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!
#GiveFundsGiveTime: GIVING TUESDAY IS HERE
December 1st, 2020 is probably one of the strangest, loveliest, and most necessary Giving Tuesdays since its inception in 2012. The world is wracked by a pandemic. Unemployment has been at an all time high. An unmatched 12 named storms, including a record-tying six hurricanes, have made landfall in the United States this year alone.
We are quarantine-fatigued, decision-fatigued, anxiety-fatigued. Traditions are changed, family visits are reliant on internet connections.
It is in the midst of this unique adversity that we find our most profound strength, our brightest hope, our purest joy.
We have stood together, protecting one another with masks and distance. We have created new traditions out of whole cloth that will withstand the test of time. We have rallied around our small businesses, our schools, our communities to provide whatever support we can, even though it never seems like enough.
THAT is what our Giving Tuesday #GiveFundsGiveTime campaign has been all about.
We raised over $4,000.00 for our programs (and still have $3,000 of matching funds available!) and had such an incredible time doing it. If you are reading this on #GivingTuesday, you can still donate to our cause with double the impact HERE.
We had so much fun during the sleepover. Our kiddos left their best stuffed friends in care of Mr. Josh, Ms. Janette, Ms. Liz, and Ms. LJ, your CIRCLE TIME crew! We spent the evening dancing, singing, doing art, eating popcorn, and sending pictures/videos of the whole thing to the students while they were safe at home! APART DOES NOT MEAN ALONE, Friends and Families!
If you didn’t see the ridiculous good time that was our STUPENDOUS STUFFY SLEEPOVER, you are missing out… BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO MISS OUT NEXT TIME! We will be doing more of these.
You can download a copy of the one-of-a-kind stuffy sleepover coloring book where we featured each of the animals present (along with your circle time friends!)
Check out the fantastical highlights of our Stuffy Sleepover HERE.
This event was a perfect representation of the #GiveTime part of our campaign, what we consider to be the KEY and MOST VITAL part. We wanted to give our kids something to look forward to in uncertain times, to give them a new tradition that they can share with their friends no matter what is going on in the world outside. Each of us gave a little bit. Scrawl Books gave us ideas and goodies for our bags. Pal Dentistry gave us toothbrushes for our stuffys and instructions on how to keep our teeth healthy! We would also love to thank our local author Wayne Truax and family members Mary and Richard Badley for the wonderful addition of Mouse, The Man, and the MGB to our evening (and our goodiebags!)
Last, but not least, Our wonderful families gave us faith, time, money, and their happiness made our giving feel like receiving something warm and full of love.
We have written a lot in the last few weeks on how to Give Time to the people around you that matter, and we will continue to do so. This was just the jump start to our Giving Muscle Fitness Program! We want you to keep at it. Keep giving those five minutes a day. Give yourself five minutes because you are worth it. Give attention to your family for five minutes because you’ll suddenly find that it’s your favorite part of the day. Keep giving it until suddenly it’s seven minutes. Then ten. You will inspire others to do the same, and your reach will expand far beyond your wildest dreams.
We have dug deep into our hearts and not been found wanting. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making #GivingTuesday2020 so incredible.
Love and Regards,
Ms. LJ
#GiveTime: Five Minutes to Yourself
HEY YOU. YES YOU. I AM ABSOLUTELY TALKING TO YOU.
To the parent who has to work from home with their kiddos. The parent who has to work from home but send their kids to school. The parent who gave up their job to stay home with their young kids. The parent who is essential and is trying to serve their community AND protect their family.
To the parent who is still trying to make life fun and creative and messy with the addition of mask etiquette and a sudden dearth of safe activity.
To the teacher or family member or neighbor or ETC who feels like there is no good answer to an overwhelming number of questions, no good solution to a sea of problems.
YOU CANNOT GIVE TO OTHERS IF YOU HAVE NOTHING FOR YOURSELF.
Say it with me, and say it loud for your friend who thinks it doesn’t apply to them either.
You cannot give to others if you have nothing for yourself.
When everyone is so exhausted, it is hard not to teeter on the edge of burnout, especially when there is real danger and strife. It may feel like you CANNOT save any energy and time for yourself.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. EVERYTHING CAN WAIT FIVE MINUTES.
Read five minutes of a book you’ve wanted to read
Catch up on news (please avoid “doom scrolling” on your five minutes, though…)
Teach yourself something (if you study something for five minutes every day, that time adds up quickly)
There are a TON of five minute fitness videos. Create a 30-day challenge for yourself where each exercise takes 3-5 minutes a day at most. The results are SHOCKING.
Take a walk around the block
Meditate or do a Deep Breathing Exercise
Practice your instrument of choice (have it set up in a corner of your house so you don’t have to pull it out)
Write in your journal
Pull some weeds in your garden
Play with your dog/cat/gerbil/snake
Color in a coloring book
It’s hard not to picture the “destination” of things that are important to you. Education, fitness, hobbies, peace of mind, it all seems so daunting when you see how far away you seem from your goal and just how many people that need pieces of you.
Every marathon starts with a step. Every book starts with a word. You deserve time to go on your personal journey and to ENJOY your destination.
And when you are feeling driven and fulfilled, more at peace? You have so much more to give to those loved ones that need you. The time you give them will be full of quality and joy because you will be too.
You deserve to have your bucket filled too.
Love and Regards,
Ms. LJ
Thanksgiving Box Drive: BIG THANK YOU!!
Common Ground Family and Friends,
I am, as always, sincerely humbled by the giving hearts of our community. We had promised Cornerstones 6 lovingly decorated boxes, one for each classroom, and we ended up with 10 fully stocked Thanksgiving meals. That’s ten families that will get to celebrate with a proper meal on one of the most difficult holiday seasons in recent memory.
This was an elegant example of what our #GiveFundsGiveTime campaign is all about. Together, each of you giving a little time and money, we managed to pull of something magical.
And you know what? Our kids see that.
I had a student come up and ask us what else we needed. He was so excited to be a part of this with his family, and he wanted to know if there was anything missing from any of the boxes. He and his parents then went out, together, gathered the remaining items, and brought them in.
This was something they did as a family, something that this child genuinely enjoyed, and he could see, first hand, what a difference his items made.
He’s always had a good heart, but practice makes perfect. We are helping our kiddos work those giving muscles so that when they’re adults, they’ll be SUPER heroes.
After they were all packed and ready to go, I went over to our buddies at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church! They had gathered a whopping 54 BOXES!! SOME OF THEM GLUTEN-FREE!! I WAS ECSTATIC to be working with them!
With all of their helpful volunteers, we loaded up the Common Ground Bus and drove all 64 boxes over to the drop off station. I have to tell you, I love driving that bus, but loading would have been quite a big chore had everyone not been ready to give a little. They have been at this Thanksgiving Box drive thing for many years, so it has been really amazing working with the and learning all about how to make this an effective Giving campaign.
All together, working as a unit, most of the volunteers maybe spent 5-10 minutes of their day pulling this off. Many hands make light work. DO NOT EVER DOUBT what your five minutes of giving a day can do, especially with a community like Common Ground Childcare.
Warmest Thanks and Love,
Ms. LJ
#GiveTime: Community and Causes
Hi there! LJ Donnell here with some incredible (and quick!) ideas to #GiveTime to your community! This is a part of our #GiveFundsGiveTime Campaign for #GivingTuesday, so if you need more ideas, visit THIS PAGE. We also ask that if you have any excellent ideas of your own that aren’t listed here, PLEASE share them in the comments!! A community is always better when we work together.
So far, our suggestions are:
5 minutes a night knitting/crocheting/making blankets for Project Linus
Do click throughs on charity sites
Sign petitions
Call your local representative and talk to the about an issue
Draw inspirational chalk messages around your neighborhood
Draw loving chalk messages and pictures on the sidewalk of your local hospital so patience can see them out the window
Write post cards to senior citizens and other high-risk populations who are stuck in quarantine and away from their families. Example Here
Share/Amplify social media messages for local businesses, charities, and local activist groups. — I know this doesn’t sound like much… but it really means the world to people trying to get their messages out there. It takes you very little time, and you could make a big difference to their business or cause. Even something as small as sharing a “Missing Pet” post from your local neighborhood’s facebook could make a world of difference for a family.
Volunteer as your Cal de sac’s glass recycling person — okay, this one may be a 15/20 minute task once a week. Have your neighbors put their used glass products in bags and place them on their doorsteps, then you take them to the nearest glass recycling bins. You could also set up a round-robin sort of thing, and it’s as easy as making a post on your neighborhood’s facebook or NextDoor page.
Pick up trash on your walk — You may be getting fresh air. You may be on a little run! You may be taking your kids out of the house to get rid of some of their energy. Either way, just have gloves in your pockets and a grocery bag so you can pick up trash you see on the walk. You’d be surprised how little effort it takes, and what a big difference it makes. Wildlife in the area is getting snared in disposable masks on the ground. It’s pretty awful. Every little bit you do, even if it’s just five minutes while you’re already walking outside, could save a precious life.
#GiveFundsGiveTime is all about giving what you can when you can, and not overtaxing. All good deeds make waves, no matter how small. Let’s make this holiday season as full of hope, magic, and love as we possibly can.
See you out there!
Ms. LJ
Your Time + Saving You Money = $20 Donation
When we talk about the Common Ground Community feeling like a family, we’re not joking! Once a part of Common Ground, always a part of Common Ground!
Jacob Ayubi is about as connected to Common Ground as someone can get! His mother, Miss Najiba, was a teacher at our center for over 35 years and all four of his kids (he and his wife, Meghan, have a son and triplet daughters!) have attended as well! So when Jacob found out that his company, State Farm, had a charitable giving initiative, he reached out to make sure Common Ground was on their list for the following giving cycle in 2021.
Jacob didn’t stop there though! For our Giving Tuesday campaign, “Give Funds, Give Time”, Jacob has offered to give Common Ground $20 for every person who gets an insurance quote from him. So the gift of a few minutes of your time could save you money, give back to our center, and it’s pretty easy too!
First: Fill out the form at the bottom of this post
Second: Visit Jacob’s Site here: https://jacobsf.com
And that’s it! Jacob will take care of making the donation to Common Ground. Easy as PIE! And just like pie, a lot of small pieces add up to make an even greater whole!
#GiveTime: Five Minutes to Give to your Kids
Our children are the future. They’re our hearts living outside. They can also be a point of stress and guilt when we are feeling stressed and empty from isolation. You want to be the parent who never eye-twitches at glitter spills, who always has a good bake coming out of the oven, who is never too tired to play “doggies” for the fiftieth time. We are not our best every day.
But we can spare five minutes every day. Need a little guidance? Here are some great ideas for an activity you can do in five minutes! If there is an Asterisk* by the activity, you can scroll down to the bottom of the blog to receive further guidance and elaboration.
FIVE MINUTE KID ACTIVITIES WITH LITTLE TO NO MESS:
Dance Party
Red light/green light
Trivia*
Simple Conversation — Ask them questions
Track Moon Phases Nightly on a sheet as a Family
Build Obstacle Courses*
Read a Book
Write a story!*
Hide and Seek
Floor is Lava*
Singing Songs
Build a Fort
Run around the block
A game of tickles
Tag
Words of Affirmation*
“What I’m thankful for” discussion
“What we did today” round table
Jump contest, Wall sit contest, Jumping jack contest*
Have you seen the common denominator among these suggestions? They all involve undivided attention. While parents are spending a record amount of time with and around their kids these days, the quality of these interactions is down. We are constantly distracted, constantly on call.
EVERYTHING can wait five minutes. No, really. Barring very, VERY extenuating circumstances, everything can wait five minutes. We tell our kids to wait five minutes all the time, we can definitely tell our phones to sit on the charger and wait five minutes. TV too. Those five minutes a day are going to mean the world to your kiddo, and I guarantee they’ll be your favorite part of the day too.
There are dozens more ideas! Maybe hundreds. Please share other five minute activities you have tried out with your kids!
Trivia: Don’t feel tied down to educational stuff with this one (although gamification is definitely a way to make learning fun.) You can make the trivia about family members, animals, even talking about their favorite tv show or book can help exercise their brains and show you know and interact with what they care about. You’d be surprised at what they know (and what you don’t!). Extra benefit of trivia? You can play ANYWHERE. We always play in the car to make the ride go faster.
Obstacle Courses and Floor is Lava — You’re probably thinking of what I initially imagined… walls of legos to jump over, suspended hula hoops, tree swings, something on fire…
Okay maybe not that last one, but I always thought that obstacle courses had to be an incredible feat of construction and purchase… certainly something that would take ages to set up. REALLY all you need is a clean floor and tape. Yell to your kids that it’s time for an obstacle course, and if they want one, the toys have to be off the floor. Once they’ve cleaned for you, lay out some lines and shapes on the floor, maybe a few on the walls, and let their imaginations do the rest! They can army crawl, jump, skip, or spin from one point to another. Somersaulting, spinning, and hand stands work that inner ear strength, so add a few of those. If you don’t mind incorporating furniture, you can make them crawl under chairs or hop over ottomans. One of the best things to do in obstacle courses is declare certain parts of the course “lava.” We love to use pillows as “lava boats” and the kids have to scoot across the floor on them. Easy peasy. If you don’t mind leaving the tape, this fun can last for a week and you don’t even have to set it up over and over. Set the five minute timer and give them a prize for completing on time.Write a story — This is fun, because they can start the project without you. They can draw the pictures and you can work on the words with them, or you can draw them together, any level of independence works! My only note in here is to let them write whatever whacky story they like, encourage that imagination muscle which often has to work in so many strict parameters.
Words of Affirmation — This one is amazing in its simplicity, and it can take any form you like. The way we do it at home is: “Do I love you when you’re mad? Do I love you when you’re sad? Do I love you when your listening ears are off? Do I love you when you’re happy? And sick? And when your messy or clean or quiet or loud?” It’s always yes. Eventually they start doing it too. Repeating these things, especially when you’re frustrated and overwhelmed, can be so rewarding and uplifting.
Physical Feat Contests — Kids are living a more sedentary lifestyle than ever. Doing fun physical feats with their family makes fitness a bright spot in their every day lives.
Stay Tuned for more Ideas!! and PLEASE post more of your own!
Love Love Love!
Miss LJ
SAVE THE DATE: Stay Home with Santa!
Santa Claus has spoken!
He wants all of the good girls and boys around the globe to stay home and protect their families!
MALLS ARE OUT. SOCIAL DISTANCING IS IN.
You are in luck though, because ol' Saint Nick has been working with us here at Common Ground. With a lot of magic and a little technology, we have created our Zoom-hosted holiday event:
STAY HOME WITH SANTA! Register here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/santa
What: A half hour event where kids will get to meet Santa with ten other families! While the kids in the main room get to build a craft, sing holiday songs, and hear updates from the North Pole, kids will go into a break out room one at a time to get a little chat with Santa by themselves.
When: December 12th, starting at 8:30 AM (half hour increments)
Where: YOUR LIVING ROOM! Once you are signed up, we will send you a ZOOM link for your reservation!
How: Santa's Elves will do drop offs of a goodie bag with treats, a craft, and a SPECIAL COMMON GROUND LIMITED EDITION HOLIDAY ORNAMENT. Once you are in the zoom room, your kids will be able to interact with everyone and do the craft together. We will explain it all day of as well!
THIS IS A COMMUNITY-WIDE EVENT! We encourage you to invite your family, friends, and neighbors to join us. We want as many families as we can to help flatten the curve and protect our loved ones.
Tickets will go on sale December 2nd, add this to your calendar so you don’t miss out!
If there are two or more children in one household: Sign up for one zoom ticket and do add-ons for the rest of them! That way everyone gets a goodie bag.
Tickets: $25.00 +$10.00 for each additional bag in the household
Ornaments: $10.00 a piece
We know traditions are kind of out the window this year. But that doesn't mean that this Holiday season can't be just as special, just as wonderful, just as miraculous.
See you on the big screen!
LJ
Year-Round Giving can be as Simple as a Smile
I love the convenience of Amazon. In a perfect world, I would shop small. I would take my time to make sure I was always shopping with a company who was concerned with sustainability, like a certified B Corp. But life isn’t perfect. I need things to be easy, fast, and at my fingertips, and that’s why I love that Amazon has their AmazonSmile program!
AmazonSmile is probably one of the easiest ways to give there is, and it just takes about a minute to select your charity (Common Ground, of course) and then it takes a few seconds to remember to shop at smile.amazon.com instead of just Amazon. (Lucky for us, from your browser, Amazon will remind you to shop at the AmazonSmile site!
But what about your Amazon app on your phone?
You can Smile there too, but it does take a few extra steps, that you have to repeat twice a year. But since we are all working on flexing our giving muscles, it just requires setting a reminder in your phone for your renewal date.
Ready for your #GiveFundsGiveTime task for today?
Set “The Child Care Center of The Common Ground Foundation” Tax ID: 54-0913856 as your charity on AmazonSmile - you can see how to do that here
Bookmark smile.amazon.com so that you make sure that all of your purchases count! Or better yet, you can always click through to Amazon from our site, because as an affiliate, we also earn commission through links on our site, like in this post!
Turn on ‘Smile’ in your mobile app. Here are the instructions for that!
Set a reminder in your calendar for the renewal date, so that you don’t forget to renew your Smile!
See, that was SO EASY!
Just remember, small gifts, like the time you took to make sure you’re set up with Amazon Smile, can add up to BIG FUNDS when Amazon donates 0.5% of all of our purchases back to Common Ground!
Want to double your impact? Ask your friends if they are set up on AmazonSmile and send them this post to make sure that they give with their purchases too - even if it’s not to Common Ground!
#GiveFundsGiveTime
Love,
Miss Liz
#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
#GiveFundsGiveTime Campaign Begins!
Let’s face it folks…
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS EXHAUSTING.
Having time, energy, and money could sometimes be hard at the end of a normal work/school week.
We are running a marathon of enduring loss and fear. Our reserves are stretched, our patience thin. We can sometimes feel paralyzed by indecision and terrible fatigue, unsure of how to maintain JOY in our own households when the world looks so different.
Giving Tuesday is on Tuesday, December 1st this year, and if you’re like us, you feel tapped out.
Our children cannot see their friends, we cannot see our family, a lot of us have had our salaries cut or jobs furloughed. What can one person give when so many buckets are empty?
“GIVING” is a muscle too. It can be overworked and injured. We can see all of the NEED in the world, all the work that needs to be done, and the distance between here and there can seem daunting.
You don’t start working a muscle by running a marathon or lifting 500 lbs. You start by walking a mile. And then another. You lift that 5lb weight until you can lift 10lbs, 15lbs, and so forth.
And so, my friends, I come to my point.
This year, for Giving Tuesday, Common Ground Childcare is running our #GiveTimeGiveFunds campaign.
We are asking for a pledge time OR funds OR both, and we are asking you to give slowly, with care, and with self-forgiveness if it feels too small. No act of kindness is too small.
GIVE FUNDS
This one is easy - we will have plenty of opportunities for you to give money to Common Ground!
Our MAJOR EVENT of the #GiveFundsGiveTime campaign is THE STUFFY SLEEPOVER!! It is a fundraiser we set up to give back to the community, especially those kiddos who are missing their friends and holiday fun.
GIVE TIME
Our most precious commodity, the one we are most adamant to protect, and the one we are often the least efficient with.
NO JUDGEMENTS HERE! During the COVID-19 pandemic I have personally felt like there is endless need, and I still end up doom scrolling on my phone for an unacceptable amount of time each day.
Even in normal circumstances is exceptionally hard to manage something as subjective and intangible as Time, especially when so many important things (and people) seem to have pressing need
Common Ground’s BIG ASK this run-up to Giving Tuesday? Build up those Giving-Time muscles.
We want you to pledge what you think you can do each day for just two weeks!
We are pledging 5 minutes a day until December 1st, and we are only asking for you to do the same.
Do you think you can do more than that? GREAT! Pledge it! We want to see what our community is capable of, because we know it is incredible!
What can you do in five minutes? CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM for ideas every single day!
You would be amazed at what you could do in five minutes for:
Children
Family
Neighborhood
Environment
Coworkers
Community
Yourself
Causes
We will be talking about one of these each day until December 1st! Please share your ideas, your struggles, your triumphs! In this time of social distancing, seeing your pictures and stories makes us all feel united.
Use our #GiveFundsGiveTime hashtag so we can see the impact of everyone doing “just” five minutes a day.
On December 1st we will look back and see what incredible things we can do in two weeks. Just like you, I know it will be humbling, wholesome, significant.
Get out there and #GIVE!
— Ms. 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?
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
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
Safe at home: Clean your dryer
We all know to clean the lint trap in our dryers in between each load, but when was the last time that you cleaned the area around the lint trap?
To be honest, until today, my answer would have been ‘never’ for the one at Common Ground, and it’s been at least 3 years since I have cleaned the one at home, Even though I know better.
You see, my mom is a retired homeowners insurance claims adjuster. I heard stories daily of peoples homes damaged and destroyed by natural disasters, broken pipes, and fires. To this day, I don’t burn candles in my home because I’m afraid of accidentally starting a fire and I know how flammable lint is. So when Miss Mimi let me know that the dryer wasn’t drying quite as well as it used to, I knew just what was wrong (and just how to fix it!).
Did you know that according to FEMA, there are 2,900 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year and they cause an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss!
So Miss LJ and I got to work! We cleaned out enough lint to fill two vacuum canisters from both the front section of the dryer - where the screen goes in - and the vent ducts in the back of the dryer. There are plenty of companies out there that will come and clean the duct work for you, but its also pretty easy to do on your own! All you need is:
a Phillips head screw driver
a flat head screw driver
a small adjustable wrench
a vacuum with thin tube attachment
Every dryer is a little different, but you should be able to unscrew the plastic holder that is around the lint trap to clean in that area, or at very least you can vacuum around it. Then in the back of the dryer, there should be a flexible duct tubing that comes out of the dryer and goes to the pipe where it vents outside of the house. You’ll want to make sure you clean any areas where there are loops in the tubing, because lint can settle in them, and the trap at the bottom of where the tubing attaches to the ductwork.
Here’s a better ‘How To’ from the Home Depot to check out!
We are very lucky that the only thing that happened at the center was that our laundry was taking a long time to dry! Hopefully our whole community can use this as a reminder to stay safe at home and perform this important home maintenance!
Love,
Miss Liz
Giving Tuesday is December 1st
Give Funds. Give Time.
Sometimes we only have one. Sometimes we have both, but only a little. In a world wracked by a pandemic, sometimes it feels like we only have enough money and time to stand still.
Giving is a muscle we have to work.
The more we all give, the better we become at it, and the better we feel when do.
Most importantly? That kindness gets paid forward. Suddenly other people around us in our community have the bandwidth to grow and prosper. They, in turn, give to someone else, and so on.
#GivingTuesday is December 1st this year, and here at Common Ground we’ve started early.
We are looking for community partners to help us with our mission, please contact us if you are interested in participating in our Giving Tuesday Drive.
We hope to gather funds for our Teaching Scholarship Fund so that we can give our educators an opportunity to grow. With that boost, our dedicated teachers can give time to further their own education. This will lead to them providing more quality time to their students to help them thrive in a loving environment. Imagine all of the ripples that would come from each student.
This is not just a fundraiser.
We also hope to inspire you, the members of our wonderful community, to give. We will be posting several giving initiatives in the coming weeks:
- Giving time to your children with no phones, no tvs, no distractions
- Giving money or food to your local Food Bank to make sure no family goes hungry, especially on Thanksgiving, a day of gratitude.
- Giving time to your neighborhood environment by picking up litter.
- Giving money and business to your favorite local business that has been struggling under the COVID-19 pandemic
- Giving time to draw loving, heartfelt chalk pictures and messages around your community so people know that, on the darkest days, they are not alone.
Watch on Facebook to see how we are giving in our community through the next couple of weeks. We encourage you to be a part of it, as well as our BIG GIVING TUESDAY EVENT which promises to be heartwarming, fun, and just the right amount of silly.
Fairfax County Public Library: Virtual Library Events
Virtual Library Events 11.5.2020
Fairfax County Public Library is offering virtual programs! Go to the library’s event calendar and click on “View Events By…” and select “Digital Programs.” Some programs are live or recorded and may require registration. See a listing of our virtual events by age: preschoolers, school-age children, teens, and adults.
Make sure to follow our Facebook page and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Virtual Preschool Programs:
Music Time with Jazzy J
This fun and interactive music program is designed to enhance the curiosity and creativity of young minds around music. Children and parents will be engaged in singing, movement activities, reading and the joy of music. Ages 4-5.
Saturday, November 21, 10:30 a.m. Register.
Saturday, December 5, 10:30 a.m. Register.
Virtual Storytime and Beyond: Looking for Bongo
Join us for storytime fun as we read, write, talk, sing and play. A kit will be made available for families to engage in the storytime. Ages 4-5.
Wednesday, December 16, 1:00 p.m. Register.
Early Literacy in Action: The Ugly Pumpkin
Join us on Facebook for a storytime that will include a gratitude pumpkin activity that preschoolers can make using materials found in your home.
Friday, November 20 at 10:30 a.m.
YouTube Storytimes
Get notified when program videos are available - subscribe to the library's YouTube channel and check out all the library's storytime videos.
YouTube Preschool on Demand Videos
Discover how to use ice to mix and create colors.
Make Some Music with DIY Egg Shakers!
Use common household items to make your own DIY egg shakers!
Early Literacy Publications
The library has many resources for babies, toddlers and preschoolers that will help you use books to develop the skills children need to become fluent readers and writers.
School-Age and Teen Programs:
Animals of Fall and Winter – Video on Demand
Join Ms. Caroline from Kids Nature Shows and her animal assistants to learn about how animals survive in our neighborhoods when it gets cold. This show introduces young audiences to the concepts of hibernation, migration, and other natural science topics related to the seasons of Fall and Winter.
Premieres on YouTube Monday, November 16
An Afternoon with Russell Ginns
Meet Russell Ginns, bestselling author of the Samantha Spinner series and other children's books. Join us for an afternoon of travel, puzzle solving, and adventure! Registration is required. This event will take place virtually via Zoom. Ages 8 and up.
Monday, November 23 at 1:00 p.m. Register.
Online Activities:
Early Literacy Daily Activities
Fun daily early literacy activities for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
Early Literacy Library Scavenger Hunt
Learn about library resources as you discover fun storytimes, books, programs and activities.
Grab-and-Go Activities and Story Walks!
Tired of looking at devices all day long? No problem! Stop by some of our branches to participate in Outdoor Story Walks or to pick up some fun activities! Supplies for kits are limited. Please call the branch to make sure kits are available.
If you complete any of the activities, take a picture and tag us @FairfaxLibrary.
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Editor: Tina Mraz
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Editor: Tina Mraz
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
Policy Update: My child has a runny nose, now what?
The changing weather, cold and flu season, and fall allergies can all cause runny noses, but unfortunately, so can COVID.
*symptom free child used for demonstration purposes only
So what do you do when your child has a new, mild symptom, such as a runny nose?
Stay Home
Notify Common Ground
Make an Appointment with your child’s physician
Staying Home:
While this can seem like an inconvenience when you’re sure your child just has a typical cold, the health department has developed the policy that we are following with the goal of keeping schools open. It states that anyone (this includes staff members) who has any of the following symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat, headache, congestion, runny nose, muscle aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, or poor appetite, be evaluated by a physician and a covid test is recommended. You can access the full illness policy and health department update here.
Notifying Common Ground:
We need to know when your kids are staying home and if they have any symptoms. By letting us know, it will help us remind you of what you need to do before you can return to Common Ground. We also track data, just in case we do have a case and have to contact trace.
Physician Evaluation:
The health department requires that a physician make an “Alternative Diagnosis” be made before your child can return. In most cases, this will require a COVID test.
We are all in this together.
This is the same policy that we are using for staff members as well as children. We are working to keep COVID out of our center through mitigation techniques outlined in our Community Pledge, and our illness policy is how we will keep a possible case contained.
But what if I don’t want to get my child evaluated by a physician?
You do not have to see a physician if you do not want to. However, if you choose to not seek an alternative diagnosis, you must wait 10 days from onset of symptoms before returning to Common Ground. Again, you can access the full illness policy and health department update here.