Welcome to the sixth edition of the Blue Room digest – every other week you can find pictures and updates on the latest happenings in Flexible Fox world! Here you will also find conversation starters, important “Housekeeping” tips, and upcoming dates.
Today’s newsletter is all about outdoor play!
The National Association for the Education of Young Children names 9 major benefits of taking kids outdoors to play:
1. It invites children to learn science
2. It creates opportunities for social interaction and collaboration
3. It promotes physical health
4. It invites new contexts for learning
5. It promotes better sleep
6. It gives children a chance to take appropriate risks
7. It may lead to better learning outcomes once children return to other activities
8. It supports STEM skills
9. It anchors children to the real world
As you know, informed by the current research on the value of outdoor play for young children, we have set aside Tuesday mornings for extended outdoor time and we play on the roof for about 40-50 minutes at a time on three days out of our week. We have so appreciated all of your efforts to send your children in with the appropriate clothing and gear to ensure that they are comfortable and successful in that play. We also appreciate the consistency with which you have maintained your child’s spare school clothes to support the occasional splashes or falls in puddles.
We know it does take extra effort and is a little different from some other classrooms, so we thought we’d give you a window into what this looks like for The Flexible Foxes.
Our most recent park trip was cold and wet! The Flexible Foxes, though, were undaunted. They had a blast, running around and splashing in puddles. We stayed at the park for a short amount of time—about 10 minutes. It was our goal to maintain our weekly routine while also taking seriously the health of the children, many of whom told us that they wanted to stay, incidentally.
Once we got back to the Blue Room, we checked in with each child to see who needed changing. Kids managed much of the changing independently – they are practicing self-care skills that are essential for kindergarten readiness! Pants and socks were changed, hats and shoes laid on the radiator to dry. We looked at books together on the rug while everyone got themselves into dry clothes. We had a fun, silly, cozy time.
On our next cold, rainy day, we hope to stay out for longer! With the support of administrators, the Blue Room will be purchasing Muddy Buddies for every student to use during our outdoor time. A Muddy Buddy is a waterproof, one-piece coverall for children. It keeps in warmth and keeps out moisture and cold. Paired with cozy layers, winter coats, hats, gloves/mittens, and rain boots with warm socks, we are confident that the Muddy Buddies will help to keep us comfortable through the winter.
Ask A Flexible Fox!
What was the letter of the week? (C)
What is your favorite part about going to the park?
Show me how to zip your coat!
Ahead of the ABT trip, talk to your child about what it means to be an audience member and visitor.
That’s all for now!
