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Get Outside & Play!
Spring is so close! Flowers are starting to bloom, days are getting longer, and everyone is antsy to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. It's natural to feel connected to nature, and it is good for growing children too.
Spending time outdoors prepares a young mind for learning indoors. Seeing a bird soaring through the air or feeling new leaves on trees creates questions like, "How do birds fly?" and "Why do trees have leaves?" This is how children discover the world around them and figure out their place in it. You don't even have to know the answers to all their questions! Ask them:
- How many different shapes of leaves can you find?
- What colors do you see?
- How are those bugs moving?
- What do you like most about nature?
Encourage the sense of wonder in your children and watch them grow.
Outdoor play is also a great place for children to explore "big body play." According to NAEYC, "big body play is the very physical, vigorous, boisterous, and sometimes bone-jarring play style many children love and crave." It helps children learn about their physical space and how their bodies work. Children are also calmer for longer after they have played this way.
Your instinct may be to try and stop big body play because it looks rough or unsafe. If you supervise closely and set ground rules, you can support this type of play. Children all over the world play this way, and the quickest way to tell if they are okay is watching their expressions for smiles :)
What are you waiting for? Get outside and play!
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Taking Literacy Outdoors
Children are naturally curious - and the outdoors is filled with opportunities for exploration and discovery! Some ideas for incorporating literacy into the outdoors are:
- Make a special bag for your child with "explorer tools." Household items such as a small shovel, a magnifying glass, child tweezers, and small containers for saving treasures will be useful.
- Ask your child to tell you about their discoveries. Write it down like a story that you can read together over and over again. Include writing tools in your child's special bag so they can draw pictures to go with the stories.
- Take books outside to read. Non-fiction books that have pictures to identify insects or stones that are found are a great addition to their exploration kit.
- Find smooth stones and paint a letter on each one. Place the ABC stones at random places outside. Older preschoolers will enjoy finding the stones that have the letters of their name and gathering them as they find them.
Source:
WAKE Up and Read
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Readers' Corner
Featured Book: This Beautiful Day
Written by: Richard Jackson; Illustrated by: Suzy Lee
Highlights: Undaunted by the rainy weather, three children take their happiness outside and seem to chase the clouds away as they jump, skip, and dance together.
Best for: Pre-K, ages 3-5
Links: Through talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing, Every Child Ready to Read Storytimes at Wake County Public Libraries help your child get ready to learn to read. This nationally recognized program supports parents helping their children learn early literacy skills. Visit your local library to learn more and attend Storytimes!
Literacy Tip: Incorporating new words into your child's vocabulary can be fun and easy when you play a game of I Spy on a family walk!
March's book selected by the Preschool Librarians of Wake County Public Libraries.
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Wake County SmartStart
(919) 851-9550
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Building Blocks
A newsletter about early childhood in Wake County
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Want FREE books for your child under 5? Sign up for the Imagination Library today!
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Each month we celebrate the child care facilities that have recently obtained or retained a five star rating!
Congratulations to:
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Snack Time
Outdoor Picnic
Take your food back to its roots! Picnics can be a great way to share a meal together and also spend time outside.
You can pack your typical foods or make travel-friendly sandwiches and snacks. You can eat at a park or just on your porch or backyard. Savor the time enjoying the great outdoors with your family!
Check out recipes & more on our Pinterest Boards.
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Training
Visit CCSA's training calendar for all upcoming events.
Emergency Preparedness & Response in Child Care Training
March 13 & March 27, 6:30 - 9pm
Heather Park Child Development Center
To register, click here.
Increasing Quality Using the ITERS-R: Today & Everyday
March 19, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Wake County SmartStart
To register, click here.
Creating a Professional Development Plan
March 22, 6:30 - 8:30pm
CCSA Durham
To register, click here.
Bodies & Potties: Body Consciousness & Potty Training for Infants & Toddlers
April 2, 6:30 - 8:30pm
CCSA Durham
To register, click here.
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Nature Color Hunt
Nature is full of color - let's make it into a game!
Pick any of the colors of the rainbow, and make a scavenger hunt to try and find them all in nature! You can have a "home base" to take your items, or just find them and name their color. The outdoors is your playing field!
To see an example of a nature color hunt, click here.
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Facebook Update!
Do you follow Wake County SmartStart on Facebook? If you have noticed changes in your newsfeed, you can follow these simple steps to make sure WCSS is there with all the early childhood updates you need!
- Click here to go to WCSS on Facebook and make sure you have "liked" our page.
- Next to the "Like" button, you will see a "Following" button.
- Click or hover your cursor over it, and select "See First."
- You're done! You will now see all the WCSS news & updates in your newsfeed.
New followers can find us here on Facebook and at @WakeSmartStart on Twitter!
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