Well, that was an unexpected end to 2022! From the photos and videos that have been sent in - and the stories that your children have been sharing - it is obvious that the snow days were an opportunity for some wonderful adventures and family time. We are about to embark upon three more weeks of family fun and possible reunions with friends and loved ones in far off places. If you are heading off beyond Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire this holiday, I wish you safe (and uncomplicated) travels. The Preschool and Elementary School team - as well as the entire ISA family - wish you joy, laughter and good health during the holiday period.
It has been a very exciting first half of the school year, full of learning, challenges and accomplishments. Our second quarter isn’t quite finished; there are two more weeks of school in January before report cards are written. These will be posted onto PowerSchool on Friday, January 27, 2023.
Over the course of the next three weeks, your children will doubtless be looking for ways to occupy themselves. As a child, I was never allowed to say, “I’m bored.” In fact, in my house it was treated as seriously as a swear word. Now, as an adult, parent and educator, I can only agree with my parents’ motivations in this regard.
Unfortunately, this generation has the extra challenge of being surrounded by sources of immediate gratification and passive consumption - namely, tablets, streaming platforms, smartphones and more. As an antidote, even if temporary, I would recommend that families encourage reading, creating (e.g., writing or drawing), building (e..g, Lego), designing, and baking/cooking. Lots of time exploring or playing outdoors is always a good shout, too. If possible, limiting access to sources of passive consumption, such as YouTube, Netflix and Disney+, is also a good idea.
I would also highly recommend board games and card games. Not only are these natural sources of quality family interactions, they support children’s cognitive, social and emotional development in a range of ways, from turn taking to learning to win or lose gracefully. Board games and card games also emphasise communication, teamwork and strategising or predicting within the context of rules.
That said, we cannot ignore that many children do have access to digital devices. With that in mind, there are a number of creative digital tools that you can feel positive about, too. For example, Minecraft is both wildly popular and engaging while being full of potential for open-ended, child-friendly creativity. Similarly, children in the upper grades have started units of study and projects involving coding/programming and might want to continue their investigations into this skill over the holiday break (e.g., Scratch or Code.org).
Stay safe and healthy - and have the most wonderful of holidays!
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