Benefits of Outdoor Play in Winter

How many times were you told as a child to bundle up so you don't catch cold?  The truth is, cold weather does not cause illness.  Colds and flu are spread by viruses, and children are more likely to get sick if they are cooped up indoors all winter long!

Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services Section for Child Care Regulation requires:

A total of at least one (1) hour of outdoor play for children in attendance a full day unless prevented by weather or special medical reasons (Based on wind chill factor or heat index, children shall not be exposed to either extreme element.)

Check with your licensing representative for details on what qualifies as "extreme" weather.  As a general rule of thumb, if it's 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, your normal outdoor play routine should apply.  Here is a windchill/heat index chart published by the Iowa Department of Health to help determine whether it's safe to go outside for a full hour, for shorter periods of time, or if you shouldn't take children outside at all.

Daily outdoor play, even in chilly weather, has many benefits for children.  Gross motor activities, most easily done through outdoor play, are the best way to prevent obesity.  Plenty of outdoor play can also have a big impact on the number of challenging behaviors experienced in child care programs.  A simple change of environment can be a great way to refresh the children and the adults!

Be sure children are dressed appropriately for the weather.  Dressing in layers is best, because layers can be taken off or added as needed.  Be sure families in your program know that outdoor play is a part of your schedule, and children should be sent to child care with coats, hats, mittens, boots, and other appropriate winter wear.  It's always a good idea to have a few spares on hand for children who left their coats at home.

For more information about safe outdoor play in the winter, check out this resource from the University of California.   

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Hot Chocolate Theme for Winter Months

We found some great ideas on the web that can be put together for a hot chocolate theme during these cold days.

www.teachpreschool.org suggests making fake cocoa mix and marshmallows using scraps of brown construction paper cut small and cotton balls. Fill your sensory table with the scraps of brown paper and some scissors, and let the children spend a few days practicing cutting skills to chop the pieces into small bits. Then create a cocoa making station using paper cups, plastic measuring spoons, and the “cocoa” and marshmallows.

The site also suggests using marshmallows as stamps in a painting activity. Marshmallows now come in extra large size, as well as the traditional mini and regular. You may even find other shapes in your grocery store. Set out a variety of marshmallows and white paint along with colored construction paper. Show children how to dip the marshmallow into the paint then stamp onto the paper.

foxtoybox.blogspot.com suggests using picture recipes to help children make real hot cocoa they can drink. This is a great opportunity to work on sequencing words like, first, next, and last. Children can measure the appropriate number of spoonfuls of cocoa into their cups, then measure the correct amount of warm (not hot!) water, then stir. Have children count as they add five mini marshmallows. Then use the experience as a writing or graphing prompt to record what children think about the cocoa.

Make hot chocolate play dough using this recipe from nurturestore.co.uk.

2 cups of water

1 1/2 cups of plain flour

1/2 cup of cocoa

1 cup of salt

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 1/2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

Stir up all the ingredients in a saucepan, over a low heat, until the dough forms. Allow the dough to cool before sharing with children. The dough looks and smells good enough to eat, so make sure the children understand this dough is only for playing.

Preschool Activities Promoting Thankfulness

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, you're probably looking for fun new ways to introduce the idea of thankfulness to the children in your child care program.  Here are a few neat ideas we recently found:

Thankful Placemats
Give children sheets of paper and ask them to draw pictures of people, places, or things they are thankful for.  You may need to explain what "thankful means."  A child friendly definition is, "you're happy you have this person/thing in your life."  With children's permission, you can write explanations on their drawings, naming the people, or jotting down what the child said about his artwork.  These placemats can then be laminated and used at meals and snacks during the week, then sent home before the holiday break so families can enjoy them.  Idea found at e.how.com.

I'm Thankful Each Day

This wonderful book by P.K. Hallinan could be left in your classroom library all year.  The simple words and illustrations can be understood by the youngest children in your classroom, and they promote being grateful for material and non-material blessings we each have in your lives.

Make a "I am Thankful For..."Book
There are many ways to make books in your classroom, whether individual books children can take home, or classroom books you'll leave in your library and share over and over.  Kinderplans.com has a free printable book about thankfulness that you can allow each child to personalize.

Gratitude Journals
Oprah Winfrey made journaling about five things we are grateful for each day a popular activity with many adults.  You can pass this practice along to children in simple ways.  They could be encouraged to draw or write in a journal each day about what makes them feel grateful.  Or, you could have children share ideas as a part of circle time each day.

Service Projects
As children express things they are thankful for, we can begin to teach them about helping others who may not have these things.  Encourage children to come up with ideas about how they could help others during the holiday season.  They might want to collect canned foods for a food pantry or practice a short program they could perform at a nursing home.  Follow their lead, and help them carry out the plans they'd like to pursue.

Rules, Rules, and Fewer Rules!

It is that time of year when many programs are in transition; new children are enrolling, some are moving to a different classroom, it is the beginning of a new school year. This is a great time to re-visit your classroom rules to see if they are working for both you and the children in your program.

The following are some general guidelines for rule-setting:

• Your rules should be limited to a few of the most important ones.
• The rules need to make sense to the children.
• Rules should be stated in positive terms (Be safe, walk inside).
• Rules should be short and easily repeated.
• Rules need to be appropriate for the ages and stages of the children in the group.
• Teach each rule to staff, children and families.

Whatever rules you decide are important, the children should be part of the process of setting those rules.  For example, you might choose three simple rules such as:

1. Take good care of yourself. 
2. Take good care of others.
3. Take good care of our school or classroom.

As part of your circle time or your morning meeting time, you can discuss each of the rules and find out what it means to each child.  “Taking care of yourself” might mean stay safe, walk inside, or hold the handrail.

“Taking good care of others” might mean using soft touches, or talking softly while inside.

And “taking good care of our classroom” can mean be careful with our toys or color only on the paper.

The children will come up with a lot of great ideas, and you can help them see how they fit under each of the simple rules. Then you can use the consistent language of the rules for each situation. “James, take care of yourself; sit on the swing.”

You will know your rules are working, when you do not have to continually remind the children about following them.

Written by: Barb Vigil, Early Childhood Specialist
Adapted from Child Care Plus+

Sunny Summer Fun!

The lazy days of summer are here, and we know you’re always looking for new ideas to keep the children cool and occupied during these warm weather months. You can find an abundance of activities, themes, and inspiration online. Here are a few things we recently found:


Invisible Beach Drawings

Give children white crayons and a large sheet of manila paper. Encourage children to draw beach or ocean themed artwork with the crayon then paint over the drawings using blue, green, and brown watercolors to create water and sand. This is a great way to use up those white crayons nobody wants to use, and the manila paper lets the white show just enough that children can see what they are drawing and be amazed at how the drawings show up under the water color.

Pass the Ice Cube

This game is played just like Hot Potato, except you use an ice cube! Try playing outdoors on a hot summer day. Have the children sit in a circle then instruct them to pass an ice cube around the circle while you play music. See who has the ice cube when the music stops, or see how many times you can pass it before it melts away.

Kool-aid Painting

Sprinkle unsweetened powdered drink mix in a variety of flavors on sheets of paper, then give the children ice cubes to move over the paper. The ice will melt, dissolving the drink mix and creating colorful designs. Plus it smells delicious! Be sure to wear smocks or old clothes, because it might stain.

Beachy Dramatic Play

Create a fun beach or swimming pool theme for your dramatic play area. Add beach towels, empty bottles of sunscreen, goggles, blow up toys, sunglasses, and big floppy hats.

Summer Quiet Place

For a fun, summery quiet space where children can read a book, calm down, or just be alone, set up a small plastic pool in the classroom. Try setting it up first as a cutting practice area, and provide scraps of blue and green construction or tissue paper. Let the children cut or tear the paper into little pieces, reminding them to keep the “water” in the swimming pool. Once the paper is shredded, use it as a sensory area where children can dig through the paper shreds using shovels, scoops, or their hands. In a few days, empty the pool and put in some beach towels and swim rings, and let children snuggle up with a book or soft toy.

Chalk Time

We’ve all given children sidewalk chalk to create with on warm days. You may have even had children “paint” the sidewalk with water and a large paintbrush on hot days. But have you ever combined the two? Dipping chalk in water before using it makes the colors more vibrant. Or let children draw with the chalk, then “erase” with the water. Try encouraging children to draw roads with the chalk then use toy cars on the roads.

Cool Sensory Play

Use your sensory table, or empty plastic tubs to explore ice cubes. Simply put the cubes in the tubs and provide your usual water play props. Or add to the experience by dropping food coloring in the ice cube trays before you freeze them. Children will enjoy watching the colors mix as the ice melts. You can also provide shakers of table salt, and show the children how the salt melts the ice. See if you can get the cubes to stick together using the salt!

Ball Painting

Hang a large piece of paper (or try an old, light colored sheet) on your fence outside. Give the children paper plates with some paint and a variety of soft, small balls. Have them dip the ball in the paint, then throw the ball at the canvas. Try nerf balls, koosh balls, golf balls, or whiffle balls and see what patterns the different balls make. Do this on a hot day, and let the kids wear swimsuits then run through sprinklers to wash off any paint.

Sources:

http://www.preschool-plan-it.com/

http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/

Child Care in America: 2012 Fact Sheets

Child Care Aware^® of America recently released its annual state-by state report on key child care data.  Child Care in America 2012 Fact Sheets provide information and statistics on working families, child care supply and demand, costs and other relevant child care data.

Some interesting facts for Missouri:

• Out of 678,384 total families with children, 124,899 families live in poverty.
• Average annual fees for full time infant care in a child care center in Missouri are $8,580. 
• This amounts to 39% of the median family income for single working mothers. 
• As a comparison, average annual cost for tuition and fees at a public in-state four-year college is $7,668. 

View or print the full 2012 Fact Sheet for Missouri here.

View or print the Fact Sheets for any other state or the District of Columbia here.