Sustaining consistent routines can be a challenge even in the most predictable of times, but routines can also very helpful for maintaining a sense of control, even in times of change. Children thrive on routines. They look forward to participating in “now/next” predictions and quickly become masterful at initiating next-steps in the day themselves. We
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Music has always been an important part of the curriculum at Sunshine Academy. We believe in the value of musical literacy as an essential part of education, not just for the support it provides to other domains of learning, such as math, language and socio-emotional development, but also for its capacity to enable children to
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Adequate sleep is critical for healthy development in young children. Good sleep habits correlate with improved attention, better memory retention, more consistent emotional regulation, better listening skills, improved balance and muscle coordination, and better physical health. Inadequate sleep correlates with an increase in injuries, hypertension, obesity and depression, among many other disorders. The American
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Please note that there is community support for parents under stress. We encourage you to seek out resources before you need them so that you have a plan for how to respond to the sometimes overwhelming emotions that can arise with unexpected events. The phone number for the parental stress hotline is 1-800-632-8188. Parents Helping
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Children develop the basics of socio-emotional learning in their earliest years. How the adults around them act among themselves and interact with them strongly influences their sense of trust, self-esteem, confidence, friendliness, persistence, patience, and ability to recognize and manage their emotions. Strategies that have a positive influence on socio-emotional learning include the following:
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We are pleased to announce that we are opening a kindergarten classroom at Sunshine Academy North to accommodate 10 children. The teachers are Haley Bettinson, who is licensed to teach Pre-K through grade 2 in Massachusetts and has three years of experience teaching in the public schools, as well as Tessa Hansen, who has worked
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Welcome Spring with your child at any of these amazing nature programs being offered in the Greater Boston area. You can learn how maple syrup is made at any of three events on Saturday, March 7. From 8:45 am to 1 pm, Drumlin Farm sponsors a Sap to Syrup Farmers Breakfast (massaudubon.org). From 10 am
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Early childhood is a time of foundational growth in children’s physical abilities. To support your child’s core strength, balance, coordination, sensory integration, planning sense, flexibility and fitness, please keep in mind the following basic lifestyle choices that influence how your child develops and interacts with the world: · Avoid “Container Baby Syndrome”: Babies who go from
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The diverse cultural origins of the families and teachers in our school benefit all of us and strengthen us as a community. Interaction with people of differing perspectives, social experiences and language abilities helps educate all of us and leads to our greater understanding of the human experience. Across our three schools are representatives from
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Young children actively engage in exploring math concepts as early as infancy. Research conducted by Elizabeth Spelke at the Harvard Laboratory for Developmental Studies demonstrates that children as young as six months can distinguish quantities as they observe objects around them. Some studies suggest that even newborns have number sense (www.mathematicalbrain.com/reviews.html). As children engage with
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