Saturday Hours!? Yes PLEASE! (at least for one day)
Spring has sprung, and if you’re anything like me, it means that you have torn your house apart in an effort to clean up from a year of being at home. Also if you’re like me, it means that you haven’t quite gotten all the way through putting it back together again. Yet, unlike me, you have a valid excuse - kiddos at home - as to why you haven’t found the time to get it together.
That’s where Common Ground comes in! We are happy to announce that we will be open for 5 hours on Saturday, March 20th for our very first “Spring Clean Saturday!”
Bring your kids to enjoy a fun day at Common Ground from 9:30am to 2:30pm on Saturday, March 20th! We will have pizza, play outside, if weather allows, we will get out the moon bounce, and we are looking at some other fun treats!
This event is FREE for all currently attending families! We are asking for a $25 donation per child if you wish to contribute something, as this event kicks off Common Ground’s Birthday Celebration! Please donate through the PayPal Giving Fund linked here.
I got the idea when I was chatting with Miss LJ while she was in the car on her way to her parents house with the kids, so that her husband could “reset” their house for the week. With everyone really living in their homes during the pandemic, this seemed like a great way that Common Ground could give back to our families!
We hope that you enjoy this little gift from us, and if it goes well, we will do it again!
-Miss Liz and the Common Ground Team
SIGN UP HERE:
Unplugged Life: Our Favorite Backyard Games!
GAME RULES:
Find the Set Up HERE
Server (Royalty) must put one foot behind the service line
Everyone must Hit UNDERHAND
Ball must bounce ONCE and only ONCE in your square before your strike it (including on the serve)
If someone makes a mistake you rotate up and that person goes to the back of the line (outside the #1 square)
Server takes care of any arguments (unless it involves the server – then vote as a group, or play rock paper scissors)
Inside lines are out, Outside lines are in Why? Because inside lines are shared, while outside lines are not shared so you know who’s square it bounced in.
You can move anywhere outside the square or in your section of the square
If it bounces in your square you MUST strike it
Server Must Ask “Are you Ready” before serving
No Carrying, Stalling or Holding – you must Strike or Hit the ball
YOU ARE OUT IF:
The ball in your square bounces 2 times or you hit it before it bounces
You hit the ball out of bounds
You hit the ball to an inside line
You hit the ball Overhand
You hit a ball that was another players ball (it bounced in their square and you hit it before it bounced a 2nd time)
A ball bounces in your square an you are unable to get to it before it bounces a second time
Some other game variations that we sometimes learn:
VARIATIONS:
Around the World: Server must call “Around the World.” You can go to the right or the left, they must go around the square in a circular rotation. Anyone can say “reverse” BEFORE you strike and go the opposite direction, if you don’t say it before the strike the server can call you out (ie. If you call it while you are hitting the ball). If Server calls “Around the World No Reverse” you can’t reverse it
War or Battle: Server must call “War” or “Battle” and declare their opponent. War – Server wars with one person (2 square) until someone misses. Battle – Starts just like war, but someone can call “BREAK” before they strike the ball and then switch to battling with a different player in another square.
Cherry Bomb: You are allowed to use overhand hits (except on the serve) Underhand hits are also still allowed.Manhunt
Set Up: Divide the playing field OR hiking trail in half and designate two small “zones” on both sides to hold people who are tagged. There can also be a designated circle on each side where the flag is placed.
Each team tries to take the other team’s flag and return across the center line without being tagged.
When guarding the flag zone or the holding zone, a defender must be at least 2’ away from the zone boundaries.
If a player is tagged while on their opponent’s side they are must go to the holding zone on their opponent’s side.
If a player who has stolen the flag is tagged, the flag is returned to the flag zone, and the player goes to the zone.
A player can be freed from the holding zone when a teammate crosses the center line and tags the player; both players then receive a free walk back to their side.
A player can only free one teammate at a time.
If an opposing player can get both feet into the flag zone without being tagged, they can remain there without safely (without getting tagged) before attempting to cross the center line.
Variations
Limit the number of players allowed in the circle at one time.
Allow a player in the circle to throw the flag to a teammate.
The flag must still be carried over the center line however.
The players in the tagged zone can join hands and reach out of the zone to make it easier to be freed.
Similarly, all players in the holding zone are freed when a player makes it across to rescue them.
For extended games, allow players to hide their flags in plain sight in a designated area.
How to Play:
Play begins with the pitcher rolling the ball smoothly to home plate. The kicker must kick from behind home.
If the ball is kicked and rolls out of bounds before going past first or third base, it is called a foul and the kicker must try again.
Kickers must run the bases in order and may stop at any base and wait to run again at the next kick. There, however, must be only one runner on a base and they must remain in order. No runner can pass the person in front of them.
A run is scored for the kicking team when a base-runner touches all 4 bases, in order, without being called out at any time.
A runner advances one base on an overthrow to the base player.
Teams switch sides after three outs or nine runs are scored. Outs are granted when:
The pitcher controls the play of the game. Play begins with the pitcher rolling the ball to the person up to bat, the kicker. Play stops when the ball is thrown to the pitcher.
The kicker kicks a fly ball and it is caught before it touches the ground. Note: When a fly ball is in the air, the base runners must remain on base until after the ball is caught (called tag-up) before they can advance to the next base.
The base player has control over the ball and a foot on the base before the base-runner reaches the base.
The base-runner is tagged on his/her body by a fielder with the ball before s/he arrives at the base. Note: If the base-runner must advance because of another runner or kicker behind, it is called a force-out and the fielding team only has to tag the base to call an out. If there is no runner or kicker behind, it is not a force-out and the fielder with the ball must tag the base-runner.
One base-runner passes another.
A base-runner intentionally interferes with a fielder who is trying to recover the ball.
Three fouls by an individual kicker equal an out.
If a ball is touched by a member of the fielding team before it bounces, it is a fair ball.
For safety, there is no sliding or throwing of the ball at a player. (or do… depending on the age and skill level of the kiddos)
At the end of the game, have each team do a cheer for the other team, and have teams form lines to high five each other!
Playing Area: Dodge ball can be played indoors or outdoors. The ideal playing area is a rectangle identical to a volleyball court that's 60 ft long by 30 ft wide.
The court is divided in half by a center line. An "attack line" is marked 10 ft from the center line on each side of the court. The attack lines are parallel to the center line and extend the full width of the court. There is also a 4 ft-wide "neutral zone" extending across the playing area at center court to separate both sides.
How to Play: There are ENDLESS VERSIONS OF THIS GAME. The basic idea is that there is a non-zero number of balls, and if you are hit with a ball you are out. Kids can come up with as many rule variations based on theme or skill level they want. Here are some fun options:
Dodgeball is played with 2 teams of 6 players if the game is played indoors and 10 players for outdoor competition.
The object of the game is to knock all of your opponents "out" of the game without being eliminated yourself.
Starting Play: The game begins with the "opening rush."
All 6 dodgeballs are lined up along the center line; 3 on one side of the center hash mark and 3 on the other side.
Players position themselves behind their respective end lines.
On the official's signal, both teams run to center court to get their balls.
Eliminating Players
A player is "out" if:
He gets hit by a ball below the shoulders – The ball may not hit the floor or wall first.
She drops a ball that’s thrown to her.
His ball is caught by another player.
She steps out of bounds – During play, players may only leave the playing area to retrieve a ball, and they may only leave through their end line. They must also re-enter the game through their end line.
He crosses over the neutral zone – Players may step safely into the neutral zone, but they may not step over the neutral zone line on the opponent’s side of the court.
She slides or dives head first into the neutral zone.
A ball hits him and another teammate (they are both out).
She gets hit by a ball rebounding off of a ball lying on the court.
He hits an opponent in the head with the ball.
Blocking - Players can defend themselves by blocking a ball coming at them with another ball, but they have to maintain control of the ball they are blocking with. If they drop the ball, they are "out."
There are 3 types of dodgeball games, each with slightly different objectives:
Elimination Game: The game is played until all members of one team have been eliminated. The first team to knock out all of its opponents is the winner.
Timed Game: The game is played for a pre-determined amount of time or until all members of one team are eliminated, whichever comes first. If there are players remaining when time expires, the team with the most players still on the court wins the game.
Scored Game: A scored game can be played either as an elimination game or a timed game. Teams earn points for the number of players still "in" at the end of each game.
Bombardo, Dr. Dodgeball, Gaga, and many more!
Hide and Seek
This is another classic game with so many variations that it is hard to know what the original version is!
Basic: Seeker counts while the other’s hide, the Seeker finds the hiders, the last one to be found gets to be it! (or gets to pick who is it, depending on what the winner wants)
Basic with Base: Same rules, except the hiders can try to escape their hiding spot to tag a base selected before the game starts.
Sardines: One person hides while everyone else counts. They split up and look. Once a seeker finds the hider, they hide WITH the hider. The last seeker to find them all loses!
Fox and the Goalie: Also known as Manhunt, Fox and the Goalie involves one person hiding, everyone else seeking. Instead of the game ending when the fox is found, however, it is not over until the Fox is CAUGHT by the seekers. This can be played with a base, but is often just “go until you’re out.”
TIPS
All you need is a ball. Kickball is about the right size, but smaller is fine for small hands. If you are playing with smaller children, a softer ball is preferred.
All the kids stand in a circle with plenty of space to swing their arms. One person has the ball.
To throw the ball AND catch the ball, you have to be airborne. Therefore, the game starts with the initial ball thrower jumping in the air and throwing the ball to another person. (do not spike the ball unless it is agreed upon beforehand, it’s not fair)
The person who is being thrown the ball has to jump in the air, catch the ball, and throw it to another person before they hit the ground.
Once a person is “out” you do not close ranks, but continue to throw with that space empty. That way it becomes harder to throw it to another person as the game goes on
A person is out if:
They are the catcher and fail to catch the ball while they themselves are airborne.
They are the catcher and fail to throw the ball before they hit the ground.
They are the thrower and fail to throw to another person.
They commit an illegal throw: The throw is too hard, too high, too wide.
The winner is the last one in the circle
Double Dutch
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Depending on age, this game can be quite complex! But the basic idea is this:
Volleyball is a game played by two teams, usually of six players on a side, in which the players use their hands to bat a ball back and forth over a high net, trying to make the ball touch the court within the opponents’ playing area before it can be returned.
To prevent this a player on the opposing team bats the ball up and toward a teammate before it touches the court surface—that teammate may then volley it back across the net or bat it to a third teammate who volleys it across the net. A team is allowed only three touches of the ball before it must be returned over the net.
Here is an amazing article with graphics where they get more technical: ARTICLE
How to Play:
Divide everyone into two to four groups; each team sits on a boundary line.
Give each player a number, each group should have a one, a two, etc.
Place the “bacon” in the center of the playing area and assign each team one goal line at either end of the playing area.
The adult calls out a number and all students with that number run to pick up the “bacon.” Once they get better at this, you can start saying things like “all even/odd/prime numbers!” or even “the sum of…. 3 and 1!” but make sure everyone is relatively aware of how to do simple math or what even/odd/prime numbers are.
The person who gets the “bacon” first tries to run across his/her team’s goal line without being tagged. The person whose number was called who did not get the “bacon” should try to tag the other player before they get across the goal line.
Once someone is tagged or gets across their goal line, the round is over. Everyone who played in the round give each other high-five’s and they go back to the boundary line with their teams.
IF YOU ADD MORE GAMES LIKE THIS IN THE COMMENTS, WE WILL ADD THEM TO OUR BIG LIST!! Please help us collect fun outdoor games for our kids to play. After all, OUTDOOR IS BEST! Whole body play is good for number sense, emotional resilience, physical health and fitness, sensory issues, and attention spans! Also they’re just super fun.
Hurray!
LJ
Kindergarten: Registration Information
In less than three months, our Honeybee’s will be graduating preschool and heading into Kindergarten. It’s definitely an exciting time, even with all of the school uncertainty that the pandemic has caused.
We know that children do best when they are in school, in person, 5 days per week. That message is being supported at the federal level, with our president doing things like ensuring that teachers have access to vaccination before the end of March. Dr. Brabrand, the superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools has said that it’s “not realistic” to have K-8th back in person within Biden’s first 100 days due to the physical distancing requirements of 6ft from the CDC. Here’s an article where he is quoted saying that if those requirements are changed to 3 feet, it would be doable.
But even when public schools return to 5 day, in person learning, the risk of public classrooms having to close due to covid exposures is higher than in a setting like Common Ground. This is due to larger class sizes, the inability for certain classrooms to be properly ventilated (a great article from the New York Times on that), and the larger community as a whole. Those closures for quarantine, no doubt, will be handled by each teacher with grace. We have seen first hand, just how amazing our K-12 counterparts in the public school system have handled the challenge of teaching young children remotely! While the educational disruptions won’t have any long term negative effects on your child, it can be tough for working parents who have to stay home, and facilitate their education, while their child is in quarantine due to an exposure at school.
With that in mind, Common Ground made the decision to run our Private Kindergarten program for the 2021-2022 school year. (our first information session was recorded and is accessible here.)
At Common Ground’s Kindergarten will have a play based approach to covering the same curriculum topics, at about the same pace as Fairfax County. This will prepare your student to enroll in first grade for the 2022-2023 school year with a low risk of educational (and parental/work) disruption, due to our proven success in mitigating COVID within our center. In fact, our masked classrooms (3 years and up) have yet to have to close. This is due to our Community’s cooperation. You all deserve all the credit for keeping everyone here safe.
Kindergarten at Common Ground WILL RUN and already has 5 confirmed enrollments, please email Liz to reserve your spot.
While we would love to have your kiddo here full time next year, we also support our public schools in Fairfax County. We will make sure to run any program that is necessary to pick up where the school system leaves off - be it transportation with before and after care, to a full day virtual program (*however, we will not be able to support virtual learning if your child is home due to quarantine for a COVID exposure).
The Northern Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children (NVAEYC) AND Fairfax County Public Schools are hosting a free virtual event for parents/guardians and educators of rising Kindergarteners to learn about the transition to Kindergarten.
Thursday, March 25th- 6:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
Event will provide information about how to help a child have a successful transition, how to register a child for kindergarten, and what a kindergarten day looks like.
Link to register: https://www.nvaeyc.org/family-events
Here’s what you need to know about Kindergarten registration with FCPS:
Kindergarten Registration for the fall is open for children who will turn 5 on or before September 30.
Parents can find out their local school by viewing the FCPS boundary locator.
For kindergarteners, the separate kindergarten registration page has the most detailed information.
Online registrations are submitted to the local school’s Student Information Assistant, who will assist with the registration process.
Here is a list of the Herndon individual school’s Student Information Assistants:
Clearview: Nalei Meneses
Herndon: Shermin Sirajudin (NOTE: Herndon is asking families to Click here to access the Herndon ES website and fill out the new student registration form.)
Hutchison: Donna Espinales
Here is a list of the Reston individual school’s Herndon Student Information Assistants:
Dogwood: Pam Taylor
Forest Edge: Mervat Masoud
Hunters Woods: Pattie Ono
Lake Anne: Melinda Rivas
Please leave a comment if your school is not listed, as this information was provided to us by the Neighborhood School Readiness Team!
Friends of CG Fridays!: Busses and Blood Drives
We have had such a whirlwind week!
And we have A LOT of people to thank for it being a great success. We are so full of gratitude, in fact, that we have decided to institute a NEW TRADITION!
“Friends of CG” Fridays will be blog posts released once a week where we thank groups, companies, teams, and other amazing people who have helped us go above and beyond.
We are starting off strong with THREE BIG THANK YOUS!
Jersey Mike’s at Hunters Woods Plaza: When we reached out to our local Jersey Mike’s Sub shop at Hunters Woods, we were looking for coupons they could give us for the “Thank You Bags” we wanted to give the Blood Donors at St. Anne’s blood drive today. Their response was so warm and giving that we were truly humbled. They gave us three different kinds of coupons, a bunch of menus, and promised to work with us in the future! They are also working with Cornerstones this month to raise money ALL MONTH to help with programs for in-need families of Reston. This giving month culminates in their HUGE event on March 31st, where all the proceeds they earn that day from open to close go to Cornerstones’ programs. We are thanking them not only for what they do for us (and for their delicious subs that make GREAT staff lunches) but what they do for their community. Way to go, you guys, you are super stars!!
Amphora Bakery at Sunset Park Drive: Full disclosure, LJ has been working with Amphora bakery since before she worked at Common Ground. Whenever we have asked for a quality bakery to work with, Amphora always comes up. They are helpful, quick, professional, kind, and DELICIOUS. When we called and asked for help getting cookies for our blood drive this week, they gave us an INCREDIBLE price and DID NOT skimp on that delectable chocolate chip cookie. They were so good we got way more than we needed so we could share with staff, who could not say enough good things about them (and always came back to see if there are more!) Thank you so much, Amphora! Can’t wait to work together again!
Wiygul Automotive in Herndon, VA: We have been a long time customer of the Wiygul Automotive location on Grant Street in Herndon. Because they service our school busses, which carry our most precious cargo, we need to have the utmost faith in their work. Along with being fast and efficient, they always take care of us with absolute professionalism and precision, and never hesitate to make sure we get a good non-profit price. Not only did they service and return BOTH of our busses this week, they also took care of Ms. LJ’s vehicle as fast as possible so that we could continue working without delay! We recommend them to anyone and everyone because we can personally vouch for their dependability over several years of use.
Keep a look out for our Featured Friends on Fridays! If you want to be a featured friend? give us a shout! We would love to work with you.
Love Love Love,
LJ and your CG Family
NEW HOURS! Starting March 15: 8am to 5:30pm
We are happy to announce that due to improving trends with the pandemic and full vaccination of nearly all staff (we are waiting on an appointment for our newest returned staff member, Celestine!) that we will be extending our hours to 5:30pm!
We are so grateful for your acceptance of our limited hours. They have been one of the most successful tools in regard to Common Ground’s survival of the pandemic.
First and foremost, the limited hours have been an instrumental mitigation strategy. Keeping our groups contained from one another has been key to avoiding room closures. I was on a call last night with my advocacy group and two of the teachers at another center had both come off of back to back closures in their classrooms due to Covid moving through their center.
The limited hours have also allowed us to minimize our monthly operating deficit without raising tuition. While the admin staff and I have worked hard to make sure that we are taking advantage of every pandemic funding opportunity available, we are also working to make sure that it will last us and that we do not end up in a dire financial situation.
This ties back to the work that we are contributing to on the federal (and state) level where we are asking for substantial and sustainable investments into child care as a whole. We know, as a community that you support our teachers making a livable wage, having health insurance and retirement benefits, and having the ability to access continuing education. Common Ground does better than a lot of other centers out there, but that is because of our generous community. We know that supporting this legislation is how to equitably bring this to all providers, while also reducing the financial burden that quality care has on all families.
Stepping down off my soapbox, we hope that these extra 5 hours per week provide extra support to your work week!
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!
Subscribe to our blog so you don’t ever miss a thing!
Common Ground adds our voice!
For those of you who haven’t figured this our yet, I am a very passionate person that loves to share information! It was that drive that caused me to join Beautycounter - a personal care product company with a social mission to make all personal care products safer (see more here) - in 2014. I was excited that it was more than a business, more than a job, it was a chance to add my voice to something that I believed in, and really begin to affect change in Washington! 7 years in, I’m still more excited about the mission than selling the products (as amazing as they are!).
I bring that up, because my experience lobbying for legislation in the personal care product industry, has opened up a door with NAEYC to lobby for legislation to support child care.
I was chosen out of hundreds of applicants to be a part of the NVAEYC 2021 Advocacy Leadership Training Program. With this came a registration to the 2021 NAEYC Public Policy Forum this past weekend.
I am excited to announce that I will be representing Common Ground at three meetings this week with our federal leaders - Representative, Gerry Connolly, Senator Mark Warner and Senator Tim Kaine - to advocate for NAEYC’s three key messages:
Funding child care is money well spent.
Relief and recovery investments in child care are needed.
It’s time to sustainably and substantially invest in early childhood education and educators as part of America’s core infrastructure.
NAEYC is asking for bipartisan support of the American Rescue Plan, the covid relief bill that includes $39B in support for child care, and that our senators co-sponsor the Child Care for Working Families Act in 2021.
The pandemic highlighted the fact that child care has been underfunded. It’s time to not only get us through the pandemic, but use it as a launching pad to create the early childhood education that is necessary for the future of our county.
You may be wondering, what kind of investment do we need?
After doing some research, it seems that number comes in between $140-200B annually.
That funding will work to ensure that everyone has access to quality early childhood educational experiences by investing in the backbone of the industry - the early childhood educator. Teachers in early childhood are professional educators. However, they are not paid professional salaries.
While Common Ground already compensates our teachers above the benchmark for their positions in the industry and provides benefits that generally aren’t available in the child care industry, its an uphill battle, with parents shouldering the cost burden of quality care and education without federal funding.
I look forward to sharing more of the advocacy work that I am doing on behalf of Common Ground - as well as sharing future successes with our community!
-Miss Liz
What's Happening?? March is next week...
Here’s a quick overview of all of the events happening in the next few weeks! — The February Meetings are over but ask us for the presentation videos!
Click on any of the squares below for more information.
Read more about camp HERE
Read more about the blood drive HERE
Read more about Miss Janette’s “Magic of Colors” Lesson Series HERE
St. Anne's Episcopal Blood Drive!
As 2021 presses on, there are so many people who are in need! It can be overwhelming to decide where to start, and sometimes it is hard to tell if you’re really making a difference. (Although here at Common Ground, we really believe that all good deeds ripple out, no matter how small).
Donating blood costs no money and very little time, but it is a constant, essential need! Every 2 seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. 1 donation can potentially save up to 3 lives.
St. Anne’s Episcopal Church is hosting a blood drive on March 5th!
WHEN: Friday, March 5th, from 12PM-6PM
WHERE: St. Anne’s Episcopal Church! There will be an INOVA Bloodmobile
HOW: Register below, show up for your time slot, it’s that simple!
WHY: To save lives. Our hospitals are strained and people need help more than ever. This is something small we can do to really make a difference!
REGISTER HERE: https://www.inovabloodsaves.org/index.cfm?group=op&expand=27318&zc=20190
PLEASE SHARE THE FLYER! THE MORE DONATIONS THEY GET, THE MORE LIVES THEY SAVE.
FLYER
Let’s all get together as a community and let our goodness shine!!
-Your CG Fam
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
Inaugural Black Women Physicians Day was 2/8/21
Something that you may not know about me, I wanted to be a doctor for most of my life. In fact, I still look at post-bacc, pre-med programs from time to time (but don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon!).
While I have always devoted some of my leisure time to reading medical abstracts (who doesn’t!?), from a scientific thirst standpoint, the pandemic hasn’t been all bad for me. With extra time on my hands, looking for some uplifting and informative content, I stumbled Mama Doctor Jones on YouTube, which led me to an incredible group of female physicians on Instagram, a lot of whom happen to be black.
The content is fun, as most instagram content is, but it’s also informative! I learned that February 3rd was the fourth ever National Women Physicians day and YESTERDAY, February 8th, was the inaugural Black Women Physician Day!
February 8th is actually the birthday of the very first Black Woman MD in the US, Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler. WebMD has a great article on her, that highlights her accomplishments as well as the racial issues that still exist.
While a preschool blog isn’t the place for a long discussion on systemic racism, I want to make that we aren’t whitewashing the content that we share here and with our children. In fact, as we were working on our newsletter this week, we realized that 9 days in, we hadn’t even mentioned that this month is Black History Month.
In honor of Black History Month and Black Women Physicians Day, I’d like to point you to “Stethoscope Dreams” written by Dr. Wendy Goodall McDonald - @dreverywoman on Instagram.
(you can see Miss Janette read this great book on our youtube channel)
With that, we vow to do better with the content that we share and the holidays that we recognize! And leave you with the list of the women instagram docs I love to follow:
Love,
Miss Liz
"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
Second Dose: The COVID-19 Vaccine (Pfizer)
Early Thursday morning we “hopped out the car at Inova, with our masks and our cards again, welcomed to the land of getting vaxxed, woo, I’m gonna get pricked again”…
The three of us, Liz, Victoria, and LJ, were the first group to be vaccinated at the center, and now the first group to get our second dose of the Pfizer-Biontec COVID-19 vaccine.
We planned ahead, hearing that most people had about 8-10 hours from their prick until any “the vaccine is working” symptoms started, so we all agreed that we’d rather go to bed not feeling well, after a morning vaccination, vs. waiting until the afternoon and waking up the next morning not feeling well.
Again - Inova knocked it out of the park with the logistics of everything! We waited only a very short time outside, but once we were inside, we walked right up to get our shots.
One change between the first shot and the second is that we only had to wait on site for 10 minutes.
Symptoms:
Immediately we were all feeling great. It was about 4 hours later that all three of us started to notice that we were feeling some fatigue that continued to build throughout the end of the day.
Victoria reported that she had chills that night after work and then was achy and warm the next day. Spiking a fever of 101 on Friday evening.
LJ reported some aches and fatigue, but it didn’t stop her from running 4 miles the evening of the shot.
Liz reported feeling heavy and exhausted on Thursday evening and into Friday morning.
Strangely, all three noted that the arm pain and headache was worse with the first dose.
Sounds boring, right?
Yep.
After all the reports we were hearing that people were feeling really crummy after the second dose (and yes, Victoria got the worst of it), we were all pretty worried, but all in all, it really hasn’t been that bad!
Common Ground Impact Update:
As we have mentioned in several places, the Honeybees teachers and Miss Mimi will be getting their second doses on Friday February 12th and thus, that room will be closed this Friday.
We are still waiting for the County to open up our scheduling for the rest of our staff for their second doses, but we anticipate getting them in on February 18th or 19th, thus necessitating a closure of the rest of our classrooms on Friday, February 19th. We will update you as soon as those plans are confirmed!
Thanks for reading our update!
Snow Potential this Sunday - Snow Policy Reminder
There is a potential for the second snow of this season this Sunday! This storm has the potential to impact center operations on Monday, with the current forecasts are calling for between 3-5 inches on Sunday and another 1-3 inches of snow on Monday.
With that in mind, we’d like to remind you of our snow policy. In general, we follow the federal government, especially in regard to delayed openings and early closings, since those calls are made with the commute in mind. With our current limited operating hours, if the federal government delays by 2 hours, Common Ground will open at 8:30am instead of 8am. If they close early, we ask that you make every effort to pick up by the earlier of the two times - one hour past the government closing time or by 4pm.
If the federal government closes, there is a good chance Common Ground will also be closed. However, if they remain closed for multiple days and we feel that the roads in Reston, including the Common Ground Parking lot, are safe enough to open, then we will make every effort to open the center. I know that seems like a bit of a confusing policy, we just want to have the ability to err on the side of open, in case the government makes a call that doesn’t make sense for the Reston area!
The one exception, if Fairfax County Government, who almost NEVER closes, decides to close and the federal government doesn’t, then we will follow suit and close as well, because that means that there could be a greater impact on the Reston area, than the larger DC area.
Confused yet?! Don’t worry, we will stay in constant communication to let you know our plans! Our operating status will be posted on the website, instagram, and messaged through Brightwheel.
The point is - we want to be open, but only if it is safe for us to get our staff here and home safely.
And when there is snow and we are open, make sure your kiddo is prepared with snow gear, as there is nothing more fun than playing out in the snow with your school friends!
Common Ground Vaccination Update
We are so happy to announce that at this moment 100% of our staff had had their first dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine!
We feel beyond privileged that childcare providers were included in both the priority group 1b and the vaccine roll out through INOVA, which has their process down to a T!
With this update, here are the impacts to the center:
OWLS - Feb 4th, no impact: Liz, LJ, and Victoria are going to get their second shots before the center opens on the 4th, we don’t expect any impact on the Owls classroom that day, as vaccine side effects are reported to begin 8-10 hours after the second dose.
OWLS - Feb 5th, CLOSED: The Owls classroom will be closed on Friday to give Miss Victoria and Miss Liz a day to recover from any possible side effects from their second dose of the vaccine.
HONEYBEES - Feb 12, CLOSED: Miss Mimi, Miss Adella, and Mr. Josh will all be out getting their second dose of the vaccine this day. The honeybees classroom will be closed because the appointments interfere with the schedule of the day.
STARS, MONKEYS, PANDAS, and BABIES - (hopefully) Feb 18 early pick up, Feb 19, CLOSED: We are hoping to get the second dose in the afternoon on February 18th. We will do our best to try to have the smallest impact on the center that we can, but we just don’t know what appointment times will be available.
If you are curious about the process that we went through for our first doses, you can see our post here about it.
If you are interested in learning more about the vaccine and how to know if you qualify and where to sign up, visit the Fairfax County Health Department site here.
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
Show your Support for Early Learning in Virginia!
Legislators are considering many competing budget priorities right now. Can you send your legislator a quick email asking for their support of Governor Northam’s early education budget package? This funding is critical to fully restoring the $85m package from last year.
Click here to contact your legislator.
How can you help?
Check out VKRP locality data and tell your legislator the readiness gaps in their district
Share the Early Learning NOW campaign materials on your social media.
COVID-19 Impact on Early Learners & Programs in 2020:
More children started kindergarten without key readiness skills in literacy, math, social skills and self-regulation (VKRP, 2020).
Literacy skills and reading gaps have increased in kindergartners.
More black and brown children entered kindergarten without the readiness skills they need to be successful academically and socially.
Social skills and self-regulation skills (cooperation, expressing emotions, conflict resolution, attention and controlling behaviors) are kindergarten teachers biggest concerns.
Early educators are on the frontlines and need support.
Early learning programs are a support system for working families(faith-based, Head Start, private and the Virginia Preschool Initiative(VPI). They need financial support NOW.
We are monitoring other legislation that will impact children and early learning programs. Be on the lookout for an update on all bills soon!
Our children, families, teachers and programs need YOU to speak up for them NOW! Thank you for being a champion for our children!
This post is brought to you by E3VA