We are just so pleased with Ashwini’s daycare. Her teachers are very nice and caring. Everyone who works there, has a degree in child development or child psychology or other children-related field. They actually have a curriculum for each child under their care. At first, I laughed at it, but, after seeing all the efforts they put in it, I know they take it very seriously.

Last week, we had a meeting with Ashwini’s teacher. It was a review of Ashwini’s development illustrated with photographs showing her perform certain activities and tasks. It was all summarised in big tables listing expected activities (classified as motor skills, cognitive skills, etc) for a certain age range and the date when Ashwini was actually doing that activity. If one of us was a stay-at-home parent, I doubt we would have known to chart out all of her development in this manner. We also received a big wad of Ashwini’s artwork. She used to be averse to all the art materials like paint and glue, calling it yucky. But, lately she has taken up all art with great enthusiasm. We have enough material to decorate several rooms, if one can call it ‘decorate’.

One of the milestone activities for 18-24 month old kids was ‘throwing a ball without falling down’. That was so funny. I couldn’t stop laughing the first time I read it. I still keep seeing an image of kids falling down as they threw balls.

According to her report, Ashwini is doing everything that she is supposed to do at her age. We couldn’t be happier.

One more thing that we like about this place is that there is no TV. All the teachers work very hard to keep the kids busy with books, toys, games, music and art activities. Even at home, we hardly let her watch any TV. It is not more than an hour a week. Ashwini is going to watch a lot of TV as she grows up, anyway. So, we would like to keep it at minimum as far as possible.

My children grew up in Ann Arbor and spent the first 20 years of their lives in this Winter Wonderland. Yet, they haven’t forgotten the sound of snow “crunching” under boots when it gets very cold. And their bodies had not forgotten what 10 degrees Fahrenheit feels like on your hands and face!

In Michigan, each day can be vastly different from the previous one. Every day we have to adjust our clothing, expectations, and attitude for the weather that we are given. My coping mechanism has been to embrace, with gusto, whatever is outside my door. The seasons have become a great adventure for me. I believe that children also see climate the same way— especially if they see delight and enthusiasm from the adults around them.

The teachers at GH are learning new ways to find delight and joy in the “winter wonderland” that Mother nature has so abundantly given us this year. Our Winter Staff Training will highlight outdoor science activities and projects to keep us busy before the thaw. Nature’s raw materials are free and far more interesting than anything manmade. Snow, ice, slush, mud, rocks, sticks, trees, hills, trails, logs, leaves, berries, etc. Our children love to shovel, smash, splash, throw, climb, squish, rake, bury, stack, and build. What would a childcare environment be like if we spent as much money on developing the outside as we do the inside?

When you ask a young child where s/he wants to play, the answer is nearly always— outside. At Gretchen’s House children and teachers go outside twice a day, everyday, or all day in the Spring, Summer and Fall. Only a wind chill factor below zero, an excessive heat index, or thunder and lightning will keep us inside.

We know that families do not get outside often during weekdays in the winter due to daylight savings time, so we make it a priority at our centers. We take seriously our responsibility to develop strong and healthy bodies with inquisitive minds. Thank you for supporting children’s love of the outdoors and healthy habits by bringing appropriate clothing for your child everyday and being a role model at home. Watch your child’s classroom for evidence of interesting outdoor adventures this season. If you have any good ideas for outdoor fun, pleaseshare them with us!