What is normal!? Well, in general at least...

Have you often wondered what is normal (socially, emotionally,physically) for your child at his/her current age? Is it really normal for children to talk "potty talk" at the dinner table or is it normal that my kid cannot yet catch a ball!? Wonder no more! I have some exciting resources I would like to share with you that can be used as a great guide to the development of you child. It's really nice to read these and know that in general, they all go through different stages and some of their behavior is a result of what they are really mentally/emotionally/physically capable of. They also give some ideas/tips on dealing with behavior and activities appropriate for each age (many great for the summer!) which are very helpful for me as well.  Check them out!
For 2 year olds.....   http://www.nncc.org/child.dev/ages.stages.2y.html

For 3 year olds.....   http://www.nncc.org/child.dev/ages.stages.3y.html

For 4 year olds.....  http://www.nncc.org/child.dev/ages.stages.4y.html

For 5 year olds.....  http://www.nncc.org/child.dev/ages.stages.5y.html

The Value of Play!!

After a great training session last weekend, I came away with some fresh ideas and information regarding the value of play! It has been said that "play is the work of children" and each and everyday I see this to be true in your kids. It's definitely a job they LOVE and one through which they learn and experience their world. An educator at heart, I have been focused on teaching your children the theme of the week through projects, experiments, songs, stories, etc, mostly more structured activities which are all proven and common methods of teaching this age group. However, this week I have challenged myself to let them learn and experience being "Down on the Farm" mostly through play. I gave them the tools and materials, set up their play, allowed for a large chunk of time to be dedicated to soley play and sat back and watched! They became the farmers plowing the fields, the animals mooing and baaing and eagerly pretended to feed and water the stuffed farm animals. We also played a bit with food, making a pasture out of graham crackers decorated with green frosting, plain graham crackers for a fence and then added the animals inside. All of this is truly not difficult work for them, yet I know they are learning through this unrestrained PLAY! Here is a great article on the value of play! http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=240

ps. If anyone knows how to help me get rid of the huge, devoid space at the top of my blog, let me know! Thanks!

Choo, Choo, Vroom, Vroom, Zoom, Zoom!

This week has been filled with fun related to getting from place to place..transportation! We have been airplanes, trains and cars, making the appropriate noises,of course, experimented with a plane vs a car to see which one was faster, read some stories and identified "how they go from place to place" and today made tracks with different types of cars with paint! Tomorrow we plan to make some boats and see how much they can hold before they sink! Good times! :)

"Spray Painted Snow" and Weather Watch

Hi there! It's been awhile since I've posted! With the recent snow and cold weather conditions, it's been a little rough to get outside twice a day as I plan in the schedule! Thus making those times we get to head outside all the more fun! This morning for about 10 minutes, before the wind blew us away, we went outside and did a little "snow art." We used dyed yellow and red water to "spray paint" the freshly fallen white snow! The kids thought it was pretty cool though I am sure they would have enjoyed it more without this harsh winter wind that started up! Here is a pic of our art:

Speaking of weather conditions, I wanted to show you the "Weather Watch" document I go by to determine if it's comfortable enough to head outside to play. This is from the government and been recommended to use as a guide for licensed day care. Please view it at http://www.in.gov/fssa/files/weatherwatch.pdf Of course if we do go outside and the kids are not playing normally and seem uncomfortable, we do head inside. Please remember to continue to pack a hat, gloves and winter coat each day. For days that are snowy, please bring snowsuits so we can enjoy the fresh white powder and stay dry. Of course if the weather is predicted to be very harsh, say below 20 degrees, then do not worry about it as we will not be going outside. Hopefully soon, spring will arrive and we will not have to worry about missing our treasured outdoor time! Let's hope the groundhog was right this year!  

Welcome Back Wacky Week!!

Welcome Back and Happy New Year! I hope you throughly enjoyed your vacation. I know I feel refreshed and ready to get back to the routine of things! While we work on getting back into the routine, this week we plan to be a little "WACKY"! I am sure  this week it will take awhile to get back to the "normal", so we might as well be a little wacky on the way!  Here is the lineup for the rest of the week!

Wednesday- Inside Out Day! Have your child wear one item of clothing inside out just for today.

Thursday-Backwards Day! Dress your child with the pockets in the front or the writing in the back for this silly day!


Friday-Wacky Hair Day! If you don't have the time to fix some wacky hair for them in the morn, why not let them wear their "bedhead"..that's sure to be wacky!

Other Activities.......
We plan to watch the silly show Green Eggs and Ham, learn the song "Do Your Ears Hang Low?", make some crazy creatures, go on a "What's Outta Wack?", hunt around the house and much more! Excited for a week full of Wacky, Silly, Out-of-the Norm fun! :)

Our Snowman/Winter Gear Reminder

You don't need snow for a snowman! :) The kids had a fun time yesterday creating our snowman out of leaves in the play yard. Now we are hoping for some snow so we can make the REAL thing! :)

Speaking of being outside, I just wanted to remind you all to make sure your child comes with gloves(they will keep on), a stocking hat and coat each day. We WILL continue to go outside each day, weather permitting, and I want each child to be warm and comfortable so they can get some fresh air and run around with their friends. Please, please remember to pack these each day, no matter if it looks nice and sunny or not. You know what they say about Colorado weather, wait 15 minutes, it will change!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..inside the house anyway!

Though the bright sunny weather and lack of snow makes it feel like spring, not the middle of December, we've been having a jolly-good time getting ready for Christmas! Today we decorated this"tiny tree" together. I was a little nervous about setting out a bowl of Fruit Loops; that the "decoration" would soon become someone's second breakfast....haha. However, all the kids listened well (hooray!) and either used their fine motor skills to make fun colored garland or practiced finding the correct colors of fruit loops from the bowl. It was a little messy(but messy=fun in preschool land, right?) and we had some crushed fruit loops in the carpet, but nothing a little vacuuming couldn't clean up. When the tree was all done, we had a countdown to the lighting of our tree and shouted "Merry Christmas!" The rest of the day we plan to continue practicing our "Christmas Tree" song...Perhaps by the end of the week your child will be able to perform it for your family at home!