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Park Time

October 13, 2020 | Bridget O'Dowd

The children have been exploring the Park with such confidence! For many, Park time is their favorite time of the day, and for good reason! Children have many choices in the Park. They spend time with their friends engaging in games, both competitive and cooperative, imaginary play, digging, exploring, and running. So far, most of our park time has been spent at the park! We have found during our allotted park time, at least one of the fields across from school are available for us to play and not interact with other classes or people. Rainy days and days that the fields are busy, we have also played in the gym and play yard!

Children need this unstructured time to practice skills they will need all through their lives: problem-solving, communication, and social skills. As they create their own games, enforce rules, and cooperate with others they are building their executive function skills, which is what we adults use to plan, multi-task, troubleshoot, and prioritize. Let the children play!

Bridget O'Dowd

Ms. O’Dowd came to Mustard Seed in 2017, after moving to Hoboken in 2016. She found a school and a community all in one package at Mustard Seed! Having taught kindergarten in Illinois before moving to New Jersey, Ms. O’Dowd has a passion for five-year-olds. She’s delighted to be a part of the kindergarten team and loves to read and share in story with students. Her favorite moment of the day is during a good read aloud, when she looks out and sees the faces of children showing empathy and emotion in response to the story. Ms. O’Dowd’s hobbies include exploring new neighborhoods, watching BBC documentaries, traveling to visit family, and eating her way through New York City.

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