A calm, focused day in class. Classical music playing, rain pelting on the windows,  teachers with children in their laps...a very cozy day in Time for Twos!

Today one child started to string beads and quickly commanded the attention of several other children who then decided they, too, wanted to string beads. I watched in awe as they negotiated the beads, the cord, their own fingers. Each child came up with a different method of putting the bead on the cord, some using their bodies as a stabiliser. A quiet activity that promoted a lot of concentration.

Questions that arose for me:

• Will they put every bead on in the same way?
• If they try this again later or tomorrow, will they use the same method?
• Some of them chose the beads with thought, while others took the bead that was on top. Does this mean something about patterning?

There was a bucket filled with salt, stones and wooden farm animals for the children to investigate. I watched as two children explored this activity. One girl played in the bucket for a while and then proceeded to take out the animals and stones and line them up.



 Interestingly, the boy she was playing with did not mind at all. He continued to play in the salt, clearly enjoying the activity immensely. He played with quiet content...no dialogue and no interactions with me or the other child.








Questions that arose for me

• What does he know about salt?

What he might be thinking about...

• How does it move? How does it feel?
• What designs can I make? How does it feel?
• I can make a pile
• It goes through my fingers.
• I can make tracks
• How does it sound when I move a wood figure through the salt?
• Does the salt stick to things?
• What happens if I squeeze it?
• What if I move slowly? Quickly?
• What if I move animal along the edge?

I enjoyed my time observing these inquisitive children.

Emily

Our toddlers are changing every single class! Each session seems to bring a new level of confidence, self assurance, and an ability to explore without fear. It is also a new experience for many parents who are leaving their children for the first time. As a parent myself,  I know how difficult it can be to leave your child in the hands of another person. We appreciate the trust our parents have in our teachers and are truly honoured to be part of their family's lives.

Playdough is used for so many goals- fine motor :as children squeeze the dough they are strengthening their hand muscles. Social: children share ideas and make stories with eachother. Creative: children turn playdough into any wide variety of things from muffins to eggs to nests to animals.

Engaging in pretend play not only supports creative skill development but also social responsibilty awareness and empathy.

Lots of learning at the art table....colour mixing, gauging how much paint to use, watching the design unroll upon the paper, waiting for a turn with a roller,  learning how to carry our art all the way to the art cart and finding our name on the art cart. Friendships developing between teachers and students...investigating a glass ball. Practicing our fine motor, spatial and language skills with a magnetic puzzle. 

It is an exciting time in the two year old class as many of the toddlers said goodbye to their parents or caregivers and are ready to participate in a singing circle and investigate the different play areas.  It is a big step in development when a child can begin to understand that they can play in a safe environment without their parents. We are so proud of our students!

Using two hands to cut fruit

Developing our spatial skills

Playing with paint

Marble painting

Reading with teacher Nicole

Hammering pegs- good for fine motor and hand- eye coordination



Using our small fingers to put the pilot in the airplane We are looking forward to each and every day with our toddlers!

Emily

A new world to discover... our toddlers are learning to separate from their parents, wash hands before snack and play with the materials in the classroom.

Shape Sorting



Sponge Painting


 

Hammering Pegs



Time for Twos First Week!

A very fun and smooth week in the program.Children, staff and parents had a fun time exploring all the new materials in the classroom. It is a joy to see children and parents interacting with each other and meeting new families. We look forward to watching our toddlers learn and grow.

Chalk art on our balcony

Emily