Foster an engaged community
The Grove School nurtures the whole family. Through open communication and the sharing of knowledge and experiences, we support a vibrant and tight-knit community that makes a real difference in each other’s lives.
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My Experience With The Grove School
Josh Keller | June 11, 2010 | Comment
Hey there everybody! My name’s Josh Keller, and I am a new intern/temporary employee here at Knowledge Universe. I work specifically with The Grove School as the Community Administrator, managing the social media and website of the school. I’ve only been here about a week and a half, and I already love it here! Everyone is extremely welcoming, light-hearted, energetic, and enthusiastic about what they do. I thought it would be appropriate to write a post about my experience here with The Grove School and to tell you all a little bit about myself.
I’m a 19 year old soon-to-be sophomore at the University of Portland. I plan to major in Marketing and Advertising, but for now, I am currently in the Pamplin School of Business. I attended All Saints grade school and graduated in 2005, then went to Central Catholic High School, graduating as the class of 2009. I enjoy playing basketball, the occasional video game, going to the gym, working with computers and technology, and hanging around my family.
I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work at KU and with The Grove School. I love what The Grove School is doing for kids; encouraging a healthy mind, body, and planet. My employment here so far has been filled with excitement and anticipation of what’s to come. I am super excited to be on board with the school and cannot wait to get more involved. Thank you all for this wonderful opportunity!
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Neighbor-to-neighbor volunteering helps kids give back
Britt Stromberg | June 7, 2010 | Comments (2)
Rethinking summer, as we’ve done in my last few posts, is a great time to rethink volunteering too.
Collect trash while on a walk
During summer, you and your family will be out on your street, and active in your neighborhood and community. As you spend that time, you may meet people or organizations that need help. And that’s a doorway to family volunteering.
I admit that I often think about volunteering as something I’d like to do but don’t have the time to orchestrate, especially with a preschooler. But the truth is that there’s a whole world of informal, short-term and easy-to-do volunteer jobs right out our back door. For example, you could help a physically challenged neighbor trim her hedge. Get your child involved by having her bag the trimmings.
Help train your sick neighbor's pet
Volunteering in this way is important because it gets your family focused on the needs in your area, and it teaches your child that helping people is a natural part of life.
Plus, it strengthens family bonds as you spend quality time together choosing an activity and then making it happen.
It also provides gobs of teachable moments, like what the word volunteer means. And the opportunity for parents to be positive role models.
Know too that the large volunteer placement organizations often have a minimum age requirement that excludes preschoolers. So informal volunteering is a great way to get young children involved in giving back.
Cook a meal for an elderly resident
Service can occur quite naturally as you talk to your neighbors and introduce your family to new people in the community. If you have too may opportunities to choose from, make your selection based on what your family likes to do together. For example, maybe you all like to cook. And you know that a neighbor broke her hip. Talk with your child about why cooking for yourself would be difficult to do with an injury like that. Then cook and deliver a meal to your neighbor.
Other resources to get your started:
Doing Good Together
The Volunteer Family
Take pictures or video as you volunteer. Then post them to your Posterous summer blog for extended family and friends to see. And if you have other ideas about volunteering this summer please leave them in the Comments section below.
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Share family adventures online with Posterous
Britt Stromberg | May 19, 2010 | Comments (2)
Aside from the holiday season, summer can feel like the only time in a year to connect with your extended family and friends. But scheduling time to visit everyone is nearly impossible. Especially if long distance travel is required, and time off from work. Soon, you might schedule away your free-time and forfeit your no-plan summer.
So how do you make meaningful connections with your loved ones AND keep your commitment to an unhurried summer?
Create a family blog. A blog provides a place online where your family and friends go to see photos of your activities, watch your home movies, and read updates about you and your children.
Blog in 2 easy steps
Blogging is easy with a cool new tool called Posterous. All you do is send an email from your regular email account to post@posterous.com. Attach video, photo albums, links, audio recordings, you name it. You’ll get an email back with a link to your blog. No account set-up. No template management (unless you want to check out their advanced settings). You can do it from your computer or your smart phone.
To involve your loved ones, add their email addresses to your Posterous page. They’ll receive notice when there’s new stuff to see on your blog. Then they can comment for a nice back-and-forth. And Posterous makes it simple for them to download your files for their use. This is handy if you have a mom like mine who likes to print out family photos for her bulletin board. Features like these help unite your family in minutes by giving out-of-towners the opportunity to share in your life as you go.
For a more involved blogging experience, try the group setting on Posterous. It allows you to designate multiple contributors. So your aunt can post. Your brother. Anyone you wish. That way, if you decide to miss a barbecue or anniversary party your family can email in photos and video from the event to share with you.
And if you’re online with Twitter and Facebook, you can tie your Posterous page to those accounts and update them all at the same time. It’s a fast way to stay engaged with your larger network, even as you take more time for yourself.
Of course, there are some extended family events that are important and fun, and blogging is not a substitute. But as you work to plan your summer with care, having a blog will help you feel connected while empowering you to protect your free time. All this and at the end of the summer you can look back at the record of what you did. Kind of like a virtual scrapbook.
To get a feel for Posterous check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6iYxbcGqNo
What do you think? Is Posterous something you’ll try? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.
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2 ways to give summer a break
Britt Stromberg | May 14, 2010 | Comment
Earlier this week, I wrote about having a no-plan summer. Perhaps that appeals to your family but it isn’t practical. Like if both parents work. Then you have to find something for your child to do during the week. Still, the larger message applies: You can be deliberate about your summer experience, and you will be happier for it.
How do busy families plan a summer with care? Here are two suggestions:
1. Get the whole family on board
Brainstorming together
Have a family meeting where you invite your family to commit to a more laid-back summer. Tell them what they’ll gain: More quality time with Mom and Dad, less time in the car running errands, a chance to play with neighborhood friends. Describe it like a dream that’s achievable. But be upfront with the fact that everyone will have to sacrifice some activities to make it happen. Then vote.
If everyone’s on board, ask them to list all of the things they want to do this summer. Make sure that they know to include simple things too, like reading in the hammock, making homemade ice cream or riding bikes. If the final list is super long, explain that that is the very reason why summer can feel hectic. The goal is to have a manageable list. Ask everyone to pick their top activities. If prioritizing a list seems hard for your child (or for you), consider that this exercise will set an important example for her about how to plan a balanced life.
Another way to get the family on board is to pick a day of the week where your family will have no plan. Every Sunday, for example. Give it a playful name, like Family Fun Day.
Ice cream on Family Fun Day
2. Decide to say no
If step one feels impossible then it’s time to put on your hard hat and decide to say no to one or more fun activities this summer. This is hard. Especially when it feels like you are declining enriching activities, like dance lessons.
In that situation, ask yourself, did my child list this activity as one of her top things to do this summer? If yes, then let something else fall off the schedule to make room for it. Be sure to include the time it takes to drive to and from the lesson when you schedule it in.
If your child did not list dance, then look at why you or your partner is pushing it. If it’s because you genuinely want your child to be enriched, then consider that unstructured time is improving her too. It allows for unexpected learning opportunities, like witnessing the full growth cycle of a bean spout, or working to foster collaboration and consensus with her friends to build a fort.
Spontaneous family trip
Still can’t say no? Keep that hard hat on. Remember that there will be many summers to come to be busy. When your child has summer school requirements, or summer training. Now is your chance to take the time to just play with your kids. These summer days are expensive in the sense that you’ll never get them back. Resolve to scratch from the list anything that feels hard to manage or anxious. Remember, you will be happier for it.
What are your ideas for savoring an unhurried summer? Share them in the Comments section below. And check back soon for other summer-related topics throughout May.
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Fun facts about our website
Burt Rosen | January 21, 2010 | Comment
The Grove School has come a long way since the launch of our website and the brand back in October 2009. We have incredible people running the schools in Cary and Plano, and a team that consistently demonstrates incredible passion for the schools, the brand, the website, and the families. I thought we should take a moment to reflect on The Grove School virtual experience during opening week of the physical schools.
The site itself has been built by many. In addition to all of the people on The Grove School team, we have articles from like-minded parents and a number of the partners who have helped bring the physical versions of The Grove School to life.
Some interesting facts on the site to date:
- Over 10,000 visits have been made to the site with the average person spending 3 minutes on the site reading the articles and watching the videos.
- As of last week, the site has 96 articles, all written specifically for the site on many topics including education, sustainability, community, nutrition, etc.
- The 96 posts come from 25 different contributors (feel free to become one yourself!).
- 30 videos have been posted on our YouTube channel ranging from construction walk throughs to team introductions.
- Over 121 photos on our Flickr photostream.
So, what’s next? Hopefully you are! Much like we want the schools to be built by the community, we want the site to be built by those with a passion for educating kids about healthy minds, healthy bodies, and healthy planets. So, if you’ve got ideas, articles, thoughts or comments, send them in and we will post them. Let’s build this together!
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Children need us
Scott Andersen | December 21, 2009 | Comment
I had the pleasure this past week to help purchase some much needed books and toys for children in the Cary area. As we were shopping for these toys, I kept thinking about how much children need us.
They need us to put them first. This can manifest itself in many forms. They need us to provide the basics of life: food, shelter and clothing. They need us to provide them a great education. They need us to provide them a safe, healthy and sustainable environment in which they can thrive.
However, as we completed the shopping and delivered the goodies to the wonderful retired former Marines on Friday, I was struck by this one word: love.
Children need love.
As I saw the proud retired Marines, along with the branch manager of the local bank participating as a drop off location for the Toys for Tots program, I was filled with a peaceful feeling that what we were doing this day was one of the many ways to express love. So many people freely giving of their time to benefit children.
One of the major goals of The Grove School is to help develop and be a part of our community. Even though it was only in a small way, I feel that we did just that, along with our Marine and banking friends.
I believe we did it for the right reason. We all love children.
While in Washington, D.C. last month, we had the opportunity to meet with several members of Congress and their staffs. Every senator and congressman we sat down with understood the importance of a child’s early years, and showed real appreciation for what Knowledge Universe and other providers do to serve children and families. Most of the members had championed important early childhood education programs in their respective states when they held state office.
Early childhood education works because of partnerships. The education and care we provide to young children is part of a community effort to ensure quality experiences for all children. In turn, our school-readiness emphasis at The Grove School not only benefits the children we serve, but the schools and school systems that will serve these same children down the road. Together, The Grove School, families, primary schools, local, state and national policy makers, and community organizations are all partners in creating a world of educated and curious children who are primed for a lifetime of success.
Community is fundamental to The Grove School, and we are eager to join the communities of Cary, NC and Plano, TX. We are looking forward to meeting those of you in Cary and Plano over the coming weeks and learning more about what makes these places so special for children.
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Technology: it glues us together
Peter Van Houten | October 30, 2009 | Comment
I am so excited about the concept that The Grove School offers to families, immersing children in educational opportunities that nourish healthy minds, bodies and awareness of our community.
As the father of an educator in Texas who prides herself on leveraging technology in her classroom, I am very much aware of the value that comes from having close connections via multiple avenues between the school, the community and our families.
At The Grove School we are looking at how to best support our teachers, administrators and families through technology to stay connected, present an exciting and world-class curriculum, and enhance learning adventures. I hope you find The Grove School to be as exciting as I do.
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Please, over-communicate!
Dani Kerrigan | October 24, 2009 | Comment
I have a son, 18 months. I adore him. Right now, my two hot topics with my current care provider are parent communication and evidence of learning. I think it’s really important for teachers and directors to communicate clearly and transparently.
For example, I hate when I see a new teacher in my kid’s room and I didn’t know the other teacher had left. It’s important to live up to the commitments we make to parents.
As for evidence of learning, I need to know what my child is learning every day. I love photos, anecdotes, etc. It helps me feel connected to my son and his development.
I know that The Grove School will go a great job on both fronts since they are central to the whole experience. If only The Grove School was in my city! Soon, I hope.
When the first two schools open in January 2010, our first corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative will focus on tree planting.
We think there are a number of reasons why tree planting is a good fit for The Grove School. It’s something that benefits the local community. It strongly connects to our promise to promote a healthy mind, body and planet. It encourages participation by children, teachers, family, and community members. And there are a number of ways it ties back to our curriculum.
As with any CSR initiative we undertake, tree planting is something that children can do (with adult help, of course!). It also nicely demonstrates cause-and-effect, both in the way a tree grows and in the way a project like this can make a positive effect in a neighborhood.
And of course, we’re THE GROVE SCHOOL—we love trees!
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