DAY 1:

On the first day of class the children saw me up on the tree, nibbling a nut. They were all pointing and looking at me, which made me feel a bit like a movie star. I think they were excited to see a furry creature near their playing area. Julia pointed to the acorn on the ground and identified what it was. She said that those were my favorite, and she was right! The children gathered around Julia and looked for acorns. As they were searching, I quickly tried to run down the tree and escape the limelight - but they saw me! Chloe F. said that I was going home and that is why I got down from the tree. The children started to talk about where I live and what my house looked like.




DAY 2:

The children gathered some materials from outside so that they could make me a home. I saw them gather some sticks, leaves and grass. The children filled a tray full of materials for my new home. Chantel said that the grass could be my soft bed, while Claire said that the leaves could be my pillow. I can’t wait to see their different creations and to have a comfy place to sleep!





DAY 3:

The children made my home for art with the different materials they gathered, as well as some cotton and yarn.

Chantel made me a bed with lots of cotton so it is really soft!

Julia made me a glittery rug and a fuzzy couch.

Chloe F. made me a colorful couch... with lots of TVs!

DAY 4:

Inside the trays at the sensory table, there was some popcorn and oatmeal. Julia was mixing it and said that she made some nut cereal for me. I’m sure that food would be really yummy! At circle time, the teacher read a story called Those Darn Squirrels, by Adam Rubin. It is about my silly but kind-hearted friends. I think the children liked the story because all eyes were on the book while the teacher was reading. When it was outside time, the children tried to look for me. Sure enough they did find me! I was in one of the trees inside the golf course. Even though I was pretty far away, I was still happy to see them.









PS. I cannot wait to find out what other fun and interesting “squirrelly” things the children will do. Also, big thanks to my human friends, Patricia and Sandy, for helping me write this.

Until next time,

Mr. Brown Squirrel

It's hard to believe the first two weeks of preschool have already passed!

We expect a degree of anxiousness from the children at the start of the school year. Entering an unfamiliar environment and separating from the comfort of their caregiver’s arms can be frightening. We were pleased to see how the children (each with their own level of comfort) came into the classroom, found their places, made connections with peers and the teachers and, in a relatively short period of time, began to feel safe and self-assured.

The 3-year-old class has impressed us with their self-help skills, and their ability to make transitions with ease as they adjusted to the routines of the classroom.

The 4-year-old class has brought some returning faces and some new. We have already seen new friendships develop, and after a summer gone by, old friendships renewed.

Every child enters preschool with their own strengths and abilities, and their individual challenges. Our hope is that each child will flourish under our care this coming year. Through a variety of play, we aim to offer each child many opportunities to grow socially, physically, emotionally, cognitively and creatively.










 Cutting, painting, spinning, rolling, weaving, constructing, sharing.... so much to be learnt through play!

 




We look forward to the year ahead, and we especially look forward to personally getting to know and enjoying your children.

We thank you for entrusting your children to our care.

~Barbi and Jess

Nicole

For the last blog of the year I thought it would be fitting to take a look back at some highlights from this past year! The clips that I am able to show on the blog are limited, but I was able to make a few highlight reels...

In the classroom we had a lot of fun this year playing with blocks, building tracks, doing art, reading, dancing, dressing up, cooking, and doing puzzles... just to name a few! Here's a look at our time in the classroom:


We also went on some special outings which included the pumpkin patch, Island Pets, the library, visiting our grandpals, "Ready, Set, Learn!", Richmond nature park,  ice skating, several beaches and a few forests... here's a glimpse of some of them:


And, of course, playgrounds! We went to a wide range of parks with a wide range of challenges! It was always exciting to see the children growing in confidence and skill sets!  Some of the parks we went to were: Queen's Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, Stanley Park, Bear Creek Park, Blue Mountain Park, Diefenbaker Park, Terra Nova, a park that we named "Tree Tunnel Park", and South Arm Park.
Here's some highlights from the playgrounds:


Thank you to our whole classroom family - Adam, Ashton, Clayten, Domenic, Dominic, Ella, Erik, Justin, Matthew, Mayu, Noa, Weston, Patricia, Michelle, and Yvette! And to THEIR wonderful families (at home) who participated with, supported, and encouraged us! We sure did a lot of learning, growing, and laughing - and we definitely had ALOT of fun!!!

Have a wonderful Summer!
Nicole