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
MABEL'S LABELS -- The Perfect Gift For ANYONE on your List (Including You!)
The Holidays are upon us and, let’s face it… after the year we have all had, we really want to make sure that we finish 2020 off in style and start fresh in January.
That’s why Common Ground has paired up with MABELS LABELS! These labels are tough, beautiful, clear, and, when necessary, waterproof! Add a little touch of magic to your gift wrapping and holiday cards this year. Get cute water bottle labels for your kid that leaves it all so that it can be returned! (Is that “kid” you? Because that’s okay, I forget everything too.)
Because we are a daycare, we label EVERYTHING. Labels help with pre-literacy in young children, so we try to label EVERYTHING in the classroom. Labels help avoid confusion with jackets, school supplies, and beloved toys. MOST IMPORTANTLY, labels help avoid confusion with medicines, allergens, and chemicals so that there are fewer mistakes. This is especially important with personal items like masks and water bottles!!
But labels do not have to be utilitarian. They can instantly make any room a PINTEREST APPROVED room! Check out the ingredient labels below!! If you have a friend or family member that has everything, pick them out a little something that will give PIZAZZ to that everything! For example, I am absolutely going to purchase the potted plant labels below for my husband to give a little pop of color to his inside winter garden.
If you have multiple children in sports or school, having name tags can help you out when you are in a hurry, or even let your kids be helpful by giving them an extra reminder which things are theirs.
THE IDENTITY BRACELETS AND ALLERGY LABELS ARE KEY. They are clear, concise, and have bright, eye-grabbing colors to keep their safety notes top-of-mind.
So if you are already shopping, stop on by our Mabel’s Labels Fundraiser Page! Make sure you search “Common Ground (Reston)” and then away you go! Check out some of their amazing products below (you can click on the pictures!). Get a lot of your shopping out of the way, and we get 20% of the sales at the same time!
Happy Labeling! Show us pictures of your lovely Pinterest house when you’re done!
Your Time + Saving You Money = $20 Donation
When we talk about the Common Ground Community feeling like a family, we’re not joking! Once a part of Common Ground, always a part of Common Ground!
Jacob Ayubi is about as connected to Common Ground as someone can get! His mother, Miss Najiba, was a teacher at our center for over 35 years and all four of his kids (he and his wife, Meghan, have a son and triplet daughters!) have attended as well! So when Jacob found out that his company, State Farm, had a charitable giving initiative, he reached out to make sure Common Ground was on their list for the following giving cycle in 2021.
Jacob didn’t stop there though! For our Giving Tuesday campaign, “Give Funds, Give Time”, Jacob has offered to give Common Ground $20 for every person who gets an insurance quote from him. So the gift of a few minutes of your time could save you money, give back to our center, and it’s pretty easy too!
First: Fill out the form at the bottom of this post
Second: Visit Jacob’s Site here: https://jacobsf.com
And that’s it! Jacob will take care of making the donation to Common Ground. Easy as PIE! And just like pie, a lot of small pieces add up to make an even greater whole!
SAVE THE DATE: Stay Home with Santa!
Santa Claus has spoken!
He wants all of the good girls and boys around the globe to stay home and protect their families!
MALLS ARE OUT. SOCIAL DISTANCING IS IN.
You are in luck though, because ol' Saint Nick has been working with us here at Common Ground. With a lot of magic and a little technology, we have created our Zoom-hosted holiday event:
STAY HOME WITH SANTA! Register here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/santa
What: A half hour event where kids will get to meet Santa with ten other families! While the kids in the main room get to build a craft, sing holiday songs, and hear updates from the North Pole, kids will go into a break out room one at a time to get a little chat with Santa by themselves.
When: December 12th, starting at 8:30 AM (half hour increments)
Where: YOUR LIVING ROOM! Once you are signed up, we will send you a ZOOM link for your reservation!
How: Santa's Elves will do drop offs of a goodie bag with treats, a craft, and a SPECIAL COMMON GROUND LIMITED EDITION HOLIDAY ORNAMENT. Once you are in the zoom room, your kids will be able to interact with everyone and do the craft together. We will explain it all day of as well!
THIS IS A COMMUNITY-WIDE EVENT! We encourage you to invite your family, friends, and neighbors to join us. We want as many families as we can to help flatten the curve and protect our loved ones.
Tickets will go on sale December 2nd, add this to your calendar so you don’t miss out!
If there are two or more children in one household: Sign up for one zoom ticket and do add-ons for the rest of them! That way everyone gets a goodie bag.
Tickets: $25.00 +$10.00 for each additional bag in the household
Ornaments: $10.00 a piece
We know traditions are kind of out the window this year. But that doesn't mean that this Holiday season can't be just as special, just as wonderful, just as miraculous.
See you on the big screen!
LJ
Year-Round Giving can be as Simple as a Smile
I love the convenience of Amazon. In a perfect world, I would shop small. I would take my time to make sure I was always shopping with a company who was concerned with sustainability, like a certified B Corp. But life isn’t perfect. I need things to be easy, fast, and at my fingertips, and that’s why I love that Amazon has their AmazonSmile program!
AmazonSmile is probably one of the easiest ways to give there is, and it just takes about a minute to select your charity (Common Ground, of course) and then it takes a few seconds to remember to shop at smile.amazon.com instead of just Amazon. (Lucky for us, from your browser, Amazon will remind you to shop at the AmazonSmile site!
But what about your Amazon app on your phone?
You can Smile there too, but it does take a few extra steps, that you have to repeat twice a year. But since we are all working on flexing our giving muscles, it just requires setting a reminder in your phone for your renewal date.
Ready for your #GiveFundsGiveTime task for today?
Set “The Child Care Center of The Common Ground Foundation” Tax ID: 54-0913856 as your charity on AmazonSmile - you can see how to do that here
Bookmark smile.amazon.com so that you make sure that all of your purchases count! Or better yet, you can always click through to Amazon from our site, because as an affiliate, we also earn commission through links on our site, like in this post!
Turn on ‘Smile’ in your mobile app. Here are the instructions for that!
Set a reminder in your calendar for the renewal date, so that you don’t forget to renew your Smile!
See, that was SO EASY!
Just remember, small gifts, like the time you took to make sure you’re set up with Amazon Smile, can add up to BIG FUNDS when Amazon donates 0.5% of all of our purchases back to Common Ground!
Want to double your impact? Ask your friends if they are set up on AmazonSmile and send them this post to make sure that they give with their purchases too - even if it’s not to Common Ground!
#GiveFundsGiveTime
Love,
Miss Liz