The children and I kicked off December with a daily "Random Act of Kindness." For the fifteen days before our holiday break, the children and I committed to doing something kind for a range of unsuspecting people and animals. I decided on these specific actions with the developmental range of the children in mind in hopes that the children would be able to see a direct correlation between their kind actions and the effect they had on others. We began the month by simply gi

As the gorgeous misty sunrise I saw this morning can attest, autumn is here, and along with it is a new face at Blue Sky Daycare! This gorgeous face joined us yesterday, and the children and I are just thrilled to have an infant in our midst. The older children asked all kinds of questions about the baby, and we spent most of yesterday discussing how to keep the baby safe while the big kids still had lots of fun. During our calendar and weather routine, we changed our calend

It's fascinating how occasionally the children's play witll take a leap ahead developmentally. Today felt like one of those days because I noticed several instances where the children combined play materials of different sorts in novel ways with no input from me. It all began after our morning routine when one of the children used a playsilk to enhance a block structure he was building. Soon after, the other children imitated him and soon we had a room full of peek-a-boo bl

Bright, bold, colorful posters, signs, decorations, and artwork adorning the walls of daycare centers and home daycares alike are often thought of as a hallmark of fun, engaging programs, but what if all that screaming color comes at the price of your child's focused attention? My experience in daycare has shown me that there's something to be said for keeping the children's learning areas visually calm. Natural light, soothing colors, natural materials, and largely unadorne