Monday, September 30, 2013

Grand-Friends

Once a month we visit a Seniors Lodge to share stories
and songs with our grand-friends.
     sept 30 007
Our visits offer us an opportunity to enjoy each others
company and share our learning.

    sept 30 020
Today we started a project “Planting a Promise”.
sept 30 009 A daffodil bulb has the
           promise of a flower deep inside.
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When we plant it, the promise is there that it will
         grow in the spring.
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We drew pictures of what we think the flowers will
look like and gave them to our grand friends.
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Then it was time to sing and dance,
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           share a story,
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            and play a game.
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Visiting with the seniors helps us understand each other. 
How we are the same and how we are different? 
Our visits help us build compassion.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Autumn has Arrived at StrongStart

    sept 24 026
Our dramatic play area is set to explore autumn leaves,
with a picnic on the side.
       sept 25 005
It didn’t take long for the leaves to be placed on the tree
and shook off.  We pretended to be the wind and blow
the leaves off the tree.
    sept 25 008 (2)
Watching the little ones reaction to the leaves falling is
wonderful.  Are they amazed because we are spreading
the leaves all over the floor?  Or are they mesmerized
by the colours floating?

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They learn to spill the leaves themselves and use the rakes to
move them around.

Then one child noticed a basket of squirrels and chipmunks
on the shelf and brought them out to play.
   sept 25 009
She showed me how the animals move up the tree.
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I started to see the chipmunks move around.
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In baskets,
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in the leaves,
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at the picnic table
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so we found some acorns for them.

     sept 25 018
What other animals do we see in trees?

Friday, September 27, 2013

Autumn Trees

I saw this craft idea at Happy Hooligans.
    sept 24 001
They are very simple to make.  We already had the sticks
on our craft shelves and used plastercine as the base.
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The children crumpled coloured tissue paper and glued it to the branch.
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We now a lovely forest to help decorate our science table.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Spin and Squirt

          sept 23 006
Spin and squirt are fun words to find at the art table.
            sept 23 042
   As well as squeeze, up in to the eye dropper.
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  And splat, goes the paint, on the paper.
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  There was also stripes and splotches.
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         Hope you give it a spin.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Talk Like a Pirate

Do pirates go out in the rain? 
That was a question that arose last Friday when we celebrated
Talk Like a Pirate day. 
It was pouring outside but the temperature was warm and there
was no wind.  Do we go or stay at school?
   sept 20 015
We had warned the families that yes we would we go regardless
of the weather.  So this was our test, “will we follow through?”.
    sept 20 016
Colleen, my co-planner from another StrongStart centre, and I
arrived early to set up.
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    Then we waited to see if anyone would join us.
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And they did.  We were impressed with how many came and
that they arrived dressed to get wet.
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           Or prepared to stay dry.
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We had a lot of fun being pirates, building boats, playing in
the water, searching for treasure.
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To finish the morning, Captain Thunderpants joined us for a few songs. 
   IMG_1631  sept 20 019
          What an awesome morning!