It's all about the Twos
September 24, 2014, 09:01 AM
The past 2 weeks have been very exciting in the Two's Time program! The children have been getting to know the classroom, the teachers and each other and are starting to settle in!
Here are some pictures to give you a sampling of the things we are doing in class:
Duplo
Stacking
Beading
Music
Snack
Art
Painting |
Using Stamps |
Pastels |
Puzzles
Apples - Biggest to Smallest |
Modes of transportation |
The Alphabet |
Sea Creatures |
Imaginative Play
Taking the toys out of the bowl... |
Comments
Growing and growing......in the Spring!
January 23, 2014, 03:47 PMWelcome back! We have a few new friends joining us this term. It is always an exciting time for children who showed up with their stories from their break. Some children told us that they spent their time in their hometown, and some stayed in beautiful Vancouver for their holidays.
It is always fun to bring out lego in our classroom as children can use their imagination to create anything they want. A few of them played together and they lined the lego up constructed buildings, chairs, and cars. Some children seemed to simply enjoy the act of holding the pieces in their hands. Some liked to use the same colors and some liked to use different colors.
We had another station for pegs last week. I am surprised that children did not play the same way that we anticipated. Some flipped the board over and pretended it was a table with many legs by putting the pegs in. Others saw and started to do the same. C said "many legs many legs".
For art, we put out materials that ensure projects that are open-ended, which will give children room to imagine. We put out Q-tips, paint, chalks, glue stick, tissue paper, paintbrush, crayons and pastels and children just love it!
Some children love to spend their alone time at the library corner. There was a book called "Pete the Cat" that captured everyone's attention. The teachers sang the lyrics as part of the story. R liked the melody a lot and he sang out with his own lyrics while he was playing a toy tow truck. Instead of singing "I love my blue shoes, I love my blue shoes, I love my blue shoes...", he sang "He is towing that home, he is towing that home, he is towing that home...".
It is so amazing to see each of the children grow and develop new skills every week. We can't wait to incorporate more challenging activities to our little brainers soon!
Pumpkin Season!
November 18, 2013, 09:19 PMOctober is always an exciting month at school. Children look forward to the first party of the school year - the Halloween party! Children dressed up in their favourite characters or animals. It was interesting to watch them take on the persona of the character they were dressed as- Snow White, Tinker Bell, a zebra, a bee, a tiger, a dinosaur, a firefighter, Super Girl, Thomas the Train and Bob the Builder all came to school that day!
During group time, we showed the children a pumpkin. We discussed the outside but they were most curious about the inside. So we cut the pumpkin open, took out the flesh and played with the seeds. The colour, the texture and the smell of the pumpkin caught their attention and some of the children even tried to have a taste of it :)
Here are some comments the children made about the pumpkin flesh:
"It's sticky."
"It feels funny."
"Orange."
"Waaa.."
"Can I try?"
"Yucky!"
By alternating toys and activities each week, children are given multiple opportunities to play in their own creative ways. When I watch children use materials in new and unconventional ways, I question why adults expect toys to be used in a certain way. Isn't this limiting their creativity? I have observed that the simpler the toy or material, the more complex the play becomes.
It was impressive to see how children interact with the art supplies. Some children liked to repeat the same step over and over again, while others preferred to try new ways. It is an inspiring moment when observing children play and learn new skills. I learn so much each time I actively observe their play; I love being both a teacher and a learner!
Bonnie
Warm Welcome
October 13, 2013, 07:10 AMIt is an exciting time for us to see children walking into the classroom with smiles on their faces. Of course, the first few weeks was a period of adjustment as children learnt to say goodbye to their parents and caregivers. The moment of saying goodbye can be very difficult for both child and parent and we are proud of them all for being brave! We are pleasantly surprised how quickly the children have adapted to the classroom environment and engaged in the activities that we carefully chose for them.
We love to see how children interact with others while playing. It is amazing to observe children using their imagination when they play. S held up a toy train and turned it into a plane flying; E made an ice-cream cone by building a prism wooden block.
Our toddlers have been building up their confidence by learning simple steps such as opening their own snack containers, interacting with friends and washing their hands by turning on and off the taps.
All of us have a lot of fun at circle time- singing, dancing, and holding hands make us feel connected and we look forward to spending the rest of the year with our new friends.
Welcome to Merry King!
Bonnie
WRCC
Welcome Spring!
April 7, 2013, 09:10 PMSettling in after Spring Break, the toddlers are busy playing while learning new concepts and ideas. Every class has been a stepping stone in the learning foundation for our children. Whether it is completing a puzzle, drawing with crayons and markers, closing lids on their snacks, or building close friendships, they are gaining confidence in their skills.
At circle time, we have been continuing with our search for Little Mouse's cheese, which went hiding in one of the little houses. Using felt stories, children are able to use their language skills to look for Little Mouse's cheese. Felt board stories provide language literacy using visual representations, such as colours and sizes.
During
the past two weeks, we have been incorporating pirate dress-up play into our
Time for Twos. For an exciting
adventure, we needed pirate hats, a treasure map, and a box of treasure! Children
were excited to embark on a new adventure taking turns hiding and looking for
treasure. One of the teachers helped the children learn how to understand and use
a pretend treasure map, aiding in the concept of a treasure hunt. Dress-up
play, or dramatic play, allows children to express themselves by using their
vast imaginations.
Our
toddlers are also developing fine motor skills by grasping small beading items
and holding crayons while they draw. Our little artists have come a long way in
developing their artistic abilities and transferring ideas onto paper. For example, one of
the children added valuable insights into his drawing by describing the dots (“little
dots”, “big dots”, “red dots”, “black dots”) in the car that he drew.
We feel lucky and enriched by every
class with the toddlers. As much as we foster the children’s foundations of learning
through play, the children help us understand the value of learning.
Karen
WRCC