So the kids want to play? Let's play!

In our class we get a lot of variations of the question "does my child have any friends?". The answer is a version of "yes, and no." Remember when you were little and your best friend in the whole world was the kid you met 5 minutes ago at the park? You bonded over the fact that you were wearing the same shoes.

Most friendships at this age are as deep as a puddle and, guess what? This is perfectly normal! They may love someone one day and treat them like week old leftovers the next. Again, totally on par for this age.

There are three main kinds of play with many stages within. Solitary (playing alone), Parallel (playing side by side but not together), and Co-operative (playing as a group and working together). At 3, this last stage is danced around and flirted with but rarely achieved. But don't worry, it'll happen! The same child will go back and forth between stages, even in one day. 

A good example of  solitary play

Look at this beautiful example of parallel play!

Cooperative play at its very best

So if you are keen for a "save the date" or an interesting meet-cute story for the next 20 years, you may be disappointed. But know that everything is developing the way it should!

Yours in love and learning,

Miss Dorothy, Miss Karen, Miss Heidi and Miss Svetlana

Go RedBlacks!

When choosing colours for the day's easel painting, Miss Karen couldn't resist choosing two colours that commemorate the amazing Ottawa football team who just won the Grey Cup. The children didn't know any better but she did!

Go RedBlacks!!

Love and learning,

Miss Dorothy, Miss Heidi, Miss Karen and Miss Svetlana

Leftovers!

Some of us love them, some leave them in the fridge until they go bad. Hopefully these previously posted words of advice about snacktime won't hide in the back behind the crisper and get all mouldy!

Read all about it in this post from January 2016...

Love and learning,

Miss Dorothy, Miss Heidi, Miss Karen and Miss Svetlana

So LOUD!

This was the common response to those pipes. We had a visit Tuesday morning from Miss Karen's son Elliott who played the bagpipes for us in our yard. He was practising for his job playing at a local Remembrance Day ceremony Friday. We found out how loud they are and saw how much blowing (and squeezing) it takes to play. A lot of the children covered their ears even though we were outside! Thanks for visiting, Elliott... Good luck on Friday!

Yours in love and learning,
Miss Dorothy, Miss Heidi, Miss Karen and Miss Svetlana

Thank you, Tree!

The beautiful, huge maple tree in our backyard has started turning yellow and shedding its gorgeous leaves. It has provided us with some fantastic opportunities for play both outside and (surprisingly inside) our school.

And when the weather turns wet as it so often does in the fall, what other solution is there but to bring  the outdoors in?

What fun! Our class even smells of lovely dry leaves. The huge piles of leaves is one of the many reasons we love our back yard so much. And we're very happy not to have to rake them away!


Leaves are Falling Down

Leaves are falling down
Leaves are falling down
Flitter, flutter,
Gently, gently,
Leaves are falling down!

Yours in love and learning,
Miss Dorothy, Miss Heidi, Miss Karen and Miss Svetlana

Pumpkin fun!

For the last few days we have been exploring pumpkins in our classes. Guessing what's inside at circle time, feeling and smelling the pulp at sensory areas, carving, planting the seeds and even naming them. Pete Pumpkin was a popular choice. At our parties we plan to taste pumpkin seeds and even have a few cooked pumpkin chunks to expand our palates. Who knew that a few pumpkins could provide so many days of fun activities? 

Oh yeah... we teachers did!

Love and learning,

Miss Dorothy, Miss Heidi, Miss Karen and Miss Svetlana

Here's a poem we say in class:

5 Little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one said "Oh my it's getting late!"
The second one said "There are witches in the air"
The third one said "Well, I don't care"
The fourth one said "Let's run and run and run"
The fifth one said "It's Halloween fun!"
OOooo went the wind and out go the lights and the 5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Apple Orchard fun!

We had such a great time at Mountain Orchard this year! We rode a wagon into the trees and filled our bags with goodies. Even though there were only a few apples left on the trees, we still got to climb ladders, play in the hay and on the playground played and had fun in the fresh air and hay. If there's a better way to enjoy a beautiful Canadian autumn day, we don't know it! Heaven!

Love and Learning,
Miss Heidi, Miss Karen and Miss Svetlana

Housekeeping!

You see a plastic kitchen set and play shoes. We see a world of imagination and opportunity. Here are a few skills that the children develop in our Dramatic Play Area:

• Role Playing
• Use of props/materials
• Pretending/make believe
• Attention span
• Social skills
• Communication

So much learning in such a small space!

Love and learning,

Miss Heidi, Miss Karen, Miss Rhonda and Miss Svetlana