March 2026:

**Let’s show the children how things grow; it’s not always easy.**

Mindful Focus: Mindfulness; What to do with your mad

Explorations: Rocks, fossils, water, weather, spring

How much fun we had in March! My favorite part was watching the children's videos pretending to be meteorologist newscasters! There’s not much of school left, and we are excited to make the best of it!

For March’s Exploration, we investigated weather and the water cycle. We started by learning the difference between weather and seasons—something that can be tricky for young children, as we often connect certain weather to specific seasons. To help them understand, we looked at how different types of weather can happen during each season, such as snow in winter, rain in spring, sunny days in summer, and cool, cloudy days in fall.

We also talked about how to dress for the weather by exploring clothing choices based on temperature and conditions. The children then became meteorologists, heading outside to observe the sky, check the temperature on a thermometer, and explore tools like a windsock and a rain gauge to better understand wind and precipitation.

To wrap it all up, we learned the water cycle through song: evaporation, condensation, precipitation all around, accumulation—evaporation, the water cycle goes round and round.

- Miss Annie

Mindful Focus: Being Mindful and What to do with your mad

This month at SimpleLife Preschool, we have been exploring the topic of mindfulness and “what to do with your mad”. Teachers have been leading activities to explore this topic with the children and discussing what it feels like when they are mad or angry. Children shared that when they feel angry, sometimes it feels like they are hot or uncomfortable, or they feel scared by the feelings and want to cry. In an example from a book we read, we noticed the child felt like they were a volcano ready to explode! We all experience different feelings and at times, some feelings can feel overwhelming and very uncomfortable. We communicated with the children that any feeling is okay, even anger. Ironically, I had the opportunity to lead this circle time topic on a day where I was personally experiencing some challenging emotions. I allowed myself to embrace this opportunity to discuss the topic of “what to do with your mad” with the children. We talked about how children and grown-ups can all experience feeling overwhelmed with emotions and sometimes we do not know what to do with those feelings. We then played a game that allowed the children to identify supportive and positive actions they could take when they were experiencing anger and other big emotions. Some examples included talking to your grown-ups, going to a safe, special place in your home, listening to music, drinking cold water, and movement, including stomping your feet, yoga, or walking and running if you’re with a trusted grown-up. I don’t think it was just a coincidence that I was feeling overwhelmed on a day when I was to discuss experiencing big emotions and suggestions of positive ways to help when you’re in the midst of them. At SimpleLife Preschool, we encourage the children to utilize mindfulness techniques including noticing and sensing in the body and taking some calming breaths, or sometimes it is movement that is more beneficial to allow the feelings to release. Even as adults, we can be challenged by our emotions and it is helpful to have reminders and support. I am thankful for the support provided at SimpleLife!

- Miss Missy

This last month at school, we were able to explore all different kinds of rocks and fossils! The children always love sorting through Miss Jenny’s rock collection and attempting to learn all the fancy names of the different kinds of crystals and rocks. As a team, we would look at and investigate different kinds of rocks to see how to identify them by shape and color, as well as their reactions to things like water and light! Some rocks absorb the water and become shinier, and some rocks reflect fun colors when hit with direct light, or allow the light to pass through them, while other rocks don’t react to either!

We were also able to learn about how fossils form! We talked a lot about how fossils come from things that were alive a long, long, long, long, long time ago - and that when they died, they could leave behind different kinds of fossils! Trace fossils are when an impression of the animal is left behind, just a sign that they were there! This can be things like fossilized footprints, impressions of leaves, or even whole body impressions of things like fish! It just depends on how it was preserved. The other kind of fossils are called body fossils, and these occur over the same long, long time. Instead of just leaving behind an impression, parts of their bodies - like the trunks of trees or the bones of animals - are changed by the land around them, actually becoming rocks themselves! The kids, of course, are absolutely fascinated by this, and their favorite part of the lessons comes when we get to use clay in order to make our own trace fossils to take home!

- Miss Sushi

Our Spring Celebration at Simplelife was a joyful and enriching day filled with hands on learning, creativity, and outdoor exploration! During circle time, the children created their own flower labels, drawing pictures and discussing what plants need to grow. Later, they planted their very own flower bulbs to take home, fostering a sense of responsibility and excitement about nurturing something of their own. We also enjoyed a special yoga time that included scarf dancing which brought movement, mindfulness, and lots of smiles to our day!

The fun continued outdoors with a nature scavenger hunt, where children used checklists and binoculars to observe and connect with the world around them. Afterward, they expressed their creativity through still life paintings of flowers in vases. We ended our beautiful day with a delightful spring picnic, complete with yummy snacks, refreshing lemonade, and a special “stuffy share.” Each child had a chance to introduce their stuffed friend and share fun facts, building confidence and communication skills. With perfect weather and so many happy moments, it’s no surprise many of the children called it “the best day ever!”

- Miss Mallorie