For their bin your child should have an extra shirt, pair of pants, underwear, socks, shoes, and an upper body insulating layer.

For their backpack the same suggestions apply as for the other, more tedious seasons, but the snack and lunch do not necessarily need to be as calorically dense as for when it is very chilly outside.

We have found it helpful for children to not wear denim because once it is wet; it takes a long time to dry out. Instead we recommend quick-drying polyester pants such as jogging pants or, in cooler weather, fleece pants are better because they will stay warmer when wet and dry faster than cotton pants, and they offer good mobility. A good pants system for this time of year is a synthetic fiber or wool, long underwear or pants (or even two pairs if really chilly), under rain pants. We ask that your child wear or bring rain pants every day, or leave them in their bin with us.

Cotton socks are still not a great idea and the same criteria for socks apply as with winter dressing. However, if it is very warm children can wear sandals/ water shoes. We ask that children do not wear flip flops. Sneakers and waterproof boots tend to be appropriate for this weather. Boots that we like a lot are “muck”-type neoprene boots because they are warm AND waterproof.

For their bin the children need to have an extra shirt, pair of pants, underwear, mittens, shoes and socks. They also need an extra upper body insulating layer, such as a fleece jacket. Again, we would like to ask that you do not bring cotton materials.

For their backpack we ask that you bring the same things for these seasons as for the early spring/ late fall session.

Having warm boots are an essential component in feeling comfortable in cold weather. Winter boots must be well-insulated. Neoprene boots that are marketed for winter are needed when it is above about 30 degrees and wet out (from rain or melting snow). Some children have feet that stay extra warm and these may be warm enough for them on even the coldest days. However, most children will need another pair of boots that are extra warm. These extra warm boots are not usually waterproof and are marketed as snow boots typically. A helpful thing you can do to ensure getting the most mileage out of the boots is to buy them a size up, and you can outfit your child with an extra pair of socks the first year. Footwear brands we recommend: Kamik out of Canada (www.kamik.com), Sorel (www.sorel.com), Muck Boots (www.muckbootcompany.com), Bogs (bogsfootwear.com) , and L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com.) You can find some of these locally.

Now let’s discuss mittens and hats. Mittens need to be insulated and waterproof. Mittens tend to be much warmer than gloves. We ask that you leave a second pair with us for their bin in case the first pair gets wet (which happens frequently). It can be really helpful to bring mittens that are easy to put on. Also, a hat that keeps you warm is another essential piece in keeping warm in the colder weather. We recommend wool or fleece hats for such purposes. A neck gaiter, scarf, or balaclava is important in very cold or windy weather to cover the face and neck.

For their bin they need to have a full change of base layers. This means that they to bring extra underwear, socks, long underwear (top and bottom), an insulating layer (such as fleece top and bottom), mittens and a hat. Having an extra pair of warm boots is needed in case the other pair gets wet and/or gets snow in them.

For their backpack the children need to bring a calorically dense snack and lunch. Extra calories during this time will help keep them warm and provide extra energy. They will also want to bring an empty hot cup for wild tea or hot cocoa that we make over a fire. A water bottle is also an everyday essential.