Welcome to 2011..

It appears we have all survived the Holidays with minimal stress and hopefully a few smiles. Best wishes go to all for a Happy and Healthy New Year.


With winter in full swing…

Please remember to send your child to school every day prepared for outside play. They benefit greatly from the fresh air and sunshine but don’t enjoy it much if they are cold and uncomfortable. Missouri State child care licensing requires a minimum of 1 hour outside play daily unless there are extreme heat or cold warnings or rain. They will need hats, gloves, a warm coat, and boots in the event of snow. If they will be playing in the snow they will also need a change of clothes because they will most likely get wet. Please help us make outside time a positive learning time.

As we start off with a BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…

We are reminded that children really are fascinated by those large extinct monsters we know as dinosaurs. They love and seem to retain amazing information and vocabulary about them including their many long names and facts like some are carnivores while others are herbivores and other yet are omnivores. They also love talking about just how big they really were. How some could fly and some could swim, while others you could hear walking a mile away. What would our world be like today if these enormous creatures were still alive?

Excerpt from: For Parents Only: Teaching Your Child Through Play By Carolyn Tomlin, M.Ed.

Emotional and Social
Emotional and social benefits come when children in play situations are force to consider the viewpoints of their playmates. Although most parents are not trained as play therapists, they can be aware of how children explore different emotions (anger, sadness, and so on) and various social roles in play. Parents can help in the following ways:

• If a stressful situation has occurred, talk about and help the child re-enact through play. For example, a tornado has touched down in your area. Replay, getting in a safe place when a siren is sounded. Use caution about over-reacting, but allow the child to talk about her fears and act out activities related to the event.
• Use “what-if” situations for teaching. Ask your child, “How would you feel is a bully took your lunch? What could you do? What would you say to a friend whose pet was lost?
• Provide one less toy than children. Allow the children to decide who gets the toys and who has to wait their turn. Observe children who need more practice in sharing.
• Provide ways to act out feelings through art, music, or dance. Provide paper and crayons and ask the child to draw how they feel, such as moving to a new community? Or, when they have a birthday?
• Play board games together as a family. Teach your child that in many games there are loses and winners. Also, look for games where the object is not “winning or losing” but simply the fun of playing.