We are POSITIVE about Positive Psychology!!!

Time is sure flying right by us and we have had a jammed pack schedule!

We started our Specials this month, which include Yoga & Mindfulness, Fitness Fun, Spanish, Author of the Month, and Positive Education Focus.

Throughout the months, we also have Special Activities, like Dress Up Days, Show ‘n Tell Day, Bike Day, Cooking Class, and much more!!!

We shifted our preschool into a Positive Preschool in 2019 where we have implemented Positive Psychology into our entire day, whether it’s reminding us to take some breaths to calm our mind and body and shifting our mindset from a negative outlook to a positive one.

For anyone who is not familiar with Positive Psychology, the scientific definition is the study of strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive. It was founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, cultivate what is best within themselves, and enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.

Each month, Whitney Carr (Director of Crownsville), Brianna Beverly (Director of Glen Burnie), Erica Bury (3’s Lead Teacher of Crownsville), and I (Executive Director) have a meeting where we focus on how to incorporate all that was learned from the Positive Education program and give the teachers the tools for in the classroom, with the children as well as activities, tips, techniques at home. Also, we will have team-building opportunities, fun facts, and informative information for the staff.

Throughout this month, we have been focusing on the topic of Gratitude and Kindness! Gratitude and Kindness are something you feel when you have been the recipient of something or someone else’s positive actions. They create an upward spiral to make us feel more positive and loved. There are so many reasons to be grateful that we often take them for granted and it’s important to introduce these words and what they mean to our children.

In the classrooms, the children listened to the story, “Should I Share My Ice Cream?” by Mo Williems. If you do not have this book, we recommend adding it to your child’s bookshelf at home. This book is about sharing and using kind words.

We followed up with the activity of kind words that feel like cotton balls and not-so-kind words that feel like sandpaper.

For the staff, we created a Gratitude Tree at the centers, and they can add pictures to the tree of what they are grateful for, like family members, friends, animals, and more.

Some other things that have happened this month:

· Firefighters came to our centers! Thank you to our local firefighters as well as our Crownsville parent for showing the children their gear, and the fire truck and to discuss fire safety.