• “I want my child to feel ________.”
• “I want my child to learn ________.”
• “I want our family to serve in this way: ________.”

1. Large motor development. Most parents have some very reasonable rules inside their homes such as no running or no climbing on the furniture. But the very fact that you have to have those rules proves how natural it is for children to engage in those activities. Indoor play rarely allows children to fully use their large muscle groups as much as is necessary for healthy development. Giving your child plenty of time to play outdoors offers her the opportunity to work those big muscles and develop different skills. Running, climbing, and jumping are all essential activities for your child.
2. A chance to take risks. As parents, we spend a great deal of time making sure our children are safe and unharmed. We watch out for dangers everywhere we go with our children. However, kids need the chance to take risks and to fail. Outdoor play inherently allows children to engage in riskier behaviors, such as jumping off of rocks, climbing up something taller than themselves, or running on trails that may have tripping hazards. Yes, falls and scrapes and bruises are likely, but this all helps to build children's awareness of their own capabilities and serves to develop a sense of resiliency.
3. Take a break from the germs. Fall and winter bring us the height of cold and flu season, and part of the reason is because so many people are staying indoors, sharing their germs in close quarters. Getting outside not only gives your kiddo a break from all the germs circulating, but it also fills your child's body with fresh oxygen that boosts the white blood cells, so they more effectively do their job of fighting off bacteria and viruses. Older generations mistakenly believed that being in cold air would make you catch a cold, but science has proven this to be false. As long as your child is dressed properly for the weather, being outside any time of year is one of the best ways to boost the body's immune system so that it can ward off illnesses.
4. ​Better sleep for your child. We live in a time where screens and devices surround families. Research has proven that the blue light from these devices disrupts the body's ability to make the sleep hormone, melatonin. Natural light, however, as well as physical activity, helps the body produce an ample supply of melatonin so that your child can get quality, adequate sleep. Time spent playing outdoors will help your child to fall asleep quicker and to sleep more soundly.

• Inattentiveness
• Irritability
• Arriving late at school
• Learning difficulties
• Trouble connecting with peers

1. Start now. As our returning Little Lambs parents will tell you, we make this plea every single August. Now is the time to get summer habits changed into school-year habits. Children in the 3-5-year-old range need 10-13 hours of sleep each day. This can be all at night or a combination of nap and nighttime sleep. Figure out what time you need your child to wake up to be at school on time (arrival is between 8:45 am and 9:00 am...if you arrive after 9:00, you will need to delay entering the classroom until 9:30). Back up at least 10 hours, preferably more, and that is your target SLEEP time, not the time to start the bedtime routine. If your child is consistently staying up til 9:00 pm or later, you need to start working that back to a more appropriate time. Shift your bedtime routine back 15 minutes every two or three days until your child is falling asleep at the right time.  
2. Be consistent. Consistency is probably one of the most frequently cited parenting needs, in all areas of parenting. Sleep habits and routines are no different. Having consistent, clear expectations and plans is very important, especially for younger children. Pediatric sleep consultant, Brittney Stefanic, says, "Creating a bedtime routine to keep our minds and bodies happy is very important in getting back to school and back to routine. Children always like to know what’s coming next! It doesn’t matter if your child is going into preschool or will be a freshman in high school, a good sleep routine is essential. It’s not just about getting them physically ready for bed. A bedtime routine signals their brain that bedtime is approaching, and the brain starts shutting down in preparation for sleep."
3. Prepare your child's bedroom. Just as the Montessori philosophy teaches us to prepare the child's learning environment for her, we also need to prepare her sleeping environment. Help your child to tidy up her room (well before bedtime...no need to add a battle when everyone is at their most tired) so that it feels restful in there. Keep the room dark and cool for sleeping. All of this will signal the body that it is time to rest.
4. Stop the screen time. Again, if you've been around Little Lambs at all, you know how adamant we are about the importance of limiting screen time. When it comes to good sleep habits, limited screen time is critical. Ms. Stefanic notes that research shows that the blue light emitted from screens stops our body from producing melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that helps us sleep. She recommends shutting down all screen time for the night before dinner, so your child's body (and yours) has a chance to realize it is almost time to sleep. You can expect to hear more from us on this topic in the future!

• With the starting point of 2 Corinthians 9:7, "...God loves a cheerful giver," help your child focus on what he or she can give to others during the Christmas season. A hand-drawn card for Grandma and Grandpa? Inviting a friend over to play? Helping shop for toys for underprivileged children? Helping clean up the children's area at church? Shifting your child's focus away, even briefly, from what he wants and onto what he can give, is very meaningful. 
• Plan gifts that are not "things." Although toys are fun and exciting and provide some entertainment on Christmas day, also try to include gifts of your time and attention, such as a planned trip to the Children's Museum, the ice rink, a local park...anything that gives you time together. 
  
• Limit your child's exposure to screen time. Corporations actively seek to market their wares to children as young as 18 months old, hoping to build brand loyalty and a customer base as early in a child's life as possible. The more your child has access to screen time, the more she is flooded with enticing advertisements that inevitably lead to the "gimmes,"  especially in the time leading up to Christmas.
  
• Plan a few nights during the hectic Christmas season that your family can be together at home, without an agenda, without electronics. Use this time to play games, build with blocks, bake, craft, read and relax.
• Approach each decision regarding gifts, events, gatherings, etc. with purpose and intention. Carefully consider how to, even in this hectic time, keep your plans in line with 1 Corinthians 10:31, "...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 
  

Field Trip: On Thursday, April 30, we will enjoy a field trip to Gilchrist Art Camp to create some masterpieces. The children will have about two hours in the art studio, with Gilchrist camp counselors, Little Lambs staff and Mrs. Carver to assist them. We will need several parents to transport students for this field trip, but, unlike other outings, most parents will not be staying to chaperone while we are there. The studio is very close to Washington Square, Starbucks, etc., so parent drivers will have the chance to enjoy some time on their own before returning to the studio to pick up children for the drive back to school. Thank you for understanding the need to limit the number of adults in the studio. Please be sure your child is dressed in clothes that can get messy. Art is not clean and tidy! Here is the link for their website, if you are interested in more information for your child:
http://gilchristartcamp.com/


Screen-Free Week:  May 4th–10th. Little Lambs will be joining in with “Screen-Free Week” by helping the children to think of activities they can do instead of watching TV or playing video games. Although we recognize that an entire screen-free week may be difficult and unrealistic, we encourage you to choose at least 2 days that can be screen-free for your children. The research on this topic just keeps rolling in, and we want to do whatever possible to help your children recognize appropriate limits on screen time. More information will come home after we finish the Spring Program.

If you are looking for some good outings for your family, consider a hike at Hoyt Arboretum, Cooper Mountain Nature Park or Jackson Bottom Wetlands. These local places offer easy hikes for families, with some great opportunities for viewing wildlife.  So go ahead, get out and get moving!

 
Classroom Notes: The children have been busy, eager learners the past few weeks. They are so comfortable and self-sufficient now, they are able to be highly self-guided during our Montessori times. Visitors are amazed when they walk in and see 17 young children actively, yet peacefully, engaged in the learning process. You should be very proud of your children…we certainly are! Here are some highlights of what we are finishing and what we will be studying as we enter the final weeks of the school year:

Literacy: We have been enjoying many fun poems, mostly from Shel Silverstein, as we continue to look at poetry and rhyming words. This also blends well with some of our music lessons on rhythm. The children have been listening to the rhythm of the poetry as we learn that poems are sort of like “spoken songs.” We have enjoyed more fairy tale time with a few different versions of Sleeping Beauty, including a story called Snoring Beauty. We will finish the year looking at Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk. In addition to our formal literacy lessons, we are hearing SO MUCH ENGLISH in the classroom! Most of our Little Lambs who started the year without any English language are totally communicating with teachers and peers. It’s so exciting!

Math: We are spending time now on the idea of ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, etc.) and sequencing. The concept of sequencing is important in all academic areas, but it is one that can be tricky for some children. We use number lines, puzzles, the calendar and stories to help develop this concept. All of the children continue to be exposed to the idea of place value in our daily work; most of the older children are also now receiving direct instruction in this concept through both our Sequin Boards and our teacher-made equipment. These items give the students a wonderful, concrete understanding of place value with tens and ones. The Kindergarten students have all been introduced to the idea of exchanging in addition…just an introduction, but it helps plant the seed for later math mastery.

Science: The class is enjoying its study of our magnificent solar system as the Kindergarten students prepare to make their own representations. Although the size and magnitude of the solar system is beyond the grasp of children this age (and many of us adults, too!), it is a fun study for instilling a sense of wonder. Equally exciting, is our study of seeds and plants. This is much more concrete for children this age as they watch seeds send up shoots and leaves in our classroom greenhouses. This also happens to coincide perfectly with our upcoming look at Jack and the Beanstalk. Our Kindergarten group is concluding its study of simple machines. We have had great fun with pulleys, wheels, levers, etc. We will wrap up with a fun "Simple Machines Day" on (tentatively) April 24th. The children will have a chance to use some tools that are actually simple machines, we will have some "machine snacks," and they are invited to bring bikes or scooters that day to enjoy some time on wheels. This day will include a special field trip to Mrs. Sallak's house to look at a pulley in action. More information will come home next week. 

Social Studies: We are preparing to wrap up our study of the continents over the next few weeks as we conclude our time with Australia and then move on to Africa. It has been fun to look at animals, clothing, foods, money and other items from so many places around the globe.

 
Parenting Thought

This month’s “tip” is simple but heartfelt: take some time simply to get outside and play with your children.  Splash in mud puddles, hunt for worms, listen to birds singing, watch a budding tree’s progress each day, kick a soccer ball, play catch, time yourselves running around the block, draw with sidewalk chalk, go for a hike.  The list of possibilities is pretty much endless, and most outside activities don’t require a great deal of time or money to enjoy.  Many parents today have fallen into the trap of thinking their children need sophisticated toys and games to be entertained, but it’s just not true.  We have watched children spend 40 minutes simply looking for flowers.  We have watched children race endlessly around the tennis courts in a game that only they understand, giggling and gleeful with their friends.  I have watched my own children throwing rocks in a pond for an hour with their cousins.  It doesn’t have to be complicated to be worthwhile and important.  So enjoy our longer days by getting outside to play.  It’s worth the time!