Montessori Moms: Planting the Seeds of Growth

Spring time might actually be a more stressful time for 4 and 5 year old children than Christmas time. The Spring brings new life to the outdoors and with that comes daylight savings time, sports, later nights outside playing and Kindergarten registration.  All this leads the way to very tired children. Lets start with the outdoors.  All winter we have been couped up inside tying to find a creative way to release their energy.  We are able to get outside for a bit some days but the children are typically so bundled up they can barely move much less run around.  Now comes the warmer days.  You are going on bike rides, playing at the park, running in the backyard.  You can stay out for 2,3,4 hours without getting frost bite.  We are tiring our children out with fresh air and exercise.  It is still light out at 8 PM. They don't want to go to bed when it's light out and either do we! For some 4 and 5 year olds this is their first chance to play organized sports (soccer, T ball

Lunch Time Success Lunch at school can be a stressful time especially when it is a child’s first time eating a meal away from Mom and Dad.  As parents our tendency is to “help” them aim for success but sometimes that help leads to stress when your child does not have practice making mealtime decisions or know how to open containers, eat a sandwich etc.   As many of our students are getting ready to move on to their next educational milestone we wanted to touch upon this to help prepare both parents and students. Below are some tips to help with lunch time success.  Children heading to Kindergarten or first grade in the fall should be able independently accomplish these tasks. Pack food your child likes.  Even if it is the same every day! Don’t overpack worrying they will be hungry.  Maybe pack 1 extra item, however you know how much your child typically  eats and you should pack accordingly. Make sure to follow the school rules regarding allergies.  Your child ma