Welcome to Romp & Rollick
For those of you who are new to Romp & Rollick, hello!! My name is Meryl. You can call me Meryl or Ms. Meryl, whatever you prefer. I have my Master's Degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education in New York City, which is the birthplace of modern progressive education, and I very much teach in the Bank Street style. I taught in classrooms before I had my children, then I transition to consulting with both families as well as schools and businesses. If you have any questions about development or schooling, you are more than welcome to approach me during class to pick my brain.
This is a developmental class, and as such, everything your child is meant to do, they will naturally do! We do not want to limit your child's exploration. I like to think of my class as a YES space! I want to encourage each of you to take a step back and approach your child's behavior with curiosity. What do they choose to do, and why do you think they do it? After a few weeks of this type of curious observation you will notice trends in what they like to do and possible hints to what type of disposition your child has.
There are only 3 basic rules at Romp & Rollick. These are firm boundaries that all of us grown-ups can hold.
No standing on any table, including the water and sensory tables.
You may not mix the sensory material with water or sand (unless explicitly invited to do so). Each material should stay in its own area.
Please do not enter the back patio. This is where we stage materials and it is not baby-proofed.
Any other exploration your child wants to engage in is OK!!! Toys from one area can be moved to another. They can play however they want, wherever they want, and for as long as they want. In other words, this is a child-directed class. If they pour a cup of rice down their shirt, we should say, "oh! how does that feel?" If they paint their face we can say, "Is that cold on your face? What color did you choose?" This can take some getting used to since we are trained to keep our kids in line with societal norms while out and about in the world. Also, please don't think this means I am suggesting your home should also be a "yes space" (unless you want it to be). If your child tries to pour rice down their shirt while you are cooking please feel free to say, "You can try that at Ah-Ha Fun Time, but right now, Mama is trying to make dinner and we need to eat that rice," or "let's save the messy play for Ah-Ha Fun Time," for example.
When we have Storytime:
We want story time to feel good to our children's bodies, so we never want to hold our children down or force them to sit. This is a developmental class, and as such, everything they are meant to do, they will naturally do! It is OK for them to wander and explore as I read and sing. This is completely normal for young children. What we should do is model appropriate classroom behavior. So, we sit and listen and get involved in the story and song. If your child wanders away from the circle and you feel they are not yet able to be safe on their own, you are welcome to go be with them, but please continue to engage with what is happening and redirect them back to the circle. You can say, "I really want to see this picture, let's go back." Or "I love this book! Let's go hear Ms. Meryl read it!" etc. This brings me to my next point, we can not provide any supervision to your child. You will be in charge of keeping them safe as you play.
Any questions about billing, absences or other administrative questions can be directed to our Operations Manager at hello@rompandrollick.com.
You are welcome to send any questions about your child or the class to Meryl at meryl@rompandrollick.com.
See you soon!