Learning in the Spirit of Wonder and Joy

Category: Activities (Page 4 of 4)

Pumpkins everywhere!

Thanks to Save-on-foods at High gate,

And our new Buy-low foods on Edmonds.

Both stores have generously donated hundreds

of pumpkins to Morley school for our Pumpkin patch.

Each Child was able to hunt for the right pumpkin for

their family to decorate or maybe cook?

Here are a few ideas of what to do with a pumpkin.

 

 

Best ever pumpkin muffins.

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup raisins

mix together in order and bake for 1/2 hour at 350 degree

in the oven, yum enjoy!

If you are using a fresh pumpkin,

clean out the inside, keep seeds for roasting

in a slow oven till golden brown. Cut up

pulp into big chunks and put in the oven to cook.

when soft, strain water from pumpkin in strainer or

cheese cloth, then use the pulp to make muffins, pies etc.

What else can I do with natures bounty

Hello Strongstart Families,

Here is a Beautiful post Ms. Lillian from 12th Ave StrongStart let me share with all.

I hope you enjoy and are inspired!

Truly Ms. Trish

 

I would like to invite you to expand your collection of natural objects. You can’t go wrong with collecting shells(these were store bought), rocks – big or small, dried leaves of Magnolia trees (they do not crumble for a long time) etc.  Anything will do, flex your imagination “muscle”. You can always supplement by providing some Dollar Store items like popsicle sticks, wooden blocks, coffee stirring sticks.

What else can children do with natural materials? It depends on their interest and of course their age and the stage they are at. The youngest children will enjoy the sound and feeling of the leaves as you walk through the woods or on the street, they will love scrunching and crumpling them. You can throw the leaves high up in the air for them to watch them float. Show them the pointy leaves, let them feel the leaf lines, watch the wind moving the leaves on the branch.

They would love exploring and touching all the natural objects you provide (in a safe manner).

Some children will love taking their natural treasures in and out containers. For young children this provides endless fun as they master the competence of a “schema” of IN and OUT.

Some children like the toddler in this picture will choose one type of treasure (chestnuts) and line it up while experiencing the smoothness or roughness of the surfaces, weighing them.

Some children will pile them up to enjoy novelty of natural objects. Some will be happily engaged until they used up everything that was provided. This girl was appreciating her land art and was thinking hard what else she could add.

For older children you can introduce the concept of “patterns” by letting them choose one type of object and you choose another one. You can take turns lining  them up, “first me, then you”. After a couple of turns you can playfully ask “What would come next, what do you think? Of course, there are more complex patterns all around us and you can draw your child attention to patterns in nature and real world.  On this picture, for extra fun, I provided interesting lines to follow making the patterns. This adds the opportunity to talk about lines; curvy, loopy, zig-zaggy, spiral…

Some children will arrange the natural objects into land art following their own pattern, simple or complicated.

 

Some will have an idea of an experience or object close to their heart and will  re-create the image in their head with the objects provided. This boy was re-creating his experiences of airports and airplanes.

 

Many children created their homes.

It is so important to provide opportunities for children to play in nature but also bring “nature inside” . Being in nature, or touching and feeling natural objects calms children, they learn to marvel in what nature has to offer and they learn about world around them.

Enjoy! If you would like, feel free to e-mail me the photos of of your children’s creations.

Ms. Lillian

Happy Summer!

 Dear StrongStart Families,

Here we are the end of 2019/2020 school year!

This has been a challenging year for all of us, and one

that has changed our lives for ever.

During the summer our StrongStart blogs will

not be updated but you can still go to view them.

StrongStart BC Early Learning Centres

I would like to thank all our Families who have

 worked tirelessly through this pandemic, Nurses,

Doctors, All health care workers and cleaners,

clerks, cashiers, Principals, Teachers and All

who made it possible for us to stay at

home to do our part!

THANK-YOU!!!

 I wish you a Healthy, Safe and Happy Summer!

I look forward to meeting you in September.

Truly Ms. Trish, loads of Love!!!

Take Great care of each other!

 

Anita will be sending out her Newsletters all summer!

www.fsgv.ca

go here to view or sign up for the summer!

 

Bubbles all summer!

Teacher Beth has an awesome video to watch!

How to make Giant Bubbles!

https://youtu.be/V-8TMWT-_M0

Here is Teacher Beth’s recipe!

GIANT BUBBLES!

 6 CUPS WARM WATER

 1/2  CUP BLUE DAWN ORIGINAL DISH WASHING SOAP

 1 TBSP OF CORN SYRUP OR GLYCERIN

MIX ALL THE INGREDIENTS GENTLY!

 

HERE IS THE SECRET:

 

THE BUBBLE LIQUID GETS BETTER THE LONGER IT SITS!

IT SHOULD MARINATE OVER NIGHT AT LEAST!

THE SOLUTION GETS BETTER WITH AGE AND WILL LAST A WHILE.

TIP:

JUST DIP WAND INTO THE SOLUTION DON’T STIR OR SWISH!

THAT WILL CREATE SMALL BUBBLES AND IT STOPS WORKING!

ENJOY!

Bubble song!  (sing while you play)

Blowing bubbles, blowing bubbles,

in the air, in the air,

When you stop,

Then they drop,

And go POP!

 

Let’s move!

Hi everyone, glad to see you back again!

Today I have some stories about movement.

We all know how much better we feel emotionally

and physically when we are active. Building our muscles

helps us with coordination and stamina so we can participate

in sports, music , dancing, bike riding, hiking and play grounds

safely and confidently. I hope you enjoy the stories, dance and

activities I have for you today.

 

CLICK HERE: TO JOIN ME READING THIS BOOK!

 

 

 

CLICK HERE: TO JOIN ME READING THESE BOOKS

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/npp1z32idrc

CLICK ABOVE TO JOIN MAXIMO IN THE CHICKEN DANCE!

 

Balloon play:

Playing with your child, developing movement skills,(eye hand coordination).

Social skills, (taking turns). Language /Literacy links,( counting, rhythm, rhyme).

If you put a nylon knee high over the balloon it will be less likely to pop!

It  could scare the Fun out of Play if it pops!

Count how many times you can hit it up in the air without it touching the ground.

Volley the balloon back and forth between you and your child singing a song or rhyme.

Make a racket to hit the balloon back and forth from a paper plate, tape and wooden spoon.

Enjoy, Ms Trish

 

Chalk

Chalk is very inexpensive and a fun activity.

Many ways to explore it’s abilities, try wetting it.

It will look brighter and more like paint.

In a tray of salt it is fun to use Chalk to practice letters,

numbers and draw pictures.

Here are some pictures of our explorations with calk.

 

 

 

CLICK  HERE; TO JOIN ME READ THIS BOOK!

 

 

 

Sensory Play

Learning through our senses, touching , smelling, seeing, hearing and tasting,

wakes up our whole body to exploring and gain understanding about our World.

   

                                                                                                         SALT PLAY                                                                                                         

Take a tub ,a Baby’s bath tub, plastic tote or big pot that is easy to reach into and

add salt about 1/4 full than add

some funnels and scoops different sized measuring cups.

or

You could make it a play  scene with rocks, animals, wood…

Fill the container 1/4 full of salt and some cinnamon or other smell

the Child likes.

 

 

  Goop, Corn starch and water.

This is a magical potion to work with, as it change it’s texture throughout

the exploration. It can be hard and  solid then change quickly to watery.

Only two ingredients needed corn starch and water.

Mixing in a tub deep enough not to spill out but shallow enough to play.

 

 

I f you have an old shower curtain or plastic table cloth, put it under the tub to play.

The clean up is so easy, just water and your skin will feel so soft after playing in it.

This can be kept, but not completely covered or it will mold. You can add food coloring for

added exploration ,drop by drop, the Children will love to do this by themselves.

If you add too much water it will evaporate over time don’t worry, just play and have FUN!

 

 

Add some items that the mixture can ooze through and be played with, not too many!

 

Play-dough

2 cups flour, (can use gluten free for children with allergies or intolerance)

1 cup salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar ( can buy at save on foods at highgate in bulk bins)

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil or (baby oil smells nice)

2 cups boiled water.

You can add food coloring, coca , smells. The possibilities are endless.

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Add boiled water, color and or scents together.

Then add wet ingredients to the dry and mix together.

Stir and knead until cool and ready to play.

Play-dough problem solving:

If your dough is too crumbly : add a little more oil

If your play-dough is too stickyadd a little more flour

If you want scented play-dough: add herbs, spices, essential oils or food extracts, vanilla or lemon

If you want your play-dough to last a long time: Store it well in a plastic bag or container.

 

WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT PLAY-DOUGH?

It is for All ages, and Home made is best!

Sensory: Playing with dough can be both relaxing and uplifting!

Wonderful sensory play material that can be added to for more

exciting sights, smells and textures. Great activity for rainy days

and or a pre-bedtime relaxing routine.

Fine motor: With every knead, squash and molding of dough your

children are working on their fine motor skills , developing strength,

control and flexibility in their fingers, hands and wrists. This paves

the way for successfully holding a pencil to write, fastening buttons

and tying their shoe laces.

Imagination and free play: By adding in different colors and scents or

providing props to go with the dough, you’re offering a stimulating environment

where they can stretch their imaginations and create their own play.

Math, Language and science: If you make your own play dough, your

children can count and weigh the ingredients and see domestic science in

action as the components combine. The variety of materials we use bring lots

of extra vocabulary into play, lot’s of chat, questions and speech development.

Enjoy my Friends until we play with play-dough together again!

Take Great care and have Fun together!!!

 

ONE MORE DOUGH:

CLOUD DOUGH RECIPE;

Cloud dough is very different from typical play dough.

It is soft and crumbly, but you can also squish it together

and it will hold it’s shape. It is Great for making sand castles with.

4 cups flour

1 cup vegetable oil or baby oil.

You can add glitter or powdered paint for shimmer and color!

ENJOY, Ms. Trish

 

 

 

 

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