Today, James went to his first day at Barnepark. Translated,
it means “Children’s Park” and is essentially a preschool in which the only
curriculum is getting as much fresh air and sunshine as possible, sunshine
optional. No matter the weather, the
children are dressed appropriately and play outside on a fenced playground
from 10:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon. They go inside for lunch
and potty breaks.
There is, of course, a cold weather policy in place, though
it differs from what you would expect back in the states. If the temperature
drops below -10°C (14°F) they start an hour later and spend one hour outside, then
one hour inside, followed by another hour outside. Appropriate clothing was
defined as wool thermals, wool socks, wool sweater, full body snowsuit, hat,
waterproof mittens and a scarf. So it was that James, on this brisk day (3°F),
bundled up and spent over 2 hours playing outside with friends, trucks and
snow. For an almost 4 year old boy, he was livin’ the dream. Can’t you tell
from the pictures?
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| Dressed and ready to go |
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| The after picture - note the rosy cheeks |
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| James is always a happy guy, but seriously |
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| Lucy approved. |
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| We had a 3-minute drive to Maddie's school. He didn't stand a chance. |
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| Barbies and cars with Maddie |
