Welcome to pre-k, pandemic style!

What an amazing start to the year. Thank you for smooth drop offs, making sure your child is prepared with food and appropriate clothing, and most importantly, for trusting us with the incredibly important job of caring for your child! This is a special group of kids, and they've taken to our rules and routines very quickly. Mask wearing has been seamless, and these kiddos are getting really good at washing their hands. Here are a few highlights from our first week together:

We've learned so many routines, including arrival, circle time, snack, small group times, going on expeditions, and playing on the playground.
We've learned how to take care of materials like play dough, scissors, watercolor paints, animal figurines, shovels, and magnifying glasses.
We've taken expeditions to the playground, the garden, the new "sand pit", and most children have practiced going into the indoor classroom in preparation for Thursday.
We learned two rules! Ask your child if they can remember them: We take care of our things, and We use kind words. Later this week we'll learn We use gentle touch.
We've sung many songs (distanced at circle time of course!). Perhaps your child will remember how to sing The Woodpecker, My Poor Hand Is Shaking, Jump Jim Joe, I am an Animal, or Hermie the Worm.
We learned how to gently hold live animals, and rolled over many logs in search of wildlife. Ask your child what we found!

Here are a couple of reminders for the start of full days:

Please pack a pair of indoor shoes on Thursday that can stay at school.
If you'd like us to put bug spray or sunscreen on your child you have to provide the goods (as per our regulations). We don't check backpacks every day, so tell us in the morning or hand us the bottles.
If you pack perishable foods for your child make sure to include two ice packs in their lunchbox.
It's getting cold out, so time to dig out those winter jackets. Don't underestimate how cold it is in Wildwood Forest in the morning - kids can always shed layers if they warm up.

Finally, a quick snack request. If you pack pre-packaged snacks for your child it would be incredibly helpful if you could give the wrapper a little tear before packing it so your child can open the package by themself. We work hard to teach kiddos how to open their own snacks, and in a typical year we have scissors available to help them. Unfortunately we can't figure out a sanitary way to do that this year!

Thanks so much, and enjoy some pictures from our first week together.