This month, the Preschool 2 room at RisingOaks Early Learning | St. Patrick has been exploring different cultures, self-identity, and positive ways to show kindness. Through meaningful conversations and hands-on experiences, the children have been building a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. Recently, the children began showing a strong interest in different occupations, as dramatic play continues to spark their curiosity. By providing activities that reflect real-life skills, the children have been able to expand their play in incredible ways.
These opportunities support multiple areas of development, including science, sensory exploration, and social learning, while opening the door for new questions and discoveries. As part of our classroom discussions, the children became curious about holidays and cultural celebrations. In acknowledgement of Black History Month and Lunar New Year, we explored traditions that represent these important celebrations. To celebrate Lunar New Year, the children participated in a group dragon dance, learning how movement and tradition bring people together. They also created their own dragon using loose parts, allowing them to explore creativity while learning about cultural representation. To honour Black History Month, we read storybooks that highlighted kindness, empathy, and the importance of learning from one another. These stories became a powerful steppingstone in helping the children understand emotions and recognize how the words we use can affect others. One story we explored was Don’t Touch My Hair, which introduced the idea of self-expression and setting personal boundaries.
Through open discussion, the children practiced “standing up for their voice” and using their big voices to respectfully communicate their needs and feelings. We also explored the impact of words through meaningful visual activities. In one activity, the children said unkind words to a piece of paper while we crumpled it. Even after apologizing and smoothing it out, the paper remained wrinkled, helping the children understand that words can leave lasting effects. In another activity, we used an apple to demonstrate how hurtful words can cause unseen damage. As the apple was dropped after each unkind comment, the children later saw the bruising inside, creating a powerful moment of reflection. Together, we discussed how we can turn negative actions into positive behaviour. From these conversations, the children shared thoughtful ideas on how to show kindness, including standing up for their friends, asking others to join their play, not taking toys, offering help or a hug when someone feels upset, and cheering each other on as they reach milestones, big or small.
These moments have helped strengthen their sense of empathy, belonging, and community within the classroom. Another meaningful group activity was the creation of individual self-identity collages. Through open-ended questions, the children eflected on what they like, who they are, and who they dream of becoming. This activity connected deeply with their interest in occupations and helped us create opportunities to support real-life skill development aligned with the four foundations of learning. Each child shared their ideas with the group, allowing us to reflect on our similarities, celebrate our differences, and appreciate each other’s dreams. As we continue forward, we remain committed to nurturing the children’s curiosity by bringing real-world tools and experiences into our classroom.
