Room to Grow

APRIL 2018 * CLICK for updated theme schedule / lunch menu

Last week there were no Mi Families (“my families”) programs, as our families and the families we worked with took a break to enjoy Easter. Many refer to the timing as Spring Break, but it’s far from spring in Northern Michigan where we got a couple more feet of snow during vacation.  As the director of Mi Families, me and my own family vacationed in Michigan’s upper-peninsula, where they had over 300″ of snow this winter!

Many family’s admit that when the weather is cold they spend more time on computers and watching tv – and less time outside.  I challenge you to get out and play with kids no matter what the weather is like where you live.  If it’s cold – bundle up – but get out and connect, build up immune systems and memories as you make a mess, make believe and make friends – outdoors.

Encourage curiosities about nature by noting seasonal changes with children. One of the first things noted when we returned from vacation was a robin in our snow covered yard.  Although the poor bird looked confused about the weather, it let us know spring is near.  Talking about birds made us question what animals are born in eggs.  Eggs made us reflect back on coloring Easter eggs…

I let their curiosities lead lessons, which transitioned from Easter back to eggs, to birds, then other things that fly…  Allowing students to lead lessons has proven to help students switch their bodies and brains back to classtime routines after vacation schedules. Vacation continued most of this week due to snow days so we’ll worry about routines and lesson plans next week!

Next week we’ll continue transitioning back to school schedules and  continue transitioning our topic from the sky to sea studies with  the help Mother Goose Time’s  curriculum.  One of the things I love about MGT kits is how many items are re-useable! This weeks sky and bird focus was built up using past curriculum supplies and materials.  We’ll continue to use MGT kits this spring to learn about Gardens and more!

Prepacked curriculums make lesson planning easy, but I enjoy MGT because it also makes it easy to simplify lessons for younger tots, while expanding on concepts for older students.  For example while little ones colored eggs, preschoolers learned about different birds, and elementary learners did some research on what other animals come from eggs… and if they all fly…

Open ended curriculums allow students to fly with ideas and allow room to grow in individual directions. Providing curriculums with open ended and hands on activities encourages academic growth.  Academic and physical growth can also be encouraged by providing learning environments indoors and outside. As our snow melts we’ll be focusing on the growth of spring and the growth of each of our students.

If you’d like to watch your child grow in an engaging environment email Christi@MiFamilies.com for information about enrollment.  Feel free to email or visit www.Mifamilies.com for information on any of our programs.  Feel free to network with our team and family members on Social Media (like FACEBOOK) and feel free to check out our affiliates – like www.MotherGooseTime to learn more about MGT!