We are just two weeks away from the beginning of our session.
The most important thing for you to get in the habit of doing before you come to Forest School is check the weather! The daytime LOW is the most important indicator of what it is like in the park in the mornings. We do not ever see the daytime High while we are in session so please do not dress your child based on the high, dress them based on the overnight low.
It’s a fact: Forest School is hard work for your little human!
Whether your child has been in daycare their whole life or never spent a moment away from you there is bound to be some emotional upset when they are faced with doing a very hard thing. It’s only human.
There are two big things that help us to support your child’s success at our programs.
Their gear and our relationship.
- Our relationship.
How you feel about us and what we do will impact the level of comfort your child has. Your trust and ease is our top priority. If you have any questions or would like to come visit please feel free to email or text me anytime 250.828.0211.
If you have not already read our parent handbook I strongly suggest you do.
It is a great way to get to know what we are all about.
Parenting doesn’t come with instructions and we are all doing the best we can.
Some days are just hard and that’s ok.
We are here to support YOU and comfort your child.
Here are two resources to help reduce potential drop-off tears.
- The Kissing Hand is a heartfelt book about Chester the Raccoon’s first days at school. We have a few copies here and it is available at the library. Reading this book with your child can help start the conversation about their emotions.
- Who’s in Charge – Reclaiming the Lead this is an excellent article about an issue we frequently see. It can provide some insight into what is going on emotionally for your child when we waiver on our decisions.
- Their gear.
It may sound strange but what your child wears will significantly impact how comfortable they are outdoors. Weather is a fickle friend and there are some secrets those of us who spend a lot of time in it have to staying comfortable.
Here are some of our grandma approved tips:
- Always pack a sweater. Fall mornings are chilly.
- A sun hat covers the back of the neck (ie NOT a baseball hat).
- Wear water resistant pants. The ground is always wet in fall.
- Check the overnight LOW every night before preschool. This is how cold you can expect it to be in the park in the morning at drop-off.
Here is our gear list of recommended clothing for our programs. You can download a copy of our spring gear list from this page. https://sproutingknowledge.com/policies/gear-list/
We encourage past families to sell their gear to new ones so please feel free to add yourself to our Facebook Gear Swap and consider listing some of those base layers your little one has grown out of or see what others are offering. We also accept donations of used gear to our gear fund where we raise money to reduce fees for low-income families.
That’s it!
We can’t wait to meet you and your family.