I have spoken about the importance of proper gear and emphasized preparedness because appropriate clothing really is one of the most important items/topics a forest and nature school student needs to be safe and comfortable when outdoors.  Ultimately this means staying dry and warm throughout daily activities, however, even with all the right gear, children can still get cold, and a cold child, is a whiney child.  It happens to the best of us and while there are a number of ways to keep warm, one tip that I find most effective is to KEEP. MOVING.

Movement is a natural language in most preschool bodies and for the most part is strongly encouraged in our classroom - indoors and out.

When we move our bodies, we generate energy, which creates heat that gets trapped under our gear and helps us feel warm.  This is easier said than done and most little ones, even our busiest and wiggliest, may struggle because they have a hard time moving around all bundled up, which then tires them out.  When the children start standing around, it's only a matter of time before they start feeling cold.

In this video, we got ourselves moving by singing one of our favourite GoNoodle songs, Purple Stew.

See a pencil, pick-up the pencil, hold the pencil, then move the pencil - that's all writing is right?  Easy peesy?  Well, not so much.  There is a whole bunch of skills and steps leading up and inbetween that need to be considered and one big suggestion I can provide is to first - cut your preschooler a break.  Writing is hard work, especially if your expectations are not in line with where your kiddo is at developmentally.

In preschool, my main focus is on what early year education calls, "readiness" skills, and in this case, were talking about "pre-writing skills."  In K4, I see everything!  I'm constantly observing and taking note of the children, their interests, and progress, and using that info to challenge them. 

"Writing" at this age is great and does happen, some can write their names or make letters, but writing should not just be seen as a means to an end.  It's the journey baby and any form of "mark making" is acceptable, encouraged, and praised.  You may see scribbles or a messy colourer, but us educators see the beginnings of the next big deal.

Writing isn't just something we do with our hands - it's a whole body experience - we do it with our mind, heart, and with a core of steal.  It's all connected and so in K4, before we "write," we must climb and winter play provides the perfect conditions and whole body workout needed to strengthen our littlest scholars. 

Balance and coordination ---> hand-eye coordination ---> body awareness ---> muscular strength & endurance ---> postural control ---> etc.

With that said, encourage play, get those kiddos outside, and they'll be writing those manifestos before you know it. 

But first, lets give them something to write about.

No one can resist a puddle. 

Storm was been with us since week 1 and he was grown soooo much.  Day after day, we would outside, and Storm would watch the other children run and jump in all the puddles they could find, but this day, something changed - he was finally ready to take his turn.

Playing in puddles is a great activity to investigate concepts like floating and sinking, and measuring depth.  It's also an awesome physical workout because it helps improve balance, gets that heart pumping, and can help improve sleep.