The Week Ahead – It is getting warmer!
The magical month of May approaches; the weather continues to warm up and it won’t be long before the mosquitoes are joining us in and around Shanghai to test our ninja-style swatting skills. Please do ensure that as the sun shines on our youngest Wellingtonians that they are well protected for a day of outdoor fun. The outdoor learning spaces call continuously to the pupils to tend the vegetable garden, explore sounds and rhythm, cook and create, practise their driving skills and simply be children. Now is the time to make sure that sunscreen is applied at home along with mosquito repellent.
Staying safe in the sun
Just a few serious sunburns can increase your child’s risk of skin cancer later in life. Children don’t have to be at the pool, beach, or on holiday to get too much sun. Their skin needs protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays whenever they’re outdoors. Recommended ways to stay safe are:
Seek shade. UV rays are strongest and most harmful during midday, so it’s best to plan indoor activities then.
Cover up. When possible, long-sleeved shirts and long pants and skirts can provide protection from UV rays.
Get a hat. Hats that shade the face, scalp, ears, and neck are easy to use and give great protection. Baseball caps are popular among kids, but they don’t protect their ears and neck. If your child chooses a cap, be sure to protect exposed areas with sunscreen.
Wear sunglasses. They protect your child’s eyes from UV rays, which can lead to cataracts later in life. Look for sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.
Apply sunscreen. Use sunscreen with at least SPF 15 and UVA and UVB protection every time your child goes outside. For the best protection, apply sunscreen generously 30 minutes before going outdoors. Don’t forget to protect ears, noses, lips, and the tops of feet.
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/children.htm
Did you know:
- Unprotected skin can be damaged by the sun’s UV rays in as little as 15 minutes, yet it can take up to 12 hours for skin to show the full effect of sun exposure
- If it is cool and cloudy, children still need protection - UV rays, not the temperature, do the damage
- Babies and toddlers have different sun protection needs than adults
For children’s skin, it must be noted that chemicals can irritate children’s sensitive skin and when purchasing sun cream some ingredients are worthy of note. PABA and oxybenzone have been associated with skin reactions, whereas sunscreens zinc oxide and titanium dioxide tend to be better tolerated by people with sensitive skin. These can usually be found in sunscreens for babies and children. For young children, where application may be a challenge, it is worth trying spray sunscreens as these are generally quicker and easier to use (spray sunscreens should not be applied directly to the face; sprays should be misted into the hands, then spread on the face).
http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/sunscreen/choosing
Recommended sun creams include:
- Ladival Sun protection Kids SPF50
- Clarins Suncare Milk for Children SPF50
- Nivea Sun Kids Swim & Play Sun Lotion SPF50
- Ultrasun Sun Cream Family SPF30
http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/outdoor-activity/best-sun-creams-for-kids-children-sunscreen-spf-sun-protection-lotion-10437898.html
- Bepanthen Baby Sun Cream SPF50+
- Ambre Solaire Kids Protection Anti Sand Spray SPF50+
- Sunsense Kids Broad Spectrum Lotion SPF50+
- Neutrogena Wet Skin Spray SPF70
https://totstotravel.co.uk/blog/top-kids-2016-sun-cream-picks/
No hat, no play.
From 1st May, we ask that ALL pupils wear the Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai summer hat and must remind parents and families that we have a very simple rule to protect our youngest learners:
Don’t count on sunscreen to provide complete protection from the sun; wearing a sun-protective hat is a simple and effective strategy for reducing ultraviolet radiation to the face, head and neck. If children could become accustomed to wearing a hat when outdoors at the setting, it should increase the likelihood that they will routinely wear one for all outdoor activities as well.
http://www.sunsafetyforkids.org/sunprotection/hats/
Repelling the pesky pests!
As with sun creams, it is worth considering the ingredients in mosquito repellent before applying to your child’s skin. Alternatives to conventional repellent are worthy of consideration and looking to mother nature to help may be beneficial. Plant oils and essential oils can be used; commonly recommended natural ingredients for mosquito repellents include:
- Lemon eucalyptus oil
- Lavender Cinnamon oil
- Thyme oil
- Greek catnip oil
- Soybean oil
- Citronella
- Tea tree oil
- Geraniol
- Neem oil
Essential oils should never be put on the skin directly. They are always diluted in a carrier oil such as almond oil. The recipe is usually 3 to 5 drops of essential oil in 1 ounce of carrier oil. Remember that it is possible to have an allergic reaction from the active ingredients in essential oils. Before you use any new product, spot-test the product on a small section of skin and wait an hour or two to make sure that no reaction occurs.
http://www.healthline.com/health/kinds-of-natural-mosquito-repellant#natural-mosquito-repellents1
Did you know:
Yuki, Lydia and I had a fabulous open coffee morning with the parents last week. The conversation flowed as easily as the refreshments and the atmosphere was open, relaxed and supportive. Comments were made around the unique relationship that we have established with the parents and families and we hope that these events will continue to strengthen our partnership. Due to the success of the morning, we plan to host these more regularly. Please keep an eye out for more information.
The Summer Carnival will be held on Saturday 20
th May. This is set to be an amazing event bringing families together to experience fun, performances, entertainment, great food, amazing vendors and a sense of community spirit.
The new Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai website will launch next week. Updated, easy to use and exceptionally pleasing to the eye, the website provides current and prospective families with information, news and insights in to life as part of the family. Check us out at
www.wellingtoncollege.cn/bilingualshanghai
Classroom News for week beginning 1st May 2017
Early Years 1 – Consolidation week
This week we will review fruits such as: apples, oranges, bananas, grapes and watermelon. We will use a class-based activity to give children the opportunity to describe the texture of the fruit that they touch as well as talk about the smell of the fruit (i.e. good or bad). Children will also have the opportunity to use playdoh to make fruit related artwork. During circle time, we will ask children these questions, “Where are the big water bottles? Where are the small water bottles?” We will be considering:
1 "big" and "small": children will use different tools to measure some objects, compare which one is bigger? Which one is smaller?
2 What is the difference? We will encourage children to talk about the uniform they wear from September 2016 till now in a simple sentence. For summer, what do we wear? For autumn, what do we wear? For winter, what do we wear? For spring, what do we wear? And then, we will sort all the clothes by season.
We are reading: That’s not my fox, That’s not my sheep, That’s not my lion
We are singing: Do you like ____________?, Shu ya zi, Wo you yi tou xiao mao lv
Early Years 2 – Consolidation Week
The shortened week next week is a great opportunity for us to catch up and reinforce the children’s learning thus far in our ‘garden’ topic. The children will investigate colours and shapes, going on hunts around the setting to explore the makeup of their environment, using the colour wheel to mix paints, as well as well playing shape bingo. We will also continue to introduce the topic of mini-beasts in the gardens, and go and see if our bug hotels that the children have created have attracted any guests.
We are reading: 正方形里的比尔熊、小蓝和小黄, Planting a Rainbow (Lois Ehlert), Up, Down, Around (Kathrine Ayres)
We are singing: 彩虹, Hokey Pokey
Early Years 3 – Consolidation Week
This week, we will be continuing with our ‘lifecycles’ theme. We will be using plants as the focus for our activities instead of animals and the children will be given the opportunity to review their knowledge of how plants grow as well as investigating and observing different types of seeds. In addition to our themed learning, we will be working with the children in specific learning areas inside (writing area, maths area etc.) and outside of the classroom (the mud kitchen), to help them build upon and develop their independent learning skills. By doing this, the children will have a deeper understanding of how to play appropriately and respect our resources.
We are reading: The Tiny Seed – Eric Carle
We are singing: Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
