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What has the Olive class been up to?

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 You're probably wondering why we have not posted as many blogs as we usually do... and there's a very good reason. It's the preparations for Passover!! Over the course of the next few days, gifts will be sent home with your child and there will be an extra special treat sent to you electronically.  More importantly, the children have been learning the Passover story ("a long time ago in the country of Egypt"), and many if not all of them can tell you the story word for word.  Some questions you can ask your child: "Who found Baby Moshe in the River Nile?" "What tools did the slaves use?" "When Moshe ran away, what did he become?" "Hashem told Moshe to tell Pharoah to Let My People ___" "What plague did Pharaoh find when he woke from his bed?" "What did Hashem do to the Red Sea?" I forget sometimes that our children are only 2 & still new to the world... they have the most wonderful cognitive skills a...
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Teething & Sleep Regression ... Again

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 Just when you thought it was over; we have another round of teething and not sleeping through the night with our 2 to 3-year-olds.  And it's completely normal.   Let's start with the teething.  These kiddos are getting their very back molars... in order to grind up that delicious food, smile, and talk. Imagine the whole "saying CHEEEESE" thing without setting your molars on each other. It may be why some toddlers have that goofy grin at times.... they have a hollow space in their back gums.  All teething, especially this kind where the teeth are large but their mouths are small, can be painful. Sleeping is probably not on the agenda if they are in pain. Something to chew on (like a toothbrush or a long teether), pain reliever, and a great deal of snuggles help. In addition... there is a 2.5-year-old sleep regression.   Why?  Well, they are growing, becoming more independent, realizing a little more how the world works.  And that can lea...
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The Countdown Begins-

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 Can you believe that we have less than 40 actual school days left? Whew, we still have a whole lot of fun to have, though. Here are a few things that we have in the works: We will spend quite a bit of time cleaning up over the next week or so- don't worry though, there will not be any harsh cleaning products, but kiddos may get wet and thus come home in changed clothes. After Passover, we are looking forward to doing some gardening, and then a class playdate in the garden (date: unconfirmed). We are also looking to do a few sensory days that will involve water/soap/watercolors. We will wait until it is warm enough to do this outside and give some heads up if we're worried about clothing. We expect our final units to include vibration, and magnetics- which will include a final family gift for the year.  Lastly, we plan to chalk, bubble, and play the end of the year away- outside as much as possible. If you feel like it would be beneficial, please be sure to cover your tiny per...
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Big Movements = Gross Motor Day

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 Today, we were surprised to find new equipment added to our playground. This started a whole playscape including jumping, pretending, and taking turns.  While gross motor play has well documented positive effects on the physical body, what is often overlooked is the impact of gross motor play in the brain. We sometimes forget that gross motor isn't just "oh, they can control their ankles on purpose now..." it is actually "the neurons in their brains have just connected, and now they can intentionally control their ankles!"  Gross motor play is an exterior presentation of lots and lots on inside-the-brain changes, too.  Please enjoy some photos of the littles developing... and jumping...... -Shelby
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