Our home is organized to guide the children in learning though play. We regularly rotate the toys and activities in the playroom to reflect the interests of the children and to keep things exciting. Monthly and seasonal themes are a framework that we use to plan activities and learning experiences. These themes are both fluid and flexible. They are guided by the ages and interests of the children enrolled. If we are planning a butterfly theme and the children are showing an interest in, say, dinosaurs we will change our activity calendar and learn about dinosaurs. Following the interests of the children can lead to some last minute changes but it is always worth it.
| January 2011 | Arctic Animals, Five Senses, Mittens, Letters L, M, and N, Number 6, Black and White |
| February 2011 | Bears, Letters O, P, and Q, Number 7, Purple. |
| March 2011 | Homes, Families, In My Closet, Letters R, S, and T, Number 8, Green. |
| April 2011 | On the Farm, Baby Animals, Feathered Friends, Letters U, V, and W, Number 9, Yellow. |
| May 2011 | At the Zoo, Mother Goose & Friends, Mother’s Day, Letters X, Y, and Z, Number 10, Pink |
| June 2011 | In My Garden, Down by the Sea, Father’s Day |
| July 2011 | Sand Castles, Water. |
| August 2011 | Backyard Science, Pizza Parlour. |
| September 2011 | Apples, Magnificent Me, Shapes, Letters A and B, Numbers 0-2, Red. |
| October 2011 | Pumpkins, Nocturnal Animals, Thanksgiving, Letters C, D, and E, Number 3, Orange. |
| November 2011 | Our Town (Community Helpers), Four Seasons, At the Library, Letters F, G, and H, Number 4, Brown. |
| December 2011 | Happy Holidays, Gingerbread, Folk and Fairy Tales, Letters I, J, and K, Number 5, Blue. |
Sign Language
We started using ASL (American Sign Language) with our eldest daughter just as she was learning to speak and she picked it up so quickly (we did too) that we now do signing with all the children. We watch a short instructional DVD (Signing Time) and practice new words regularly. It is a fun, informal activity with numerous benefits. These benefits include:
- Improves children’s ability to learn their spoken language and helps them gain language skills earlier and faster than those who did not learn signing.
- Enables children to grow up “bi-lingual”, which allows for an easier grasp of additional languages in the future.
- Increased I.Q. points by between eight and thirteen points – benefits which have remained to the oldest age tested to date.
- Young children are able to communicate needs, wants, and fears earlier and better, thus decreasing misbehaviour and temper tantrums.
- Improved co-operation between very young children.
If you would like to understand the signs your son/daughter is learning or to continue signing at home, we would be happy to share our resources with you.
Music and Movement Classes
Music, movement and dance are an important part of our day. We have a wide
variety of music playing through out the day and often have spontaneous dance parties.
We are very lucky to have a wonderful music teacher, Paula Croucher, join us weekly. Paula is an instructor with Music for Young Children who uses songs, puppets, props, and imagination to make learning music fun for everyone. We all love our “Paula Days.”
Circle Time
At the start of each day we gather in the playroom for circle time. We sing songs, read books, enjoy finger plays and word games. We have quiet moments learning a new poem and loud noisy moments when we play our instruments and march around the room. We also use this time to learn about colours, seasons, letters, numbers, and more.
Quiet Time & Naps
All of the children have a quiet time in the afternoon. Infants and younger children nap in portable cribs (Pack ’n Plays) in our family’s bedrooms. Children who have outgrown their beds move to cots set up in the playroom. The children are encouraged to lie down and read or rest if they are no longer napping. After their rest, older children often spend time working on school readiness skills.
Outside Play
Our outdoor space is an extension of our indoor playroom. We spend as much time as we can outside running, climbing, sliding, drawing, painting, digging, and playing. We have ride on cars and trikes, climbers, slides, a sandbox, a playhouse, picnic tables, balls, water table, hula hoops, bubbles, and pirate ship steering wheels.
Art
Art is an important part of our daily routine. We participate in both structured and open-ended crafts. We colour, cut, glue, tear, draw, paint, feel, touch, mould, shape, bend, and stick. We use our imaginations. We create.
Free Play
Children are given ample time each day to play freely. This is the time the children are likely to be building towers, racing cars, dressing up as animals, princesses, or firefighters. They are playing games, cooking gourmet meals at the play kitchen, and reading books. They are playing ring-around-the-rosie, tossing bean bags, and more.
Kitchen Science
The children are active participants in making our snacks and meals. Each week the children bake bread, make soup, and help prepare additional snacks. Even the youngest children help by mixing, kneading, washing vegetables, and putting ingredients into the soup pot.
While we are cooking and baking we are learning so many things. We learn new vocabulary, measurement, and print awareness. We learn sequencing, to follow directions, and basic math skills. We are introduced to beginning science concepts such as “How do we get cold water to boil?”, “How does raw chicken look different from cooked chicken?”, “Why do we add baking powder to the biscuits?” and “What does yeast do?” The best part is we get to eat yummy food!