Happy, Healthy Children Play Outdoors
Being outdoors every single day is a critical part of your child’s development and well-being. We are fortunate to live in an area where we are able to experience all four seasons throughout the year (and sometimes even within a week!) Due to our rapidly changing temperatures and weather conditions, it is extremely important to make sure your children are prepared for whatever outside weather we have on any given day.
Please, please, please, PLEASE make sure your children have the following items with them EVERY SINGLE DAY at school:
- Snow Pants – These are not only used when there is snow on the ground. We also use these as “water” pants (when the snow is melting), “mud” pants (to keep our inside clothes clean and dry), and also as “cold” pants (to keep us warm when there is no snow, or rain, or mud… but just hard, very cold ground and air).
2. Snow Boots – These are boots that are waterproof as well as warm! Your child can wear them to school in the morning, take them off and put them inside their locker on the bottom shelf, and put their shoes on to come into the classroom.
3. Jacket – Please make sure your child is wearing their warmest jacket to school in the winter. During the warmer months, it is always good to wear layers (short sleeve t-shirt with a light jacket, sweater or hoodie that can be taken off if your child becomes too warm).
4. Mittens/Gloves – Again, these should be waterproof to keep your child’s hands as warm and as dry as possible.
5. Hat – The hood on a child’s jacket do not stay up to keep their heads and ears covered and warm as they are running, galloping, jumping, climbing and swinging outside. Please make sure your child brings their hat to school every day.
6. Scarf – The scarf comes in handy when it really gets cold or windy outside. We help your child wrap their scarf around their face to protect their cheeks and noses from the cold air.
We will be going outside every day, twice a day, as long as the temperature is 20 degrees or warmer. The children look forward to going outside to learn about nature, to get fresh air to keep their lungs and bodies healthy, to get Vitamin D from the sunshine, to gain social friendships with children their same age from other classes, and to be able to engage in gross motor and fine motor skills that will help them be successful in preschool, kindergarten and beyond.
At the end of the day, your child will be wearing all of their outside clothes when you come to pick them up from school. You can either have your child take off their boots and snow pants to put in their locker and keep them at school, or they can wear the items home and just bring them back to school with you the next morning. If anyone would like assistance with getting any of these items, please let me know.