Fun in the Sand - 3 year old Class
November 14, 2016, 09:00 AMThe children had a wonderful time playing in the sandbox today. They
were laughing, communicating and working both independently as well as
together. The weather was unseasonably warm, and having rained the day before,
the puddles were very inviting, and accentuated the play.
Sand-Play is a simple activity that has so much to offer children.
Sand is a soothing, entertaining and open-ended medium. Very young children can
simply sit in sand and take in the texture and qualities of the medium. Older
children with more sophisticated thought processes can use sand for
exploration and creative play.
Sand-Play promotes physical development. By digging, pouring,
sifting and scooping, children use their upper bodies and arms in ways that
many of their other toys don't require them to do. Large amounts of sand can
become very heavy when weighted down with water, and can use a lot of muscle
power to dig and transport from one area to another.
Sand-Play can be the ideal opportunity to further the development
of the minds and bodies of children. No matter the age or development level of
the child, sand offers an opportunity to explore and experiment in a safe and
inviting environment.
It was thoroughly enjoyable watching the children play in the sand
today. While dropping wet sand into a bucket, Koen said 'it makes a glickity
glok' sound. I listened and indeed, that was the sound it made!!
Until next time!
Barbi
Comments
Sharing Our Books - 3 Year Old & 4 Year Old Classes
November 2, 2016, 08:00 AM
In our classes we decided to make personal books so the children could
share with one another at free play and book time.
We hope it would, for the three’s class help them settle into the new surroundings having pictures of family and places they are familiar with to be reminded of.
For the four’s class, it created conversations. The children love looking at pictures of themselves and sharing who their family members are along with the picture they have drawn. During morning circle we look at a book together, I have noticed how proud the child feels and eager to share who is in the pictures.
We hope it would, for the three’s class help them settle into the new surroundings having pictures of family and places they are familiar with to be reminded of.
For the four’s class, it created conversations. The children love looking at pictures of themselves and sharing who their family members are along with the picture they have drawn. During morning circle we look at a book together, I have noticed how proud the child feels and eager to share who is in the pictures.
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Taylor
is admiring Katliyn's dress in the picture.
   Jasmine is looking at Mary's book, pictures of her when she was a baby.
Inspirational Art: Children are invited to enjoy drawing the other side
of the leaf.
 
Jasmine copying the red leaf she sees to her leaf.
Jean colors the tips of her leaf as she sees the color changing on her
leaf
Setting up environments in the classroom for children to show their own
creations.
 
Until next time.
Jess
|
Fun at the Pumpkin Patch - FAS Tues/Thurs Class
October 31, 2016, 08:00 AMWe went to our very first field trip of the
year, the Pumpkin Patch at Westham Island Herb Farm. We saw different colors
and sizes of pumpkins.
We also met different animals on the farm. Diana, our tour guide, introduced us to the animals and helped us learn about them.
Diana said that there are some germs
from the cows and pigs that could be on
our hands. We had to wash them so we don’t get sick.
Until next time,
We also met different animals on the farm. Diana, our tour guide, introduced us to the animals and helped us learn about them.
The first animals that we met were the
cows. Diana fed them some oats that looked like crushed granola bars and their
tongues were really long and purple. There was also a barn owl but we did not
really see it as it was way way up in one of the beams.
We saw some pigs as well. Diana gave them
half of a pumpkin and they all gathered around it. One of the pigs brought the
pumpkin in the mud and the other pigs were trying to look for it. They sure
don’t mind that their food is “dirty”.
Diana said that there are some germs
from the cows and pigs that could be on
our hands. We had to wash them so we don’t get sick.
We went into another barn where they keep
lots of hay. Diana showed us different vegetables that they grow on the farm.
We also learned that hay is for eating and straw is for sitting or sleeping on.
We then saw the chickens. We saw white and
brown chickens. We learned from Diana that white chickens lay white eggs while
brown chickens lay brown eggs. We also got the chance to feel an egg that one
of the chickens laid. The egg was really smooth.
Lastly, we saw some pygmy goats. Diana gave
them some carrots. She reminded us not to put our fingers in the fence because
the goats think it is food. The shape of our fingers is similar to the shape of
a carrot.
We were then off to the pumpkin patch where
we got to pick our pumpkins. There were many choices to choose from. Some were
small and some were big. Some were yellow and some were orange. We got to
choose what kind we wanted.
The tour of the farm and the pumpkin patch
was sure fun! But most of us truly enjoyed walking and stepping into the mud.
Good thing, we got our rain boots on!
Until next time,
Patricia
Pumpkin Scented Cloud Dough - 3 & 4 Year Old Classes
October 26, 2016, 08:30 AMIn
anticipation of Thanksgiving and a visit to the Pumpkin Patch, the children in
our Three and Four-Year-Old Classes recently enjoyed some sensory fun with
Pumpkin Scented Cloud Dough. It was a popular activity that had children
anxiously awaiting their turn to explore. It's a very simple recipe consisting
of flour, vegetable oil and pumpkin pie spice. The last ingredient gave this
activity a delicious scent that the children immediately noticed and commented
on.
Here's the recipe should you want to try this calming activity at home:
Pumpkin Pie spice (found in the spice aisle)
The
children enjoyed scooping and pouring, and the best... squishing!
Sensory
exploration is a child's way of making sense of the world. It's not all about
touch, but about the other senses as well.
Sensory
exploration also helps to develop language skills. For example, giving children
the chance to play with a variety of textures and tastes helps them to build
new ways of talking about the world. Water isn't just wet, it can be slippery
with bubbles, or cold when frozen. The bark of a tree can be smooth, rough or
sharp. Food can be salty, sour, bitter or sweet.
Some
of the comments from our children:
“It
smells like pie.”
“It's
soft on my fingers.”
“This
stuff is sticking and smelling.”
“I'm
making cookie pies for my friends.”
“It
smells. I want to eat it.”
Here's the recipe should you want to try this calming activity at home:
7 cups flour
1 cup vegetable oilPumpkin Pie spice (found in the spice aisle)
Combine the dry ingredients in a container or bin and
mix well.
Add the vegetable oil to the bin and slowly mix it
into the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until you have a slightly damp,
mold-able material also known as cloud dough.
Enjoy!
Until next time.
Barbi
Pumpkin Patch Trip - 4 Hour Class
October 21, 2016, 08:30 AMAs Thanksgiving approached, we asked the children what they were thankful for. We listed each child’s comment on our board out front. I hope you had a chance to take a look. There was one common thread for sure and it was that we were all thankful for our families, friends and pets. We also made cranberry sauce which made our classroom smell so fall like with the cinnamon in the air. The children were very proud to take it home to share with you all.
On Wednesday, after the long weekend, we hopped on the school bus and headed to Westham Island Herb Farm in Ladner. We had perfect pumpkin patch weather with the sun shining that day. Once we arrived at the farm, we went on a tour of the farm and met some of the farm animals. The first animal we met was, Gracie, the Sicilian donkey. The tour guide fed Gracie an apple and she devoured it quickly. The goats were next, and there were plenty of them. The children enjoyed watching the goats running energetically in their pen. Then, we were off to see the hens and a snowy owl in the barn. But the most fun the children had was watching the family of pigs. The pigs were all so excited to see the children and came right towards them along the fence. The children laughed because of the funny noises the pigs made and their snouts were poking through the fence.
Then we went inside another barn to learn a bit about what is harvested on this farm besides pumpkins. We found out that artichokes have a beautiful purple flower that grows on the top. We also discovered that pumpkins are fruits and not a vegetable. We were also shown other vegetables that are harvested on the farm.
We then went out to the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkin to take home. The children were all very particular in which pumpkin they wanted to take home. They took their time and checked out many pumpkins to find the "one". Some picked round ones, long ones, small one and even white ones. I do believe this was their favourite part of our trip, of course. After making big decisions, the children were all so very hungry and we had a picnic to enjoy our snacks before heading back to class. It was another successful outing for our class. We would also like to thank Sofia’s Mommy and Alvis’s Mommy for joining us and helping out.
After the pumpkin patch field trip, we have been following the children’s curiosity with pumpkins and have been further discovering more about them. During one of our circle times, we passed a pumpkin around and each child got to touch, smell and observe it. Here are some of the comments that they had:
* feels hard
* orange
* smooth
* smells like chocolate/ brownies
* smells like bananas
* heavy
* has lines
* slippery
* smells like nothing
* round
Next, we will cut open the pumpkin and let the children discover the inside of it. This will be interesting as it will become a sensory activity. We will also be baking pumpkin chocolate muffins to further our pumpkin interest.
Besides our pumpkin exploration, the children have been busy making lanterns for our Lantern Festival on October 20, here at West Richmond Community Centre. We hope you and your families were able to join us. Also, we will be having a Halloween party on Monday, October 31. There will be more details in the coming days.
Take care and until next time,
Deanna
On Wednesday, after the long weekend, we hopped on the school bus and headed to Westham Island Herb Farm in Ladner. We had perfect pumpkin patch weather with the sun shining that day. Once we arrived at the farm, we went on a tour of the farm and met some of the farm animals. The first animal we met was, Gracie, the Sicilian donkey. The tour guide fed Gracie an apple and she devoured it quickly. The goats were next, and there were plenty of them. The children enjoyed watching the goats running energetically in their pen. Then, we were off to see the hens and a snowy owl in the barn. But the most fun the children had was watching the family of pigs. The pigs were all so excited to see the children and came right towards them along the fence. The children laughed because of the funny noises the pigs made and their snouts were poking through the fence.
We then went out to the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkin to take home. The children were all very particular in which pumpkin they wanted to take home. They took their time and checked out many pumpkins to find the "one". Some picked round ones, long ones, small one and even white ones. I do believe this was their favourite part of our trip, of course. After making big decisions, the children were all so very hungry and we had a picnic to enjoy our snacks before heading back to class. It was another successful outing for our class. We would also like to thank Sofia’s Mommy and Alvis’s Mommy for joining us and helping out.
After the pumpkin patch field trip, we have been following the children’s curiosity with pumpkins and have been further discovering more about them. During one of our circle times, we passed a pumpkin around and each child got to touch, smell and observe it. Here are some of the comments that they had:
* feels hard
* orange
* smooth
* smells like chocolate/ brownies
* smells like bananas
* heavy
* has lines
* slippery
* smells like nothing
* round
Next, we will cut open the pumpkin and let the children discover the inside of it. This will be interesting as it will become a sensory activity. We will also be baking pumpkin chocolate muffins to further our pumpkin interest.
Besides our pumpkin exploration, the children have been busy making lanterns for our Lantern Festival on October 20, here at West Richmond Community Centre. We hope you and your families were able to join us. Also, we will be having a Halloween party on Monday, October 31. There will be more details in the coming days.
Take care and until next time,
Deanna