Let’s begin with a story. A year 2(senior kindergarten) student enters the outdoor classroom on the first day of school with his mom smiling quietly behind him. His first words are, “Look Mrs Max. I found a worm in my peach pit at breakfast. I wonder why he’s in there?” Some might think, he didn’t… Read More Creating a Culture of Curiosity in Kindergarten
Hearts are something our early learners beg for all year long and not just on Valentine’s Day. We’re probably not alone either. Hearts are one of those shapes some little people crave to learn how to draw, and when they figure it out, they are unstoppable. We have one little this year that when asked what… Read More The Way to Their Heart Through Sensory and Loose Parts
Children learn best from experiences and when given the opportunity to create their own math games children can become meaning-makers and construct their own knowledge and understanding. They become a partner in learning where their ideas are valued and tested. We value setting out math provocations that have an intentional focus: A place where children can… Read More Inviting Children to Create their own Math Games
“Every leaf speaks bliss to me fluttering from the autumn tree.” -Emily Bronte For many children and adults a natural interest in leaves re-surfaces each and every year when the leaves change colour. Fall is an amazing opportunity to nurture children’s natural curiosity in the environment and outdoor learning. Below are some playful invitations to play and learn… Read More Exploring Leaves Through Play
We believe that building a culture of transparency connects us to our community in a powerful way that demonstrates our commitment to our earliest learners. In our ongoing effort to be transparent our early years team has created a philosophy display for families, visitors, and fellow educators to review. Through newsletters, Seesaw (documentation app), Twitter, Facebook,… Read More Making Our Philosophy of Learning Visible
At the beginning of every year my teaching partner and I incorporate lots of name recognition, construction, and writing provocations to engage children. Here are some of our favourites so far this year. This invitation to play begs for children to think about constructing names, patterning, and measurement. Some children have added dice and used their… Read More 6 Playful Name Provocations
Since the screen-obsessed child began to dominate much of western culture many parents have been struggling with how to foster the creative play they once experienced as children in the forest playing with sticks. In Kindergarten classrooms across Ontario, Canada, educators have begun connecting children with nature by bringing natural materials into the classroom for… Read More Hey Educator, What’s This Loose Parts Play You Keep Talking About? A Parent’s Guide to the Benefits of Loose Parts Play
Our youngest learners have spent many hours playing with this woodland forest small world play sensory tray. What’s more than natural materials and loose parts for open-ended play lies an opportunity to think more deeply about literacy and numeracy. Naturally, adults would see this provocation as an invitation for children to share stories with lots of oral language… Read More Woodland Forest Small World Play (Math and Literacy embedded in Play)
Social media like Twitter, Facebook, and educator blogs have many educators raving about the front matter in the new 2016 Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum. The response has been a resounding, “yes, we agree”. I’m appreciative of how the ministry has placed a high importance on the whole child, following the lead of the child, and seeing the… Read More A Reflection on the New Kindergarten Curriculum and Flow of the Day (includes timetable and weekly plan)
It’s not just another classroom with neutral colours, stones, and baskets. We live in Muskoka and our environment as the third teacher reflects our culture of living and how we encourage children to care for our forests. We spend lots of time exploring forests using a forest-school type approach: playing with bugs, building dens, and inquiring about… Read More A Reggio-Inspired Classroom Design – Kinderland Tour Part 2
inspired by play 