learning in the spirit of wonder and joy

Month: September 2020

The Hippopotamus!

A Hippopotamus and his friends wants to go on the school bus with the children!

Let’s sing together to find out what happens.

Click HERE to sing-a-long with me.

 

The Hippopotamus

The Hip, the Hip, the Hippopotamus.

Got up, got up, got up upon the bus.

And all the children on the bus said, “Oh no, you’re squishing us!”

The cow, the cow, the cow got on the bus.

The cow, the cow, the cow got on the bus.

And all the children on the bus said, “Mooooooove over, mooooooove over!”

The sheep, the sheep, the sheep got on the bus.

The sheep, the sheep, the sheep got on the bus.

And all the children on the bus said, “Baaaaaack up, baaaaaack up!”

The snake, the snake, the snake got on the bus.

The snake, the snake, the snake got on the bus.

And all the children on the bus said, “Ssssssssit down, ssssssssit down!”

 

Learning Materials for Home

Think outside the box.

There are so many possibilities at your local Dollar Store for learning materials we call as, “Loose Parts”.  You can slowly build an assortment of “loose parts” for your child to explore and experiment with.  These versatile materials can be used over and over.

Loose parts provides so many endless options and opportunities for learning skills such as:  numeracy/math, fostering imagination, creativity, language and vocabulary, critical thinking, hand-eye-coordination and fine motor skills.

Choose an assortment of materials with different textures, shapes, and colours  and size to provide endless possibilities.  In the photo above, there are:  Medium and large popsicle sticks, (both natural and in colour), Pompoms, Pipe cleaners, wooden clothes pins, feathers, buttons and coloured matchsticks.

“I wonder what you can do with these?”  There are no rules.  These materials can be used for building, sorting, making patterns, counting, stacking, making portraits,  and more.  Give your children opportunities to stretch their imagination.

You may recognize these materials in the containers.  These are just some of the ones used in our StrongStart classroom. Majority of these are from the Dollar store as well:  pompoms, assorted sized googly eyes, bottle caps, wooden cubes, buttons, coloured matchsticks, seashells and dried beans.   I stored these materials in recycled take-out containers for easy access.  Please keep in mind, smaller items are a choking hazard and always supervise your child when using these items.  

Another great way to acquire FREE materials is to collect them on your walks.  Sticks, rocks, pinecones, chestnuts are just a few you can start collecting.  Make sure they dry out properly before storing in containers and then they can be kept for years.

I invite you to start collecting and building your own “Loose Part” learning materials.  Keep an open mind about how these materials can be used.  Children always surprise me with how they choose to use these items.  Give them the freedom to explore and create  using these open-ended materials.

 

 

 

 

 

Hello My Friends!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all doing well and had a beautiful summer with your family and friends.   It is hard to believe we are half way through September already.  For many of us, this means more changes and getting used to new routines and schedules.  It is hard!  But let’s do this together.  I am still here and will do my best to support you as best as I can.  I will continue to post here with Sing-a-Long videos and activities that you can do at home with your children.

As many of you know already, StrongStart will remain closed for now.  Please check back here, on the blog, or on the Burnaby School Board District website for updates:   https://burnabyschools.ca/strongstart/

 

Also, our playground has been closed due to the construction of the new Childcare centre and YMCA Out of School Care.  It is so exciting to see the progress of the building and to have both these services on site for our community.  This will be so beneficial to so many families for sure!

Please stay connected either by phone, email or here, on the blog.

 

Take care and stay safe!

Ms. Elizabeth

 

Information Children is still providing services for families (see below for their Fall workshops).  You can also check them out here:

http://www.informationchildren.com