Simcoe Place

Math Materials

Children in Casa are introduced to quantities, numerals and counting up to the thousands. The materials help children to understand math concepts and recognize numerical sequences, patterns, and their relationships. Working with Math materials in a Montessori program helps children to make learning impressions in their mind by moving from the concrete to the abstract. (Please click for full photos.)

View

Snow Dough

The children are molding and shaping cornstarch mixed with some oil to retain its shape. Sensory play enhances the senses, fine motor skills, and eye-hand coordination, and stimulates intellectual development and curiosity. (Please click for full photos and more information.)

View

Making Rice Pudding

The Under 2 classroom made rice pudding in celebration of Diwali. The children helped by scooping rice with a ladle and transferring it into a mixing bowl. They scooped brown sugar with a spoon, then poured milk and vanilla extract using a pitcher. The children took turns stirring and then transferred the mixture into a pot for cooking. During afternoon snack, we tasted our Diwali treat. So delicious! (Please click for more information.)

View

Pumpkin Volcanoes!

We experimented with creating Pumpkin Volcanoes. We carved and cleaned pumpkins, and touched and examined the flesh. We made predictions about what would happen when we mixed various ingredients together and determined which ones worked best to “explode.” Please click for more information and full photos, and to find out which mixture came in first place!

View

Erupting a Created Volcano

The children enjoyed creating a volcano using modelling clay, painting it and then predicting what would happen, before spooning baking soda and pouring vinegar inside the volcano. It was so exciting to see the results of their creation! Science appeals to young children’s inquisitive minds as they try to make sense of the world and how things work. (Please click for more information.)

View

Sensory Walk

The children are exploring their sense of touch using their feet! They walked along various materials and explored the different sensations through their feet, comparing how each felt. It is a great activity to help with balance and coordination, and can be fun to create at home. (Please click for more info and full photos.)

View

Car Wash

The children participated in a car wash during water play in the playground. They enjoyed filling their buckets with the sprinkler, squeezing and making soap suds with soapy water and a sponge, and cleaning different parts of the fire truck. What a great water play activity to do on a warm summer day!

View

Planting

The children helped to beautify and care for our playground by planting a variety of flowers in the planters. They worked together to dig holes in the soil, then placed small seedlings into the holes. They spread soil around the planters, and then watered the flowers. (Please click for more information.)

View

Rock Cycle and Fossil Excavation

We learned how fossils are made over thousands of years through the same pressure and time it takes as the rock cycle. We used a fossil digging kit to carefully uncover and dust off 15 different types of fossils such as shark teeth and coral. (Please click for the full information and photos.)

View

Earth Day

Earth day was a great time to learn about our planet and how we can contribute every day to take care of it. We used recycled paper to make art and practiced how we can recycle/compost in the classroom and at home. (Please click for more information).

View