Juncos and Junipers Preschool

Thanks for posting this, Mistwood. We teach the kiddos to use the method at Juncos too. Independence and self-confidence are just as important to school success as learning numbers and letters.

⭐️INDEPENDENCE! Not only is this a cornerstone of the Montessori Philosophy - but we know that children LOVE to do things for themselves. Try this “jacket flip” to get your kids putting on their outerwear themselves, in preparation for the school year and the change in seasons. Preparation is key - showing them how to set up the jacket is helpful, then the flip is the fun part! 🖊Remember to label your child’s outerwear this Back to School Season!#mistwoodmontessorischool #montessorimethod #backtoschool2022 #backtoschooltips #montessoriathome #momsofpreschoolers #montessoriinspired #montessoriactivity

Grateful for every minute with these sweet littles. Class photos fully reflect the joy and craziness of preschool pandemic-style. We are so blessed.

We just read the news about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. As a company based in Austin, Texas, the news hits particularly close to home. Truly, it's incomprehensible, just as the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary was in 2012. The news from Uvalde is still developing, so we don't even know the full story. We are all stunned here at Sparkle. All we knew is we needed to stop everything else we were doing and figure out what we could do to help.

The country is gutted and rattled, people are shocked and mourning — the San Antonio area most of all — and children will soon be hearing the news.

Previous to Sandy Hook, we created what we called Helping & Healing stories, stories specifically geared to help children and their families through challenging times. After Sandy Hook, the stories became more directed to specific situations, such sudden tragedy and loss, those things that we never want any child to experience.

Mr. Rogers famously encouraged us all to "look for the helpers" in times of tragedy. We've taken that advice to heart and sought to become helpers in the best way we know how: through stories. We can now offer a playlist of free stories to help, as well as thoughts about how to support your children in the wake of a horror like this one. You'll find them all at the link below (The stories are all free and contain no ads, only a simple copyright tag at the end.)

If you know someone directly affected by violence in Uvalde or elsewhere, please forward. We'd also love to gift a subscription to families who feel that ongoing story support would be helpful.

Though this gets harder with every tragedy, we still feel that one of our priorities as producers of children’s content is to use the power of stories to help children find calm and peace. We believe it is so important to communicate to children that they are loved, that they are protected, and that their community is committed to taking care of them. We hope that the stories in this playlist may help.

https://www.sparklestories.com/blog/post/support-for-children-in-time-of-fear-crisis/

Sparkle Stories are an amazing resource for children of all ages. These audiobooks are gentle and sweet and can help us all manage our big feelings. The world is full of big feelings right now. If you or your child need to settle, to laugh, to learn new strategies for calming your being, check this out.

It's an understatement to say it's a shaky time. The recent developments in Eastern Europe have the world unsettled. Here at Sparkle we're particularly unsettled, as part of our talented development team is based in Kharkiv, Ukraine. They are hiding in sheltering spots as best they can, and at their last message, we hear that all are safe.

That's the top of the tough news for many. And after these last two years, we can feel emotionally ragged and threadbare. How do we hold all of this and maintain equilibrium?

Children settle when they understand that the adults are present and available, that they will do their best to love and protect them, and that even though the world contains great pain, it also contains goodness. Deep goodness.

We’ve gathered some of our best stories to help support kids and families through difficult and uncertain times.

We've also added simple meditations and stories to support resilience. These healing audios are all free. You'll find them all here: https://www.sparklestories.com/support-in-time-of-fear-and-crisis/.

If there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to let us know. Our stories are intended for helping and healing, and we want to do our best to offer what we can. Reach out: [email protected].

Juncos is beginning the enrollment process for Fall 2022. Please contact us via email if you would like more information on our program. [email protected]

We learn in a beautiful space.

Do children really want to know the answer, or do they want a partner in pondering? We show we care about the things they care about by being together in the place of wonder! We teach thinking by living in the questions.

Our second week! Apple hunting, meadow walking, a new car ramp with pulley, art, cooperation, giggles and lots of amazing kid energy!

We had our first week back!

Gates are open and children's laughter filled the air. Eighteen months was a long time to be apart. Be safe out there so we can continue to be together!!!

Clear skies! Ready to roll!!!

Juncos... Working to bring the hood back to the child. Providing a space for kids to be kids. Safe and social... That's our goal for 2021.