I wish thank so many of you for sharing this season with our nursery school!

 It started a few weeks ago when a ‘sunflower fairy’ put the biggest, tallest, sunflower in our play yard one night.  They kindly strapped it to the climber with gardeners tape and the children climbed up and down all morning. They asked if I grew it and of course, that led to more info and questions.  Then, it was gone almost as quickly as it had arrived.  Thank you Sunflower Fairy.  Since that share, we have received so much more!

People have shared apples, apple orchards, Chinese apples (pomegranates), figs, gorgeous leaves, ornamental corn, gourds galore and beyond!

Our week of school with a shared beautiful, wooden apple press was also soooooo delightful!   This is a most delicious time of year that includes healthy food AND eye candy in all sorts of colors and textures.

The classes all made spicy apple cake, apple sauce, and dried apples.  The MWF class continued the sharing by serving it to their guests at Saturday School.    Saturday School was a joy and many extended families were able to see why we keep so busy supporting our little school. 

The sharing continued.  Each class gave so much food to the Salvation Army where the children see that the sharing and giving continues beyond NVNS.  The most joy for me was watching the sweet efforts of the children as they navigated the full, awkward, wagons of food through the school and across the street, crunching leaves and greeting neighbors as we passed on our way.

NVNS families are still busy. As we speak, they are working together building the parade float to kick off yet another season!

Please enjoy your children and family time as well as the harvest of a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner.

I am ever so thankful for NVNS families and alumni that continue to hold hands and stick together.

Together we are better.                                

With a warm heart, Mz. Lori

It was lovely to see alumni and new NVNS families at our annual Fall Frolic picnic. We frolicked, ate, laughed and played. If you didn’t get a chance to ‘kick off’ the season with us, plan ahead as we do it again in the Spring!

The warm autumn days and cold nights are adding color all over town and the nursery school play yard trees are also changing. Autumn is full of many wonderful sensory items for our preschoolers. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the autumn ‘crunch’, can be enjoyed just by taking a neighborhood walk, slowly, and with a bag for treasures. Many children have already been collecting ‘treasures’ through their neighborhoods (as have I) and they are filling our science center. Many items are also being used at the build center. It’s a lovely season to slow down and take a look/touch/smell.

We are delighted to have Connolly Ranch sharing their apple press with us this month! Many of you have been sharing your harvested apples and we will press many! Mmmmm! Apples and other autumn harvested foods will be pressed, dried, peeled, cut, tasted and you will also see math taste tests on our school walls. Take a look.

Thanksgiving is best understood by a preschooler as the sharing of our harvested foods. As the holiday approaches, we will have turkey talk, drama and songs. We will also dramatize sharing the harvest with big feasts and the gathering of relatives. Vocabularies will increase with words like feast, cornucopia, relatives, wattle, and scamper. We will leave the pilgrim/Indian themes for elementary school.

To further explain the sharing of harvest and food at Thanksgiving, we will be walking to the Salvation Army’s kitchen (across the street) to deliver canned food. On Mon. and Tues., November 21st and 22nd, please send a can of food with your child to assist with the learning process of giving and sharing. Extra cans, dried goods, and turkeys are always welcome! We will fill our preschool wagons! Alumni, please feel free to drop items by our school for extra giving!

I am very thankful for Napa Valley Nursery School families and wish you happy Thanksgiving gatherings! I recall so many of my own great memories of gathering with family for the holidays. We told stories, made up silly languages, played till late hours outside or football in the mud. Sitting round the table together will encourage the passing down of family traditions. Have your children create a fun list of things to ask grandparents!
Enjoy your family time TOGETHER.

Thankful that we are also TOGETHER at NVNS,
Mz. Lori

Plate Making Day
Mark your calendars for Wed. Nov. 9th. Anytime between noon and 4pm, you may come into class to draw pictures on special paper to be made into plates or bowls. These are wonderful keepsakes and also make nice gifts.

The bowl or plate processing fee is $7.50. Everyone from students, alumni, and neighbors are welcome to attend this major drawing event.

Younger children may like to avoid the elementary afterschool rush by coming in as early as possible to draw.

Dr. Louise Hart at NVNS!   Tues. Nov.8th, 7pm.

Don’t miss!  We are delighted to have Dr. Hart come into our program to share her expertise and wisdom on parenting, parenting styles and much, much more. As a parent, you will leave with new ‘tools’ and techniques to assist you with your ever important role. You will also have a chance to purchase her books. Please invite a friend if you’d like. Dr. Hart will be speaking on parenting of all ages of children.

Recycle Recycle Recycle–Calling all Laserjet ink cartridges!

We are still collecting ink cartridges both large and small for their recycling points.  We are trying to purchase another overhead projector for our science center with our recycling ‘points’.  Please remember to bring them into class with you. If you can, ask your place of work, or your dentist office, or or or.   The more we recycle, the more points we will have to receive great items for our classrooms.  

The SSA encourages parents to lead by example. If you practice sun safety, your children are likely to model those sun safe habits. Teach your children at an early age to wear hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen outdoors.

I am enjoying the slower pace of the morning routine and taking in the sweet smells of the yard while having morning coffee. I have also been enjoying the amazingly thoughtful summer baskets, overflowing with summer play, that were given to me at the end of the year by our classes. I am loving all the summer yummies included within and the gardening/play items. Thank you all so much! Gardening items and a new kumquat tree for my citrus collection has also made for lovely summer days of play and planting for me. I have also seen many children at the Tues. Farmers Markets and I am delighted for hugs, catch up, and yummy sharing of berries, cherries, music and beyond.

I hope you have all been enjoying your family time, vacations or staycations. Our summer weather has been extreme. I hope your summer days have also been an extreme change from our school days. The slower pace of summer certainly matches with the preschoolers desire for long hours of uninterrupted play. The summer weather is also conducive to modeling creativity as we adults take some of our daily chores outside where children will of course follow. Eating, playing and sleeping outdoors brings on a whole new excitement to our usual daily routines. Outdoor eating of meals also means less worry about spills and messes. Your children will love to assist with the set up both of mealtimes or hauling their play items outside! It takes great energy and creativity for kids to make new play spaces outdoors. The set up and hauling is the most important part of the play, rather than the actual play. One of our families shared a story of her children building their own drive-through McDonalds. Again the hours of set-up were the best part. (By the way, these children don’t ever go to McDonalds but they were certainly figuring out the ‘Happy Meal’ toy idea.) That all said, I cannot pass up any lemonade stand along my drives as I love the promotion of such great play. Yesterday I actually stopped at a lemonade stand (now 1.00 per glass rather than the old days of .10  ), and an alumni family saw me and stopped as well! They too remembered how I appreciate these great kid efforts.

Summer also pleases the sensory system as we play water, water, water! Whether swimming or hoses, summer is the time to let it flow. I’ll list some fun water ideas and then let your children take it from there.

Summer is a special time. Enjoy the sweet pace, sip lemonade and enjoy your family. Summer play and vacations whether distant or in your own back yard, make lovely memories.

Enjoy your days together,
Mz. Lori

Summer water play ideas:

• Paint the sidewalk with water and watch the evaporation science
• Spray bottles can water, splash and clean
• Let your children wash the car….talk about their set up time!
• Freeze small toys in water and have children spend time melting and retrieving their items
• Play ice hockey on the driveway or sidewalk with big ice cubes and a broom
• Make a spraychestra using a spray bottle and assorted metal, tin pans or other items. Spray to play!
• Use sidewalk chalk and then paint with water
• Rather than water balloons, use small nerf balls soaked in a bucket of water to toss and splash
• Use an umbrella in the sprinkler
• If you have many more ideas, be sure to post them below!

Have fun!

As this weekend sets off our summer, I also sit still awhile with sweet memories of our school year together.
Each one of our classes had some fun, wet, play days together as we prepared for closure. I thank all of our party parents and other parents that brought in so much for our celebrations. Our water days included surfing in pools and in the rain. We didn’t let the weather change our fun plans or our attitudes. Twas shivering fun! 

Our Finale this year was as always, sweet and somewhat bittersweet. Our Littles actually leave the nursery school nest as birds in full flight, ready to face the next journey together with families in new schools. Their show consisted of many fun choices and last minute changes. Some shows with 8 participants had only 3, and some with 3 parts, changed to 10 participants. A sweet pride and comfort comes over me when I see these young people making confident choices on their own. I also, so honor the parents for their support of their children’s individual styles. Some children totally surprised us all by doing every show….or at least wanting to! Older siblings had a furlough day from their own schools and many were able to come and support their siblings with great help and pride. I am also always delighted that alumni families come back to help me with the Finale and many extra family members also attend.

This year was an extra special year for me at NVNS. I have been honored to be at this lovely school program as it celebrates 60 years of community. I think back with awesome memories at my own 25 years at NVNS. Every year brought its own growth and changes. Each board brought new goals and energy and has made changes to completely support and grow our special school program. This year’s school board was no exception to that rule. In the beginning, this year’s board brought its pride and TLC to honor our special anniversary year. They set lovely goals and accomplished them! Honoring our school philosophy, the importance of children being with family, we set out to simplify some of our program requirements and allow families to enjoy school community activities. This board also set lovely goals to solidify NVNS as a business and bring electronic versions of such business up to speed. The work involved was long on hours and filled with passion. This year’s growth goals met, NVNS will now grow forward with comfortable new goals and continue to receive TLC from new school families.

As we all grow and change, please keep NVNS in your hearts and continue to hold hands with us. We have seen the power of Together We’re Better.

Much love, thanks, and honor to all of you.
Have a go slow summer and enjoy the little things.
See you at the Farmers Market!
Mz. Lori

Either way, I wish to blah, blah, blog about the reflections I have been having this year honoring the 60th anniversary of Napa Valley Nursery School! My life has been ever so changed and I wish to tell you about those things dear to my heart…..

Throughout my years (and many types of tears), I have had the beautiful opportunity to watch children and families grow and change. I have watched children and parents both work and play together to support each other through this new journey of parenting and family living. I was lucky enough to be a part of this program with my own children!

Sharing and caring is evident every day at NVNS. Together, we set a very healthy environment to explore and play. Parents observe and participate in the early years of development, watching moment by moment detail as their children reach out for more. Parents reach out too. I have seen so many beautiful friendships (including some of my own) grow and develop. Parents hold hands and stick together in their new journey. Some will become lifelong friends and others will be the supportive arms along the way. So many families have come and gone throughout my 25 years, each bringing so much to our little community. People have shared their wisdom, time and talents and their selves to keep our business of community open. Throughout 60 years, with much laughter and tears, people have shown how valuable our nursery school becomes, not only to children, but to parents and families.

I have been honored to be a part of families working together to support each other through great celebrations, new business’, the birth of new lives, and also work through many a family or personal crisis. We have been together for the loss of teeth, loss of limb, and the loss of life. Children and parents have carried casseroles and created carnivals for families with skinned knees to skin cancer. NVNS has been the community place where families gather together to do their best work.

Beyond all of the great growth changes made to NVNS, families continue to grow beyond our community. I cannot begin to count how many NVNS families had/have been involved in the foundation, opening, and growth of Napa Valleys Charter School, Stonebridge. The beautiful community playground Fantastico was also rich in NVNS family efforts! Families have outgrown NVNS but continue to stay committed to produce a rich community where parents and children and teachers come together.

I am so proud to be a part and see how we have stayed true to our Napa Valley Nursery School vision/mission statement. I can only imagine how much more is in store as we make such positive changes together. Truly, together we’re better.

Vision: Napa Valley Nursery School is an engaging environment for children, families and community to grow together.

With much love,
I thank you all.
Happy Anniversaries!
Mz. Lori

It started with a twinkle and shine as we kicked off the season on our nursery school float this year.  Did you see those faces and see their eyes shine with delight?  Did you hear their voices, sweet and clear, and full of many happy sounds beyond our singing?  What a wonderful way to begin a naturally darker season.  There was light and hope and happiness!

This season brings natural life rhythms of the year to all of us, whether we notice it or not.  Sometimes the holiday bustle distracts and mixes cheer with reflection and for some, even sadness with their cheer.  If we as humans are following natures rhythms, the season gets cold and quiet.  Nature goes within to gather more energy for its new growth come Spring.  As people, we gather, tight with families and hold lovely festivals of light, life and rebirth to get through the dark.  We sing fun songs through the still quietness. We send good tidings of comfort and joy through the dark despairs of winter.  Nowadays, our ‘dark despairs’ differ in many ways from the past, but it is still natural that we ‘go within’.  It is the natural rhythm of nature that we cannot help but follow. 

Keep in mind natures natural rhythms with your young children.  Emotions run high for all, and time runs short.  I personally feel the seasons (the drive to be quiet and reflective counterbalanced with ‘to do’s’ of the season) and I don’t have the added sweet young people at my feet any longer, also keeping me from some of those natural rhythms of quiet.  There is much to do to create the holiday scene at your house and some parents may be questioning what quiet I’m even talking about!  How can we support staying connected to natures rhythms?  The children and their needs, they are first, yet there’s much to do, or is there?   

Could we give up the shoulds and remember natures natural flow first?  Could we take time to create a good flow for all, starting with ourselves? 

This season of the year, and this ‘season’ with your children is very short.  I say hold tight when cooler times call for cozy huddling. A little more hold time could make our efforts of this big season much more rewarding and rejuvenating for all.

Just one more minute of story telling by a fire

Just one more minute of story telling in the bath tub

Just one more minute of story telling with warm cocoa

Just one more minute of story telling under a favorite blanket

Together, make a favorite blanket for others to cuddle (simple cut fleece)

All cozy, cozy, cozy.

Children LOVE to hear stories of when you were little and your holiday or winter experiences.  My favorite combo, given me from my own mom, was warm cocoa and tuna sandwiches after walking in the rain.  A strange combo it seems now, but so memorably yummy and warm.   

It’s a time of reflection. It’s a time of hope. It’s a time of cheer.

It’s definitely a time to hold hands and stick together with family.

Remember children would rather have your presence than your presents.

Together you’re better.

Through it all, we can remember that it started with a twinkle and a shine and now the light returns for a happy new year to begin. 

Happy Solstice and a wonderful ‘season within’ to all of you.

Love, Mz. Lori

            So I say ode to the glorious changes that have occurred for so many this season.  Time passes and sometimes is so full of change that one doesn’t seem to notice just how much time has passed again. For me personally, with the death of my father, I felt that I had all but missed the month of October.  Loving fall and all of its natural changes, I am at least now delighted in the display of November’s colors, textures and scents!   Again, oh, the preschool sensory system!   Crunch in the leafy street gutters, pull up the withering old moist smelling tomato vines, toss and poke at the rotting pumpkins from Halloween, wear mud boots to the local farms, take a neighborhood walk with a bag for colorful collections, iron leaves between wax paper like we did in the old days, peel apples and smell the cinnamon, TOGETHER with your children.  All of this can happen even before the Thanksgiving holiday?  No wonder we give thanks!

            Then there are all of the gatherings: the feasts at autumns close, the family traditions of meals, special foods and activity. There are often sleepovers and relatives from out of town. As one good childs story line goes, “and all that new breathing in the house.” (The Relatives by Cynthia Rylant)   Busy or quiet thankful holidays, these are the good old days and the memories and stories that will be passed on, for and by your children when they are grown.  Family stories and traditions are the things that connect us through the ages…..keeping us together.

Together We’re Better.

Gorgeous Autumn changes to you!

 I am thankful.

Mz. Lori

As part of this beautiful autumn season, comes the death of our sweet, furry pet, Puddle. Our guinea pigs Toot and Puddle are 4 years old now, which is a very long life for guinea pigs. As we celebrate the passing of the season, the death and dying of plants and leaves at harvest, how appropriate that Puddle was surely in the ‘autumn of his own life’.

Children will have many age appropriate questions and I’d like to offer you all the information that I will pass on to them. In class, we’ll discuss the children’s memories of Puddle and answer questions simply, with factual information. “Puddle didn’t get hurt. I found Puddle just dead on the weekend. He wasn’t breathing, or squeaking or eating. When I touched him, he didn’t move. We may never know why Puddle died, but he lived a long, good life for guinea pigs. Guinea pigs do not live long like people expect to live.” These are the phrases that I will be using with your children in class.

I will leave all of the religious aspects of death and dying for parents to offer as they feel the need. One of the most important quotes that I would like to leave with you is from Maria Trozzis book, Talking With Children About Loss, “As goes the parent, so goes the child.”

I will bury Puddle in my back yard and we can all look at this burial sight when the children come to my house on excursion this month. (Check the newsletter for dates) If you have any concerns or questions, please take time to chat with me and your child.

Too often adults think the child is incapable of understanding any part of death. It is important that we understand the developmental way children think.

Important Things to Know When Helping Children Understand Death

• Explaining Physical Death (death of a body) – the body stops walking, doesn’t eat, doesn’t have to poop anymore, doesn’t walk.
• Use the Correct Terminology – use the word “dead,” not “lost”
• Make sure the child knows the dead do not hurt.
• Make sure they know that death is: Irreversible — Permanent — Painless
• Let or encourage children to ask questions
• Have books about death
• Let children participate in ceremony / help set up ending practices
• Allow children to grieve in their own way
• Share feelings with the child – (don’t be afraid to cry)
• Provide support for the child
• Maintain the child’s daily routine
• Death can be a celebration
• Remember it is not the age but the relationship when determining whether a child attends a funeral
• Describe the person in a coffin as “looks dead, eyes closed, mouth closed, not looks peaceful.
• When asked ‘Are you going to die’ — answer honestly, “No, I do not expect to die for a long, long time.”
• Establish memories — “This is the first birthday since your father died.”

Children’s Understanding of Death
Stage One (ages 2 to 4): At this stage, children don’t believe death is final. It is temporary and reversible. They attempt to equate it with something they know (sleep, parents going on vacation). They are more interested in what death means right now (person is never coming back) rather than on how it happened.

Stage Two (ages 4 to 10): Children at this stage understand that everything that lives will die, although they may or may not apply this to themselves. They play imaginary games (ghost, superheroes, and role play) in an attempt to understand death and to deal with their fears.

Stage Three (ages 10 up): At this stage, children understand death is personal, inevitable, universal and final. They may have fears related to this understanding. At all ages, part of the fear of death is that they will be separated from their parents.

I cannot express enough, the need to read lovely stories about death and dying with your children, just like you read stories about animals, people, houses, etc. Include some of the following lovely stories between Go Dog Go and Green Eggs and Ham. Children will then have somewhere to ‘hook’ this information when death and dying becomes more personal in their own lives.

I give love and appreciation to the sweet memory of Puddle for allowing us the opportunity to approach this sensitive, lovely, life issue, TOGETHER, Mz. Lori