Month: June 2020

Happy Summer Everyone

June 24, 2020 / Maria / 0 Comments

To all of you, a huge thank you for being a part of StrongStart this past school year. Thank you for your trust and partnership in teaching your children together. It has been a great pleasure connecting with all of you and building a community of support for each other. It brought me lots of encouragement to witness the resilience and patience many of you have shown throughout this time as we have all tried our best to navigate these extraordinary times.

My best wishes for all of you that are starting Kindergarten in the fall. What an exciting milestone. If you are staying at Edmonds school I’m looking forward to seeing you in September and support the children’s transition to Kindergarten. Our wonderful Kindergarten teachers can’t wait to meet and get to know all of you.

For updates on what StrongStart will look like in the fall please visit the Burnaby StrongStart website in late August.

Remember, you can come back to this BLOG anytime to reconnect and sing together!

Wishing you all a safe and wonderful summer. Enjoy the outdoors and create new memories with your loved ones.

Hope to see you in the fall. Take good care!

Ms. Maria

Community Resources For Summer

June 24, 2020 / Maria / 0 Comments

As we head into summer, I wanted to pass along a list of resources for you to explore and where you can reach out for support.

Please note that the StrongStart Blog will not be updated, but you can still check out posts and visit the other Burnaby StrongStart Blogs as they will be up all summer for you and your child(ren) to explore.

For free virtual programming click here: FREE Virtual Summer Programs in Burnaby

Looking for parenting support:

Information Children will continue to have their helpline open and they can be reached at 778-782-3548

Anita Olson with Greater Vancouver Family Services will also be available

Anita Olson (she/her) ECE, BA, MEd

Early Childhood Community Consultant

T 604 525 9144

M 604 723 9548

e-mail: aolson@fsgv.ca>

Blog: Parenting place

Cameray Parent support programs

Burnaby Public Library

Play Today: A Guide for Families https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/early-learning/teach/earlylearning/play_today_family_guide.pdf
Let’s Play: Activites for Families https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/early-learning/support/play#letsplay

Dr. Gordon Neufeld Parenting through the Pandemic

Snail friends

June 5, 2020 / Maria / 0 Comments

1. Maximize love,

Manage stress

Research has shown that spending time in nature—even just 5 minutes—can yield amazing benefits, such as: stress reduction, mood improvement, increased concentration, and a boost in overall well-being. Spending time with family outside can strengthen that family bond significantly.

So, let us get outside and look for snails together. Remember to be gentle with them just like, when we played with them, in our Strongstart room.

2. Talk, sing and point

Where to look?

During the day, slugs and snails hide in cool, dark places: under dead leaves, lumps of earth, rocks, mulch, and wooden boards. When dusk falls, they come out from their shelters in search of food. They are also more active under cloudy conditions or after a light rain. Their active period is from about April to October, and then they hibernate until the next spring.

Where have you looked?

Who found the first snail?

What colour is its shell?

Listen to “The snail song”

3. Read and discuss stories

You can learn interesting fact about snails by listening to “Are You a Snail?” by Judy Allen

Do you want to know how Snail and Fish works out their conflict and save their friendship? Listen to “The Story of Fish and Snail ” by Deborah Freedman

The snail’s cousin is the slug. You can see lots of slugs after a good rain. What colour slugs have you seen? Look at the baby slugs, they are a couple days old.

Here is a story about a slug who wants to be a snail “Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell” by Sue Hendra

4. Explore through movement and play

Do you remember the snails in our Strongstart room? How many where there? They got very lonely in the classroom, so I brought them home. See the pictures and a video about them exploring their new home.