WonderView Preschool

A sweet little tea party picnic celebrating a beloved staff's visit. 🫖💕

Making a river with our water pump, gutters, and hose.

Just living their best preschool life 💦

April showers bring puddle splashing 💦

Squishy slide - a beloved playground game

The rules are pretty simple. The children each slide down to the bottom of the slide and wait for the next child to slide on top resulting in the middle children feeling squished.

This game is filled with resounding laughter, and yes sometimes tears. When those come, we pick up the child, comfort him/her, and discuss their choices.

"If you play squishy slide, you're going to get squished."

This is a simple way to break down choices and consequences. What is beautiful about this experience is watching the child consider the options. There is no right or wrong decision just acceptance of the outcome.

Creating life sized cardboard self portraits

Keep this article by the laundry machine for when you are shaking all that sand and dirt out of your child's pants. 😂🤣

New research from Queen Margaret University is highlighting the science behind something we see every day 🤩

Climbing, balancing, exploring — we know risky play matters. But what about mud, soil and microbes? What's the science behind equally beneficial 'dirty play'?

We're talking unstructured, hands-in-the-soil, mud-on-your-sleeves kind of play!

Evidence from microbiome science and public health suggests that regular contact with biodiverse natural environments can:
🌱 Support immune system development
🌱 Reduce risk of inflammatory and allergic conditions
🌱 Strengthen emotional wellbeing
🌱 Build curiosity and connection to nature

In increasingly urban, sanitised environments, children have fewer opportunities for this kind of rich sensory exposure - and it may matter more than we realised.

When children dig, build, mix, explore and get gloriously muddy, they’re not just “making a mess.” They’re developing resilience, regulation and relationships — with nature and with themselves.

In nature-rich play, children find health, confidence and connection - all at once.

[Ref: Barrable, A. and Robinson, J.M. (2026) ‘From risky play to dirty play: why young children need “dirty” nature play in their lives’]

"Hey, does anyone want to watch Greg lift a car?"

When children lead the curriculum, spontaneity allows for amazing learning opportunities.

Here, Greg explains how levers and fulcrums can give you superpowers.

"Play is our brains favorite way of learning." - Diane Ackerman

I often wonder why our society has grown to believe that children have to be directly taught a skill to learn it. Research certainly does not back up this belief.

Children are naturally curious. When they see others using written language as a form of expression, of course they become curious to do the same. Direct instruction robs them of this opportunity to explore language on their own terms, in their own timeline. This is where true learning happens. The kind that sticks.

Looking for an alternative to the Superbowl this Sunday?

Family Movie Night!

Genesis Creative Collective is hosting a community movie night this Sunday at 4:30. They will be showing the 2019 version of Lady and the Tramp. Pizza and Popcorn provided.

*no fees, no donations. This is a grant funded event to promote community.

Genesis is located off of Patterson Park across from Mueller.

Looking for something other than the SuperBowl? Come to Movie Night at the GCC! Sunday Feb 8 @ 4:30pm

We're showing Lady & the Tramp (2019 version)

This! Children need time to play so that they can build the emotional and physical resiliency needed for future academic tasks.

𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GLTqMBiwv/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Thanks to The Parenting for this interesting post!

A groundbreaking study from Stanford revealed a simple yet powerful insight: delaying kindergarten by just one year significantly reduces inattention and hyperactivity in children. The reduction was a remarkable seventy-three percent, offering an alternative perspective on managing early behavioral challenges.

What makes this finding striking is that the improvement didn’t come from medication, strict rules, or intensive interventions. It stemmed from giving children extra time to develop cognitive, emotional, and social skills before entering a formal classroom setting. This additional year allows the brain to mature, improving attention control, self-regulation, and executive function.

Early childhood development isn’t uniform—some children benefit from extra time to build focus and coping skills. Parents and educators can consider readiness factors beyond age alone, like emotional resilience, communication skills, and social confidence, to determine the optimal time for school entry.

This research challenges assumptions that early academic pressure is always beneficial. Allowing children the space to grow at their own pace supports long-term focus, learning, and behavioral health.

By understanding the brain’s natural developmental timeline, families can make informed decisions that foster attention, emotional stability, and success, giving children the best start without relying on medication or strict discipline.

To read more anoit this Stanford University study, visit https://cepa.stanford.edu/news/waiting-start-kindergarten-can-be-good-kids-study-says



𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: https://tinyurl.com/2st3wzkr