PRESIDENT'S DAY: Fun Facts to share with your kids!
DID YOU KNOW that James “Jemmy” Madison, our shortest president, was only 5’4”? He was exactly one foot shorter than our tallest president, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was 6’4” even without is famous hat!
LET’S TALK WHITE HOUSE PETS! There have been lots of beloved cats and dogs… but DID YOU KNOW
William Henry Harrison, our shortest TENURE president, had a PET GOAT with him in the White House!
George Washington had a TON of hunting dogs and war horses, but “Royal Gift” was definitely the strangest: an Andalusian donkey that was a gift from King Charles III of Spain.
Thomas Jefferson, also an animal lover, received TWO GRIZZLY BEAR CUBS from Captain Zebulon Pike.
Polly the Parrot outlived both James and Dolly Madison! Other Presidential Parrots include: Snipe (Washington) Polly (Jackson’s rather rude parrot), and Washington Post (McKinley’s parrot who could whistle Yankee Doodle)
A Presidential Zoo? Alligators (Harrison) Hippos (Coolidge) Lion cubs (Coolidge again) Tigers (Van Buren) and Bill the Laughing Hyena (Roosevelt) were just some of the truly WILD pets of the Whitehouse
Tad Lincoln gave the very first Turkey pardon when, seeing who was to be dinner, begged his father for mercy. Jack the Turkey became a pet instead.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4th, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
William Taft and Gerald Ford both played professional ball! Taft was a lifelong baseball lover and threw the very first major league season opening pitch! Gerald Ford’s football jersey is retired at the University of Michigan—he wore the number 48
Martin Van Buren is the only president that learned English as his second language! His native language was DUTCH.
Do you have any fun presidential trivia?! Please comment below!
"I met a Pediatrician in the woods..."
Hello all! Ms. LJ here. We have been talking so much about kindergarten readiness here, both as discussions in our blog and in our kindergarten planning meetings. For many of us it is a passion project, a calling to find a way to reintegrate the joy of childhood with the delight of curiosity, of hunting for answers in this beautiful world of ours.
Learning IS a joy that fuels the fires of our existence. Our children are subjected to the fears of failure early, of “falling behind” or being measured against their peers with a single yard stick and being found wanting. These anxieties become inextricably linked to education as they get older, convincing them that it is something they have to endure, rather than tools given and honed to become our best selves.
Why? It is our very ambitious belief that it is because we have cut off curriculum from play. Particularly in the American education system for young children we have turned away from the most natural, efficient source of teaching.
BACK TO MY ORIGINAL POINT: I MET A PEDIATRICIAN IN THE WOODS…
On Friday morning last week I found myself home with my two children. I had just received my second covid inoculation and was feeling a bit run down myself, but I did not want to squander this rare opportunity to spend alone time with my kids! The Covid-19 pandemic as a whole has been a tragic, frightening event, but I will always cherish the summer I got to spend every day outside with my babies. I took them to the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, one of our favorite “safe space” hangouts from last year, to walk the grounds and kick the slush around under a blue sky.
It was here on one of these particularly wet paths that I ran into two women, one of which commented that it was nice I brought them out on such a nice day. I laughed and said flippantly “I figured they didn’t need to sit in a classroom today.”
In response, this woman gestured around her and said with utter sincerity, “This IS a learning space.”
I grinned, even though I knew she couldn’t see it behind my mask. “I think so too.”
The lady laughed and turned back to her friend, ”And I’m a pediatrician, so you can quote me on that if anyone asks.”
It’s not just our career teachers that are seeing this. It’s not just the parents who know their “energetic kids” focus better when in motion. Doctors who specialize in children are urging for parents and educators alike to integrate consistent, long-form play into all aspects of children’s lives. Physically, they are stronger. Mentally, they are more able to pay attention and less likely to have sensory issues.
Social competencies and emotional resilience suffer greatly without consistent peer-interaction in a playful and imaginative setting as well! Children often work out a lot of their big questions and anxieties of the day by integrating it into safe-space imaginative play reenactments. Without being able to work these issues out themselves, children are unsure of their own abilities to problem solve, and those anxieties and dependencies grow.
Here is a fantastic article from The American Academy of Pediatrics all about The Power of Play if you would like to read more:
The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children
It’s not that wrote learning, memorization, and standardized long-form curriculums don’t work, it’s that they miss the point of education entirely. They leave behind many and narrow the focus of the rest, curbing creativity, independent thought, and resilience to the necessary process of failure.
Think about any lesson you still remember 10, 20, 30 years later. Which ones stuck with you?
For me it’s almost always the games. My sixth grade teacher had us turn our entire classroom into a bunch of cardboard houses to mimic Hoovervilles. She dunked our feet in cold water and drew cards with battlefield injuries to give us a taste of war on the front. In third grade, multiplication songs and games stuck with me way longer than any flashcard work. Watching pumpkins rot, playing with baby chicks hatching from eggs and experiencing them grow was a poignant way to learn about the life cycles of living things. One of my favorites was pretending to be sound waves bouncing around a back alley. Even “Which President was it?” trivia tag helped facts that HAD to be memorized something fun and worth doing.
To reinvigorate education as a whole we have to reunite the JOY that should come with it, the fascination, the wonder. Let the kids run off in their excitement and experience a lesson with their whole bodies. Let them learn more than you thought, more widely than you thought. You’ll be surprised what you learn when you’re muddy and out of breath too.
Go Play! Keep Learning! Most of all, Have Fun!
Miss LJ
Teacher Tips: Ms. Janette talks Potty Training!
FAQ’s about potty training with Miss Janette:
What age should we start potty training?
Potty training typically starts at age 2, some children might show interest before or after age 2. The best way to go about it is to calmly and slowly introduce the potty and bathroom as a positive experience. You can also wait until the child shows interest in the toilet themselves before you dive into the process.
My child shows interest in the potty before age 2, should we start early?
You can slowly introduce the use of the toilet for your child, but it is best to go at their pace for the time being, no need to rush. Rushing or forcing the potty training process can actually hinder their interest in the toilet and delay further progress.
We also do not want to disrupt the child’s school routine by potty training too early, we need them to gradually learn how to be in tune with their body and understand why we sit on the toilet.
Lastly, having a child push too much or too hard can result in bladder issues. Their bodies are still growing! Potty training readiness also involves physical milestones.
My child is not showing any interest in the toilet and they’re almost 2 years old, how can we encourage them to begin potty training?
Keep in mind that this is normal. Some children might have other interests that are more appealing to them than using the potty. Most children do not want to run to the bathroom while they are in the middle of playing when they use a diaper or pull-up.
There are many ways we can encourage our children into using the toilet; books about using the toilet and even reading these books while on the toilet, songs or shows about using the toilet,
Creating a potty chart might spark interest with stickers or markers that they can add themselves
Letting them get used to the items in a bathroom like how to flush once, how much toilet paper to use or how to wash hands properly.
In the end, always keep the bathroom experience positive and reinforce proper bathroom etiquette.
What will we need to have for potty training?
It is best to have everything on hand in one place during the potty training process. Here is a list of items you would need for potty training;
Full set of extra clothes (I have experienced full on blow outs with children and it is best to have a whole outfit complete with socks and shoes; shirt, underwear, pants, socks, shoes)
Diapers (as a back-up)
Pull-ups (for children at school, pull-ups with thee velcro/detachable sides work best for the teachers and do not require removing pants or shoes)
Wipes (there will be accidents and it will get messy!)
Gloves (optional, teachers use gloves to protect themselves and the children from spreading germs that could cause infections)
Bottom Cream (A new regimen will add irritation to their sensitive areas. Creams like aquaphor or vaseline might soothe the irritation)
Potty: your potty needs to be easily accessible to your child! If you have a regular toilet make sure there is a stool they can use to climb on and put their feet against. A potty training lid makes this toilet even more accessible and helps ease anxieties. You could also get them a portable potty that you sit on the floor.
Potty training books, both for you and them.
Some type of reward system like stickers
What does the routine and schedule look like for potty training?
There are two routines for you to keep your child and yourself aware of during potty training; the school’s routine and your own personal routine. An important part of potty training is communication between home and school. Parents and teachers need to discuss all details of the potty training process to ensure a smooth transition.
At School:
Potty checks at arrival
Potty checks before and after every meal
Potty checks before and after nap time
Potty checks before and after outdoor play
Potty checks every 20-30 minutes
Careful observation between checks to see if the child might need the bathroom without realizing it.
Suggest the bathroom before transitions/new activities.
At Home:
Potty checks at after wake up and before bed time
Potty checks before and after meals
Potty checks before and after nap time
Potty checks before and after outdoor play
Potty checks before and after car rides
Potty checks every 20-30 minutes
Careful observation between checks to see if the child might need the bathroom without realizing it.
Suggest the bathroom before transitions/new activities.You can do weekends where the child goes without underwear or pull-ups! (it's a messy risk but can be very effective!)
How should I have them sit?
For girls: Sit them down further back on the toilet. A trick I teach for dresses: take the bottom of the dress, pull it all to the front, then twist and tuck under the hem above the belly. This helps keep the clothing from falling into the toilet and helps the children wipe/see what they are doing.
For boys: They should start by sitting down further back on the toilet with their legs spread out on the sides. This helps them see what they are doing and “tuck in” (pointer finger pointing penis down into toilet bowl).
**Potty words** We want a positive experience in the bathroom so we will use the proper terminology. We encourage everyone to say penis or vagina to help children develop a comfortable awareness of their bodies.
What can I expect during this process?
Expect many accidents and have patience throughout it all. Some children may learn quickly while others may take much longer. It is always best to have the child feel comfortable during the process and to never rush into it. Reward progress, avoid comparisons to other children.
What if my child regresses after seeming to get the hang of it?
Regression: Having more accidents than usual or not seeming interested in potty training.
Maybe you took a break. Maybe the child was sick for a few days. For whatever reason they’re showing signs of regression. The best thing to do is get yourselves back on your schedule and continue your training. Provide encouragement and resources to help. Remind them during transition and provide potty breaks every 20-30 minutes.
How do I know when my child is ready for underwear?
With potty training, you can introduce the underwear as reinforcement and encouragement. If your child is wearing pull-ups but has been keeping them dry and using the toilet more often, then you can put underwear over the pull-up and have them practice pulling that up and down along with the pull-up.
Once you both feel comfortable using the potty and going without the pull-ups, you can move onto the underwear (maybe pull-ups during nap and over night). This is where the extra clothes are very important to have on hand or at school! You can bring in multiple sets of clothing into school (just please label every article of clothing for the teachers!).
How long does it take to potty train a child?
With consistency from the teachers and the parents together, the potty training process usually takes 2-3 weeks. However, this really depends on the child as well as the persistence of the teachers and parents. Communicate between one another!
Best of luck to you all on this journey!
-Miss Janette
Summer Camp: Registration is Live!
Winter may have us in its grip… but in our hearts? IT IS SUMMER, AND WE ARE INVITING YOU TO JOIN US!
Need AMAZING Labels for your kiddos’ school and camp gear? Check out our Mabel’s Label’s Page!
Mabel's Labels: Valentine's Day is Coming!
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and Spring not long after that!
Pick up something that can transform their every day all year!
Customizable Household Labels — These will help you with Spring Cleaning, beautifying your kitchen, or just adding your own lovely aesthetic to your home. We promise they are MUCH more thoughtful than a box of chocolates.
Heart Labels — The perfect gift for any Valentine. Your kiddo can label their gear, your love can label their hobby boxes and desk drawers, they get to be reminded how much you love them all year long.
Multi-use Labels — Show your love and appreciation for your friends, coworkers, and family by helping them organize and their home office with brightly colored, water-proof labels that are uniquely theirs!
Every Day is a Holiday: HAT DAY!
THIS WEEK, FRIDAY, JANUARY 15TH, IS HAT DAY!
Big Hats! Little Hats! Long Hats! Short Hats! Hats with Spots! Hats with Ears! Homemade and Store-bought! Paper and Cloth!
We are celebrating HAT DAY on Friday at Common Ground and we are inviting EVERYONE to participate!
If you are a parent, please send your kiddo to school in their favorite hat! Please wear YOUR hat and send us a photo! We will make a collage just for the school so that we can all see how together we are, even apart.
If you feel comfortable posting on facebook, please post your picture in our prompt on the day and share the prompt! Lets see how many HAT pictures we can get!!
CG Challenges: A Mile a Day
Hello Everyone!
Miss Liz and I have been noticing the incredible benefits of daily, extended outside time on our students. They’re sturdier and more resilient. They have more energy but are simultaneously more able to pay attention.
With shorter days and bitter winds it is often harder to get out, especially after school and work. We totally get that. It is why we have started our own mile a day challenge. One mile of walking or running each day. That’s a twenty minute walk on average! It has been such a refreshing incentive to get out there even when we want to stay under our blankets and cuddle our dogs!
THEN we thought… do you know who would love this challenge? Our school-aged kids. They have to sit in front of the computer all day for school. Even if it’s cold, there is no better way to shake the sillies out than a brisk walk in the fresh air.
Monday through Friday, every day, we are going to get those kids out there, and we want you to join us! Walk a mile on your lunch break. Take a walk after work around your block or cul de sac. You’d be surprised how much energy you have for the rest of your Saturday if it begins with a mile in your shoes! It’s as good as a cup of coffee.
What do you think? Join us? We still have 26 days of January to go! You could also go from January 10 to February 10, or March 15 to April 15, every day is a new day to start something wonderful for yourself.
We will be posting our journey through January. Every day will be a little adventure, and while we are sharing ours, we hope you will share yours too! Do you have a little park by your house? Do you walk the trails? Do you prefer to bike the mile with your kiddos? Do you have a four-pawed companion that comes with you?
Post pictures or stories and use the hashtag #CGMileADay so we can see them all!
Show us what your mile looks like!
One mile a day… take that first step!
Miss LJ
CG Challenges: Mathematical Reading Recommendations!
Fairfax County’s WINTER READING CHALLENGE is such a fantastic idea!! We will be posting recommendations all winter! Today, the recommendations are all Math-based. A deep foundation of number-sense is key to a lifelong love and understanding of mathematics. This is easy to achieve because math is everywhere! It’s in nature. It’s in music. It’s there to help you share a muffin and build the best fort. By embracing all the opportunities to experience math, especially in beloved stories, we are giving our kiddos a leg up while spending quality time with them!
Here is a “top-ten” list of our favorite math books! Buy them for your bookshelf, or help us by picking one up for our classroom! Tangible, physical books that the kids can touch are especially good for growth.
1,2,3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle: A classic, colorful story that encourages kiddos to count to ten with their favorite animals. Also provides an opportunity for number pairs. (example: There are five animals! Two lions, three tigers! There are five animals! Four birds, one rhino!)
Feast for Ten by Cathryn Falwell: A count-to-ten book that ties numbers to food and family. Gives the opportunity for a class to have snacks and count them, or to “share” the food they pull together.
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins: Introduction to subtraction from 10-0. Can be paired with an art project
Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert: This covers shapes as well as numbers, and it uses shapes to create bigger pictures.
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews: Number names and sequences! Number comparisons! General number sense and subitization.
One Red Sun by Ezra Jack Keats: Simple 1-10 book, incredibly lovely, inspires art through mathematics
Five Creatures by Emily Jenkins: A whacky story that is so good for number pairs and comparisons!
Quack and Count by Keith Baker: This is perfect for subitization and number pairs, which is the beginning of addition.
Pattern Fish by Trudy Harris: Excellent for pattern recognition and repetition, as well as how to create patterns on your own.
Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins: This is more for spatial awareness along with distance and proximity. It’s also just a relaxing, fantastic story
Concerned Parent -- Kindergarten Readiness
My daughter is a “young five.” This means that she just made the cut off for Kindergarten the year she turned five. While she is quite precocious and has a great love of learning, I was hesitant to put her into kindergarten simply because being socially and emotionally confident is just as important as being intellectually ready. Fortunately, I have had her in the incredible preschool program at Common Ground Childcare. Their play-based learning style and patient, nurturing teachers helped her really blossom into the confident student she is.
Unfortunately, she turned five during the Covid-19 pandemic.
I am a teacher, too. I have taught four and five year olds, and I know just how much these littles can change in a season. I had quite a few “young fives” in my classroom that I would have advised holding back if asked in March, only to see them blossom by summer.
Our little fours and fives of 2020 didn’t have that essential March to June nurturing period to hone their pre-kindergarten skills. They did not have the summer to tumble and play with their peers so that they would be resilient and self-assured come September. They are “young” in their classes, and it shows.
Fortunately, with the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccine we are going to be seeing a new, more familiar “normal.” The one, two, and young three year olds will likely not even feel that “pause” on their lives.
BUT…
I am so worried about the three and four year olds of 2020. What essential life lessons are they missing out on? My students absorb so much during these years, more than they ever will again, I just wonder how long it will take to catch up on those key childhood skills, especially because it is likely that kindergarteners will still be in a hybrid class system September 2021. This usually fun, joyous experience is now so disjointed and uncertain.
Resourceful parents have turned to online worksheets and apps to help catch up on pre-literacy and early number-sense exercises. There are a lot of inventive games and learning programs that do have an overall positive SUPPLEMENTAL effect on a children’s education. They are not meant to do the heavy lifting on a child’s education.
Even without COVID-19 ravaging our normal schedules, 1 in 12 kids are as fit as the average child 35 years ago. Attention spans are suffering under a sedentary education style. Sensory training, emotional regulation, physical stability, these are as key to learning as letters and numbers, and much harder to master after age 5. There is no substitute for peer to peer social training and whole body lessons with trained childcare professionals.
If any of you out there have kids that will be kindergarteners in 2021 that aren’t in a dedicated program with their peers, I would strongly advise you to consider a rising kindergarten program.
There are excellent classes around, like the Honeybees Program at Common Ground Childcare, that strictly follow Health Department regulations to protect their teachers and children from the pandemic, while still letting the kids be kids. Common Ground teachers are also preparing for that “new normal” by helping their students learn appropriate mask-discipline and basic tech usage for when they have to distance-learn.
I think it is essential that all kids have a safe preschool experience that helps them be confident and kindergarten-ready. If a child really is not ready for kindergarten, there is nothing wrong with holding them back! But even if you decide to keep them out of grade school for another year, I would still keep them in a play-based curriculum in their peers. They will go into kindergarten as a much stronger, confident kid.
-Miss LJ
Every Day is a Holiday: Pet Costumes and Polka Dots
NATIONAL DRESS YOUR PET IN A COSTUME DAY!
Thursday, January 14th we will be dressing our pets and/or stuffed animals in costumes! Send us a picture of your pet/Stuffy dressed to the nines and we will make a big collage of our Common Ground animal crew!
NATIONAL WEAR POLKA DOTS DAY!
Big dots! Little Dots! Multicolored dots! Dots with squiggles! Dots with stripes! Dots like Dalmatian Puppies! On Friday, January 22nd we will be wearing polka dots here at Common Ground and ask you to do the same!! Send us your pics so we can make our Polka Dot-Palooza Picture Gallery!
Who We Are: Our Teacher Recommendations for Children's Books.
We have read them all! Twenty Times! In silly voices! We present to you Common Ground’s vetted list of children’s books for every age! When asked, the most popular authors were Eric Carle (overwhelmingly) and Anna Dewdney, but these were the personal favorites for everyone!
Ms. Marita, Infants Teacher:
Ms. Nha, Infants Teacher:
Ms. Patty, Infants Teacher:
Ms. Pinky, Toddler Teacher:
Ms. Simi, Toddler Teacher:
Ms. Kisha, 2s Teacher:
Ms. Delia, 2s Teacher:
Ms. Janette, 2s ad 3s Teacher:
Ms. Vanessa, 3s Teacher:
Ms. Petty, 3s Teacher:
Mr. Josh, 4s Teacher:
Ms. Adella, 4s Teacher:
Ms. Victoria, School-Age Teacher:
Ms. Mimi, Assistant Director:
Ms. Liz, Director:
Click Clack Moo, Cow's that Type by Doreen Cronin. I just LOVE how the farm animals organize a union to get better working conditions!
What you do Matters series (what do you do with a problem, what do you do with an idea, what do you do with a chance)
"None the Number" series
Ms. LJ, Teacher:
Chapter Book: The Boggart (The Boggart and the Monster is my favorite, but you should read the first one!)
Chapter Book: The Bailey School Kids — Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots is #1, but they’re all amazing
Chapter Book: The Hobbit — There are graphic novel versions too, but it’s a classic, it’s a charming read, and it’s worth it.
Holiday Events: Creative Tradition Twists and New Classics
The holidays are a time of giving. It is a time when we reflect on other’s needs, how we can show them we value their happiness over our own.
This holiday season we are encouraging you to find creative and lovely ways to celebrate that protects the health and happiness of those around you.
Is it hard? Absolutely. When we are tired and overstressed from a long and anxiety-inducing year, it can be hard to be creative and come up with new and exciting traditions.
Is it disappointing? In some very real ways! Not being able to see our grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. all around the same table is disappointing. I miss the big family rip-a-thon where we all pass over presents, knocking over each others’ hot ciders and laughing at “A Christmas Story” for the 100th time. I miss being crammed on Grandma’s old brown couch, that same green, orange, and brown quilt that is in every grandma’s house thrown over our legs. We all have dinners we are trying to justify, trips we are trying to make work, events that seem un-skippable.
Is it worth it? Yes.
Yes it is. It is worth protecting your loved ones every time. It is worth losing one year to have another decade or three of holidays ahead of you.
On December 9th the governor of Virginia implored his citizens to “use common sense” when considering any activity outside of the house.
While we do not have a policy, the health department recommends that you quarantine for 14 days both before and after travel.
That is Five Weeks away from daycare for your kids for one week of travel. There are much better ways to celebrate!
Need some ideas?
We are happy to share, and we ask that you share your ideas too! But here are some suggestions we have come up with here at Common Ground.
1. Ugly Ornament Exchange — Ship the silliest, whackiest, ugliest ornament to each other you can find. Make them personal, make them heartwarming, make them ridiculous. Then pick a day when you all sign onto Zoom and share them with each other! Vote on the absolute winner of the contest, and then the giver can REVEAL themselves the victor!
2. Group Decoration — If you’re local, pick someone’s front yard to have a tree. bring ornaments to decorate that tree together. Have the person who’s house it is post up photos as more and more ornaments get added.
3. Hanukkah Lights — Each night have someone else light the candles and lead the prayer over zoom! If you live close by you can also have one person each night make a dish for everyone and drop it off. If you don’t, or if this isn’t practical, you can also just show what you’re eating.
4. Dreidel Games — you can definitely play dreidel over zoom, discord, or anything where you can see each other!
5. Disney + has a feature where you can watch together called GroupWatch where you can all stream together at the same time! Watch your favorite holiday movies together.
6. Drive Through Holiday light shows have always been a huge tradition in my family. Check out THIS LINK for all of the safe drive-through light shows near you! You can also drive through your neighborhood with popcorn, a happy audiobook, or holiday music playing while you admire the lights.
7. Writing Letters — Let’s revive an old tradition as a new tradition. Handwriting Letters with drawings and words of affirmation has always been a way to show love from far away. There has never been a more appropriate time to do this. Make sure to pick up unique and lovely address labels from our MABELS LABELS fundraiser!!
8. Group Activity — My friends and I do the same themed party every year. This year we prepared goodie bags with paper plates and cups, stickers, party snacks, and party drinks all on theme for that party, dropped them off at everyone’s houses, and we will all be signing into discord together to be “together” anyway! It took a couple of hours of driving, but it is worth it to see everyone’s smiles.
9. Group Album — Create an online album where you all share your pictures and videos with each other. You can send each other video notes, share your #BakingFails, show off your decorations, and sing carols at various volumes. At the end of the year you can make a montage to show how you were all really together, even apart.
PLEASE share some of your new traditions and twists on old favorites! We are happy to post them all. Any way we can help make this holiday season amazing, we are willing to try!
Much Much Love,
LJ and the Common Ground Family
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!
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
#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
Thanksgiving, a kids perspective
As an adult, it’s easy to get caught up in the ideas we have about holidays. But what do the kids think?
We asked a few of our school aged kids to weigh in on Thanksgiving.
What is Thanksgiving?
D: Giving thanks about all the things. Being kind to your teacher and your family.
J: Is a time of year where you tell everyone what you’re thankful for.
C: To give you something that you give to other people
H: It’s a weekend.
E: It’s a holiday to celebrate thanks.
What should you do on Thanksgiving?
D: Go to sleep for the whole entire day, except for the Thanksgiving part - giving thanks to all your family and friends, except in the coronavirus, not your friends.
J: Eat turkey and sing songs.
C: Eat turkey.
H: Eat nothing and have dessert and have pickled pie.
E: Be thankful for things, instead of buying more things. Like be thankful for the stuff that you already have - that you have family members, especially when they bring you candy and stuffies.
What do you eat on Thanksgiving?
D: Turkey and pie and nothing else.
J: Turkey!
C: Turkey, but I don’t wanna eat turkey, I want blueberries and strawberries.
H: I eat turkey and mashed potatoes, but no gravy.
E: Turkey and mashed potatoes, I think my family makes pie, maybe?
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
Life, Unplugged: The Night Sky
Common Ground Friends…
It is COLDER. DARKER. GRAYER.
We know coming home after the sun sets can really sap everyone’s energy. At 6:30 PM you still have to do dinner, night time rituals, morning preparation, and there’s always dishes… It’s hard to avoid handing out tablets or throwing on The Magic School Bus. Crafts and games can be amazing, and we will be posting on this blog on those another time, but this particular blog is about the magic and majesty of simply…
Looking up.
You can enchant your child with their night sky any time of year. You can do it with or without a telescope.
Help them track the phases of the moon with this amazing (and free!) MOON CHART.
Introduce them to constellations with this super cool (and free!) set of Constellations worksheets (Found HERE)
Use this (free!) App to explore your night sky! (of course, then it’s not COMPLETELY screen free, make sure they’re looking up instead of at the phone or tablet)
Teach them The Moon Phase Game by Ms. LJ! (if you watch it beforehand, you can play with no screens!)
Listen to Gustav Holst’s Planets Suite while you fill out your moon chart.
Is your kid developing a passion for astronomy? Purchase a kid-friendly telescope!* For less than 100 bucks you can offer years of incredible family experiences and create new traditions.
From today until the new year, there are so many glorious events happening right above you. Here are only our favorite three, you can find the full list here. (There are three other meteor showers between now and January 1)
November 11, 12 - Northern Taurids Meteor Shower. The Northern Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. This shower is, however, famous for producing a higher than normal percentage of bright fireballs. The Northern Taurids is produced by dust grains left behind by Asteroid 2004 TG10. The shower runs annually from October 20 to December 10. It peaks this year on the the night of the 11th and morning of the 12th. The thin crescent moon will not be much of a problem this year leaving dark skies for what could be a really good show. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
November 30 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth's partial shadow, or penumbra. During this type of eclipse the Moon will darken slightly but not completely. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of North America, the Pacific Ocean, and northeastern Asia including Japan. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
December 21 - Rare Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will take place on December 21. This rare conjunction of these two planets is known as a great conjunction. The last great conjunction occurred in the year 2000. The two bright planets will appear only 7 arc minutes of each other in the night sky. They will be so close that they will appear to make a bright double planet. Look to the west just after sunset for this impressive and rare planetary pair.
After you’ve come in with a little more wonder (and dappled cheeks!) you and your kiddos can make up your own stories and constellations while making hot cocoa. You can talk about what you wished for on the falling stars. You can read a book about your favorite planet, or just talk about your favorite part of the evening. Anything you do is fine, because you did something fantastic together.
GO START YOUR NEW TRADITION!
— The CG Crew
*Common Ground is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.