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.
The Season of Giving! Bleed Red or Give Green
We have another blood drive coming up on DECEMBER 10TH from 1:00PM-5:30PM
HERE IS THE SIGN UP LINK.
BLOOD DONATIONS ARE THE LOWEST THEY HAVE BEEN IN A DECADE. Please help us do our part to bolster our hospitals and protect our neighbors.
The holidays are a time of joy, family, and giving. If you give blood, you may just give the gift of a life this year.
Help us give back to our community in the most essential way.
Do you want to give back to your community but don’t qualify to give blood?
Make a pledge to our Teacher Fund for 2022
Put “Childcare Center of the Common Ground Foundation” as your Amazon Smile Charity! Don’t know how? CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.
Do you want to give blood but have questions?
Check out these FAQs from INOVA Blood Donor Services!
Ms. LJ - Our Family Experience with Covid-19
After a year and a half of masks, hand sanitizer, spontaneous quarantines, and vaccinations…
I came home from Summer Camp with the kiddos on a seemingly normal Wednesday August to find my husband masked indoors. He had lost his taste and smell.
A rapid test from the INOVA Urgent Care, of course, came back positive. John was vaccinated and worked from home, but he had a work meeting out in Tyson’s, a small gathering of vaccinated friends, a small outdoor birthday pool party for the kids. They were all activities we thought would be safe before Delta reared its head and dissipated any thoughts of normalcy.
Luckily our townhouse is almost perfectly designed for quarantine. My husband stayed in the basement with little need to come upstairs, and the kids and I spent time on the upper floors with the doors and windows open. We lysoled regularly, never ate in the same space at the same time, and communicated via text so that any travel between floors was telegraphed.
The kids and my first PCR tests were negative. John’s symptoms were really mild, mostly brain fog and the inability to taste. We all felt excellently, if a little stir crazy, and looked forward to the end of quarantine.
On August 10th the kids got their second PCR tests. It had been six days since they had last seen John, and they were totally restless and energized. We went home, played with the sprinkler, baked cookies. Juliet had a fever of 102 about 18 hours later.
Conrad’s 4th birthday was spent apart from his sister, opening gifts in the master bedroom. Juliet’s PCR test hadn’t come back yet, so we could not stick her with John just in case it WASN’T covid, but the pediatrician had told us to keep the kids apart in case it was. Schrodinger’s Covid kept us wearing masks inside, yelling across the hall to make sure everyone had gatorade and snacks. I would never have left Juliet alone, but I wore a mask, rationed my time in between them, and washed my hands. We sent songs and announcements to each other through Alexa and, despite everything, giggled a lot.
Conrad was positive by Friday the 13th, eight days after the last time he had seen John. You would think I would be terrified. Maybe I was. But when the rapid test came back positive, all Conrad did was rush to the bottom of the stairs and scream “JULIET! YOU CAN TOUCH ME NOW! I HAVE COVIC!” She came pelting down the stairs and they laughed and screamed. They both demanded to watch a movie, since it was movie night, and asked if Daddy could come upstairs. I was the last Donnell standing, but I had been cuddling and watching over these little covid kids for days, it was really only a matter of time. So we all went upstairs, put on a movie, and contact sat with each other.
Everyone has to decide for themselves how their family quarantines. For us, with the Delta Variant, I found that quarantine within the house was a total waste of time. I don’t think the kids gave it to each other, and I don’t think they got it through the vents. I think that my mostly asymptomatic husband infected them before we exiled him downstairs, and the rest was history. Would I have gotten a breakthrough infection had I not been breathed on by two sick kids for days? Probably not. Was it worth it to cuddle them and make sure they knew I was there? Absolutely.
We were very fortunate. Despite the Delta Variant being much harsher on kids, my two had mild cases. Fevers, some coughing, a little fatigue. We have been monitoring them for any signs of long covid, and will continue to do so, but we are hoping that really was the worst. Given how some of our symptoms still linger, John and I were especially fortunate to be vaccinated.
I am lucky I had so much support from my work crew, my coworkers, my family members. I had friends drop off things at the door and sing happy birthday to my kids while they stood on the balcony. I got sent pictures from the last few weeks of summer, presents shipped through amazon, and so many messages of love and comfort it chokes me up to think about it. We sang karaoke, ate a lot of icees for our sore throats, and passed the time just being grateful we were together.
What we learned.
YOU ARE CONTAGIOUS EVEN IF YOU AREN’T OBVIOUSLY SICK. We quarantined the second we saw any symptom from John, and the kids had already been infected.
YOU COULD STILL HAVE BEEN INFECTED EVEN IF YOUR FIRST TEST WAS NEGATIVE. My kids were active, happy, and totally separated from their dad. Their first PCR test was negative, but they were sick within the incubation period. TAKE. THE. INCUBATION. PERIOD. SERIOUSLY. Take the quarantine seriously. You don’t know who you’re risking even if you feel fine.
WEAR A MASK AND GET VACCINATED. Breakthrough cases, strong variants, long-term exposure to asymptomatic family members, COVID-19 is not over by a long shot, and you could get sick. Making sure you’re vaccinated so you can stay quarantined at home is best for you and anyone who needs a hospital bed. GET YOUR FLU SHOT TOO. It helps to mitigate flu AND Covid-19 symptoms.
PROTECT YOURSELF. PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY. PROTECT YOUR FAMILY.
I love you all. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask me, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.
LJ and Fam
Save the Date: Flu Shot Clinic
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH: GET YOUR FLU SHOT AND PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY!
We will be hosting a flu shot clinic right here in the Common Ground Parking Lot!
WE WILL BE SELLING LARGER PIECES OF LEDO’S PIZZA FOR $2.00 EACH FOR ALL FAMILIES WHO WANT TO GET THEIR SHOT AND REWARD THEMSELVES WITH DINNER! We take cash and venmo! Please do exact cash if possible.
SIGN UP TO LET US KNOW YOU'RE COMING, BUT WALK-INS ARE WELCOME. This does not promise you a specific time, this just allows us to know how many people might be coming and helps send you reminders.
Studies show that a flu shot helps prevent serious symptoms and hospitalization with Covid-19
With the Covid-19 pandemic, hospitals are struggling with capacity. With Flu season coming we need to do everything we can to keep our community safe and healthy. This is open to the public, so please encourage everyone you can to come out to get their shot! Even if you get the flu, with the shot the symptoms are mitigated. This clinic is open to everyone ages 4 and up.
The Flu Shots are free with insurance, incredibly cheap without, and you are not required to pay onsite! Just sign up, get the shot, and enjoy the food truck afterward!
HERE IS THE SIGN-UP. You can sign up for any of these:
- Influenza (Flu Shot)
- Shingles
- Pneumonia
- TDAP/Whooping Cough
You can also just show up on the day! Please encourage everyone you know to get the flu shot this year, whether or not they get it with us it is ESSENTIAL to keeping our community healthy!
Your CG Family
Teacher Tips: Healthy Eating
If you are like most parents or educators out there, you have stressed a non-zero amount of times on feeding the children in your care.
Here at Common Ground we have gotten every question in the book, so we are going to try to give you some peace of mind:
How do I get my picky child to eat things? How do I get them to not hold out for sweets?
This is a tricky question, and one I have actually faced a lot at home. There is no one simple answer that works for everyone, but there are lots of ways you can get a child to eat outside of their comfort zone.
PLEASE NOTE! We are using “picky” as an umbrella term because it is the question we get asked so often. There are lots of reasons a child may be hesitant about food. Maybe it is a sensory discomfort! Maybe they had allergies in the past or have allergies now, and are just hesitant about trying NEW foods. Maybe there are plenty of foods they will eat, but they are not interested in a particular genre of food (vegetables, meats, etc.). MAYBE they are on a sweets kick and are on a hunger strike until they get what they want! Whatever the reason, there are things on their plate that you wish they would eat that they aren’t…
Be a Role Model: The best way to encourage a behavior is to EXHIBIT that behavior. Making sure everyone’s plate has pretty much the same thing is very effective. If you are drinking water instead of soda, if you are eating almonds for a snack and fresh fruit for dessert, you are helping to show that you really believe in what you are asking them to do, and are not just “making them eat” the healthy stuff.
Let them be involved in the process:
Planting fresh fruits and veggies in a local garden is an amazing option. We have seen kids try foods grown right here at Common Ground that they would never try at home. Don’t have time or space to have a garden? There are plenty of farms locally that offer “picking” days! You would be supporting local farms and providing your child an amazing, technology/screen-free activity that might encourage them to try a new food.
Cooking together in the kitchen and having them be “in charge” of a particular meal or dish gives them control and autonomy. Let them serve your plate too! Kids want control in their lives. Giving them a little bit helps them develop independence and confidence. Cooking has also been known to be an excellent activity for math and number sense!
Offer Limited Choices: Give the child choices for what they want, but eliminate the choices that you would rather they not pick! “Do you want broccoli or cauliflower?” over “Do you want broccoli for dinner?” This is especially important if you want to cut back on the sweets intake! Offer healthier options for snacks and desserts.
Is my kid eating enough?
Here is a guide to how much kids should be eating generally: Infant Guide, Child Guide, General Nutritional Guide
I was personally shocked at how little kids actually need to keep growing healthy and happy. Children have an incredible ability to self-regulate. They know their bodies, when they are hungry, what they need. Sometimes, in an effort to make sure they are getting enough food, we are actually over-feeding/force-feeding our children, which can cause this ability to self-regulate to disappear. As long as our children are hitting their markers and their doctor is happy with their progress, they are okay! Make sure to keep in regular contact and stay up to date on your doctor visits.
Is my kid eating too much?
Does your kid seem to want a lot of snacks in between meals? Do they seem to always want way more helpings than you expect? Fear not! Most of the time, kids are eating what they need to eat. During a growth spurt they tend to eat a ton! Kids who are especially active may also want extra snacks between meals. Here are some healthy tips to snacking:
Do not offer overly sugary food items for snacks. Kids will eat these even when they are not hungry! Same thing with sugary drinks. Water or milk are the liquids kids should be drinking during most meals. (Tip: Sometimes thirst masks itself as hunger! Make sure that water is always available)
The best “between meals” snacks are little healthy portions of foods that have a low glycemic index: fruits, nuts, cheese, veggies with hummus, nut butters on whole grain breads, etc. these have the good proteins and fats that kids need, and they will probably be less snacky overall. Chips, goldfish crackers, these kinds of snacks may not be sweet but they ACT like sweets. They have fewer healthy bonuses and their high glycemic index leads to the kids needing to eat MORE of them just to feel full.
When to check with your doctor:
Your child is literally eating until they throw up
Your child eats constantly and doesn’t seem to be gaining weight, has abnormal bowel movements, and/or seems fatigued
How do I know if they are getting enough protein/vitamins/fat/fiber?
Our first bit of advice is going to be: KEEP UP A GOOD DIALOGUE WITH YOUR PEDIATRICIAN. If they have any concerns they will help guide you through a nutritional plan. You can also reference our nutritional guides we linked above so that you have a general idea of what a kid’s day should look like.
The most important thing to note is to not make eating an anxiety-inducing affair for anyone involved. Everyone gets caught in negative feedback loops, and since you can’t just skip eating for a few days and start fresh, it can make every meal exhausting. The trick is to offer a plate of the foods you want them to eat, and then leave them to it. It can take kids 15-18 times of trying a new food before it becomes a “normal food” for them.
FED IS BEST. Offer the complete plate every time so that they have the right options, but keep in mind that you really just want them eating enough to keep them moving and happy. It will all balance out.
Keep your eye out for more Teacher Tips on Healthy Eating and Exercise for Spring!!
Love Love Love,
LJ and your Common Ground Family
Covid-19 Vaccine: First Two Days
Hurray! It’s Vaccine Day!
What to Expect — Vaccine Reactions
That’s what we (Ms. Liz and Ms. LJ) have been cheering all day!
When we saw that Preschool Teachers would be eligible for the vaccine starting this week, we decided we wanted to be leading the pack and documenting our journey all the way. We talk a lot about this in our live video right after our first vaccination, but here is a quick overview.
We hope that by getting the vaccine as soon as we could, being open and honest about our experiences, providing peer reviewed research, and encouraging everyone to talk to their PERSONAL physician, we can help alleviate any fears and dispel any misinformation relating to the Covid-19 vaccine.
When we arrived at INOVA Fairfax at 8:38 AM there was a long, appropriately spaced line! It wound all the way to the parking-lot. But the weather was good and spirits were high!
One of the things LJ was anxious about was not the vaccine at all, but the fact that we had to go to a hospital. We were concerned about being contacts of all of those people, masks or no. But the line moved at an even clip and, in no time at all, we were waiting with our little registration clip boards for a nurse.
Some quick thoughts before THE BIG MOMENT:
Everyone on the staff was excited we were there. They were encouraging and helpful. We had our IDs, proof that we worked at a school and weren’t “jumping the line,” and our appointment confirmation sheets, but they took us at our word. We honestly think that they are just trying to make sure everyone gets it as easily and painlessly as possible, which was encouraging. This is something that should be available to as many people as possible as quickly as possible, and Fairfax County is a medical powerhouse.
There were at least fifty stations with health professionals standing by. Our nurses were friendly, warm, ready to answer any questions.
WE BOTH GOT THE PFIZER VACCINE. Fact Sheet for Pfizer Vaccine
The stick was surprisingly not painful! Giving blood, the TDAP, Flu shots, PNEUMAVAX, there have been far worse shots in our experience. They gave us a card so that we could schedule our second vaccination in within 21 days. We were moved into an area stationed with health professionals where we could sit between 15-30 minutes to see if we had any immediate reactions, either from the vaccine or, more likely, a Vasovagle Syncope reaction from being stuck with a needle.
(What is Vasovagle Syncope? READ MORE HERE)
In the afternoon, Ms. Victoria, our fantastic OWLS teacher, also got her vaccine! Hurray! We felt empowered, like we could finally, FINALLY do something about this pandemic. This was a concrete step in the right direction, a small action to say “we are here to support our health, our families, and our community!” We finished up the day with a Kindergarten Interest Meeting all about our beliefs in play-based curriculums and what our Common Ground Kindergarten would look like this coming September!
Whether it was the excitement, the long day, or the vaccine, all of us went to bed early, feeling quite tired and a little warm.
Ms. LJ felt a bit itchy around the site, and an immediate tightness in the shoulder that lasted until Saturday. It was never any worse than what you would experience with the TDAP shot. She also went to bed early both Thursday and Friday night.
Ms. Liz was dizzy at first, a regular reaction for her to most vaccines, and her shoulder also felt tight as the day went on.
Ms. Victoria had pain in her shoulder, and for the first three days she had fatigue, flu-like symptoms, and occasional hot flashes.
Mr. Josh had the shoulder pain and flu like symptoms the next day, but two days out already feels better.
We are excited to announce that Ms. Adella, Ms. Mimi, Ms. Simi, Ms. Pinky, Ms. Vanessa, Ms. Petty, Ms. Janette, and Ms. Kisha will all be getting their first doses over the next two weeks as well!
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
Thanksgiving, Keep it Small
Yesterday, I found myself listening to “The Daily'“ podcast from The New York Times during my lunch break.
I’ve been a daily listener to “The Daily” since the beginning of February. I had just purchased my new car, and with Apple CarPlay on board, I traded in my usual pop music for a Spotify curated playlist called “Your Daily Drive” that included music, a one minute stock market podcast, “The Daily”, “The Journal”, and “NPR News Now.”
Call it luck or coincidence, or maybe ‘the universe’ just had my back, or possibly the fact that its linked to my Facebook account means that they’re privy to my usage data - but it was just at that time that I was becoming more interested in what was happening in the world, reading more news stories and paying more attention to current events that Spotify suggested I trade my running podcasts for current event ones.
Yesterday’s episode was a good one! Michael had on reporter, Carl Zimmer, to talk about the Pfizer Vaccine breakthrough (you can take a listen here). But it wasn’t the vaccine mechanism and preparations, which frankly, “The Journal” - another podcast that I enjoy daily, had filled me in on the day before that struck me as so interesting. It was the conversation between Michael and Carl about Thanksgiving.
It starts with Michael saying “…I have to imagine this is an especially dangerous moment in the pandemic.”
Carl’s response begins with the word “Absolutely.” He goes on to share that he is worried about all the travel that could happen, the mixing of households, and the sinister mechanism of the virus itself - that you can feel well, attend a family event, and then discover that you were the person who infected your entire family.
Michael goes on to ask a very tough question, joking that Carl should channel is inner Donald G. McNeil Jr.:
Should people avoid traveling to see their families for Thanksgiving…all the big holidays that are happening this fall and winter?
Carl side steps giving a ‘McNeil’ answer and just says:
I’m not taking my family to see my parents for Thanksgiving.
Michael and Carl are in agreement on that - neither is going to travel the 2 and 3 hours to see their parents this holiday. They both agreed that neither feel that it is safe, but neither came out and told listeners that they shouldn’t travel this holiday season themselves.
This is what resonated with me - I know, it’s a pretty long background to get to this point. While I know that each family has their own risk tolerance, and I respect that there are differing opinions on what is viewed as ‘safe’ - I’m certain that every health expert would agree that traveling to or hosting a family gathering this holiday with people who you do not interact with regularly, is a bad idea.
Health experts are dancing around the issue because they know it’s a hard pill to swallow. They are offering advice for people who plan on ignoring the advice to stay home this Thanksgiving holiday:practice social distancing, wear masks, and move festivities outdoors.
But let’s face it - when you’re celebrating and enjoying time with people, especially if there is alcohol involved, you forget to be as strict as you’d like to be. Just look at how well we have been able to enforce social distance at Common Ground. Yes, each class is able to distance from one another, but within the classes - it’s almost impossible. In my opinion, if they’re outside and with their own pods, the kids are safe enough. It takes something away from the social value of being at the center if we are too hard on them when they are being so careful.
So, while we don’t have a policy on travel like some private schools/centers (yes, there is a school in Reston that requires a 14 day quarantine if you travel 2 hours away from the Northern Virginia area!), I’d like to point to our Community Pledge. Having your child in any center or school, or wanting them to return to school in person, is strongly in “Medium Risk” category. Everything else you do should fall to the left of that orange dot. This virus is not taking a break for Thanksgiving.
That doesn’t mean that this Holiday season can’t be fun! I think there are a lot of us out there focused on what we are “missing out on” this year. Certainly, things are not the same as they have been in years past, but it doesn’t mean that new traditions can’t be just as special. How many times, after spending the bulk of your holiday season traveling, have you wished for a fun weekend at home? Here’s your year to do it!
Have a ‘Staycation’ and treat the long holiday weekend as a trip! Only this time, you don’t waste any of your vacation hours on travel.
If you still want to get away, book a cabin or airbnb for just your family. Long story long, there are a lot of ways that we can celebrate the holidays and keep our community (and your families!) safe from COVID.
With that, I’ll leave you with a quote from Carl at the end of the podcast episode:
what we do now, will make a big difference in who lives and dies this winter
Stay home. Stay safe.
-Miss Liz