Dear Milne Grove Students.
This summer I will miss you. I will miss your laughter, your smiles, your ideas, and your personalities! You are simply amazing! Enjoy all of the little things this summer. The sound of the birds singing, the sunshine, flowers, how cozy and soft your blanket is..... anything that makes you smile, take the time to enjoy it! I miss you and I look forward to seeing you at Milne Grove! ~Mrs. Reynolds
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Newsletter from growingchild.com Before we go any further, let's agree that you love your spouse and kids, that they are the most important things in your life, and that sometimes recently you wished they were living farther away, say on Mars or Pluto. Whoever said that they wished they didn't have to go to work so they could spend more time at home with their kids - clearly that was in pre-Corona days. Now you are not only home with those same kids 24/7, but you are also working - a lot. Your own job is suddenly more difficult, without an IT guy to solve problems instantly. Simultaneously you are trying to create meals out of the remnants left in the fridge and pantry to avoid going to the grocery store for as long as possible AND trying to interpret the instructions for the second grader's math assignment, the kindergartner's need for a science experiment, while keeping the two-year-old from melting down yet again over the restrictions imposed by three days of rain. And when you finally lose it over some small thing and the kids stare at you as if you have suddenly sprouted another head and your husband has an urgent job in the garage, you feel awful. Compounding it all is the brilliant video a friend just sent that shows a beaming mom, dad, and four kids, singing a brilliant Corona-word version of a Broadway hit. And you think, I must be the worst parent alive. Let me first assure you that you are currently living and parenting under the most unique set of circumstances. Most families are experiencing enormous strains at this time, exacerbated by the underlying concerns about the disease and the economic implications for everyone. Let me offer several thoughts for your reflection. Mistakes happen. First and foremost, apologize for losing it. That's the most important thing that can come from this, that everyone learns a bit more about how to be an imperfect human being. Don't be so hard on yourself. These are unprecedented times. Getting through this relatively intact is the goal, so do what you have to do to simplify life. Postpone a difficult lesson, have simple meals, or even put out foods from which family members can graze, using all the food groups so that no one develops scurvy. Enlist help and create guidelines for living at family meetings. Make sure everyone has some time and space to be alone every day. It's all very well to have time for family games and activities, but alone time is vital here. Work with your spouse, relative or close friend to have times when you are personally free of responsibilities for helping or supervising kids. That's why there are people available to help you. This free time will reduce family friction too. Get some exercise every day, and try for a good night's sleep. Live one day at a time. If you screwed up today, make amends and don't let it color the next day. Every day gives you all a fresh start. Bruno Bettelheim, a child development expert, wrote a book titled A Good Enough Parent. Not a bad motto for these challenging times. Dear Milne Grove Families,
Please reach out to me for anything you want to talk about or with which you might need some assistance. Email or call me any time any day! I will be available to reply to emails and voice mails and take phone calls at least every weekday from 9:00 - 10:00 and 1:00 - 2:00. Talk to you soon! ~Mrs. Reynolds [email protected] 815.838.0542 ext. 2103 Illinois is strengthening its social distancing measures. We adults may have strong feelings about this. Your children may have “Big Feelings,” too. Different children respond differently to an outbreak depending on their age and personality. Below are some reactions according to age group and the best ways you as parents can respond.
PRESCHOOL CHILD’S REACTIONS:
HOW PARENTS CAN HELP :
SCHOOL-AGE (ages 6-12) CHILD’S REACTIONS:
HOW PARENTS CAN HELP :
ADOLESCENT (ages 13-18)
HOW PARENTS CAN HELP :
Adapted from: https://www.nctsn.org/resources/parent-caregiver-guide-to-helping-families-cope-with-the-coronavirus-disease-2019 If your child wants a place to write about his/her thoughts and feelings, I created a journal that you can print out. It's 17 pages, but you can print whichever pages you'd like. The journal is in color, but it can also be printed in black and white. Click the image below to open the document. Enjoy!
Young kids are typically concerned about how big events will effect them personally. Even our most caring and thoughtful young children are still pretty self centered because of their stage of development.
School being closed unexpectedly is most likely causing some worry in our kids. I recommend that we share with them that 1) doctors are saying kids who get this virus haven't gotten very sick. They might get a fever and cough, and certainly not feel good, but they get better and are okay. 2) It’s also important for kids to know their parents will be okay, too. They need to know why schools are closed. It’s not because the virus is really bad for kids and teachers. All of the people we see at school are very likely going to be okay. 3) Schools are closed to protect the great-grandmas and great-grandpas in our town. If someone who is sick gets someone else sick and a great-grandma gets sick, she might not recover. So we all give up something we want, going to school, because we are taking care of other people. It's important to take care of each other and be good members of our community. We can use this change of routine to have some enjoyable time together. Take some deep breaths, think positive thoughts, and enjoy some games and movie nights. During Morning Mindfulness and kindergarten Second Step lessons, we are talking quite a bit about kindness and also about mindset. I’d love to hear about it if your child comes home and tells you all about our lesson, but that might not be the case. So, how about you mix up the questions you typically ask when school ends? Instead of “How was your day?” how about trying some of the following questions. It might be interesting!
It’s almost the end of January. How has your new year been so far?
Here at Milne Grove we’ve been spending time in Morning Mindfulness talking a little about having a growth mindset. A mindset is a way of thinking, and having a growth mindset is when we know, with practice, we will get better at something. When teachers and parents have a growth mindset, we encourage and praise the children by complimenting their efforts. It’s best to be specific when praising their efforts and tell kids what behavior we are praising. So instead of “Good Job!” we like to say: “I can see your hard work in this assignment!” “You’re making good progress!” “Congratulations! You put in the effort to succeed.” “Look at what you can accomplish when you keep trying!” “You have such a positive attitude!” “You keep trying even when it's hard!” Of course our children need to hear that they are more than just their efforts. It’s important that they hear of their intrinsic value from their parents and teachers, too. Just like the messages from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Fred Rogers said, “You made this day a special day by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you. I like you just the way you are.” Be sure to include both messages when talking with your children. They are valuable, important, and loved just the way they are! And they can do anything when they work hard at it! |
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