Ayisha Hassanali

Practical Life

Practical life materials give young children the opportunity to practice real life tasks by imitating experiences they see in their environment while improving eye-hand coordination, order of sequence, and fine motor skills. Here we see the children working on various food prep activities: peeling mandarin oranges, preparing fruit kebabs, and cutting cheese. (Click for more information.)

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Happy Nowruz!

In March, we celebrated Nowruz. One of the children in our class celebrates and her family wanted to do something special so that we could celebrate with them. The family brought in a Sofreh Haft-Seen platter for our classroom, and we created some of the items out of clay for our own platter. (Click for more information on what we included and the significance!)

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Role Playing

Each week, a different role playing activity is set up in the classroom. The children are eager to participate in various forms of dramatic play, both individually and in groups, using a variety of props. The children engage with one another and the teachers, often dressing up as community workers. (Click for full photos.)

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Spring Equinox in the Anishinaabe Culture

Follow along on the children’s journey to learn about the Spring Equinox and the lifecycle of the bean plant as a key symbol of life, nourishment, and potential in the Anishinaabe culture. We learned about the interconnectedness of all life, and that spring represents balance, harmony, and a time for renewal. (Click for the full photos as well.)

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Circle Time

Circle time in the Under 2 classroom provides an opportunity for the children and teachers to come together, sing songs, have puppet play, and listen to stories while enhancing language skills, promoting listening and attention, and building a sense of community. (Click for more information.)

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Our Casa Family

As a West Casa family, we came together to create a picture promoting our love, unity, respect, and togetherness! We did that by placing our hands together to form a heart shape!
“Of all things, love is the most potent. ” Maria Montessori

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Opening and Closing

With repetition and intrigue, the child opens a variety of objects such as a box, wallet, jar with a lid or a zipped bag to discover a small surprise hidden inside. As the child works at opening each object, they are strengthening their fine motor skills and understanding of opposites. (Click for more information and full photos.)

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Winter Fun

When it snowed a lot, we shoveled and sledded around and around, and made a mountain to climb and slide down. We played in the snow, made snow angels, and caught snowflakes with our tongue. We made the most of the snow and had wintery fun! (Click for full photos.)

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Transferring

The transferring activities that the children do within the Under 2 classroom help to refine their eye-hand coordination, strengthen the muscles of the hand and wrist, foster concentration, and provide the child with the opportunity to practice daily activities. All of these experiences will help them build the foundation they need to do more complex things as they become more skilled. (Click for more information and full photos.)

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Lunar New Year!

We explored the celebration of the Lunar New Year recently through books and creative activities. We learned that the new year represents a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. We made lanterns and had the opportunity to dress in traditional garments. Kung-Hsi Fa-Ts’ai! (Click for more information.)

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