The Positive Power of Friends at Play - FAS Tues/Thurs Class
February 28, 2017, 08:00 AMAs a Childhood Educator it is always
rewarding to see the boys and girls individually learn through their
exploration of experiences provided here at preschool.
However, I am equally amazed to watch
the children creatively interact as their play become more imaginative and
socially involved.
I have seen most of their classroom time
move from parallel play to cooperative collaboration, showing great growth in
valuable social skills such as sharing, turn taking and verbal negotiation, to
name a few.
It is also incredible to see young
children demonstrate compassion for each other in tangible ways such as
retrieving a tissue for another friend, helping another child put on their
jacket or helping to open or close a container at the group snack table.
These days of early learning alongside
other children creates a firm foundation for enduring friendships and the first
of many more opportunities for increased social experiences.
Until next time,
Lori
Comments
Rainbow Masterpiece - 4 Hour Class
February 24, 2017, 08:00 AMWe changed things at the art table today.
No chairs and no individual art. Everyone was able to move and put color
wherever they want.
It is each child’s small piece in this artwork that helped make the big picture. Piece by piece the children made this rainbow masterpiece.
Until next time,
At first everyone wanted to have his or her
own white space to color. The children just stuck to their “own area”.
Lucas enjoyed using two eyedroppers
simultaneously. He carefully watched as the two colors mixed on the paper
towel. When he saw blue and green mixing, he said, “Looks like the earth”.
Keira tried Lucas’s method of using two
eyedroppers but with different colors. She mixed the red and the blue. Keira
said she was trying to make purple that is why she used the red and blue.
Sofia and Lucas helped each other make
“rainbow earth”.
It is each child’s small piece in this artwork that helped make the big picture. Piece by piece the children made this rainbow masterpiece.
Until next time,
Patricia
Heart / Xīn (Mandarin Fun for Preschoolers)
February 15, 2017, 08:30 AMWith the celebration of Valentine’s Day this month, it was relevant for the children
to learn the Mandarin word for heart, which is xīn. The children explored their environment that gave them the opportunity to practice saying heart in Mandarin. For children, repetition and children directed activities are key to learning.
Katie and Caitlyn enjoyed making heart shaped cookies.
Sara
decorated her xīn with hóng sè
(red), huáng sè (yellow), zǐ sè (purple) and lán sè (blue).
Jaslynn liked stamping and seeing the
different designs on the paper.
Chloe pretended that the hóngxīn (red hearts) were gummies.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, do not forget to tell
your loved ones
Until
next time,
Patricia
Allowing Children To Get Dirty - 3 Year Old and 4 Year Old classes
February 9, 2017, 08:30 AM
Often parents seem to worry their children might get
their clothes dirty, or that they may become ill because of the dirt. As a
result, outdoor play is frequently limited.
In fact, allowing children to get physical with the “dirty” outside world is good for them.
The immune system is designed to build up a defence against bacteria and viruses.... but it needs to be conditioned. In order to recognize harmful germs, it needs to come into contact with germs. This is when antibodies are created. When the time comes, the child who has been exposed to harmful germs will be less susceptible to becoming ill.
Your child also needs to be active, run around and feel happy playing outside. Worrying about stains will make the child feel too wary about activities that make him happy. You can't replace that happiness with clean clothes, or with indoor inactive activities.
As well, children need to explore and discover the world. Exploration fuels the imagination and creates lifelong memories. Memories that the child will tap into the rest of his life. Not to mention the creativity, social and physical skills that are nurtured through exploration.
So, let your child get out and get dirty! :)
A puddle in the sandbox drew loads of creative play,
socializing and language,
problem solving and FUN!!
Sincerely,
Barbi
A New Year - 4 Hour Class
February 3, 2017, 08:30 AMThe children have
all settled back into class and let me say, everybody has gotten taller and
more mature since Christmas break. Is it the New Year and something magical
occurred? On the first day back, Duke wore a very smart red sport coat which
had medal like patches on it. He was so very proud to be wearing it and told us
about the story behind it. He wasn’t the only child who had a new look; there
was Chloe, Georgia, Kianne, Sara and Adonis who had new haircuts to come back
to school with. A New Year and new changes were definitely in order. We also
have two new faces in our class, one being teacher Rikki and a new student
named Mikaeyla. Please join me in giving them a warmest welcome to our class.
So, what has been going on this month? We made pancakes which was a huge success. The children were busy measuring and mixing the ingredients. We discussed all the things that go into making the pancake and had a chance to feel, smell and look at all the ingredients. Christina, Lucas and Sara carefully cracked the eggs into the bowl. I have to say, there were no egg shells in our batter as they were very skillful in avoiding it. Keira, Andrew, Georgia and Jaden all took turns mixing the batter and using their muscles.
The children all ate together and thoroughly enjoyed their own cooking. All the children liked syrup with their pancakes. Some children had second helpings since they claimed it was delicious.
During
circle time, teacher Patricia read the funny story, “If You Give a Pig a
Pancake”. The children thought it was funny since they could relate to the
story because of the sticky syrup.
As time went on the
frozen pucks started to melt and a learning moment occurred. The children were
wondering why the pucks were getting smaller. Then, we went outside to play and
when we came back the children noticed there were no frozen pucks. Adonis
asked, “What happened to them?” “Did somebody take them?” said, Duke. Oh it was
a great moment for a teacher. So, we did an impromptu before circle and
discussed what could have happened. We went from sensory to science from one
activity. This is a great example of how we try to provoke questions,
discussions and interests with your children during their time in class.
Deanna
So, what has been going on this month? We made pancakes which was a huge success. The children were busy measuring and mixing the ingredients. We discussed all the things that go into making the pancake and had a chance to feel, smell and look at all the ingredients. Christina, Lucas and Sara carefully cracked the eggs into the bowl. I have to say, there were no egg shells in our batter as they were very skillful in avoiding it. Keira, Andrew, Georgia and Jaden all took turns mixing the batter and using their muscles.
The children all ate together and thoroughly enjoyed their own cooking. All the children liked syrup with their pancakes. Some children had second helpings since they claimed it was delicious.
Since
the children were very excited about the snow and ice that was occurring
outside, we decided to make frozen coloured ice pucks for our sensory table. We
added some water to make it even more interesting and to add another dimension
to this activity. It was a popular table. Adonis enjoyed pouring the water over
the pucks and seeing the water change colours. Dana enjoyed using a spoon to
stir, and pour the water over her frozen pucks but then decided to get her
hands into it as well.
Until next time,
