Shortcodes

We are almost in the last quarter of 2022. The move back to the “usual” normal after Covid-
19 restrictions are taking longer than expected. On top of this, there is a war in Eastern
Europe, natural disasters in several countries and people starving in drought-stricken
countries around the world. Add to that busy schedules and increased screen time and we
are headed for a disaster. We are all feeling the effect of this and so does our children.

So how do we change the narrative? One way is by practising mindfulness.

Mindfulness is about being fully present. It’s about being aware of your feelings, thoughts,
what you’re hearing, and anything else you notice in the present moment. You can also
think of it as having a kind and honest look at what you’re currently experiencing.

Entering the school system can be very overwhelming for our children. Learning how to
speak, developing social skills, and practicing self-control are all things our kids find challenging
on a daily. When we teach mindfulness to our children, we give them tools they can use to
cope with all of this stimulation.

In a nutshell, mindfulness helps:
 Reduce stress levels, anxiety, depression, and disruptive behaviour
 Increase focus, classroom participation, self-control, and compassion
 Assist in improving academic performance
 Improve children’s overall well-being

Let’s explore some mindfulness activities that we can practice at home:

Belly Breathing – To get started, have your child place one hand on their belly and another
on their chest. While breathing, have them notice the gentle rise and fall of their chest and
abdomen.
You can count out loud while doing this exercise. Encourage your child to try breathing in for
a count of four, hold for two counts, and then breathe out for a count of six.

Draw An Everyday Object – For this exercise, you’ll need to hand your child an ordinary
object, like a flower or a leaf, then encourage them to take a moment and look at it closely.
They’ll need to look at the interesting colours, lines, patterns, and anything else they notice.

This exercise encourages children to pay full attention to one thing for a little while.

Nature Walk – Embark on an outdoor walk that will encourage your children to engage all of
their five senses in observation. Allow them to share what they see, hear, smell, taste and
feel on their walk.

Take the time to say yes to rest and play with your children, and for yourself!

We’re not going to lie: Finding the right preschool for your child is a daunting task. It
can overwhelm even the most seasoned of parents. But it’s also an extremely
exciting time that signals the start of your child’s learning and growing beyond their
home and family.

As parents, we all want the best for our children, and we want to find an environment that will match the comfort, love, attention and care that we provide at home.  Not always an easy task. 

Fortunately, there are a few guiding principles to help you make a decision that is both practical and meets your little one’s emotional and social needs. 

1. Do your research

Decide what you want out of preschool. It is great to talk to neighbours, colleagues and other parents on the playground but at the end of the day, you need to make your own assessment on what’s best for your child. 

Some questions you may consider asking are:

• How long has the school been operating?
• Are the teachers experienced and nurturing?
• How does the school communicate with parents?
• Is the program play-based, academic, or both?
• What extras does the program have? Are there languages, outdoor play spaces, nature education, art, music, science, library, etc.?

2. Look for a warm and comforting environment

Visit the campus while school is in session so that you can see first-hand how the school operates. This is a great way to experience the environment and teacher-student interaction. Does the classroom feel inviting and safe? Do the children look happy? Is it calm and fun at the same time? 

3. Nurturing Teachers

Passionate, caring, and qualified teachers and staff should be a priority. Teachers make all the difference to education when your little one starts formal schooling but don’t underestimate the power of a nurturing teacher at play school level. You want to leave your child in the care of someone who is in tune with your little one’s cues and who is skilled at creating a reassuring, safe and fun environment for your little one to grow, develop and be themselves. Ask the school about their behaviour management policy. 

4. . Playful learning

Young children learn best by doing or experiencing—through discovery and play. This is why we prioritise play at Little Einsteins and we focus on providing a well-balance environment of guided and unstructured play. Additionally, the school should encourage the holistic development of the child and empower values within them. The joy of learning and the excitement to go to school should start early and can flourish in the right environment. 

5. Be realistic

You might never find the perfect school that ticks all the boxes. The nursery and preschool years are the underpinnings of your child’s educational journey but they do not need a state-of-the-art playground and all the latest gadgets. Look for an environment that nurtures the whole child and teachers that prioritise learning instead of teaching. 

Once you have narrowed down your search, apply to more than one school to avoid disappointment. At the end of the day, your gut will tell you what is right for you and your family.

Get in touch with us to visit Little Einsteins today, and find out how we focus on play, not profit through our social impact model with Learn To Play. 

We believe in building a brighter Botswana, with our Little Einsteins. 

– by Ronelda van’ t Hof

Children have played since the beginning of times. It is instinct to want to play and
explore. How can we guide our children without understanding the true essence and
importance of play ourselves? Can a game of peekaboo, or playing house, really
teach our children how to think creatively and act socially? It sure can!

Play can be seen as a child’s occupation as it should take up most of their day. The
same way our jobs take up most of our time as parents. Making time for play at
home can even benefit us as adults, allowing us to reconnect with our own “inner
child”.

When children engage in real-life and imaginary activities, play can challenge their
thinking. Children thrive and learn best through first-hand experiences – play
motivates, stimulates, and supports children in their development of skills, concepts,
language, communication, and concentration. When children play, they use all their
senses and get to connect what they already know with new knowledge, skills, and
objectives. Play gives them an outlet for creativity and experimentation, and it helps
them learn how to interact and communicate with others.

That is why, at Little Einsteins, we value our play-based approach. Play is what we
do best! We provide our children with a safe space to play, explore, learn and grow.
As teachers, we make sure to strike the balance between guided and free play.
Allowing our children to use and develop their creativity and imagination. Creating
these play-rich environments are important both at school and at home and we will
work together to nurture opportunities for learning through play.

We look forward to another playful term together at Little Einsteins.

– by Ronelda van ‘t Hof

The year 2021 started with a lot of uncertainty and questions; what would school be like in the face of COVID 19, what did we have to adjust and adapt to as a school? How would our school day and routines change?

Despite all this uncertainty we were determined to provide a safe, playful learning space for the children at REWA Little Einsteins. Our resilient staff and pupils took all the new COVID 19 protocols in their stride, we incorporated them in our work but still retained the joy, creativity and fun in play based learning.

First term ushered in a new concept that was adopted throughout the school called Floor Books.

Floor Books, or “giant books” as the Butterfly Class like to call them, are a strategy employed all over the world that gives each child a space in which their thoughts and expressions regarding a particular theme can be recorded.  At Little Einsteins, each child has their own floor book and each is very subjective; no two floor books are alike. Floor books have been a great addition in our endeavour to provide personalised attention to each child in our care as they promote teacher –pupil engagement and allow the teacher to discover each child’s individual interests and then use those interests to guide future learning.  We are so excited about the change floor books are directing in our teaching and learning.

Regardless of the challenges faced this year we have attempted to preserve all the classic Little Einsteins activities that parents and children alike look forward to. These include celebrating World Bicycle Day by shutting down our streets with our community police officers so that our little ones could ride their hearts out in our neighbourhood.

We continued our annual  Easter Egg Hunt, a variety of themed dress up days like our winter pyjama day which we celebrated with hot chocolate and marshmallows and International Tea Day which was also celebrated in hats, bow ties and tutus with a cuppa tea and crumpets.

Who can forget our parent social? In keeping with COVID-19 protocols we held an online social quiz for our community, parents were encouraged to log on together with all their kids. Our victors this year were the Clune family.

During the holidays, all our staff were vaccinated against COVID-19 and we are hopeful that this enables us to create a safer play environment for our school community. 

All these and many other activities have kept us busy throughout the year so far. For the third term, we look forward to celebrating Botswana Day, Diwali, we also look forward to an entertaining and exciting end of year concert and our bittersweet graduation where we are so proud of our little ones but also so sad to see them leave. We have lots more on at our Library and at Learn To Play so keep an eye on our Social Media.

After some fantastic professional development training with LEGO, Inclusion, First Aid and other sessions, we are even more determined to provide a place where children flourish.

Here is to an awesome third term.

Written by Teacher Nyasha