CG Birthday: Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd
April is not just our birthday month! It’s the month we celebrate our incredible home: The Planet Earth.
What is the History of Earth Day?
April 22nd, 1970 was the very first Earth Day! Proposed in 1969 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day was celebrated all over the nation in a collaborated effort between grass roots groups and their local governments. Elementary schools did trash-pickup and anti-litter movements. Flowers were planted. People swept their streets. Mothers protested the pollution destroying their children’s air quality.
Did it work?
By the end of 1970, the Nixon administration had established the Environmental Protection Agency and passed the Clean Air Act.
Environmental justice gained momentum in New York especially.
Activists increasingly emphasized “environmental racism,” or how toxins and lack of green spaces in poorer neighborhoods disproportionately affected communities of color.
In the 1980’s El Puente and WE ACT formed to oppose environmental hazards like sewage plants and other pollutants that contributed to health disparities, including high rates of asthma.
Many observers have invoked the threat of climate change and pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have pointed to falling pollution levels in cities, as certain industries are on hold and transportation has slowed.
What can you do?
You can educate yourself:
Know what legislation is affecting the environment all the way from your backyard up
Be aware of how climate change is affecting the earth
Read Read Read! Read to your kids too!
Enchanting Science and Nature Books for Kids from Scrawl Books
Over and Under the Rainforest (Hardcover) By Kate Messner, Christopher Silas Neal
Can You Hear the Trees Talking?: Discovering the Hidden Life of the Forest (Hardcover) By Peter Wohlleben
I am the Wind (Hardcover) By Michael Karg, Sophie Diao (Illustrator)
Chase the Moon, Tiny Turtle: A Hatchling's Daring Race to the Sea (Hardcover) By Kelly Jordan, Sally Walker (Illustrator)
Baby Botanist (Baby Scientist #3) (Board book) By Dr. Laura Gehl, Daniel Wiseman (Illustrator)
Weird, Wild, Amazing!: Exploring the Incredible World of Animals (Hardcover) By Tim Flannery, Sam Caldwell (Illustrator)
Over and Under the Pond (Hardcover) By Kate Messner, Christopher Silas Neal (Illustrator)
Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference (Paperback) By Chelsea Clinton
Baby Oceanographer (Baby Scientist #1) (Board book) By Dr. Laura Gehl, Daniel Wiseman (Illustrator)
Volcano Wakes Up! (Paperback) By Lisa Westberg Peters, Steve Jenkins (Illustrator)
You can donate to non-profits that you trust to support concrete improvements. CHARITY NAVIGATOR is a pretty excellent place to check a non-profit’s rating.
Environmental Defense Fund
Mission: The Environmental Defense Fund is perhaps the most wide-ranging organization on this list, working to provide solutions under the broad categories of climate change, oceans, wildlife and habitats, and health. The EDF works with other organizations, businesses, government, and communities to create incentives for positive environmental actions; help companies become better environmental stewards; influence policy; and keep tabs on emerging issues
Top Programs: Climate and energy, oceans, ecosystems
Percent of expenses spent on programs: 79.1
Charity Navigator Score: 94.48The Nature Conservancy
Mission: The Nature Conservancy protects ecologically important lands and waters around the world with the help of more than 500 staff scientists.
Top Programs: Climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems
Percent of expenses spent on programs: 71.2
Charity Navigator Score: 84.35Natural Resources Defense Council
Mission: The Natural Resources Defense Council seeks to protect the basics—air, land, and water—and to defend endangered natural places, with an eye toward how these long-term decisions affect humans.
Top Programs: Climate, land, wildlife, water, oceans, energy, food, sustainable communities
Percent of expenses spent on programs: 83.6
Charity Navigator Score: 96.35American Rivers
Mission: American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and the wildlife they support, and conserves clean water for people and nature, with an eye toward recreationists as well.
Top Programs: River restoration, federal river management, clean water supply
Percent of expenses spent on programs: 74.9
Charity Navigator Score: 88.18Sierra Club Foundation
Mission: The Sierra Club Foundation is the fiscal sponsor of the Sierra Club’s charitable environmental programs, and promotes efforts to educate and empower people to protect and improve the natural and human environment. The Sierra Club is the principal, though not exclusive, recipient of SCF’s charitable grants.
Top Programs: Beyond Coal, Chapter and Group Education Project, Our Wild America
Percent of expenses spent on programs: 88.5
Charity Navigator Score: 94.08
How you can celebrate at home
Animal Exercises to do at home with your kids ALL MONTH.
Stock up on reusable bags and try to go a month without using plastic ones!
Plant pollinator friendly local plants in your garden
Walk whenever you can or take public transportation (Keeping in mind Covid-19 precautions)
Use blankets or open windows rather than cranking up the Heater or AC
Pick up trash when you can! Even one piece can make a difference.
Watch Our Planet or Planet Earth to get your kids excited and curious about Earth
Remember everyone, we all share ONE COMMON GROUND. Our little blue planet is precious, and we have to take good care of it.
Love Love Love,
Your CG Family
Paleontology and Potatoes
When it comes to Child-Led Learning, Full-Body Play, and Play-Based Curriculum, our Owls Teachers are really DINO-mite.
Today was the last day of Spring Break, and we wanted to do something extra-special for the Owls. They spent last week solving fairy riddles, sewing their own stuffed animals, and just enjoying each other’s company. Being a whole class of hybrid learners, we knew what they really needed was a technology detox. The one drawback to last week was that it was pretty cold each day! But today is pretty mild, and we wanted to get the kids outside as much as possible before school restarted…
There is no greater grand-finale to a no-tech week than a prehistoric dinosaur dig!
The idea came from last summer, where we had noticed some of the kids were digging, looking for “dino bones” in the mulch. We thought to make it an actual activity for our spring break, so it was time to get our hands dirty! The owls prepared for our dino dig outside in our garden patch with Miss Liz! After the fun dirt patch was all set up and the owls went in for snack, something strange happened… suddenly the dirt was filled with small dinosaur skeletons and a scattering of gorgeous jewels! The students were absolutely delighted. They gathered around the patch with spoons and plastic baggies, carefully sifting through the new dirt to find “long-forgotten” treasures. The children had a great time observing the various rocks and minerals they had found. What we were delighted to see was, rather than being a total free-for-all, they began helping EACH OTHER find dinosaur skeletons amongst the dirt. They all took turns scooping and combing through soil, feeling for a fossil, bones or rocks. When some students found more dinosaurs than others, they made an effort to re-hide the skeletons and guided their friends to find it for their keeping.
This activity was an absolute delight for everyone involved. Not only did they get to experience a “paleontology dig,” but they practiced working on their socializing, patience, fine motor skills and problem solving. These social-emotional tools are as essential as any reading/writing practice, and the events have spurred their imagination for future games and projects. At the end of the day, everyone went home happy and with great treasures, a truly wonderful way to end the spring break at Common Ground.
This was just the first digging project. We have a lot of planting to do in April, especially during Week of the Young Child.
The Owls class has shown their love of digging and playing in dirt, so we figured a little Spring Break Gardening would partner nicely with our Dinosaur dig. Every so often you end up with a sprouting potato or two in your kitchen. That is an excellent and easy way to start growing your own and teach about nature and sustainability. We started with 6 sprouting potatoes, provided by a family member who started scrap gardening during the pandemic, and a google search https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/potato-grow-bag-instructions/7099.html. The class got to see the sprouting potatoes whole in the classroom and learned that seeds are not the only way things can grow. We purchased soil and two potato planting bags. With good quality Dollar Store spades, the kids took turns and worked together to get the base layer of soil down. We planted our chunks and took turns again to cover them up. The bags are placed on the grassy patch by the main entrance which is perfect for us to be able to monitor when we go out for recess and then add more soil when the sprouts outgrow the top layer.
As you can see, the best memories do not have to take too much effort. This is an afternoon they won’t soon forget! We encourage you to go on outside and get your hands dirty! You won’t regret it.
Easter Candy: Ingredients and Allergens
Hello Everyone!
We have Easter Egg Hunts going in our Honeybees Class, our Rising Stars Class, and our Dancing Monkeys Class! Inside these colorful plastic eggs we will be having Jolly Rancher Jellybeans and classic Marshmallow Peeps.
We will send these home to be doled out at parents’ discretion. If you want to see the nutritional facts, we have them here!
Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans Nutrition Facts
Marshmallow Peeps Nutrition Facts
Here are some other classic Easter Basket Candies!
3 Musketeers Nutrition Facts
Twix Bar Nutrition Facts
Russel Stover Chocolate Bunny Nutrition Facts
What are you favorite Easter Candies!? Put them in the comments and we will add them to our list!
Love Love Love,
Your Common Ground Family
CG Recommendations: Top Ten Strollers for Spring Walks
Hi! Spring is in the air and we are SO EXCITED to see so many of our parents walking up with their strollers to pick up their kids.
Reston is one of the most walkable cities in America. The local Reston nature trails are phenomenal and we are right on the W&OD Trail.
Do you want to walk to the Reston Farmer’s Market at Lake Anne? EASY! Did you want to take the W&OD trail to downtown Herndon? Vienna? No problem.
You could walk the Lake Thoreau Loop in South Reston, admire the incredible scenery, and stop to play at three playgrounds minimum with very little detour.
There are so many amazing spring ways to make memories right in your back yard! No travel or indoor activity Covid-19 risk required. While we urge caution and social distancing, we are also right on Metro’s Silver Line. If you wanted to take your family to walk among Washington DC’s gorgeous Cherry Blossoms (peaking until April 10th, 2021), you could get there without having to take a car at all!
The key here, of course, is having the right stroller for your young family.
Here at Common Ground, we have seen (and tried!) them all. Umbrella strollers. Jogging strollers. Double umbrella and jogging strollers. Convertible strollers that match up with carseats. Strollers with three wheels, four wheels, eight wheels. We are here to give you our TOP TEN recommendations so that you don’t have to find out mid-memory making that a particular stroller is just not working out…
Single Stroller: Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 Stroller, Jet
Carseat Travel Stroller: Graco Modes Pramette Travel System
Best Convertible Carseat Stroller: Doona Infant Car Seat & Latch Base – Car Seat to Stroller
Lightweight, One-Hand Foldable Stroller: Babyzen YOYO2 6+ Stroller
Excellent Jogging Stroller: BOB Gear Revolution Flex 3.0 Jogging Stroller
BEST NEWBORN TO 50lbs UMBRELLA STROLLER: Summer 3Dlite Convenience Stroller
Amazing, Unstoppable Double Jogging Stroller: BOB Gear Revolution Flex 3.0 Duallie Double Jogging Stroller
Best Economy Jogging Stroller: Baby Trend Expedition Double Jogger, Centennial
Best Lightweight Double Stroller: Kolcraft Cloud Plus Lightweight Double Stroller
Classic Ultralight Inexpensive Stroller: Cosco Umbrella Stroller with Canopy
Do you have a stroller you absolutely love and want to recommend? Leave your suggestion in the comments!
Love Love Love,
Your CG Family
Women's History Month: Fantastic Books for Kids
Hello Common Ground Readers!
TODAY IS READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY!!
March is also WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, so we decided to share ten of our most favorite books to share with your children. Reading to children is essential. It is food for their imagination. It is integral to the development of empathy and understanding people not like them.
Reading is a gateway to the entirety of what we can know. All you have to do is hand them the keys.
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison: Buy Here - Little Leaders educates and inspires as it relates true stories of forty trailblazing black women in American history.
What will I be? by Jayla Joseph: Buy Here - There are no limits on the greatness we can achieve! A positive & powerful picture book showing Black girls planning for their futures.
Little Feminist Board Book Set by Lydia Ortiz: Buy Here - It is never too early to learn about amazing women of history! This set of board books teaches our littlest leaders about women activists, artists, leaders, and pioneers with colorful pictures to capture their imagination.
Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World by Kate Pankehurst: Buy Here - Share a different story each night, fill your children’s brains with all of the wondrous things even one person can do to change the world.
A Is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World by Derek Desierto: Buy Here - Why stick with plain old A, B, C when you can have Amelia (Earhart), Malala, Tina (Turner), Ruth (Bader Ginsburg), all the way to eXtraordinary You―and the Zillion of adventures you will go on?
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating : Buy Here - Who doesn’t love sharks? Who doesn’t love a woman awesome and brave and smart enough to swim with sharks just to learn about them? Read your little marine biologist all about Eugenie Clark!
My Little Golden Book about Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Buy Here - The Little Golden Books all about amazing women are phenomenal, and this one is no exception. Add it to your shelf for your little freedom fighter.
The Girl who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill: Buy Here - This one is for middles instead of littles, but it is worth reading to anyone who will listen. Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.
I will be Fierce! by Bea Birdsong: Buy Here - A powerful picture book about courage, confidence, kindness, and finding the extraordinary in everyday moments.
Dear Girl: A Celebration of Wonderful, Smart, Beautiful You! by Amy Krause Rosenthal: Buy Here - A book about how every woman is extraordinary, especially YOU.
Please share your favorite children’s books on amazing women in the comments!
Do you like posts like these?? We have several book lists for all different themes! Here’s one for Children’s Books on Math!
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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!
Miss Janette's "The Magic of Colors" Lesson Series PREMIERING IN MARCH!
To all the parents and guardians out there of curious, precocious little tykes…
We hear you. Winter is hard enough without the pandemic restricting activities. Sometimes you just need twenty minutes to do the dishes, to start a load of laundry, to make a zoom call. Sometimes you just need twenty minutes to take a deep breath and a sip of coffee.
That’s where we come in.
Miss Janette, the coordinator of our online classes for 2.5-3.5 year olds as well as our private kindergarten teacher, has designed four color spectrum lessons that come with a “ready-to-go” lesson box with everything you need!
Each twenty minute lesson has a story, a related craft or activity, and an extra bonus activity that can be done at any time. For each lesson you sign up for you receive a box with EVERYTHING your child needs to participate. Each activity is set up and measured out so that Miss Janette should be able to interact and teach your child with little to no supervision from a guardian!
Starting on March 8th, the classes will occur the next four Mondays!
Here is the registration page
We recommend signing up for all four classes because while they stand on their own independently, they also build on each other. Besides, they are all so fun, which one could you bear to skip?? The lessons are $20.00 per box, or $60.00 for the whole set! You may receive a “sibling box” for an extra $10.00 per lesson.
March 8th: Magical Color Mixing: Miss Janette will read Press Here and help your kiddo make their own magical color mixing wand!
March 15th: Rainbow Blooms: Miss Janette will read Penguins love Colors and do a Rainbow STEAM activity with your child!
March 22nd: Create Your Own Color Finders: Miss Janette will read Pete the Cat and his Magic Sunglasses. Afterward, she will help your kid create their own magical binoculars to help them search for colors!
March 29th:The Whimsical White Crayon: Miss Janette will read The Day the Crayons Quit and do an amazing coloring activity where they use colors to make their letters appear!
Give yourself a break, give the kiddos something to look forward to on their wintry Mondays.
-Common Ground
"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
Kindergarten Readiness: A Discussion Series
Common Ground has been around 49 years.
In that time, we have made some incredible discoveries about how children learn and thrive.
Having a curriculum dedicated to kindergarten-readiness for our 3 yr and 4 yr class rooms has proven to be essential to a child’s comfort, confidence, and comprehension in their kindergarten classroom.
Disclaimer: This does not mean we want your three year old sitting at a desk all the time!
We actually want the opposite of that! We have talked about how essential big body activities and play-based learning are to a child’s holistic development. We have discussed the need for peers to really create a learning space rife with new ideas and curiosity.
As a parent AND a teacher, I covered my initial concerns for children not in kindergarten readiness programs HERE. I especially touched on children who were not in any kind of program during the Covid-19 social distancing effort.
Having a daily schedule in a classroom completely dedicated to their exploration with peers who provide endless inspiration is key to a learning spirit. We want to share our experiences, our research, and our findings with you by taking a deeper dive into how a two year kindergarten readiness program benefits:
Natural number sense — an awareness that mathematics is present in all things
Scientific process — independent search for answers to their questions
Emotional regulation and social confidence
Physical fitness and general endurance
Attention, comprehension, and participation
Learning as a PROCESS over a destination
Prewriting and Imaginative Independence — We discussed at length how Emergent Writing is nurtured from ages 3-5 HERE, but will touch on it as we discuss other aspects of a child’s growth and development
We will be discussing Rising Kindergarteners and our Private Kindergarten on February 9th, but we encourage anyone with a child who will be 3 by September 30th, 2021 to enroll them in a readiness program. Follow our journey, ask questions, and do your research! We will also provide further reading on the subjects at the end of each post and discussion.
We are constantly learning and growing as well! As teachers, we love learning almost as much as we love your kids, and want to nurture them with you. Let’s do this together!
Warmest Regards,
Ms. LJ
Teacher Tips: Emergent Writers Need Peer Input
After my previous post about kindergarten readiness and those three and four year olds who experienced the Covid-19 quarantine, I started doing more research. I wanted to see if there were any concerns from experts on how key aspects of a preschool curriculum could be implemented at home effectively.
Serendipitously, Office for Children was offering a class for teachers on how to provide ideal environment and instruction for emergent writers! I signed up immediately. As a teacher and a parent, it seemed like an essential course for me to provide my students (and kids!) as much support as I could.
Here are some key aspects of the class that can be implemented both at home and in the classroom!
The educators discussed the writing environment extensively.
Have many items labeled as possible to help children begin to associate symbolic words with tangible objects. It is even better if you can provide a picture. A child begins to recognize the connection between pictures and real items first, which helps them practice that symbolic association. A trash can label would look something like this.
Have several different types of writing implements, paying attention to how easy they are to grasp and the pressure that needs to be used. For instance, a marker is a much easier implement to use than a crayon because it is larger and requires less force to create with.
Book making is fun, creative, and gives a child purpose. Have book making supplies readily on hand, and keep them so that your child knows what they have created is valuable! Here are instructions for making a fun book with a stick for a spine and other found materials!
READ TO THEM. Have books all around. Change them up so that the books don’t just blend into the environment. Show the kiddos all different kinds of authors so they can begin to recognize different styles! This helps them understand that people can communicate and use words differently, and they can begin to develop their own taste. Try to always read the words as they are written so that children understand you’re not just making up what you’re saying, that the words themselves have a consistent meaning.
Put pictures of animals, plants, stars, favorite characters, around on the walls. Kids will look at these and be inspired to write on subjects they may not have thought of before! If they copy stories they’ve seen or read before, good!
DRAWING IS EXCELLENT FOR EMERGENT WRITING! Drawing means they are working to produce their own pictures and symbols to convey meaning. Writing the words they are saying and spelling them out carefully will help them see how the letters and words relate to their thoughts! KEEP IN MIND that you should also encourage the children to add more detail to their pictures before relying too heavily on the words you add. This will help them work to convey meaning instead of letting you do it.
ENTHUSIASM. IS. KEY. Their enthusiasm will carry them through the practice, will encourage them to continue their process even when it’s frustrating. YOUR enthusiasm will encourage them and help them fly forward without fear of failure! Ask them leading questions like “Oh Wow! What happens next? How does it end?” This not only helps them with story sequencing, but it lets them know that wherever they are in the process, you are happy to be there sharing their story.
TREAT THEIR WORK WITH DIGNITY. I’m not saying you have to keep every drawing or scrap of paper with art on it. I am saying to be consistent with # 7, keep ongoing projects in the same place so that they can return, encourage them to move forward in their studies rather than critiquing WHERE they are in the process.
9. Peer Interaction during the process of emergent writing is key.
There are a lot of processes you can do at home that are helpful and important. But research has shown that other children thrive in an environment when they can watch how their peers practice drawing and writing. They copy each other. They observe different style interpretations. They listen as their teachers give different instructions to their friends. When I was teaching in the four year old classroom, I was blown away by how one child drawing volcanoes transformed into the entire class drawing volcanoes. They told different stories, they extrapolated off of each other’s ideas, they asked big questions that spun off into entire lessons. They were fascinated, excited to draw in their journals and tell me THEIR version of the volcano story. Someone would add a princess, someone would add a PAW PATROL pup, and then another kid would do the same thing the next day, inspired by their friends. Even in COVID times when the numbers are low, even if they have to sit apart at their own desks with their own implements, children that can be around their peers while they practice show greater strides in all aspects of writing, story telling, and literary comprehension.
Educators are encouraged to call their children “authors” and let them “read” stories to their friends. Letting them sit in an “author’s chair” is even better. Even if they’re just reciting a memorized passage, or making up words for their pictures, they have autonomy over the story they are telling. This inspires other children to want to build their story to share.
One of my favorite things to do with my students is to come up with a premise and allow the students to write the story with me. They can introduce characters to the story, provide what happens “next,” I’ve even had my older students come up with lines for rhyming words that match the story! They riff off of each other and begin to understand the structure and sequencing of a story while having fun together. Afterwards they draw the pictures for each page. We put together the book and each child can stand up and read THEIR page in the book we all created together.
Experiences like the those described above show how essential and enriching peers are to the writing learning process. Wonder, creativity, practice, immersion, these are the building blocks to writing success, but all of those things are SUPER CHARGED with friends at your side.
Questions? Comments? Experiences to Share? Please comment below! We love to share our world with you.
Ms. LJ
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
Save The Date: Summer Camp Teaser
The Summer Camp you remember that your kids will never forget…
Kids need to be outside. They need to run under the trees, chase each other, skin their knees.
They need to play with rules they make up themselves.
That’s why Common Ground is hosting a classic summer camp that is perfect for any kid from kindergarten to rising fourth grader.
1 in 12 kids are as fit as the average child 35 years ago. Their 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.
We believe in exploration, reasonable danger, and dirt. Our weekly themes are designed to teach kids about the world and their own abilities. There will be projects, games, and field trips! We are also looking to do swimming lessons.
We will be outside as much as possible, allowing kids to foster independence through child-led lessons that encourage enthusiasm for holistic learning.
KEEP AN EYE OUT! We will begin registration in the next few weeks! Think Capture the Flag. Think trail running and skipping stones in the creek. Think sweat and dirt and sunshine. Your kids deserve a camp experience like you had.
LET’S GO OUTSIDE!
Ms. LJ
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
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.
Common Ground: Winter Activities and Winter Attire
We are looking at A LOT OF snowy days coming up this winter!!
And we cannot wait for all of our outdoor winter adventures. There will be some days that are too wet or too cold! We will have little movie and popcorn parties and days where we do art while the weather outside is frightful.
But more and more studies are coming out showing how essential outdoor play is to our kids, and how the loss of consistent outdoor playtime is absolutely detrimental to their holistic well being. Kids are meant to play. They are meant to get dirty and windswept. They are meant to eat snow, trip in their swishy snow-pants, to fall down and find they can get back up again.
Play to Learn, Learn to Play Examples:
1. Building an Igloo with Friends: Promotes core strength, cooperation, simple machines and tools usage, basic engineering, imaginative play, patience, sensory endurance
2. Snow Walking and Rolling down Hills: Inner Ear training, strength training, leg and inner core training, aerobic workout
3. Snow Writing: Using natural tools to promote fine-motor practice. You can also use markers to do color work.
4. Winter Walk: Aerobic Exercise, Seasonal Cycles and Lessons, basic biology flora/fauna studies
Our preschool teachers are especially focused on “Kindergarten-Readiness.” This involves working on letters and numbers and pre-writing skills, but it also involves physical health and social-emotional independence. Outdoor lessons and games help cement fine-motor and gross-motor work. Operating in varying weather helps develop their sensory resilience which is essential for increasing attention span inside and outside of the classroom.
What do we always say? NO BAD WEATHER. ONLY BAD CLOTHES!
Is you child really set up for this winter? Here are items that we have on our student supply list that we highly recommend purchasing as soon as possible:
Kids Snow Boots — Snow comes in all different shapes and sizes, but it is always cold and always wet. An insulated, water resistant boot that goes high up a child’s leg will keep them warm and dry while they play. PLEASE NOTE: While rainbows will keep a child’s foot dry, they are not properly insulated and do not offer any protection against the cold. Snow boots are most appropriate in cold, wintry weather.
Snow Gloves — Snow gloves protect against the cold, but they are also water resistant. Cotton gloves, while warm, will become wet very quickly and will do more harm than good when trying to keep your child’s hands warm. Please make sure they have snow gloves available.
Snow Pants — Snow pants are key to making sure a child is warm and happy for a longer period of time. The water resistant fabric makes sure that the pants they wear to school stay as dry as possible so fewer clothing changes are required.
Thermal Underwear — We recommend these over sweat suits because they keep a child warm without overheating them or keeping their sweat in. These are perfect for layering winter clothes and helping a child regulate their body temperature while they play rough outside.
We will keep you all posted on our winter lessons and activities! Stay safe!!
— LJ and the Common Ground Crew
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
GIVE TIME: Making a Mess! I mean... Experiments.
SCIENCE IS FUN!!
BUT…
It can be exhausting and overwhelming to turn our kitchen into a science lab.
We found ourselves one Sunday afternoon with crunched leaves in the couch, slime clinging like cement to the outdoor furniture, jugs of different juices with candies and half-melted cheetos floating in them. We had spent all Saturday cleaning, and it felt like we were living in a giant sand garden where the slightest breeze would blow something sticky all over everything… I saw my kids about to turn on the hose for their water table, opened my mouth to yell “NO MORE SCIENCE,” and then listened to what I was about to say to them.
I am not saying you should let your house just be totally dedicated to the whims of a toddler. What I am saying is that curiosity is the KEY to learning.
THIS SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF PRESSURE.
If you watch Emily’s Wonder Lab or watched The Magic School Bus, you think that every experiment has to be organized, clever, and steeped in some fantastic, curriculum-based scientific concept.
Science is not neat. Science is messy. It also does not have to be complicated.
We have a Scientific Method Worksheet free to download IF YOU WANT. It’s not necessary, but it can be nice to keep track of all the journeys of discover you go on. Free Download Here.
What if your three year old wants to know what’s inside an acorn?
1. Ask them what they think. This is a HUGE part of it, because you want them to start trying to figure things out.
2. Gather the materials! (AND YES THEY CAN BE DANGEROUS!) for this one, you just need a hammer and something to protect your floor if you’re inside.
3. SMASH IT! Let them help. It is important that kiddos learn how to use tools safely, or else they will use them NOT safely.
4. Poke at it! Look at the pieces! What is it? This can be the end of the experiment. If they want to know more about the stuff inside, you can look it up, but keep it simple, keep it steeped in wonder.
WHAT ABOUT THE MESS.
Friends, I hear you. My son is a big water-pourer. All the time. He gets in the sink and runs the tap. He sprays the hose into jugs of all sizes. He is constantly stealing people’s drinks and pouring them into other people’s drinks. We keep towels poised in the pantry for when he inevitably spills a cup of water onto the floor, the table, the dog.
This. Is. Science. He is developing spatial awareness. He is figuring out which containers hold the most and the least. He is studying how water works. He is using all of his senses to experience water. “This water’s hotter! This water has air bubbles! This water is wet! (okay, all water is wet, kid…)” He is excited, curious, and into it.
I ended up making a path of towels with different buckets of all sizes up and down the towel line. Before he poured, I’d ask him what he thought would happen, and supply during “observations” time what happened.
"Uh oh! There was too much water for the red cup. Is there too much water for the blue bucket?” “Uh oh! When you put sand in the cup, it becomes too full for the water! Why do you think the sand sank to the bottom?”
As they get older (my five year old is really into science experiments now) you can get into the more complicated messes. “Why is this slime so sticky? What happens if I add baking soda to it? Why shouldn’t I wash it down the sink?”
This was a winding road. Let’s do a quick wrap up, a conclusion, if you will.
These messy science experiments have a lot to offer your kids. They help them study the world around them in a safe environment where they have relative autonomy. They show your children the rewards of being bored and making their own fun. They show your children (and you!) that it’s okay to take chances, make mistakes, and get a little messy… as long as they are willing to clean up after themselves.
Once they realize there is time allowed for “SCIENCE TIME,” it is much easier to enforce the concept of “NOT-SCIENCE TIME.” That helps guide the fun and limit the mess. The worksheet above lets them write down any questions they have that can be answered during “SCIENCE TIME” so you don’t have to be constantly on the look out for eggs hiding in the bathtub… (that was a weird one.)
So get out there, science teams! Make the wonderful messes and maybe answer your own questions!! If you need a list of fantastic easy science experiments, check it out HERE!
Love you all, you whacky scientists,
Ms. LJ
Unplugged Life: No Bad Weather, Only Bad Clothes
Our Rising Stars this week took a nature walk and, under the cloudless blue November sky, they read “Corduroy” in an open field. Our teachers Ms. Petty and Ms. Vanessa heavily utilize the outdoors in their carefully constructed curriculum (this week’s theme is Friendship!) to ensure that the children are free to learn and play while adhering to our COVID-19 safety measures.
While we have been adhering to health code, however, we find that children who get plenty of sunshine and activity are also better listeners with longer attention-spans. We are encouraging our teachers and our parents to utilize the outdoors as much as possible in all of their activities year-round, whether or not there is a pandemic.
“But Ms. LJ, the weather has been fabulous!” you say, “How can we take our children out all the time when it gets cold and dark and wet?”
Repeat after me, because I forget too: THERE’S NO BAD WEATHER, ONLY BAD CLOTHES!
There’s no bad weather! Okay, watch out for tornadoes and hurricanes… and if there is lightning RIGHT next to you definitely find a safe space ( Go HERE For instructions on how to calculate the distance between you and a lightning strike) but barring exceptional highs and lows, most weather is perfectly fine for kids and adults of all ages!
In fact, occupational therapists encourage parents to take children outside in all seasons to help brain development and mitigate sensory issues that are on the rise in children.
For more on outside play and holistic healthy development, check out this CoordiKids Article
Need some tips for Good “Bad Weather” Gear?
Our Supply Lists include clothing pieces suitable for battling the elements.
TIPS
When it comes to jackets, make sure you have a LIGHT JACKET , a HEAVY JACKET, and a RAIN JACKET. We recommend with any raincoats you buy that they are knee-length! The bigger, the better, to protect them when they splash.
Crocs make excellent shoes, especially if you are planning to get wet or muddy. They are “feet-shaped” which provides extra comfort to growing kids. Here are some RAIN BOOTS they make, along with their classic style.
Extremities get cold first! Make sure you have appropriate gloves for the weather. If they are too heavy or unwieldy, your child may not want to use them and it makes outside a frustrating experience. If it is snowing or wet outside than cloth gloves may not be enough, and the adventure will be short and painful on little fingers! Check the weather, and tuck the right pair in your kids’ coat pockets!
When it is really hot and bright outside, make sure your kids clothes are lightweight and UV-protected! SUNHATS are perfect for littles to protect their sensitive eyes while outside so that they stay focused and happy! SUNSHIRTS and SUNSUITS are key for needed extra (and adorable) protection.
OUR BIGGEST, MOST IMPORTANT TIP!!!
All of our teachers dress for the weather. It helps them stay comfortable and fun and safe. Kids can tell what their adults are feeling, and if you are excited and ready for adventure, no matter what the weather report says? They will be too. SO PUT ON YOUR RAINBOOTS AND GO STOMP IN SOME PUDDLES!! The mud washes away. Memories build a bright future.
— MS LJ