The summer has come to an end and as we say goodbye to our friends who have left for kindergarten, we want to wish them well on the next step of their education journey. We are also welcoming some new friends into our classroom and can’t wait to get to know them and their families over the next couple of years. We had so much fun this summer, exploring and learning new things. Let’s take a look back at some of our favourite moments.
We had so much fun with water play this summer. With the availability of free-flowing water, that came along with our new playground, the children could frequently be found splashing around and it didn’t matter if they had bathing suits on or not! Our new mud kitchens were proven to be a favourite spot for children to create many yummy treats and drinks. However, one of our favourite days was playing in the rain. The children got to splash in puddles, run around feeling the drops on their faces and splash Catherine, who joined in on the fun. Children often get stuck indoors when it is raining out, but it is the perfect time for some fun water play experiences. It connects them with nature and allows them to enjoy the fun moments you only often get to experience as children.
We also got to take a class trip and go to Christopher's family farm. We got to experience all of the fun things he talks about on a daily basis and this seemed like a proud moment for him, as he got to show it all off to his peers. The children got to experience tractor rides, provided by Christopher's Poppa, as well as, get to see some of the moving parts of a really big combine. Christopher's family set up a fun sensory experience for the children to engage in and learn about the different plants that they grow on their farm. There were separate buckets of corn, soy beans, wheat and barley for the children to handle and play with.
Then there were the Summer Olympics to learn about and follow Canada's quest for medals, which we kept track of every day. The children got to participate in their own mini Olympics which included; golf, frisbee throwing, hoop jumping, ring toss and ball throwing to a partner. The children participated in the activities that they were comfortable with and were able to earn a gold medal to take home. We hung banners outside of our class to represent all of the countries participating in this year's Olympics and it was fun to watch the children and their families interact with them, looking for flags that represented their culture.
The children engaged in so many different sensory activities this summer as well. Some favourites were making their own lemonade, where they squeezed their own lemons and got to taste what was left over in the peel. There were a lot of sour faces after that taste test. They were then able to compare the taste of the raw lemon to the lemonade that was created by adding water and sugar (I bet you all can guess which one they liked better). Many different painting techniques were explored as well this summer. The children were able to experiment with different tools, which created a variety of shapes and textures. Then there is our new white tuff tray that had so many colourful sensory activities, a favourite being cupcake making with shaving cream and pool noodles.
Of course, because it was summer we had to have a few parties thrown into the mix. There was our Hawaiian Luau party, where the children made their own Lei necklaces and had a tropical photoshoot with a giant sea turtle. There was also an end of the summer party to say our final goodbyes to those who are leaving for kindergarten. The children seemed to have so much fun participating in all of these activities, as there were constant smiles seen and laughter heard.
