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  • Home
  • About
    • Our COVID-19 Response
    • Our Curriculum
    • Our Team
    • Our Nonprofit
    • Our Families
  • Programs
    • School Calendar
    • Lower School
    • Upper School
    • Apple Scouts
  • Enrollment
    • Our Process
    • Scholarship Information
    • Forms and Policies
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Gallery
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Sponsor

Benefits of Muddy and Messy Play

6/21/2017

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Hello Green Apple Families,
We are busy gearing up for a muddy and messy week in celebration of International Mud Day! Although messy play is already an integral part of Green Apple, things are about to get even muddier.  As you pick up your even messier than usual child, you may be asking yourself “What are they getting out of this?”. Besides the fact that many children thoroughly enjoy covering their body in mud or paint, there are several cognitive and developmental benefits to messy play.
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A study done by the University of Iowa found that children engaged in messy play had a 70% chance of retaining the names of a non-solid material whereas only 50% of children who did not engage in messy play were able to later identify the materials. Children obtain information through tactile experiences. They gather more data by touching, grabbing, smearing, and even tasting.
Scooping, measuring, and pouring sand in a bucket offers opportunity for measuring, evaluating space, and assessing quantity.Along with building spacial orientation, fine motor skills, sensory development, and math skills, messy play also aids problem solving strategies.  Mixing colors encourages reasoning and problem solving when children are trying to achieve a specific color. Playing with foods presents a variety of textures, tastes, and smells to expand the child’s sensory experiences and the vocabulary they have to describe those experiences.
One of the most important parts of messy play is the act of self expression. Through the process of changing or manipulating a raw material the child is developing ownership of it. A piece of paper becomes “their art” when they coat it in market, paint, or another medium. Clay is just clay until they sculpt it into their own work of art. Covering their body in paint is their way to interact and communicate with the world around them.
As the weather gets warmer and we offer many new sensory and art mediums such as mud-paints, play-dough, water-table goo, and other squishy, slimy, gooey, messy mediums inevitable ending up on your child, just imagine all amazing skills they are obtaining from such messy play. After all play is their work and what gives them important social, practical, emotional, and intellectual tools for life.
 
 
https://now.uiowa.edu/2013/12/messy-children-make-better-learners

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Learning From One Another Through Play

6/21/2017

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   There was once a time at the lower school when the teachers would decide the theme children would learn about, most often based on the time of year. The lessons were created around this theme and at the month's end it would be over. A new study area would begin the following month. With the older preschoolers we used what is called emergent curriculum. Where teachers are pulling out pieces of information from listening and watching their play to determine the study area. After discussions about why we didn't do this with the infants and young toddlers and how could we do it successfully, we decided it would be the most honorable act towards these children to foster their learning and growing through applying this emergent philosophy. 
    Now, at the lower school each classroom no matter what the age is submerged into their area of study for a month or more at a time. Teachers are reflecting on the work they see and hear to explore deeper with their children. Being able to learn with one another as well as from one another is a powerful experience. No matter what the age of the child, there is always something one can learn. Often when a teacher sets an invitation out for children, they are surprised at the new ways the kids discover to use the materials or the direction the investigation takes. These are the moments that need to be supported and allowed to grow. It is during this play they are learning skills that will strengthen who they are and what they believe they are capable of in the world. 


"What children learn does not follow as an automatic result from what is taught, rather, it is in large part due to the children’s own doing, as a consequence of their activities and our resources. Creativity seems to emerge from multiple experiences, coupled with a well-supported development of personal resources, including a sense of freedom to venture beyond the known." 
—Loris Malaguzzi, The Hundred Languages of Children




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2017 so far…January: light/shadow,                            February: friendship, and March: spring

4/11/2017

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The transformation of a new year can bring new hope, inspiration, and excitement for the unknown, the possibilities, and the potential of what is to come. We start the year exploring light and shadows. We celebrate the light with a festival. It is a symbol for the positive nature the warmth of brightness shines onto all things. Children create lanterns to hold their light as they walk snow covered pathways. We sing songs together to strengthen our bond as a community. Indoors the children explore a rope light and place different objects on a light table to observe how the light shines through. 
   Discovering the layers of friendship, the Sprouts are encouraged to dig deeper what is means to be a friend, who is a friend, and what a friend does. We take turns creating together, playing games, and nourishing our environment. We sewed a quilt together, each friend designing a square to contribute to the warmth the quilt would create around a friend’s shoulders or lap. Everyone enjoys reading through our book of friends and naming each person in the class as the pages are turned. 
   With a new year brings new growth for the body, mind, and our garden! The Sprouts dug their hands into the soil to help start our seeds. The food we grow will help nourish us in our work and play. Together we water our seedlings with spray bottles and practice our fine motor strength. We are looking forward to the journey of caring for and watching our plants grow through the coming season. 
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Liberation through spontaneity

2/23/2017

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As you may have noticed, many who enter the field of “teaching” tend to be organized, prepared, and structured by nature. We tend to like our routines; clinging to our lesson plans and resisting any deviation from the schedule. “Children need consistency and routine!” which is true, but lets face it… so do adults. It makes us feel more secure and gives the illusion that we have control over what the day holds.
Life rarely goes as planned and often throws wrenches in our carefully placed gears. Whether it is an unexpected thunderstorm, late bus, or even spilled oatmeal, it can set an ominous tune to the day. Working with children exemplifies the odds of plans being derailed. At Green Apple, we not only learn to roll with it, we learn to embrace it. One of the most important lessons I have learned working with children is to let go of my plans or preconceived notions and observe the situation for what it’s potential is.
A few weeks ago we had a stormy morning that halted our plan of going outside. I carefully prepared invitations for my group based on our theme and eagerly waited for the children to jump into them. I watched as they bypassed the feathers, beads, and magnets and headed straight for the dolls. They then proceeded to crawl under the tables acting out a “family” and adding picnic supplies to their collection.
My instinct was to redirect them out from under the tables and try to spark their interest in what I had set out. Instead I observed. I watched as they ducked in and out bumping their heads but not minding as the created a secret place only they could fit. Ah Ha!
I grabbed a blanket, the extra pillows, and some tacks and headed to a corner. Intrigued the group soon followed. We quickly assembled a blanket fort and they took over. Soon there were 8 little bodies bobbing in and out with dolls, pillows, and pretend food completely immersed in their own world. This engagement continued the entire morning and again in the afternoon as my carefully planned invitations sat untouched on the tables.
Instead of being discouraged at the failed attempt to perceive their interests, I realized that I had projected my own enjoyment of loose parts onto the group and was glad I could let go of that and find what the children were really intrigued with. I was able to read into their actions and act accordingly; embracing spontaneity. It reminds me to be flexible and ready to switch whatever I had in mind as it may lead to a more valuable experience. Not being able to go outside felt at first like a disappointment but revealed a possible new theme.
I encourage you, as hard as it might be, to enjoy the possibilities and not to get held up on plans. Life throws countless obstacles at us each day and often gives new opportunities. You never know what you or your family might gain from those surprises; whether it be a new route to school, a chance to practice autonomy and independence, or even an unexpected new interest.

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Homesteading in the Early Years: What?  Why?

1/17/2017

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O
ne of our many key missions here at Green Apple is to encourage children and adults alike to engage in a lifestyle of self-sufficiency, or as we like to call it, homesteading!  Homesteading is all about living more self-reliantly, in which people move “back to the land” to engage in tasks like making their own household items, growing or raising their own foods, creating their own clothing, and the like. In more recent times, as people start to think more seriously about renewable energy and move away from mass consumerism, homesteading has become something of a modern movement for a greener, more conscious world.
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​In many ways, homesteading as an act represents a "radically peaceful" form of protest, sending the message that life does not have to be dictated by a consumerist culture, one in which personal gain and profit are considered more important than quality and global citizenship.  To homestead is to say, "NO.  I choose not to be dependent on market manipulation.  I choose to care about collaborating with those in my community, and stand together with fellow farmers, gardeners, textile artists, soap-makers, etc.  I choose to care about the global community, and take steps to reduce overconsumption and restore balance, particularly in areas where the desperation of people's situations is capitalized upon.  I choose to be AWAKE."
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​All of which gets at the greater core of why we at Green Apple choose to homestead with the children in our care.  It is not just to pass the time by on a wintry day when we're stuck inside.  It is not just because homesteading projects indeed touch upon so many academic learning areas, such as fine motor skills, concepts of measurement, scientific inquiry, the list goes on!  It is because homesteading is a way for us to engage very young children in being part of a much needed change.  We seek to sensitize this future generation to the world around them, a world that is very much going to require the kind of ingenuity and resiliency that homesteading supports, and fearless condemnation of actions that directly oppose peace.

Please take a moment to read over the following articles on the importance of self-sufficiency and steps to take to become more self-sufficient here and here.  

Then, check out one of our favorite baking recipes for tortillas below.  The recipe easily doubles or triples to yield enough for a large crew.  In the winter, we like to eat these tortillas with roasted fruit and a little bit of cinnamon mixed in the dough.  In the summer, they taste wonderful with harvested herbs and tomatoes from our own school gardens!

​Vegan Whole  Grain Flour Tortillas courtesy of 'Hurry the Food Up'

Ingredients
  • 1 cup of whole grain flour
  • 2 Tbsp. olive or coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • couple dashes of salt
  • extra flour for rolling surface

Directions:
  • Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and shape into a big lump
  • Divide dough lump into four small lumps
  • Roll out each small lump into a flat circle, flouring your surface when needed
  • Cook each flat tortilla in an UNGREASED pan on med-high heat for about 45 seconds on each side, or until brown spots form
  • Top with favorite sweet or savory ingredients, and enjoy!
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Recipe for a perfect Snow Day

12/12/2016

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​One falling of perfect white snow...

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A wardrobe of poofy gear...

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The perfect snowball...
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...then head in for a nice post-snowball fight massage!

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Maybe do a little handiwork...

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...or build a cozy blanket fort!

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End the day with a warm, snuggly nap, complete with visions of sugar plums!

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Next Stop: Toddler Town

12/12/2016

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​As we move into the chilly winter months, with our fast-growing Pips holed up inside together more often, we want to send you all some helpful information about the challenging behaviors we anticipate for our toddler and pre-toddler friends. 
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Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, is to remember that actions such as hitting, kicking, and biting are 100% normal for children at this stage in their development.  As children grow in their gross motor skills, as well as in their social interactions with peers, it is completely typical to see them experimenting with becoming more physical with their friends.  Often, this is an exploration of their strength and their bodies' abilities -"What will happen if I push this friend, and do I have the strength to?  What will my friend's reaction be if I take this toy out of their hands?"  Other times, children's physical actions signal a need or a message that they are trying to communicate: "I dont' feel safe with this person near me and I want space!  I was using that toy and I want it back in my hands!  That friend is really loud and it hurts my ears, and maybe if I hit them they will stop!"  Rest assured, the physical action is stemming from a curiosity or powerful emotion, and that children are not "being mean".
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​With that being said, it can be alarming and frustrating to see these sorts of actions increase in your child, and sometimes it's hard knowing what to do.  At Green Apple, we look at the actions with a question in mind: "What is the message this child is trying to send me?"  Sometimes, the message is that "I'm hungry" or "I'm tired."  Other times, the message is "I'm exploring my physical strength, and I need you to give me a safer way of doing so."  For example, if a friend is pushing other friends down, we might give them a wagon full of heavy rocks or logs to push.  Perhaps the most frustrating message from an adult perspective is when a friend is telling us, "I am exploring where the boundaries are, and I need you to keep showing them to me."  We see this when a child continues to make an unsafe choice, and it's helpful to think at it from a standpoint of "This child needs me to keep the boundary for them so he knows that the same expectation holds true in this space each time, and he can feel safe and secure."   
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​In these situations, we always comfort and soothe a child who may have been hurt, and involve the friend who was physical in that process, such as coming with us to the kitchen to get an icepack, and having them nearby as we check on the hurt friend so they can see the empathy we are modeling.  In other situations, we may let two friends explore being physical with one another if they are not hurting each other, and stay nearby to step in with gentle guidance if it is needed.  We hesitate to intervene too early on, because so often these young friends surprise us with their own conflict resolution skills.
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We encourage you to support your toddlers during these hard times, with the understanding that this is normal, and that it's healthier to think more along the lines of "How can I help my child process these physical feelings?" instead of "I NEED to get them to stop hitting/etc.!"  
I'll end this message with a couple of great resources from Hand in Hand parenting, a website chock full of tools related to peaceful parenting and nonviolent communication.  

http://www.handinhandparenting.org/article/what-to-do-when-toddlers-bite/
http://www.handinhandparenting.org/article/when-your-toddler-hits-you/

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Sapling Exploration of Gems

10/27/2016

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 As we observed our Sapling friends playing and exploring their surroundings, we continued to see and hear themes surrounding "gems" appear. We saw friends playing with them in the fairy garden. We watched on as friends made mosaics and patterns out of gems. We noticed friends unpacking heavy themes, such as, who can play with gems; boys or girls or both? We observed friends talking about them in regards to power and beauty in dramatic play.

With all that talk about gems, we decided to start a month-long adventure with gems. Here are some of the places this adventure took us...

Pictured below, are friends exploring gems through patterns, reflections, light refraction, reading, making gem slime, read-alouds, making crystals, exploring gem-like paints in water, and visiting the rock and mineral exhibit at a museum!
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Pips and Pumpkins (and Apples, oh my!)

10/18/2016

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I​t has been an oddly warm October week so far, but that hasn't stopped the Pips from immersing ourselves in all things autumnal!  Our October theme is Autumn Harvest, and one of our favorite ways to grow our early language skills and celebrate the season is through songs.  

In the infant and young toddler rooms, we sing all kinds of songs throughout the day to support tricky transitions and engage our friends, but we also practice a more organized circle time complete with theme-related songs and finger plays!  Incorporating movement and props with the songs helps these youngest friends make meaning of the language, in addition to strengthening coordination and getting energy out of their growing bodies!

Here are a few of our favorite pumpkin and apple songs that we've been singing together this month for speaking and listening circle...
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The Little Apple Seed -to the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"

I'll take a little apple seed
and put it in the ground
Down comes the soft rain
falling all around
Out comes the big sun,
bright as bright can be
And the little apple seed grows
​into an apple tree



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"Five Little Pumpkins" -to the rhythm of "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"

Five little pumpkins sittin' on a gate.
The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late!"
The second one said, "There's a chill in the air."
The third one said, "But we don't care!"
The fourth one said, "I'm ready for some fun"
So the fifth one said, "Let's run run RUN!"
Then whooooo went the wind
And *OUT* went the lights
And the five little pumpkins
rolled out of sight!

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"Once I Had a Pumpkin" -to the tune of "Did you Ever See a Lassie?

Once I had a pumpkin,
A pumpkin, a pumpkin.
Once I had a pumpkin
With no face at all.

With no eyes and no nose
And no mouth and no teeth.
Once I had a pumpkin
With no face at all.

So I made a jack'o'lantern,
jack'o'lantern, jack'o'lantern.
Oh I made a jack'o'lantern
With a big funny face.

With big eyes and a big nose
And a big mouth with big teeth.
Oh I made a jack'o'lantern
With a big funny face
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There is room for you

10/18/2016

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Please enjoy a poem written by one of our staff members, celebrating the sort of inclusive environment we hope to cultivate at Green Apple.
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"There is Room for You"
-loosely inspired by the Tagore poem of the same title

There is room for you here.

There is room
for the way you dress and
the way you move 
and the way you talk with your voice
and eyes
and hands.
There is room for who you are
and who you want to be.

There is room for the way you smile
and the way you laugh,
and there is room for your sadness too.
There is room for you to say that it is not okay
and that you need help.

There is room for you here.

There is room for the ones who love you,
room for the stories and hurts,
and room for healing.
There is room for the way you whisper
and the way you yell
and the way you say 
you need more room,
and there is room for you to get it.

There is room for you here.
This space is not too small.
The world is not too small.
There is room for you here.

There is room for you.

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    Welcome! Our blog is a collaborative space, curated by the teachers of Green Apple Garden. We hope you enjoy learning more about our philosophy, and the wonderful work we do with the children throughout the year. Looking forward to hearing from you!

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Green Apple Garden Playschools

Green Apple
Lower ​ (6 months - 3 years)                      Green Apple Upper (2.5-6 years)   
2664 Miller Rd.                                                                  511 Miller Rd.
734-773-3182                                                                   734-369-6563

galower@appleplayschools.org                                      gaupper@appleplayschools.org

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