Culture

Seasonal Classroom Changes

This Autumn, we added new materials to some of our staple activities such as transferring with tongs/chopsticks, gluing on the x, and care of the environment. Children will often care for the environment by watering plants and washing plant leaves. This month, the children have an opportunity to wash and care for a pumpkin in preparation for Halloween. (Please click for full photos and more information.)

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Apple Tasting

We tasted three types of apples: Golden Delicious, Royal Gala, and Granny Smith. The children enjoyed sharing how the apples tasted using descriptive words such as sweet, sour, crunchy, and juicy. The children also compared the colours of each apple. Finally, each child placed their picture on a chart under their favourite apple. Royal Gala was the classroom favourite! (Please click for the full photos and how we extended our learning.)

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Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

During our outdoor adventure week, the Casa classrooms went on a nature walk around our neighborhood. The children also had a scavenger hunt list of things to look for during their walk. What an awesome experience!

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Summer Experiences

Some of the experiences we engaged in this summer were: a Teddy Bear Picnic; Tie Dye T-Shirt making; Carnival Parade day; Dinosaur Exploration day; Show & Tell; Dance Party… just to name a few. Another very special event we had was International Food Tasting Day. Click to find out all the types of yummy food our families shared!

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Butterfly Life Cycle

We experienced the magical transformation of live caterpillars into butterflies. As we eagerly awaited the butterfly transformations, we explored the Butterfly Life Cycle with nomenclature cards, observed preserved caterpillars and butterflies, and read a favourite story, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. Click for more information on our beautiful learning experience and for full photos!

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Butterfly Life Cycle Process

The children learned about the metamorphosis of a butterfly from an egg, larva, chrysalis, and finally a butterfly as each stage progressed through days and weeks. We created an art display depicting the life cycle of a butterfly integrating botany and various materials around our classroom. Please click for more information and to watch the video collage of our process!

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Puzzle Maps of the World

The children have been very interested in geography! By assembling the puzzles of the maps of the world and through three-period lessons, the child learns the shape, location, and name of each of the world’s continents, as well as the maps of Canada and the United States. (Click for full photos and information.)

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Culture: Life Cycles

There are many activities in the Montessori classroom that teach the children about different life cycles such as that of animals, plants, and humans. These activities train the child’s faculties of observation, patience, and admiration, as well as build vocabulary and knowledge about metamorphosis. (Click to find out more about the process.)

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Cityscape

At Cityplace, the children have the opportunity to observe the hustle and bustle of our community from the window. The children are often seen watching mounted police on horses, Blue Jays fans waiting in line for a game, or emergency vehicles driving by. (Please click for full photos.)

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Ramadan

To commemorate Ramadan, the children explored headwear like a kufi and hijab, decorated lanterns, did printmaking with star and moon shapes, and glued colourful tissue paper onto mac-tac. We read stories about Ramadan and the children observed the application of a henna tattoo that can be worn during Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan. (Please click for more information.)

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