Food Fun at Freshii - FAS T/Th Class

Last week our preschool class had the opportunity to enjoy a “walking field trip” to the Freshii restaurant at Seafair Mall.

We, as educators, were so grateful for the dry, sunny weather and the willing parent volunteers who assisted us in our safe arrival each way!  Thanks so much!
When we arrived at the restaurant, the children were greeted with a friendly hello and a hug from Renite, the owner of this establishment.  It was wonderful to feel so welcome in this environment!
Once we all settled in, the children were split into two groups and invited to visit the kitchen in the back where food preparation is done.  Each child washed and dried their hands and received a hair net to wear before the demonstration began. 
We all got to see avocados chopped and soaked as well as lunch bowls compiled for consumption.  As the children watched, their questions and comments were enthusiastically welcomed by Renite and her staff.  The children also got to see a salad constructed…some of them even got to shake the ingredients!!!

When these delicious teriyaki bowls were completed the children got to sit at tables in the restaurant and consume the prepared products.  Many children could be heard making comments, such as “Mmmmm!” or “more rice please!”  You could visibly see and hear how much they were enjoying this experience!

After this part of the field trip finished, the children were invited to line up behind the counter once again.  Each child was offered a cup of frozen yogurt with a fresh fruit topping, which they enjoyed immensely!  Parents and teachers were also provided with this tasty treat!
Once everyone was done eating, we said our farewells and started our walk back to West Richmond.  When we arrived at the classroom there was a short amount of time to play before we gathered in a farewell circle to discuss the field trip experience.  When the group was questioned about their favorite part of the day, some children said “the yogurt” and many children said “everything!”

As educators, we truly appreciate the willingness of our local Freshii establishment to allow the children of our preschool class to enter their work environment and have such a positive multi-sensory eating experience!
Overall, this was a wonderful day in every way!  We are very grateful for the positive behavior of your children as we corporately engaged in this event!

 


Sincerely,

Teacher Lori
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Nutrition - 4 Hour Class

Hello parents,
 
We know that an unbalanced diet can cause:
 
  • Digestive problems
  • Poor dental health and tooth decay
  • Brittle bones and lack of energy
  • Lowers levels of immunity
  • Stunted growth
  • Impaired cognitive development and shorten attention span
  • Obesity

But did you know that, an unbalanced diet is also a big culprit in behavioural challenges and mood irritability?

An unbalanced diet includes too much or too little of the recommended food groups. Here at West, we hold the Canadian Food Guide as our standard, and encourage staff, families, and children to incorporate healthy choices provided by the food guide into meal preps.

If you are finding a change in your child’s mood or energy level, there are two areas which I would like to highlight to you in this blog:

Sugar and sugar substitutes
  • Offer foods that don’t have added sugar or sugar substitutes. Limit refined sugars (sucrose, glucose-fructose, white sugar) honey, molasses, syrups, and brown sugar.
  • Sugar substitutes, such as aspartame and sucralose, are much sweeter than sugar and have no nutritional value. They may lead to a habit of only liking sweet foods and make it difficult for your child to adjust to fruits and vegetables. It’s a good idea to limit them in your child’s diet.

Juice and water
  • Serving fruit instead of fruit juice also adds healthy fibre to your child’s diet.
  • Serve vegetables and fruit more often than fruit juice. Offer water when your child is thirsty, especially between meals and snacks. Limit juice to one serving (120 mL [4 oz.]) of 100% unsweetened juice a day.
  • Sometimes children will drink too much at mealtime or between meals, making them feel full.

Nutrition is key for optimizing our children’s learning and development.
 
Until next time,

Mariam

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Are they just playing? - FAS - M/W/F PM Class

Welcome back families and a Happy 2018!  Can you believe it is already February?  I can hardly wait for Spring to come and say goodbye to Winter.
In January, we began our hands-on science exploration.  We had volcanoes erupting, balloon blowing with vinegar, dissolving egg experiment and some fizzing art.  The children were very captivated by the experiments but most of all each of them took part in the process. 
By teaching children in a fun and hands-on environment, it captures their curiosity and it leads to learning.  The best way to teach a child is to have them involved in it and going with the flow of what is happening. 
A great example of this happened a few days ago, when the children were actually playing with stacking blocks.  The children decided to take the stacking blocks to the floor and started to make a long line with the blocks.  At first they were making individual ones to begin with and then comparing the length with one another.  This is measurement that they are learning as well as, math language.  An example of that would be “yours is longer, taller or shorter or less than mine”. 

They were comparing the heights and lengths with one another.  Then another child wanted to join in the play so, we had to divide up the blocks so it was somewhat equal. That took a bit of work, to keep everyone happy.  That was another way the children used their math skills.

 
Shortly after, they decided to make a very long line with the blocks.  I watched them coordinate amongst themselves building this very long line. It was team work at its best.  The line was long and they used up all the blocks.  Then, the children decided to jump over the line.  They started counting how many times they could jump over the line of blocks.  After a while they started to count the blocks.  First, I provoked them by asking how many blocks do you think you have there.  This started a frantic counting session amongst the children.  It was amazing how interested they suddenly were to count.
 

To the children, this is simply playing with toys and having fun with their classmates.  Little do they know that they are learning the basic concepts of math.  In fact, math is used daily in words and actions for them. Playing comes natural to children and when they are having fun, they are more absorbed in what they are doing and that means building their concentration.
For children, the best way to learn is by doing things they enjoy which will then provide us with many opportunities to teach them.
Until next time,
Deanna
 
 

 
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Science Exploration - FAS - M/W/F AM Class

We have started 2018 with a bang! By that, I mean we have been experimenting with vinegar and baking soda to introduce science into the class. The children have been guessing what will happen when we mix the two together and the outcome has been pretty exciting. 

We have created a few volcanoes with red lava erupting out.  The children were pretty thrilled in making the volcano with clay, and then we put in the baking soda, but the most fun was when we added the red coloured vinegar.  We did this hands-on experiment a few times since the children were very intrigued by it and captivated.

Children learn best when they’re involved in the learning which is by doing.  Through this experiment and the other hands-on ones we performed, like the vinegar in the egg, the expanding balloon, and the fizzing art, the children were able to take part in the experiment, observe, smell, touch and most importantly ask questions.


It was fun discussing what they thought would happen and then figuring out what happened. 

When we added an egg and vinegar to the jar, the children had many answers to what they predicted would happen.  Logan and a few children guessed that the egg would hatch and a chick would appear.  Nora and Emily said that the egg would explode.  Ronin said the egg would become scrambled.  Chloe said it would disappear. 

So, we left the egg over a weekend and brought it back out during circle.  The children were surprised that it was still there and observed it was larger than before and that it no longer was white. We all held the egg and discovered that it was rubbery like a bouncy ball and see through.  Although, no chick hatched it was still a successful experiment that gave the children a chance to make discoveries.


Another experiment we had done was blowing up a balloon by adding vinegar and baking soda to a water bottle that held a balloon on top.  The chemical reaction blew the balloon up. The children all took part in the experiment and were very excited to see the result of the chemical reaction happening. 

Our final experiment was baking a chocolate cake.  The children found this experiment the most delicious and satisfying.  By the end of the week, the children were very familiar with baking soda and vinegar, and of course the chemical reaction called carbon dioxide. 

Science is a great way to provoke a child's natural curiosity.  It helps develop many skills, such as communication, thinking, engagement, patience, confidence, problem solving and most of all it teaches about the way their world works.   
Until next time,
Deanna


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Tent Day - 3 Year Old Class

The world can seem immense when you are a “small person”. Maybe that's part of the appeal of retreating somewhere small and cozy.

We recently removed our classroom chairs, and pulled out our box of sheets. Sheets were strewn over the tables, sectioning off various play areas and transforming our classroom.

 


 
Some children arrived with smiles when they first noticed the tents set up in our classroom. Others arrived looking a little more cautious. All seemed intrigued.

“Whoa, what happened?!” Scotia

It was a very enjoyable and quiet morning. The children happily explored each cozy haven. From dolls to books to manipulatives, there was something for everyone.







Open areas were left available for those not wishing to be under cover.



Going, going, going.... gone!




 


We look forward to our next tent day! Always so much FUN!

 

Barbi
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