Daily At-Home Project: Grow Your Branches on Earth Day!

by | Apr 22, 2020 | At-Home Enrichment | 0 comments

Please find below our daily SolBe Family update letter containing helpful resources and exciting projects to explore while we all do our part to stay home during this pandemic. Subscribe here to receive daily updates.

April 22, 2020

SolBe Families,

Happy Earth Day! In honor of this glorious day I wanted to select a nature-based project reflecting our hopes for our beautiful planet. The truth is, images of trees have been on my mind as of late. Everything in our world feels unstable, unpredictable, and at moments unmanageable right now. The Governor of Massachusetts announced yesterday our school will now be closed until June 29th. While I understand and agree with safeguarding our community, this news was heartbreaking for our educators, families and mostly our kids.

When life feels out of control what is a more stabilizing image than a big, beautiful, blossoming tree? I am calmed by the permanence. Deep, strong roots reach down and take hold of the earth. Branches reach upward and outward and all about towards the sky…what freedom!

Movement Recommendation

Tree Pose, Vrksasana in Sanskrit, is a stabilizing balancing posture in yoga. Have your kiddo stand hips distance apart, reach their arms high towards the sky and “grow their branches”! Encourage them to lift their foot up to their ankle or just above the knee. Remember- process, not outcome! Reassure them that balancing is what they are working towards and falling is normal and OKAY!

Project of the Day for All Ages: Grow Your Branches!

For this project I was craving a few things. It is a lovely day (though a bit chilly) here in Boston and I desperately needed some FRESH AIR!

Step One

Adventure Walk

Bundle up and venture out. Though we love living in the city under normal circumstances, this pandemic has me dreaming of being outside in some wide open spaces. That being said, we are making the best of our walks! Trying to find spaces where all of the grass and sticks haven’t been peed on by our four-legged friends.

     

What materials can you collect? Take a moment to talk about trees. Bark. Branches. Leaves. Roots. How can we get creative about how we are thinking about these elements. Even in the heart of the city we were able to source some lovely (pee-free) fallen materials.

Step Two

Start with a large blank paper! POSSIBILITY!  It made sense to me to begin with the roots and trunk and then grow my tree from there. Lay your collected materials out neatly so your kiddos can see what they have to work with. What a fun sensory activity for our tinier friends. All of the shapes and sizes and textures to explore.

    

Step Three

Assemble. As usual, I used a glue gun for speed and precision. Wet glue or tape will work for kids. Messy is great! Enjoy the process.

     

Most important direction, as always: HAVE FUN!  

More resources to follow in the coming days. Feedback and more ideas welcome, as always! 

Be well and stay healthy!

The SolBe Team


Be Supported

We’ve felt the uncertainty that occurs when our children are in the care of someone else. At SolBe, we know you will always be your child’s first teacher; we’re here as a knowledgeable partner in your child’s education.

From our experience, children rise to the intellectual life of those around them, so we are committed to growing as individuals and as a team. You can count on us to provide a warm and engaging learning experience for your little one.

Be Inspired

We’ve spent thousands of hours in classrooms that either overstimulate, underwhelm, or actively prevent educators from delivering the highest-quality education and care. At SolBe, you’ll go beyond the traditional four-walled classroom.

Our award-winning, inventive and uplifting learning spaces stimulate the senses and instill feelings of home-like safety and comfort. They allow for your child’s, and our educators’, changing needs and emotions. They create room for wonder—for learning, and living, outside the lines.

Be Immersed

We’ve seen what’s lost when things are done the way they’ve always been done before. SolBe is an adaptive Spanish exposure program that refuses to accept the status quo.

Our inventive practices grow from the shoulders of giants, with roots in the Reggio Emilia approach, the Montessori method, and well-researched cognitive disciplines that attend to the whole child. We create opportunities to develop character attributes that your child will benefit from for a lifetime. Collaboration. Communication. Independence. Healthy risk-taking. Critical thinking. Emotional awareness. Resilience. Intellectual curiosity. Creative innovation. An authentic love of life and learning.

Be Well

We know what it’s like to forget to feed ourselves—physically, mentally, and emotionally. At SolBe, we understand it’s impossible for you to pour from an empty cup. And we do what we can to keep your cup full.

Our learning ecosystem is designed with children and educators—and you—in mind. Seed-to-table nutrition program. Yoga and mindfulness. An all-inclusive experience so you don’t need to worry about finding time to provide meals, diapers, or wipes (unless you want to). Evening and weekend family programs.