Family Photos

During morning free play I watched as one child sat looking at family photographs that are displayed. He was sitting in the same spot looking diligently at each picture that was displayed.  One of his friends looked over at the child sitting and took notice of what he was doing. He walks towards the child who is sitting and sits beside him.  He looks at the child, points to his family picture and states "dada" proudly.  After several minutes of pointing to his own family photos, he stands up and goes back to playing.

"Family: Where life begins and love never ends" -unknown

By displaying the families photographs, it allows the children to look at them throughout the day. They are all very proud of identifying everyone in the photographs.

Miss Sousa

Think & Observe, Act & Experiment

Watching the children getting used to the new environment in our program, we realized how much they grow and learn through play. Whether they learn from teachers or friends, what matters the most is the freedom they have to explore and experiment on their own.

On February 8, 2016, the children were having free play in the room. As I was watching them,  I noticed a child watching another child while she was playing. The child had been playing with a toy for a few minutes when she figured that there is a different way to play with that same toy.

At first, she picked up the wooden ball and threw it on the wooden xylophone holder, it did not matter where the ball hit as long as she could throw it.

The picture above shows how she figured out how to put the ball inside the hole.  She matched the color of the ball to the blue ring on the toy.

The ball got stuck! She tried to pull the ball from the top part as hard as she could, but the ball would not come off. She got a little frustrated. Then she tried again standing up with one of her hands still on the ball, pushing it down accidentally. The ball went right through the hole and rolled onto the floor.  She appeared to be very proud with her success as she smiles. After that, she started doing it over and over again.

Another child was watching from a corner, his legs are showing on the first picture above. After some time, he came closer to join the other child with the play.

This time, he did not spend too much time figuring out how to put the balls in and how to take them out. Since he was watching the other child while she was doing it earlier, he used the idea that he saw and learned from the other child.

The child was holding a mallet. Instead of using his fingers or hands, he tried using his mallet to push the ball down. To his surprise, it worked!

The two children started taking turns pushing the balls down through the holes. The first child continuously used her hands while the other child used his mallet.

Children learn in many ways. Through their own and through the help of others, by watching and experimenting, by thinking and observing. Like how adults think and learn, they put their observations into actions which leads them to teaching one another.


"You gain knowledge by learning something new. You gain wisdom by learning and accepting something contradicting or altering things you'd learnt before." -Majdi Rabah


                                                                                                                                  -Mrs. Javier-

Having Fun with Balloons

This play experience gives the children the opportunity to learn math and science skills. The children will learn the colours, the sizes, the textures, and the elasticity of the balloons.  At the same time they are having fun and creating their own games to play.  Look at the expressions on their faces, you can tell they are curious and they are enjoying themselves.

Ms Wong

Determination and Perseverance

We love the outdoors. Being outdoors gives the children many opportunities that we don't see indoors. Children have the freedom to run and climb, or to simply observe and learn from the natural environment. Throughout this winter we have watched as our snow hill in our front yard grew bigger and bigger. The children have been hesitant to climb it.  With some determination and perseverance the children begin to challenge their balance as they begin to climb the snow hill.

This child decided that climbing wasn't working so the hill became a slide. Then she takes a break to look at the sky.

We encourage children to listen to the way their bodies feel, if they aren't comfortable climbing the hill they find a different path. The role of the Early Childhood Educator is to observe and watch for the child's cues on how they might be feeling. We can then help children understand what message their bodies might be sending them. 

One child proudly states, "Arigo, I did it!"

This week most of the children can easily make it up and down the hill with ease. It has been a very proud moment for everyone.

Miss Sousa

"It doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop" - Confucius 

Independent Reading

February 18, 2016

"Children who value books are motivated to read on their own."

(Koralek, 2003)

During free play this morning, two toddlers decided to pick different books to read to their stuffed animals.

 

In the photo above, one child picked the book Zoe's Snowy Day by Barbara Reid to read to her teddy bear. She held the book in one hand and studied the images on each page. Then, she looked towards her bear seeming to tell him a story! She said, "Teddy bear, read a book."

In the photo below, another child picked an animal picture book to read to her elephant and baby. She placed her baby on the wooden bench and lifted the book, seeming to show her baby the pictures!

 

 

Then, she held her stuffed elephant pulling him close and said, "big elephant!" She continued to read to both baby and elephant.

According to Carol Quick, (KidsHealth.org, 2013), "...most reading problems can be prevented if exposure to reading starts in the toddler and preschool years. Before children can read independently, they need emergent literacy skills."

In the infant and toddler room, there are always books on our shelves available for children to read any time. We change the books every two weeks and offer different stories with variety and diversity to enrich emergent literacy skills.

-Miss Arigo

Rough and Tumble

February 17, 2016

"When engaging in risky free play, children choose for

themselves how much they can handle."

(Science of ECD, 2015)

Rough and tumble is one form of risky play. In toddlers you see this when they wrestle or even tickle each other. When the kids are laughing and smiling at each other, you know they are having fun and respecting each other's boundaries at the same time.

This morning, two of our toddlers decided to tickle each other! It started with Miss Arigo tickling one child. Another child wanted a turn to be tickled. We did this for a few minutes. Then, two children decided to tickle each other.

I observed them move to a bigger, wider space where they can both comfortably lie down. One child began tickling another child. She said, "I tickle!" and giggled. The other child happily agreed. Then, the roles switched. Laughter and giggles filled our classroom!

We also established rules. The children know that when somebody says "stop" they have to end the tickle play. After about 10 minutes, both children stood up and ended the play.

This form of risky play promotes confidence and self-awareness. They learn about personal boundaries and self-control. And they have tons of fun!

"Children love to play in risky ways – taking chances

and challenging their abilities."

(SECD, 2015)

by Miss Arigo

 

Music with Miss Sonja

February 3, 2016

Ms. Sonja has been coming into the infant and toddler room for the past two years.  She does Music
class with the children in the room once a month. The children enjoy the time she spends with us.  

The children find a comfortable spot to sit and watch Ms. Sonja as she begins to tune the guitar. Once

the singing begins we all join in and use the instruments that Ms.Sonja shares with us. Each child moves to the music in a way that feels comfortable.