Hi my StrongStart friends,

Sunny and warmer weather is almost here. It is time to take out the bubble solution and have some fun! Everyone loves bubbles. Babies love floating, glistening bubbles, what a joy to watch their faces as bubbles shimmer in the sun.  The bubbles will  help build their eye-hand coordination as they will want to reach them and touch them! What a wonderful sensory discovery. What happens when you touch a bubble? How does it feel? Show your toddler how blow gently and slowly, show them how to pop bubbles by clapping them between your hands. What a delight and endless fun as they will be chasing after the bubbles to do it again, and again! Good for their physical development too. By adding songs you will enrich their experience. I was inspired to learn a few new ones from the book Bubble Play published by Key Porter Books  (scroll down to watch a video).

By talking about different actions and textures you will help children grow their vocabulary as well.

For older children we can try to count the bubbles, catch them with your hand or your spoon or in a plastic cup. We can chase them,  pop them on your nose, on your neck, dodge them, float them by waving a leaf or a hand to make a motion. Bubbles help us wash our hands, we can wash our dog, we can wash our dolls or toys with a bit of soapy water.

If you do not have a ready bubble solution, you can make your own.

Home Made Bubble Solution Using Sugar

Mix 2 Tbsp of dish soap (Joy and Dawn seems to work the best), 1 cup of water and 1 Tsp of sugar. Stir gently until sugar is dissolved. Pour the  solution into a container and use bubble wands to blow huge bubbles. There are many other recipes, but most require glycerin.

I made some wands from objects I found at home: zip ties, twisted pipe cleaners, a long piece of aluminum foil which I twisted tight, a cut-out lid attached to a  chopstick with a piece of duck tape. I made a cone out of cut-out milk jug with a 6-7 cm at one end, secured again with a duck tape (that one made the best bubbles!).

You can paint with bubbles (by adding a tiny bit of paint in the solution in a tray and then blow them and catch them with a paper.

B is for bubble (To the tune of “C is for Cookie”)

B is for bubble, that’s good enough for me(repeat 3 times). Oh, bubble, bubble, bubble starts with B.

P is for pop ’em, that’s good enough for me (repeat 3 times).

Oh, pop ’em, pop ’em, pop ’em starts with P.

Click here to watch Ms. Lillian sing bubble songs.

Tiny bubbles (To the tune of “Where is Thumbkin”)

Tiny bubbles, tiny bubbles, yours and mine, yours and mine.

Make us all feel happy, make us all fell happy, make us feel fine, make us feel fine!!!

Enjoy and please send me the pictures via e-mail of the delightful play your child had with bubbles.

Ms. Lillian

Hi my StrongStart friends,

I would like you to meet my dog.  Her name is Kiki and she is a toy poodle. That means she is much smaller than a regular poodle. Have you seen dog like that on your walks? What other dogs have you seen?

Click here to watch my video and meet two dogs: Kiki and silly, funny George. I hope you like the book.

All of you know the song about dog named BINGO. We have sang it many times in StrongStart. You can sing it at home with your mommy or daddy.

Ms. Lillian

Dear parents,

Here two pictures that will hopefully inspire you to add some fun with learning letters ( for a bit older kids). You can add a simple dog (cat) puppet Paper bags, I used cut-out bottle gift bag    (I chose it because it is black, just like my dog) and anything that you can write on (pieces of paper, cups, lids, plates). Sing it with your child and get them to remove the letters as you go, first “B” (clap instead), than” I” and so on. Name the letters for them  if they do not know them, they will start to recognize them soon. And then get them to put the letters back and “read”.

You can do the same song in many ways, using different names (and yes, different letters) over many days. Children will be learning to recognize letters in a fun way.

I love her, and she loves me and Mommy is her name-o. M-O-M-M-Y, M-O-M-M-Y, M-O-M-M-Y and Mommy is her name-o.

I love him and he loves me and Daddy is his name-o. D-A-D-D-Y…

I love her and she loves me and Kitty is her name-o. K-I-T-T-Y…

There was a day when it was hot and sunny was the weather. S-U-N-N-Y…

There was a day when it was wet and rainy was the weather. R-A-I-N-Y…

You can do this with any 5 letter word (Sammy, Santa, windy, snowy…).

Have fun together!

Dear parents,

A few of you were wondering  how to talk about your child about Covid 19, how explain things to your child so they could understand.

Children might ask: ” Why I can’t go to StrongStart?” Here is age-appropriate answer: “The Strongstart (the school) is closed now. Your teacher is at home now and all your friends are at home, with their family, just like you. When StrongStart gets open, we can go back and see your friends and have fun together. ” Avoid going into too many details.

Here is a link to the full that article with more questions and answers. Thanks Anita for the links.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has put out this very simple poster on how to help our kids to cope with stress – children may need extra support and attention as we go through these challenging times.

Click here to read it.

Please feel free to send me an e-mail or a comment in the section provided with your questions, things you would like to see on the blog or what you liked (the comments are for me only, I will not post it for everybody to see). Please remember, this is OUR blog.

Ms. Lillian

Dear Strong Start friends,

Spring is such a lovely season! Looking at cherry blossoms and smelling lilac brings me joy! Even in times like these, there is so much beauty to appreciate outside, on your neighbourhood walk or even in your backyard. We just need to be in the moment, notice, listen and smell. It fills our hearts with appreciation and gratitude.  When we are present, we notice shapes, colours, shades, textures, sweet smells and we hear birds and insects.

It calms us and lifts our spirit! And walks are good for our body too.  As you walk around you might want to invite your child to look closely at their surrounding. In our busy lives, sometimes we do not have a luxury of those unhurried moments.  Notice the leaves, the branches, ladybugs and bees, notice the lines, droplets of rain. Ask: “What other flowers do you see?”; “ Which one is similar, what other shades of pink you see?” By adding descriptive words (about textures, shades) and actual names you will build your child’s vocabulary too.

I wonder what flowers, blooms and plants will you see on your next walk?

Perhaps you and your child will get inspired to use objects found in your home and a bit of paint and to recreate a sensation, or an impression of blooms and flowers you have seen!

If you do not have paint handy, you can use a paste of flour mixed with some food colouring  (as shown on the paper plate in the top right corner of the picture).

Appreciate and enjoy!

Hello everyone,

During one of our family walks in the neighborhood last weekend, I noticed something that made me smile! On the South Point Drive, just across from Taylor Park somebody invited people, children and adults alike, to be creative and paint a rock: Take a Rock, Leave a Rock! What a lovely, creative  way to involve a whole family and create community as well!

Made me think about our StrongStart community. I did not have a brush handy, so I used a little bit of leftover paint and Q tip and lot of warm emotions!

Much love, Ms. Lillian

Dear StrongStart friends,

The times we are living in are both challenging and scary. Our lives have changed so much. We all are experiencing so many emotions, adults and children too. We all feel at times scared, stressed, alone or needing some space, frustrated. Sometimes sharing our feelings with someone helps, brings us release, sometimes a good cry is what we need or a warm hug.

You might remember how in StrongStart we were teaching our children when feeling strong emotions to acknowledge them by naming them (” You feel… angry or sad…)  and ask them take deep breath, we offer a hug. Now, I need to remind myself to do it many times during the day.

Let us do it together: Let us take a deep breath in. Slowly, deeply! Fill your lungs with air. Then pause. Take a deep, long  breath out. Do it together with your child, all of your children. You will be giving them a life long gift – knowing how to manage strong emotions. They will be grateful to you!

To give love to your child you need to be kind to yourself too. We all need to look for ways to comfort ourselves, do something that brings us smile, joy and light! Small or big. For me, it is looking through the window, seeing blue skies, re-connecting with nature, feeling the breeze,  getting a hug or sitting with no phone or any other gadget,  just a coffee in my hand.

Take care, we are all in this together!

Ms. Lillian

Click here for a video of our song about emotions to share with your child.

Dear parents,

Our community partners are are very much ready to support you. As many of you have appreciated getting support by Information Children in the past, I wanted to make it easier for you to access by posting their information as it is somewhat hidden in the community resources for families.

Our community partner Cathryn can not have a one-on-one talk in our quiet room but she is just a phone call or e-mail away. Feel free to join any workshops or groups they offer.

Please reach out to me via email or leave a private comment  or a question in the “Comment” section of the blog about community resources or anything I can support you with.

Dear families,

My friend Maria who works with young children in Powell River shared the idea for this demonstration for washing hands. Thanks Maria! I hope you will enjoy watching it and perhaps you and your child could try it yourself at home!

Click to watch the video.

Stay healthy and wash, wash wash your hands!

Ms. Lillian

Our blog is now updated with many community resources that are available for you during these virtual times. Please click on the community resources for families. You will find it on top of our blog page. More resources will be added as they become available. Please check often.

Anita is still available to support you!

Many of you remember a friendly face and a warm and knowledgeable support of Anita Olson. She regularly visits StrongStart and answers your big or small questions. She is still available if you want to talk to her.  You can also add yourself to her emailing list and you will receive her Resource Newsletter, she has some great and fun ideas!

Here is what she has sent so you can connect with her:

Anita Olson works for Family Services of Greater Vancouver as Burnaby’s Early Childhood Community Consultant (ECCC). She has been working with families and young children for well over a decade and as a parent herself recognizes the challenges, complexity and delight parenting brings. Understanding the foundational importance of infant and early childhood development, Anita shares information, strategies and practical tools with parents as they begin and continue their parental journey. Focusing on the parent/caregiver and child relationship, Anita’s work with families aims to create and preserve loving connection and curiosity.

If you are looking for parenting support: email your questions or join the daily Resource Newsletter  aolson@fsgv.ca

To set up a virtual meeting phone/text Anita at 604-723-9548.

Thanks Anita for all your support for Burnaby families!

Dear friends,

Today I had so much fun looking around my house and in my yard to find some materials and objects I could show you. I want to invite you to go looking with your grown-up around your house and outside to find some interesting materials to play.

I found some rocks, bark, twigs and I used scissors to cut some grass from outside.  Maybe you can look  in your yard too, or maybe you can find it on your nature walk. I added little dinosaurs as I  know most of  you would enjoy playing with animals and telling your story.

What toy animals you have at home to play with? Lego? Small wild animals, farm animals? Use what you like and have at home.

I found some rice in my cupboard  and I added spoons, ladles and different containers from my kitchen for scooping, filling the containers, emptying them out, listening to the sound rice makes when you pour it into the container. What other small objects could add? I added shiny pointy stars.  It is fun to observe the light on the shiny metallic objects and use different spoons. How many does it take to fill the jar or a pot?

Sensory play helps children learn about world around them by exploring different materials and  textures. Children use their all their senses and this in turn helps their brain development and calms the nervous system.

I used rice, as I imagine everyone has nowadays a bag, or even two in their cupboard.  I chose it because it could be respectfully re-used by washing after play, just rinse it under the water. After all the hand washing, children’s hands have never been cleaner! Also, if they spill some rice you can teach them to pick it up, they would be practicing their fine motor skills (they will use those skills later for writing as well – “pencil grip”). If you are not comfortable using rice,  use gravel, grass, wood pellets, like we did in StrongStart,  beans or even dirt.

I used some popsicle sticks and coffee filters to create people puppets. You can make small puppets of people in your family.  I found some old markers and old marker lids. How would you use it, how would you play with these materials? Perhaps you can find something else.

I looked around my house to find some unusual objects. I found a small wooden duck, my phone stand, plastic dowels (after I used up all the doggie bags), my necklace, old frame, some bits from nature and my broken reading glasses that could be used instead of magnifying glass.  I hope it inspires you to use your imagination  to look around and find a different use for everyday objects.

I also had fun sticking toothpicks and other materials into colander. It takes patience but is fun to do (and good for fine motor skills too).  You can use cut-up pipe cleaners as well.

I hope you will have fun together!

Ms. Lillian