The holidays we celebrated at the start of the new year brought fresh learning experiences for School-Age 2 at RisingOaks Early Learning | John Sweeney. With our cultural explorations throughout the month, there has been a growing appreciation for diversity, fostering respect, empathy, and understanding for all.
February, a month traditionally associated with love, also brought celebrations such as Lunar New Year and Black History Month. Although our school-age group is diverse, we found that many of our children had limited knowledge about these holidays. To introduce these topics, we read books that offered a general overview of what children their age experience during these celebrations. “Chloe's Lunar New Year” tells the story of a little girl and the various activities her family does to welcome the Lunar New Year, such as cleaning the house, getting haircuts, buying new clothes, and preparing a family feast. “More Than Peach” helped us explore themes related to Black History Month, with the children most resonating with the appreciation for diversity and the recognition that each person's skin color makes them unique.
Our discussions following the stories were thoughtful and meaningful. The children learned that while people celebrating Lunar New Year may do so weeks after the global New Year celebrations, the essence of the holiday remains the same. They also observed that fireworks are common to both celebrations. The most important takeaway, however, was the realization that people celebrating both holidays do so with their families, the most important people in their lives.
Facilitating conversations about Black History Month was a challenge for us as educators.
- What topics were appropriate?
- What would 5- and 6-year-olds understand?
- Would these discussions make the Black children in our group uncomfortable?
These were some of the questions we faced while planning our curriculum. We wanted to be culturally sensitive while also being honest. To help us, we invited Educator Simone, a Black Canadian with Jamaican heritage. After reading the book, our discussions became more extensive. We covered topics such as slavery, historical segregation, the beauty of diverse skin colors, and the importance of standing by and supporting the Black community, not only during Black History Month, but every day.
To further engage with the themes of these holidays, the children participated in various craft projects, STEM activities, and artistic expressions. To explore the Lunar New Year, they made snake pipe cleaner crafts to welcome the Year of the Snake, created dragon masks, and painted fireworks. We also conducted a science experiment that demonstrated how colors burst and expand using water, food coloring, and oil, which introduced the children to different characteristics of liquids. This experiment visually represented how fireworks behave when gunpowder reacts to fire.
Our exploration of Black History Month also introduced us to notable Black scientists and inventors, such as Mary Daly, who taught us the importance of heart health through exercise and good nutrition. The children participated in a STEM activity where they created a model of a human heart pumping blood. Through this hands-on project, they learned that the heart is a hardworking organ, pumping blood throughout the body at least 100,000 times a day! The children also had fun creating their own bags of potato chips, inspired by George Crum, a famous Black chef who accidentally invented the first potato chips. Using their imagination and creativity, the children turned a paper bag and construction paper into a pretend bag of chips for imaginative play.
The activities we provided offered rich opportunities for the children to grow across multiple domains: cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and creative. According to the developmental milestones outlined in Early Learning for Every Child Today (ELECT), reading books and having discussions about holidays help develop the children's social and emotional awareness. We observed that the children were showing greater empathy, respect for people from diverse backgrounds, and a growing sense of identity, as demonstrated when one child proudly said, "My skin color is caramel, it's this beautiful color."
There was also a growing interest in hands-on learning, as the children expressed excitement about the experiments planned for the week. Their curiosity about the world and ability to make connections with things around them indicated that their scientific thinking and problem-solving skills were developing. They engaged in theorizing, making educated guesses, recognizing cause and effect, and explaining why they thought things were happening in a certain way.
As educators, this level of engagement speaks volumes about how much children learn through play. This important principle is extensively explained in the How Does Learning Happen? pedagogical framework, where children are encouraged to hypothesize, learn through trial and error, and use their imagination to understand complex processes, such as how the heart works or how fireworks behave, in a fun and engaging way.
Looking ahead, we plan to continue fostering growth in various areas by deepening our cultural exploration. One way we’ll do this is by inviting guest speakers, such as family members or community leaders from diverse cultural backgrounds. Hearing firsthand about traditions, customs, and personal experiences will enrich our curriculum and make learning even more meaningful for the children.
