We have already reached the middle of January and so far we have had very few “intolerable” days. This is “Winterpeg” and it will be important to be ready, because no doubt those cold days are coming. The Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care’s Best Practices Manual recommends that children play outside on a daily basis except where temperatures -25 degrees Celsius exist. During outside play, all children are monitored very closely and some “warming up” strategies are used with those children that are less tolerant of the cold temperatures. (Check with your child’s teachers about some of the strategies we use to help the children warm up). Staying warm allows the children to stay outside for longer periods of time. We know that through longer periods of uninterrupted play, there is an increased use of their imaginations, turn taking and problem solving skills. It is therefore very important to dress appropriately for the temperature conditions. One of our strategies is for our staff to be good role models in this regard and we think they are doing a great job of this. Here is a link to a good video about dressing children for winter which should help inform you about what clothing is best to provide for the cold days ahead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McUKYXGLHfs&sns=em