The School Day : The Grove School: A seriously fresh new preschool in Cary and Plano!

Kindergarten Is Coming!

Wendy DeSpain | July 28, 2010 | Comment (1)

As the beginning of the school year approaches, I am one of thousands of Moms who are beginning to feel more and more anxious about kindergarten. While I am well past 5 years old, I have two sons who will be crossing that threshold for the very first time. I am nervous for them. I so badly want them to have a positive experience that grows their love of learning; I want them to have teachers who will see their gifts and continue to stimulate their creativity, to fuel their curiosity, and to foster cognitive growth. While my stomach churns when I think about it, outwardly I know I have to show only excitement for the change. Kids watch the adults around them to learn how to react to situations. Ever seen your child display anger, fear, or sadness just like you do? We are constantly modeling for them, and they are constantly watching and listening—soaking up all the information they can. So with a smile on my face, I silently pray for good things.

My boys are not nervous, but excited. They are big boys now. Their sister just finished kindergarten, in all its glory, and now by golly it is their turn. I am proud of them.

I realize that my anxiety is due experiences over my lifetime and knowledge gained through adulthood. I know the harsh possibilities of the world, and I know the painful feelings of disappointment, rejection, and shame. Our children do not. They enter into new experiences often with fewer inhibitions than adults who are tainted by knowledge that adulthood brings. They see hope, opportunity, and a special event just for them. If only we could always see through their eyes and preserve that naiveté.

We must remember Robert Fulghum’s words in The Only Thing I Ever Really Needed To Know, I Learned in Kindergarten: “Be aware of wonder and LOOK!” But my favorite quote from this passage is, “when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.”

By the way, Fulghum’s words are observational and insightful, but the NY Times reported recently that there is a scientific basis to the high value of kindergarten….a positive experience in kindergarten…very interesting.

Below is a link to the NY Times article and a longer excerpt of the Fulghum text.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/economy/28leonhardt.html?_r=3&ref=todayspaper

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

by Robert Fulghum

- an excerpt from the book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don’t hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if all – the whole world – had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had a basic policy to always put thing back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are – when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Wendy is our Head of School in Plano, TX. She has deep community ties, having spent 15 years with the Plano ISD in various teaching, administrative and leadership roles. In addition to her zeal for helping children learn, Wendy enjoys being in the great outdoors with her family.

Note from Ms. Opal, Preschool in Plano

Opal Coleman | July 19, 2010 | Comments (2)

The Grove School of Plano is exploring grasslands, looking for plants and animals and determining how they survive in their habitats. Come check us out but be prepared for what you may see in room 1!

Childhood Obesity & Nutrition, part 1 of 5

Wendy DeSpain | July 19, 2010 | Comment

Article 1: What is a “healthy weight”?

Childhood obesity is a current hot topic in the media, in the legislature, and certainly in the minds of families and educators. There are those who believe it is the healthiest look to be super thin; others who believe a body appears healthiest if it is very muscular, and still others appreciate most a fuller body. There are those who believe it is the healthiest choice to eat all vegetarian, vegan, or kosher meals; there are others who believe it is healthiest to eat a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, and still others who deem healthiness by the amount of meat alone.

Each individual’s personal definition of what is healthy is unique to some extent and therefore difficult to collectively represent when putting the beliefs of the masses into public policy or into a widely accepted definition of “healthy weight”.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines “healthy weight” as a child who falls between the 5^th percentile and less than the 85^th percentile based on a child’s Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI is calculated by analyzing age, birth date, date of measurement, height, weight, and gender. Based on what percentile your child falls into, a label is assigned, as listed below.

BMI Calculator for children and teens (there is a different one for adults)

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/

Labels: Percentile Ranking:

Underweight : less than 5^th percentile
Healthy weight: 5^th percentile to less than the 85^th percentile
Overweight: 85^th percentile to less than the 95^th percentile
Obese: 95^th percentile or greater

In my naïve and non-technical opinion, I think a healthy weight is reached when a person feels good, looks good, and receives positive feedback from doctors on routine physicals.

So what is your definition of “healthy weight”?

Stay tuned for future articles on this topic:

Article 2: Lunch Comparison

Article 3: Legislative Response

Article 4: Plan for Attack

Article 5: Nutrition The Grove School way

Calling All 12-18 Month Old Children (and their parents)!

Wendy DeSpain | July 15, 2010 | Comment

We are proud to offer a Mommy and Me program in Plano for 12-18 month old children and their parents. Starting August 16, parents and their child can come to The Grove School for an hour and half of learning, playing, and growing together. We will provide an activity rooted in discovery learning that is reflective of the Early Preschool curriculum, an Outdoor Grove experience, and a healthy, organic snack. We look forward to supporting nurturing and educational relationships betwen parents and children; this bond instills confidence and inspires cognitive growth. Give us a call to join!

Note from Ms. Opal, Preschool Master Teacher

Opal Coleman | July 12, 2010 | Comment

The Grove School of Plano is going on a Desert Exploration; looking for desert cactus, animals and how they survive in the heat. Come and check us out but be prepared for the heat. The Class in room #1, at the Grove School of Plano.

Inside the Summer Program: Outside My Window

Linda Nelson | March 4, 2010 | Comment

This is the sixth and final article in a series about The Grove School Summer Program. The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. Learn more about the program.

Outside My Window
After learning about the Earth’s five biomes — deserts, forests, grasslands, tundras, and aquatic — this unit introduces children to ways of caring for and preserving our planet. The dramatic play center will become a recycling center filled with a variety of materials for children to discover, explore and dispose of in the appropriate recycling bins.

Literacy activities include making nature booklets and writing a class letter to the Earth. In small-group science activities, children will experiment with Earth-friendly energy sources such as the wind, and even plant their own marigold seeds.

What We’ll Read
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Rozanne Lanczak Williams

This book introduces the concept of recycling to children in a format they will enjoy — a song! Each page of the book contains a line of the song and shows how simple items children use every day can be reduced, reused, and recycled. Children learn how they can work together to perform the very important task of taking care of the Earth.

Culminating Event — School Cleanup

In this final unit’s event, children will put what they have learned about caring for the Earth into practice as they participate in a school-wide cleanup effort. Children will also help sort recyclable materials in the classroom recycling center to be taken to a real recycling center. Children will learn an ecology pledge encouraging them to continue to help take care of our special planet.

Linda is a program development senior specialist and holds a master's degree in Early Childhood Education. She loves the fact that The Grove School curriculum and learning environments help children take care of themselves, one another and the natural world.

Keywords: early childhood education, ecology, Grove School, Outside My Window, Summer Program

Inside the Summer Program: Arctic Adventures

Linda Nelson | March 2, 2010 | Comment

This is the fifth article in a series about The Grove School Summer Program. The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. Learn more about the program.

Arctic Adventures
During this unit children will have many opportunities to learn about the frigid climates of the Arctic and Antarctic tundras. They will discover how animals are able to survive the harsh tundra weather through large-group discussions such as How Tundra Animals Stay Warm. Children will practice fine-motor skills as they write or draw pictures in their journals of an imaginary journey as a polar bear. Math skills will be expanded on as children sort items in ice-cube trays and measure ingredients for sugar cookies.

What We’ll Read
The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins

At the very bottom of the world, in a place called Antarctica, the Emperor penguins rule. In his book The Emperor’s Egg, Martin Jenkins describes the life of the world’s most devoted father: the male Emperor penguin. Children will be amazed to hear how he stands in the cold for two whole months with nothing to eat, all while balancing his baby’s egg on his feet and keeping it warm by tucking it up under his thick tummy feathers.

The Emperor’s Egg is a fun, fact-filled book sure to capture every child’s interest during the two-week unit about the frozen tundras.

Culminating Event — Arctic Games

The culminating event for the unit Arctic Adventures will find children slipping, sliding, and sledding in their own Arctic Games! Children will work together to learn fun winter games such as the Dogsled Race and the Penguin Snowball Pass, which they will play during the Arctic Games.

Keywords: Arctic Adventures, early childhood education, ecology, Grove School, Summer Program

Inside the Summer Program: Under the Sea

Linda Nelson | February 26, 2010 | Comment

This is the fourth article in a series about The Grove School Summer Program. The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. Learn more about the program.

Under the Sea
This unit is awash with fun opportunities for your child to learn about the water biome. Large-group discussions include differences between saltwater and fresh-water bodies of water, whether or not water animals make good pets, and fun fish facts. Since many children are fascinated by sea creatures, they will have fun practicing measurement concepts in activities such as How Big Are Whales? Science concepts will also be introduced in water-related activities such as testing objects that sink and float, and experimenting with funnels. Throughout the two-week unit, children will have many opportunities to explore an under-the-sea environment — complete with treasure chest! — in the dramatic play center.

What We’ll Read
The Ocean Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta

“A is for Atlantic Ocean…B is for Bluefish….” In The Ocean Alphabet Book, children are invited to come along on an alphabetical journey through the North Atlantic Ocean. While having fun identifying different sea life from A to Z, children are also making connections between letters and their sounds. Each page answers ocean-related questions and gives fascinating details about sea life.The book’s watercolor illustrations in ocean-color hues of blues and greens are inviting elements for readers of all ages.

Culminating Event — Water Day

Splish! Splash! Sploosh! The Water Day event at the end of this unit is sure to provide wet and wacky fun for all. During this event, children will demonstrate different water-related activities they have enjoyed over the past two weeks. Will this object sink or float? Let’s test it! Let’s make bubbles with our hands! Here’s how!

Keywords: early childhood education, Grove School, Summer Program, Under the Sea

Inside the Summer Program: Where the Green Grass Grows

Linda Nelson | February 25, 2010 | Comment

This is the third article in a series about The Grove School Summer Program. The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. Learn more about the program.

Where the Green Grass Grows

During this unit children will have fun learning about different grassland environments and the wonderful animals that live in the grasslands through a variety of small-group and large-group activities. For example, children will draw pictures of and practice writing about an imaginary walk in the grasslands in their journals.

They will also explore measurement in the activity The Length of a Giraffe’s Neck, and graphing and patterning in the activity Animal-Coat Patterns.

What We’ll Read
We All Went on Safari — A Counting Journey Through Tanzania by Laurie Krebs

This delightful book by Laurie Krebs takes children on an exciting counting adventure through the grasslands of Tanzania. As children help count the animals from one to ten that they encounter during their Tanzanian journey, they also learn how to count from one to ten in Swahili. Informative and entertaining, We All Went on Safari — A Counting Journey Through Tanzania is a book children will delight in hearing again and again.

Culminating Event — Wildlife Safari

To celebrate the end of this unit, children will have opportunities to express their creativity by making their own animal masks. They will also be encouraged to wear their masks during the event and pretend to be the safari animals their masks represent.

Keywords: ecology, Grove School, Summer Program

Inside the Summer Program: Bees, Trees and Me

Linda Nelson | February 24, 2010 | Comment (1)

This is the second article in a series about The Grove School Summer Program. The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. Learn more about the program.

Bees, Trees, and Me

During this unit, children will learn about rain forests and boreal forests. The classroom environment is filled with pictures and objects representing each type of forest, allowing children to gain a better understanding of the greatness and wonders of forests and forest environments. Creating books and writing in their journals about forest adventures will further children’s abilities to recognize letters and their sounds and give them practice with fine-motor skills. Children will also participate in measurement, sorting, and patterning activities that will enhance their mathematical thinking.

What We’ll Read
The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer

The Salamander Room is a beautifully illustrated book showing the importance of the forest environment to the life of a little salamander. With imagination and care, a young boy transforms his bedroom into a forest home good enough for any salamander. As the story unfolds, the boy’s mother asks him how he will accommodate the needs of the salamander and the other forest animals, revealing the intricacies of boreal forests and the myriad of animals who depend on forests to survive.

With its wondrous forest scenes in glowing, woodsy hues, The Salamander Room is sure to captivate children’s imagination and inspire them to learn more about forests and the creatures who live within them.

Culminating Event — Campfire
Some preschool-age children have already experienced the thrill of sitting around campfires with family and friends. For this unit’s culminating event, children will participate in a pretend campfire experience. Children will work together to create paper logs and paper fire for the “centerpiece” campfire. They will also sing camp songs and eat trail mix they have made themselves.