Hands

Following the school year our staff were busy cleaning.  I mean really cleaning!  Every single thing that is touched in this building is wiped down.  Here are some photos in case you cannot imagine what that looks like:

       

Isn’t it amazing how everyone is smiling – even while they are cleaning!  Can they come to my house too?

As I reflected on this process I got to thinking that we were cleaning from all the hands.  Hands that were busy all year long.

 

Hands that touched as they learned.

Hands that rubbed along the wall as they waited because kids are still so sensory and this feels good.

Hands that were pouring, measuring, sifting, mixing as they discovered the different properties of sensory materials.

Hands that sorted: pumpkins, letters, sizes, colors, rhyming items . . .

Hands that put things away, a lot of things over the year.

Hands that wrote, colored, drew, painted and EXPLORED!

Hands that sometimes weren’t as gentle as we hoped but that’s part of learning too.

Hands that turned pages in books, touched letters, followed along with the words as we “read.”

Hands that lifted, cut, squeezed, wiggled and grew stronger.

Hands that enjoyed our hoorays – 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 BLAST OFF!

Hands that reached out to lift up a friend, comfort a hurt, dance together and love each other.

                      

 

 

Time to begin your summer fun

For most of you, this week marks the beginning of your summer and while this is all super awesome and all, some of you may be a bit nervous about the idea of unplanned, unstructured, unschooled time with your children.  Never fret, there’s plenty to keep you busy!

 

First, I always recommend doing a “Bucket List” as I discussed in this post here.

Here’s a bit of advice: keep your activities simple and do-able.  Look into your local library’s summer reading program and activities, visit your local farmer’s market, bake a rainbow cake together, have a living room sleepover, etc.

And, I just noticed that Gieringer’s Orchard is about ready for strawberry picking!  If you haven’t taken your kids berry picking, I highly recommend it.  I blogged about it last year here.

Before you go, always call and check their “picking report.”  I also follow them on facebook because they are always posting updates.

And, Leawood’s Ironwoods Park is planning free kids summer concerts every Tuesday morning in June (beginning at 9:30 am.)… for free!

     June 10: Stonelion Puppets

     June 17: Rockin’ Rob

    June 24: Wings of Love Bird Show

There’s some info on a few events to get you started.  I hope to continue to post fun ideas for you and your family!  Feel free to share your own!  And, always remember: sometimes the simplest things make the best memories!

 

Our final hurrah before summer

On Tuesday, this was the view out the window of the preschool:

It was such a beautiful sight!  Teachers, parents, grandparents, and children gathering together to enjoy our last bit of preschool time together before summer!  We loved seeing you here!  We loved that dads (and moms) could get off of work to visit!  And we loved that some of you even brought grandparents!

 I teased that we “planted” those baby bunnies on our playground as “bonus” entertainment!  Ha!  But, what a fun surprise it was to be able to watch the little nest of brand new babies.  I had a couple of children who needed reassurance, “They’re not rats, they’re bunnies, right?”  That’s right!  They were baby rabbits.  And, the mom did return to add some of her fur to keep them warm.  I’ll be anxious to see if they’re still there this week!

I’ve been asked before what makes Aldersgate such an amazing place.  Among some other things, it’s the sense of family that we have!  We are a tight group.  I hope you feel that, too.  And, I hope that you’ve been able to connect with some other moms or dads because that’s important.  It’s good to have friends who have kids the same age.  And, we hope that you’ll continue to keep in touch over the summer.  Feel free to come and use our playground this summer and meet up for playdates.  *Mondays and Fridays are best as we will have summer camp Tues-Thurs.

HAPPY SUMMER!

 

 

To the Moms- Enjoy your day!

Yes Day!

Ms. Deb shared a beautiful book in our Enrichment class today:

What if there was a day once a year that was “Yes Day”?  This book tells the story of a boy who wakes up and has that day!

“Can I have pizza for breakfast?”   YES!

“Can we have a food fight?”   YES!

“Can I use your hair gel?”  YES!

Such a sweet thought!  And it made me think: how often do we say no to our kids just because… we’re tired or we don’t have the energy or because it’s become habit?

I once heard of a child psychologist explain the concept of “YES/NO” by comparing it to driving.  There are times when we’re driving and perhaps will drive 5 or so miles over the speed limit.  Is that okay?  Maybe.  Is it against the law? Nah.  But, we know that we can’t go over 10 miles/hour over the speed limit and we definitely know we can’t speed in places like construction zones or school zones.

What if we used that sentiment when our child asked us a question?  What if we stopped and thought about it for a minute?  Is it a 5 mph type of question that saying yes really is a “no big deal”?

Can I get the hose out and play in the water?

Can I finger paint before dinner?

Can I use every single blanket in the house to make a fort?

I always try to remember that some of my own children’s favorite memories have happened at those times when I would’ve normally said no but decided to say yes.

Summer is quickly approaching and my own children and I are beginning to think about things we want to do.  Middle one asked just the other day if we could make a goal to try out every single flavor of slush at Sonic as a summer goal.  My first inclination?  NO!  But, if we hit it during happy hours and attempt it over 3 months… hmmm… yes!  Let’s do it!

The End of Another Year

It’s so hard to believe that we are in our last week of preschool here at Aldersgate (May 12 is our last official day).  The year has flown by.  I love to think back to how the children began in August.

Some were so tiny, barely walking, and not so sure about us. And that’s ok.  We worked very hard to build up that trust with them, to let them know that they were safe here at school, and we built relationships.

It’s when the children begin to feel comfortable, safe, and loved that we begin to see them open up and thrive!  They have grown so much in so many ways!

Some have learned about saying goodbye to mom and being okay with that, others have learned how to write their name, and still others have learned about what it takes to make and be a friend.  So many important skills!

Important skills that we may not always realize are a big deal.  But, they are!  And, we love to celebrate all of the big and little victories.  As a staff, we take so much joy in watching the children grow and change!

I sat in one classroom the other day and watched a group of 3 year olds graphing fish.  They sat and calmly and patiently waited their turn.  They eagerly raised their hand to share their ideas and I was astounded (and maybe a little teary-eyed) to see how much they had learned from the beginning of the year.

We hope you see that too!  It has been a good year!  We are so happy that you chose to send your children to Aldersgate Preschool, trusting us with your greatest treasure!

Some of you will move onto kindergarten next year, some we’ll see this summer, and others we’ll see again in August.  We wish you the very best summer and hope that you know that you will always be an important part of our Aldersgate Preschool family.

I recently had a conversation with a mom about her child who had experienced a particularly tough day.  As we continued to talk, I could hear the frustration in her voice as she talked about her child.  This wasn’t the first tough day she’d had.  And, I knew exactly how she felt.  I knew because I have a child myself who I love with every bit of my soul but who challenges me in every possible way.  And I know every bit of that frustration of knowing how beautiful and wonderful my child is and not understanding why she can’t show that all the time to everyone.  And, I’ve been the mom who, at times, has questioned my parenting, “Did I cause her to be this way?”  But I take so much comfort in knowing that the Bible says:

God has created each of us, each of His children exactly as He planned them to be.  They are perfectly imperfect in His eyes.  And He loves them all the same.

I think that’s part of the reason that we (the staff here at Aldersgate) love working with children so much: we see glimpses of God in each and every one of them… from the child who knows all of her ABC’s but doesn’t understand how to share toys to the one who loves being around people but cannot sit still for small group… they are all His work of art.  And, we work hard to prepare them in the best way that we can for the world.

So, with my own daughter who is very strong-willed and tests me to my limits:  I parent her in the best way that I possibly can, teaching and modeling to her how to respect others, to accept when things don’t always go her way, and then embracing the idea that one day she’ll grow to be a strong young lady that is very willing and able to advocate for herself.

Because, we need to love each child for the way that God made them, do our best to teach them about the ways of the world, and embrace them for who they are.

Have you seen this?  I love how this mama takes her child’s limitations and empowers him to be the best at what he loves.