Tykes n Tots Daycare

Blackberries are ripening!

" "I’m bored”, the words that make every parent cringe and sigh when they hear their child who is surrounded by an array of toys and things to amuse them. Somehow there has become this culture that it is our job to keep our kids entertained and happy. A belief that if our kids are bored that we aren’t doing enough when actually the opposite is true. It is good for our kids to experience boredom and when we swoop in and entertain them, we are stopping them from problem-solving, becoming creative and ultimately building resilience. That doesn’t mean that they should be sat in a bare room with nothing to do because “boredom is good for you”. Boredom with no options can lead to frustration and is not beneficial at all. However, the type of boredom that is beneficial is what researchers have labeled “constructive boredom” (Gasper and Middlewood, 2013). " The Therapist Parent

Harvested beet greens juiced, baby watermelons, strawberries, spaghetti squash, beefsteak tomatoes, sweet peppers, and more!

Beating the heat this week!

This is an amazing (and FREE) opportunity to hear from leading early childhood educators about how our children learn through play! Some of these speakers I've followed for many years are included: Pennie Brownlee, Suzanne Axelsson, Lisa Murphy, and Maggie Dent.

When you sign up, all of the videos will be available for "on-demand" viewing for 24 hours.

It's time to register! Here's the link: teachertomsplaysummit.com

It's a reality! ❤️

NATURAL LEARNING 🌱

Significant research indicates that children who are outside for a large part of everyday and all year round, are more likely to develop knowledge in greater depth, often continuing and developing their activities over periods of days. They are less easily distracted and concentrate on activities for longer, have better physical and motor development, have better balance, agility and strength, and are better developed socially and physically. They use more complex and imaginative play, have better levels of concentration, have better powers of memory, and are even ill less often.

Furthermore, woodlands are a rich resource for a range of learning opportunities, providing a unique environment for young people to learn about sustainable development, local wildlife, weather eco-systems, conservation and climate change. Woodlands are robust, seasonal outdoor spaces – cool in summer and sheltered in winter – where all senses are stimulated: touch, taste and smell as much as sight and sound. By being active in woodland, children gain health and wellbeing benefits, reducing stress and providing a calming learning environment for those children with attention deficit issues or additional learning needs.

Bring on the outdoor revolution!

Child-initiated learning means the adult provides the environment and resources after observing the children’s interests about the world around them. Then the children assess, show curiosity about what they encounter, plan, and express their ideas. This process nurtures a deeply engaged learner!

I have never met a child that doesn’t strive to learn more about world around them! They are always asking questions and wanting to know more. This remains true for every “subject“. We just don’t divide out our environment by subject. Everything is connected!

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💯 This is why we place such importance on outdoor gross motor skills! To have good motor development for handwriting, children must first develop skills like:
postural control, shoulder stability, isolation of fingers from palm, dynamic pencil grasp, visual perception, and language.

It is essential to build these muscle groups and skills first by:
climbing, swinging, sliding, playing on uneven surfaces, messy play (sand, mud, dirt-digging, clay), construction toys (Lego, Duplo, magnet blocks), scissors, musical instruments, doll houses, trucks/cars, painting with brushes, cleaning with scrub brushes, reading books, working puzzles, talking to friends, reading aloud, telling stories, and observing the environment.

Just because they're "playing", doesn't mean it's not important!

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