Moms’ Campfire Nights meets on the third Wednesday of the month at The Grapevine from 6-7:30pm.
Contact us for more information or give us a call.
Moms’ Campfire Nights
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Building a Bug Hotel!
Spring is finally here and in our Learning Vine nature based preschool we continue to observe the nature that is around us. If you are looking for some free fun, take your child outside and go searching for bugs, worms and other creatures. Children have a fascination about the natural world around them and love to explore. You can foster this curiosity by making your very own BUG HOTEL!
All you need is a shoe box. Cut some holes in the side of the box for air flow. If you have a scrap piece of mesh or screen you can tape that to the inside of the box to cover the holes while still allowing for air flow. If you want to prevent the bottom of your bug hotel from getting wet and soggy, place a piece of foil or other type of plastic material down on the bottom of the box. Then head outside and as you find creatures you can place them in the Bug Hotel, and observe them for a while and then let them go. Children love to collect dirt, leaves and other items to keep their creature happy while visiting the Bug Hotel.
So far the preschool children have found worms, salamanders, centipedes and beetles! If bugs aren’t your thing, try searching for budding trees and flowers.
Encourage your child to draw a picture of the creatures and plants they find. This can be the start of their very own nature journal. These simple activities strengthen your child’s fine motor skills as well as their creative thinking and observation skills.
You can also ask your child questions about the bugs and plants they find. For some additional fun, have your child name the creatures they find. Being outdoors with your child and exploring can be great fun!
Winter Nature Activities with Kids
This winter, in our Learning Vine outdoor based preschool, we have been focusing on observing the nature that is around us in the cold season. A lot can be done with a simple toilet paper roll! We take winter walks around our play yard and use our toilet paper roll as a single binocular to focus our eyes up toward the sky and look at what is up in the trees, as well as down on the ground.
If you are looking for some free fun for your child this winter, take them on a winter walk. When you return, older children can draw pictures or write about what they did outdoors on this walk.
It can also be fun to take your winter walk more than once and at different times of the day to notice the different animal activity you see. Look for signs of animal behavior, footprints in the snow, scat (animal poop) that is left behind and birds. We are very slow when we walk and as quiet as we can be so we can observe the animals and birds that may be around us without startling them away. Being outside in this way provides children with fresh air and the opportunity to be in stillness. They are strengthening their creative minds and their appreciation of nature by observing the winter animal behavior they see in their local environment.
Nature and its wonders can be enjoyed at any time of the year!
Getting Wet & Messy when it’s Wet & Messy!
By Amy Doyle, Learning Vine Preschool Director & Lead Teacher
As adults, not all of us are comfortable with the idea of being wet and dirty. Yet, young children often relish the chance to play with the many messy elements in nature. It provides them with the opportunity to get comfortable in all sorts of environments! At our Learning Vine outdoor based preschool, we see firsthand the joy that children take in being outside and messy. Here are some thoughts for parents and caregivers:
Don’t be afraid of the rain. Children LOVE to play in the rain, especially splashing in puddles!
If that’s a little too messy, fear not! You can still find so many ways to have fun in the rain with your children. With a little preparation and the right rain gear, you can make play time learning time too. Being outside in all types of weather helps children appreciate the natural world around them. Here are some great ways to enjoy the rain:
- Pop a raincoat on, or grab an umbrella and take a walk in the rain. Notice how the rain creates streams of water in your driveway and road.
- Become a rain collector! Take a bucket or other container and place it outside in the rain, and see how it fills up. You can even measure how much rain you’ve collected.
- Give shaving cream a try! Spray the shaving cream on any surface and have children drive matchbox cars through it, or draw pictures with their fingers. They can even practice writing their name! This will help strengthen their fine motor skills while having fun at the same time.
- Take out some kitchen utensils and make mud pies. Order up!
Resist the urge to keep those kiddos clean, let them revel in natural sensory play, as long as the conditions are safe. And remember, if you’re away from home, make sure to pack extra clothes!
Now, get out there, and get wet and messy!
Parents of Teens
If you are a parent to a teen, are you amazed at how things are so different nowadays?
Are you concerned about things like how to keep your teen safe and responsible using social media and other technology? Do you think about how to prepare your teen for life away from home?
One of the biggest challenges in raising a teen could be the fact that we were once teens ourselves. We may have memories of trying to fit in, being bullied, dealing with alcohol and drugs, relationships with our parents, and strong emotions that felt out of control. We can get all tied up with worries about what might happen to our teens based on what happened to us. Sometimes we make decisions about how we parent based on not wanting to do things like our parents did. No wonder this seems so hard!
Consider the following: What if you parented your teens based on what you value as a family? If truth is a family value then you can talk to your teen about truth and you model it yourself. What do you value for your family and how can that be a foundation for parenting? Listening is the key! There are a variety of opportunities to listen to your teens about their lives and what is important to them. Listening can be hard when we have so many ideas and life experiences that we think might help them. Listening supports our connection with them and also lets them know that we trust their ability to work through things that matter to them. Consider that if they are 16 years old, they could be living on their own by age 18 – either in their own apartment or in school. It is important to support their ability to solve their own problems and make well thought out decisions.
We often hear from parents that they love to connect with other parents who are facing the same challenges and learn from one another. Join us for Parents of Teens! for five virtual gatherings via Zoom on the second Wednesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 pm New starting date of October 19th. This program is FREE and topics will be chosen by the parents who attend.
Email info@grapevinenh.org or call 588-2620 to register.
On Going Back to School (whatever “school” looks like for your family)
By Grapevine Staff Member, Carol Lunan (Carol is our Director of Family Supports and Services and in addition to her role as parent, has been teaching and supporting children and families for a long time!)
When my children were young, thinking about going back to school tended to be complicated. I love summer, so it was always a challenge to let go. I enjoyed having less routine and doing whatever we wanted to do, like swimming, playing in the woods, kayaking… you know. But as school time approached my kids were usually ready to see their friends again and establish some routine in their days. These transitional times can hold so many different challenges and positive changes for everyone…. even if all of you have been doing it for years. As a parent, it can be hard to hold all of this at the same time. There are some things that I think are important to keep in mind as you prepare for this new season.
- Consider some things that help you and your children prepare and make the transition easier. Prepare a homework station with your child, buy school supplies, get haircuts, prepare for fall clothing. You probably do many of these things already. It helps them to get ready.
- Make sure the kids are part of the process. How this happens will depend on their age. It can be as simple as talking to a 10 year old about the type of back-to-school haircut they want to get and where/when they want to go. A four year old can help to create a snack list and help buy the items on the list. The key is to give them some ownership of the process. Find a parent of a child the same age as yours and talk about the possibilities.
- Consider and establish routines that help make the transition smoother. Get everything ready the night before. Teach your child to pack their own snack the night before, lay out clothes for the next day, talk about what helps them after a long day at school and prep for that, for example: taking a bath, having a snack ready, spending time outside, anything that supports the transition from school to home.
- Help them find ways to know they are stressed and then how to reduce that stress. HERE is a link to an article with some fun breathing exercises for children (and us.)
- Listen, listen, listen. Give your children the opportunity to talk about whatever is happening for them, and let go of the idea that you need to fix it!
- Plan to spend time with the family. Consider family dinners, share a special treat after dinner, have a family campfire, play a game together, whatever works for your family.
- Remember that even if your family has started the school year many times over the years, for some children and parents this can be a stressful time, for others they begin with their arms wide open!! This transition will look different for each family and so will what you need to make it a gentle one.
If you are looking for more parenting support and connection including group and one to one settings, contact us.
