...No matter how small

Here at Green Apple Lower, August has been all about celebrating the theme of Community.  What's great about exploring such a broad, open-ended topic is that while there are certainly a few key checkpoints all of our class groups plan on investigating, there is also plenty of room to tailor materials and activities for each individual age and developmental level. 

For the Pips, one of the most relevant messages that has emerged during our community studies is the idea of small but mighty.  So often, the skills of these littlest friends of Green Apple go overlooked by their older toddler and preschooler counterparts; it is not unusual to hear an older child remark on what a baby canNOT do or what a baby shouldNOT have to play with.  

​And who can blame them, really?  On the daily, children receive messages from their worlds like "When you are big you'll be able to do.........." or "You/He/She's too little for.........."  There is nothing inherently wrong with expressing safety, or motivating a child to practice and master a new skill.  The trouble lies in children not seeing the beautiful abilities they possess where they are at in the here and now.

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​In response, we infant teachers try to infuse the language we use with the Pips and their friends with great intention.  We focus on messages of specific praise, such as "Wow, you stood up on your own for almost ten seconds!  You were not able to do that last week, and now you can!  Your legs and balance must be getting so strong."  

​We give the babies room to be independent and appropriately frustrated, because we know that with challenge comes problem-solving.  We make sure that curious toddler and preschool friends hear these words when they're around the Pips, and encourage them to allow the babies to do the things they know how to do.  We do our best to celebrate the skills and languages that these small but mighty friends do​ have.

Most importantly, we know that these messages have impacts that stretch far beyond the realm of early childhood.   There seems to be a pattern in the world where bigger equates to better, and small voices get squashed simply because they are small, even when the words they have to share are important.  Through the work we do with the Pips  we hope to empower children to believe in themselves and those around them, not because someone is bigger or louder, but because everybody counts in community.