed animal off on Monday the 28th AT THE BOOK FAIR and it can be picked up on Tuesday, November 29th!
The money raised will go towards necessary educational initiatives at Common Ground Childcare.
This is our favorite way to be with you, even when we are apart! Thank you so much for being a part of our community.
Miss LJ
SIGN UP FOR OUR FALL FUN STUFFY SLEEPOVER!!
ON MONDAY NOVEMBER 28th, WE ARE HOSTING ANOTHER STUFFY SLEEPOVER AT THE BOOK FAIR!!
What is a Stuffy Sleepover? We are glad you asked!
The Stuffy Sleepover kicks off our Book Fair and our Giving Tuesday Campaign. Kids bring their favorite toy. It can be a stuffed animal, a doll, an action-figure, an excavator! They leave them in the loving care of Miss LJ, Mr. Josh, Miss Janette, Miss Liz, and Miss Victoria for a night of music, books, and awesome activities at the Book Fair. Kids can watch their favorite toys play with their best friends’ favorite toys from either Facebook Live or YouTube. Then their favorite friend will ready for pick up at our BOOK FAIR!
Basically, it is a heartfelt way for kids to be together without BEING together.
We had seen them before, Scrawl Books does an especially fun series of them featuring amazing children’s authors.
They are ridiculous fun for everyone involved. CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS FROM THAT NIGHT ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
STUFFY SLEEPOVER VIDEOS
OUR THEME THIS TIME IS FALL FUN! We will be doing Autumn crafts, reading Autumn books, and singing fun songs that may or may not be Autumn themed, but DEFINITELY sing-a-long-worthy!!
Then, in the morning, all our stuffed animals will board the Common Ground bus and be returned to their best friends with stories to tell and goodies to share.
Sign Up Right Here!
$30.00 Donation to our COMMON GROUND GIVING TUESDAY Campaign gets you a ticket for the stuffy sleepover! It includes the goodie-bags, the fun, the live-videos, and more surprises!
Then you can drop your stuffed animal off on Monday the 28th at the center. It will “sleepover” that night at the Book Fair, then be picked up by your child the next morning.
The money raised will go towards necessary educational initiatives at Common Ground Childcare as part of our Giving Tuesday Campaign.
This is our favorite way to be with you, even when we are apart! Thank you so much for being a part of our community.
Birthday at CG: Our SPRING STUFFY SLEEPOVER!
April is our Birthday Month! And to give it a GRAND FINALE, we are hosting another SUPER POPULAR SPRING STUFFY SLEEPOVER!
What is a Stuffy Sleepover? We are glad you asked!
Kids bring their favorite toy. It can be a stuffed animal, a doll, an action-figure, an excavator! They leave them in the loving care of our teachers for a night of music, books, and awesome activities. Kids can watch their favorite toys play with their best friends’ favorite toys from either Facebook Live or YouTube.
Basically, it is a heartfelt way for kids to be together without BEING together.
We had seen them before, Scrawl Books does an especially fun series of them featuring amazing children’s authors.
They are ridiculous fun for everyone involved. CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS FROM THAT NIGHT ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
STUFFY SLEEPOVER VIDEOS
On Friday, April 30th, the stuffies will come into Common Ground for a night of fun! This time, we are going to have our Mr. Josh sing-a-long around a CAMP FIRE! We will roast marshmallows, look at the stars, and read books about Spring. We will play outside, eat delicious snacks, and make something delightful for our kids at home. After that, we will camp out under the stars and dream of adventures with our Common Ground Family.
Our Featured Author is the warm-hearted, endlessly talented Andrea Lamont.
We will be reading her book “The Magic Friendship Rock,” a lovely story about imagination, art, and the absolute magic of friendship. The stuffys will bring home a copy of this book along with some other fun story-themed surprises to share with their friends.
The next morning on the First of May we will take all the stuffed animals (and other friends) home on the Common Ground Bus with a delightful goodie bag to share with their kiddo to remind them of all the fun things they did the night before.
Does this sound amazing? It does to us too. We could barely wait until Spring to party with all our magnificent stuffy friends again!
Sign Up Right Here!
$30.00 Donation to our COMMON GROUND BIRTHDAY Campaign gets you a ticket for the stuffy sleepover! It includes the goodie-bags, the fun, the live-videos, and more surprises!
Then you can drop your stuffed animal off on Thursday the 29th or Friday the 30th at the center (we will email you with the details when you register!) and it will be delivered home via the Common Ground Bus!
The money raised will go towards necessary educational initiatives at Common Ground Childcare.
In the spirit of OUR BIRTHDAY, since we cannot all BE together, at least we can celebrate together.
Miss LJ
Child Led -- Honeybees have a say in their curriculum
At Common Ground Childcare we are STAUNCH BELIEVERS in child-led learning.
I know some of you are picturing a wild-rumpus free-for-all where children reign supreme, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth!
Ms. Adella, our lead teacher for the four year old class, has been writing her own curriculum for over a decade. The Honeybees use Creative Curriculum as a spine for their project-based learning, but Adella deviates frequently to suit the specific social and intellectual needs of her students.
She also stays in tune with what the students are passionate about. Are they really into space? Have they been wondering how to be super heroes in real life? What clothing do you wear when you want to combat a volcano? Child-led learning is all about taking their passions, their interests, and plugging it into your lessons. They still have to work, but the work is suddenly inspiring rather than what they do to GET to the fun part of the day.
This holiday season, Ms. Adella and Mr. Josh have been doing lessons with “Holiday Spirit” as the theme. The crafts and letter practice have all had a jolly, winter feel to them, and the children are excited! But more than anything else, our Honeybees have been extra passionate about music. Several students have brought in their ukuleles to sing with Mr. Josh and rock out together in their own band!!
Instead of telling the kiddos to save their instruments for center or free time, our teachers have incorporated music as a big part of their theme. The children are practicing several holiday songs, learning how to count rhythm and keep time, and learning how to play together and take turns as a group. It has become an integral part of the lessons. More importantly, the kids feel like they have a say in what they’re learning. They know their teachers care about what they have to say, and their feelings, which bolsters confidence in themselves and the support of the grown-ups around them.
If you are ever looking for “themed” activities to do with your children that really get them excited, check out Teachers Pay Teachers! You can find activities and crafts in ANY theme they like.
Happy Learning!
Ms. LJ
PSA: Santa loves ALL CHILDREN EQUALLY. Remember this when shopping.
The miracle of Santa Claus is more than just the presents. It’s more than the sleigh and the flying reindeer. It’s even more than the wondrous event of a jolly old elf popping in and out of houses all over the world in the span of one magical night.
The true wonder that comes from St. Nick is he’s there for all kids who believe. Big ones, little ones, rich ones, poor ones. He loves them all the same, and for one fantastic night, every kid who waits for him is united.
Please keep this in mind when buying “Santa gifts” for your children. Keep them small and meaningful, but do not give Santa credit for the expensive and lavish gifts.
What about the kids whose parents just cannot afford that new bike or iPad their kid has been wishing on dandelions for since March? What about the families with three or four kids? It is natural for even the most grateful child to wonder why Santa chose to give them a stuffed animal and their friend at school a new VR headset and lego kit.
We are not saying you cannot purchase fun and expensive gifts for your kids. We are saying YOU should be the one that gives those gifts. You are allowed to love your kids the best and splurge. Santa should not look like he has favorites.
The price of a gift does not determine the value or magic behind it! What we do in our house is: Our children ask for one thing from Santa in their letters and visits with him. It is one thing and usually a thing that could be homemade in a toy workshop by a busy elf. One year they were matching stuffed dragons. Another year they were old wooden toys that the kids found hidden in the fireplace with a smidge of soot on them.
THEY LOVED IT. They looked up into the chimney, they wondered what the elves’ names were, they laughed when they saw reindeer prints in the soot and leftover eaten carrots next to the dragons on the hearth. (Santa gets cookies in our house, but reindeer need veggies for good digestion).
They got expensive Frozen 2 and Paw Patrol sets from their grandparents, they got balance bikes from us, they had a loud half hour of tearing paper and bright colors. If this is a part of your Christmas you want to keep, I get it!
But let Santa’s visit be about the magic, the wonder, the love and care he gives to each child.
Sprinkle glitter on the floor by the window to show that he doesn’t need a chimney to get in.
Show evidence of reindeer in the house
Have Santa write a letter about how happy he was to get to pet the dog/cat/bird
Make the gifts (or gift! one gift can be extra special) emotionally heartfelt, homemade, older (secondhand is perfect for this!), and important to the kiddo. Money doesn’t have to factor into it.
Leave sleigh bells on the side walk in front of your house like they broke off the reindeer harness
Have your kids pick gifts for Santa to pick up from their house to give to needy children*
This last suggestion is a big one. Maybe you want to teach your child about gratitude, about WHY Santa would go through all the rigamaroll of Christmas Eve every year. Maybe what Santa can give your child is the magic of a giving heart. After all, that’s what the holidays is really about.
Local Gift Charity DrivesAngel Tree for kids with at least one parent in prison
Please add links to your favorite local gift charities in the comments, we would be happy to add them to our list! We ALSO would love to hear more creative suggestions for how to make Santa magical, and the gifts you have given that follow this idea. All suggestions are welcome and helpful!
We love you all, HAPPY HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Ms. LJ
#GiveFundsGiveTime: The Stuffy Sleepover!
As our big #GivingTuesday #GiveFundsGiveTime Fundraiser,
Common Ground Childcare Presents:
DRUMROLL PLEASE!!
OUR STUPENDOUS STUFFY SLEEPOVER!
Our favorite local bookstore Scrawl Books runs a stuffed animal sleepover for kiddos around Reston, and we fell in love with the idea, so we are trying it out for ourselves.
Covid-19 makes it impossible for kids to hang out with their friends en-mass, which means the tried-and-true Sleepovers and Lock-Ins are out for the foreseeable future. So let your kiddos best fluffy friends hang out together for them!
On Tuesday, November 24th, the stuffies will come into Common Ground for a night of fun! We will sing songs with the famous Mr. Josh! We will give the stuffies a swim lesson courtesy of Goldfish Swim School. We will dance and play games with Ms. LJ! At bedtime we will make sure all our furry friends brush their teeth, snuggle down, and get a bedtime story. We will read with The Magnificent Wayne Truax, local author of Mouse, the Man and the MGB. The best part? Your kiddos will get to see all of this in action, and laugh along with us from the safety of their homes.
The next morning, the Stuffies will pack up, get their amazing goodie bags (including their OWN copy of Mouse, the Man, and the MGB!), board the Common Ground bus, and will be delivered to their kiddos safe and sound and full of adventures.
Sign Up Right Here!
$30.00 Donation to our Campaign gets you a ticket for the stuffy sleepover! It includes the goodie-bags, the fun, the live-videos, and more surprises!
Then you can drop your stuffed animal off on Monday or Tuesday at the center (we will email you with the details when you register!) and it will be delivered home via the Common Ground Bus!
The money raised will go towards necessary educational initiatives at Common Ground Childcare.
In the spirit of #GiveFundsGiveTime, give your kids a chance to be together, especially while apart.
Miss LJ
Policy Update: My child has a runny nose, now what?
The changing weather, cold and flu season, and fall allergies can all cause runny noses, but unfortunately, so can COVID.
*symptom free child used for demonstration purposes only
So what do you do when your child has a new, mild symptom, such as a runny nose?
Stay Home
Notify Common Ground
Make an Appointment with your child’s physician
Staying Home:
While this can seem like an inconvenience when you’re sure your child just has a typical cold, the health department has developed the policy that we are following with the goal of keeping schools open. It states that anyone (this includes staff members) who has any of the following symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat, headache, congestion, runny nose, muscle aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, or poor appetite, be evaluated by a physician and a covid test is recommended. You can access the full illness policy and health department update here.
Notifying Common Ground:
We need to know when your kids are staying home and if they have any symptoms. By letting us know, it will help us remind you of what you need to do before you can return to Common Ground. We also track data, just in case we do have a case and have to contact trace.
Physician Evaluation:
The health department requires that a physician make an “Alternative Diagnosis” be made before your child can return. In most cases, this will require a COVID test.
We are all in this together.
This is the same policy that we are using for staff members as well as children. We are working to keep COVID out of our center through mitigation techniques outlined in our Community Pledge, and our illness policy is how we will keep a possible case contained.
But what if I don’t want to get my child evaluated by a physician?
You do not have to see a physician if you do not want to. However, if you choose to not seek an alternative diagnosis, you must wait 10 days from onset of symptoms before returning to Common Ground. Again, you can access the full illness policy and health department update here.