Week of Apples at Tree Top!

Johnny Appleseed's birthday is September 19th. Read all about this famous American with your children!

Apples in the attic,
Apples in the hall.
Apples in the summer,
Apples in the fall.
Apples make you healthy.
Apples make you tall.
I will eat some apples.
I will eat them all.

Reading List Recommendation

This recommendation was from a mom of a student at Tree Top. To quote Bruno Bettelheim, from his 1976 book, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales: "fairy tales are in fact the best tools to teach young children how to handle the basic, underlying fears, problems and questions in their lives." Finding age appropriate ways to introduce fairy tales such as the beautifully illustrated version by Mary Engelbreit can enhance your bedtime story experience.

Graduation Day at Tree Top School! Fort McClary

Don't Rush Childhood...

The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four - of secondary importance is to prepare for being five.

~Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook, 1985

5 Fast Ways to "Unspoil" Your Child

Worried that your kids are spoiled? By one estimate, 94% of parents are, but there's good news: “It is seldom too late to unspoil a child,” asserts Richard Bromfield, Harvard Medical School psychologist and author of How to Unspoil Your Child Fast. He offers these tips to take charge:

• Stand strong. Commit to making less indulgent parenting a priority. This means you must “be tough and unyielding” when it comes to saying no, Bromfield says. “Wishy-washy unspoiling” won't work.

• Avoid idle threats. “Yelling, counting to three and threatening consequences that you do not implement can weaken your authority,” Bromfield advises. “State your expectations clearly, and keep to them.”

• Be a parent, not a pal. “Parents want to be friends, not dictators,” Bromfield maintains. “But sometimes, children need to hear a simple ‘no' or, dare I say, old-fashioned ‘because I am the parent and I say so.' ”

• Don't bargain. “Parents train their children to be mini-lawyers,” Bromfield believes. “Don't barter for every bit of cooperation. We know who has the energy to win endless battles, and it is not the parents.”

• Buy, do less. Giving into fewer whims, Bromfield says, teaches “critical life skills” of appreciation and patience.

borrowed from USA Today, by Alyssa Bailey

Tent Adventures at Tree Top School

Some more Spring Fun at Tree Top!

Popcorn treats!

Well deserved ice cream break