Parents are asked to provide a full change of clothes suitable for the current season, every day that their child attends The Children's Garden. Please check your bag each day to see if any of the spare clothing was worn and needs replacing. A big part of our program is the time we spend outside either in the playground or on a walk. We want your child to enjoy being outside and this is only possible when they have suitable clothing. We suggest you dress your child in 2-3 layers on the top half of their body when inside. These can be thin layers such as an undershirt or T-shirt and a long sleeved shirt. When it is cold a sweater is necessary. Please make sure that when your child lifts his or her arms above their head their tummy is not exposed. Clothes removed during inside playtime will be replaced before going outside. A coat, scarf, hat and mittens will be added when the weather is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Snow pants and snow boots are necessary when attending in snow. Raincoat and rain pants and boots are necessary when attending in the rain. Hats are encouraged throughout the year, for warmth when it is cold and for sun protection when it is hot. Many children are not used to wearing hats and it can take some getting used to!
As you can see the way your child is dressed is important to us. Young children do not have the physical capacity to discern their need for warmth. Many children will tell you they want their jacket or hat off because they are hot when more often than not it is simply that they don't want to feel the confinement of the clothing. As long as the child is not sweating we keep them well dressed in layers that can be peeled off as needed. If their hands or feet are cold this is an indication that they need another layer. We encourage you to dress your child in natural fibers as much as possible. Cotton and wool help the body regulate its temperature far more efficiently than fabrics made from artificial fibers. We understand that it is often hard to find good quality clothes made from natural materials at a reasonable price. Perhaps concentrate on the layer that touches the skin a layer of natural fabric.
Hats are very important; much of the body's heat is lost through the head. With young children and infants the head can be anywhere from a quarter to an eighth of their entire body. We would never think about sending our children outside with that much skin exposed on another part of the body in cold weather. Health problems can occur when the body is using all available energy for heating rather than other necessary functions such as grow, digestion and protection. For these reasons we do our best to see that your child wears a hat when the temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and when playing in direct sun.
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Here is a list of clothing that your child will need at The Children's Garden: Rain jacket, Rain pants, Rain boots, Snow suit/coat and pants, Snow boots, Mittens, Scarf, Warm winter jacket, Hat- a warm one and a sun one, A change of clothes, Running shoes.
Please send your children in sturdy play clothes, preferably not ripped or torn, which you don't mind getting dirty. Your child will experience painting, clay modeling and outside play on a regular basis and much of this will show up on the clothes, despite the use of aprons for the former activities.
In an effort to support the children's free imagination we ask that you do not send your child in clothing that is decorated with television or media images, even if they are seemingly sweet and nonviolent. We prefer to have children free of these images so that they can truly play out of their own imagination.