Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! This month we have been learning about winter weather and holidays! We went "sledding" in our classroom, painted with "snow" puffy paint, talked about animal behaviors in the winter and made animal tracks in clay, and then went outside to find some real tracks in the snow! We also worked on the letters B,O, and P and practiced sequencing the letters in our names. For math, we have worked on patterning skills and reviewed the numbers 5 and 6. We love playing outside, even when it is freezing cold! We have an “all weather” policy at Discovery Kids Academy and believe that rather than “bad weather” there is simply “bad clothing”. Fresh air and physical activity on a daily basis help with everything from the ability to focus to encouraging social and cooperative engagement. Being outside boosts our brains!

We had so much fun finishing our our Safari with a visit to the Bean Museum to see the animals up close. Our favorite part was the animal show where we got to pet a porcupine, get up close to a tarantula and pet a corn snake and blue touched skink! A connection to science and the natural world is critical to the basis of our approach. Connecting with nature inherently builds sensory awareness, encourages a recognition of our role in the world, and promotes curiosity and the inmate desire to explore, experiment and learn!

This week we continued discussing feelings and emotions and how to be a strong friend! Social emotional competency is a huge cornerstone of our teaching approach. When children feel safe and secure in their community they will naturally want to engage in learning. We intentionally teach both self regulation and conflict resolution skills. We also utilize positive discipline techniques. Instead of of “time out” or sticker charts we use methods such as our “peace table” to help children resolve issues with peers or our safe spaces throughout the classroom that allow children a safe place when they feel disregulated.

This week our Nature Detectives explores water! We went “fishing” for colored fish, practiced our pouring skills and developed an understanding of the concept of conservation and used our Montessori materials to explore the difference between bodies of water and continents made up of land. Our connection to nature is such a central part of our program!

This week was a bit buggy literally! We explored worms, went on a bug hunt and found all sorts of insects and integrated math concepts including measurements and patterns. At Discovery Kids we follow the children’s interests in deciding on our unit study topics and I don’t think I have had a single year where Bugs didn’t make it onto the list!

In many programs caregivers view their role in protecting children as constantly stepping in with "no" and "get down".   Children who don't have the opportunity to explore their limits are more likely to engage in risky behaviors outside of their range of competency.  At Discovery Kids we utilize what we refer to as a "risk aware" philosophy rather than a "risk adverse" philosophy.  Our caregivers are trained to carry out a "risk of harm" assessment to determine whether the child is at actual risk of harm or if the caregiver is reacting to their own perceived risk of harm.  Providing an environment that allows children to safely explore and take measured risks encourages children to develop physical competency and emotional confidence.  

​We had a great first day at school! Our math groups included working with pattern blocks and identifying days of the week. For science we took advantage of the eclipse and talked about day and night. The kids initiated a puppet show and we tied that in with our book "First Day Jitters". I love when they come up with an idea and I can go with the flow! Art options included gluing feathers on a bird to go along with our story "Falco the Featherless Bird", working with Playdough, and practicing scissor skills. Of course we also worked with our Montessori materials as well, we are working on developing an effective work cycle by helping the children learn to identify and define a work space and cleaning up their work after they are done. We are finishing up our developmental assessments that will help us better identify which children to include in our level-based learning groups. All these activities keep us busy, but actively engaged in learning which is the ultimate goal at Discovery Kids!