Holiday Fun
Please click view to see videos of children spinning a dreidel and making 3D pony bead art, as well as full photos and more information about the holidays they explored and the fun they had!
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Latest Dispatches
Infinity Place
Sink or Float?
Young children have a natural curiosity for the world around them. The children had fun engaging in our sink or float science experiment, which helps children explore the concept of buoyancy. Science experiments encourage children to explore their environment and to question how and why something happens. (Please click for full photos.)
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Nesting Geometric Solids
The Nesting Geometric Solids activities are the beginning of the Montessori puzzle sequence. A child begins with the Ovoid (egg) and Cup, then the Sphere and Cup, and then the Cube and Box, which adds the complexity of matching the corners. These simple activities encourage various grasps, eye-hand coordination, and both hands working together. (Please click for full photos and more information.)
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Grace and Courtesy
Grace and courtesy starts with intentional modeling. Children are always watching and learning from behaviours. Grace and courtesy is taught during circle time as well as in real-time situations such as table manners, greetings, polite language, waiting patiently for our turn, helping others, and respiratory etiquette. (Please click for full photos and more information.)
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Family BBQ
We hosted our first barbecue in several years and families of every classroom attended to mix and mingle. Proceeds of cash donations went to the SickKids Foundation. We also held a silent auction of canvas paintings designed by each classroom and the proceeds were also donated to the SickKids Foundation. Thank you to everyone for your support. We had a great time!
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Germinating Seeds
The process of germinating, planting, maintaining, and growing a child’s very own seed is a great way to encourage a love of nature. The children placed their bean seeds into clear cups with paper towel and added a little water daily. They watched as their seeds began to germinate, sprouting roots, a stem, and leaves. We potted the small plants and were excited to see how big they grew! (Please click for full photos and more information.)
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Sorting Objects
Sorting objects into compartments or categories helps support a variety of cognitive skills such as matching and problem solving as well as encourages fine motor and language skills. Children will show a sense of pride and accomplishment once they are able to complete the activity and tend to do it repeatedly until they feel like they have mastered it. (Please click for more information and photos.)
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Snake Game Extension
In addition to the Snake Game, the children work on colouring sheets showing a colourful snake as well as a golden snake, learning the properties of the coloured bead bars. Once the child has mastered the snake game, they place the bead bars in the patterns shown on various control cards, making a variety of combinations of equations that they can later print out. (Please click for more information and full photos.)
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Science and Nature
With the Spring season underway, we have been exploring and experimenting with nature. We experimented with flowers in food colouring; planted peas, flowers, and pumpkin seeds; watered our seedlings, and are watching them grow. (Please click for more information and the full photos).
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Dressing Frames
The 4 dressing frames that we have in our classroom are a velcro frame, a zipper frame, a button frame and a snap dressing frame. These are all part of the practical life area. The dressing frames encourage fine motors skills, eye-hand coordination, as well as foster independence and self help skills. (Please click for the full photos.)
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