"Seeds and flowers have gone to sleep,

You and I the watch will keep,

Watch over seeds in Winter night,

Till they will rise to see the light."

~ M. Meyerkort, Autumn by Wynstones Press

The weather is getting cooler, but that doesn't stop us from going outside! Today we took a walk to the Plummer House or as our class calls it, "Princess House" Or "The Real Castle". We brought a small colorful ball and played chase, tackle, and run in the large secluded snowy yard. Then we explored the more wooded areas and found a bunch of seed pods, a few fallen leaves, and some pine cones. The children really love to hunt and collect nature items for our classroom.
Right now the weather is actually really nice if you are bundled, but as it gets even colder and the snow gets deeper Ryan and I thought of a list of things that might help your child stay warm. We will be going outside at least one time every day until the temperature gets below zero so we want to make sure everyone is warm and cozy while they are playing..

Turtle Fur Neck warmers- Easier to use and softer than regular scarves they can keep cheeks and noses warm on windy cold days.

L-bow mittens- these are totally awesome and I recommend them to everyone! You can buy them at Fleet Farm or online. The mittens go all the way up to the elbow to prevent snow and cold wind getting to the wrists, arms and hands. They are a lifesaver for me as I'm often shaking snow out of mittens and putting them back on cold little hands. We have two pairs that I'll be putting on anyone that seems to need them but feel free to bring your own to be left here for those really extra cold or snowy days. Remember to write your name on them.

Hats- any hat is OK as long as it has a tie on it. Those hats that don't have a tie just do not seem to stay on, so again we end up shaking the snow out of them a million times and putting them back on cold little heads. We have lots of hats here anyone can borrow any hat we have.

Long Underwear and leg warmers -there are many variation of these things and use them as you wish. Some kids seem to need extra clothes while others are just always warm and would prefer to wear hardly anything! If you want to bring some of these for cold days the kids can keep them in their cubby and put them on before we go out. It isn't necessary for them to wear them all day. We keep our classroom pretty warm and even on those 20 below zero days our classroom is toasty warm. We DO NOT go outside when it's 20 below zero.

Slippers- We have wood floors on the main floor and although it's not usually too drafty it can be on windy days. If you want your child to wear slippers on their feet while they are here bring a pair labeled with their name on it and they can keep them in their cubby.

Snow pants and boots are a must! We go outside everyday and even if there isn't snow we wear our snow pants and boots to keep warm and dry.

If you have any snow sleds, children's snow shovels, or anything else that we might enjoy playing with in the snow we would love to borrow it from you! We have one sled but the children are quickly outgrowing it. We are actually looking forward to the long winter months and are hoping for some more big snow storms soon!