Welcome back to the new school year! And welcome to all the new faces entering the toddler program! We are so excited to meet everyone, new toddlers joining the class, and their amazing families!
This time has been about getting to know everyone in the group as individuals, helping them get comfortable in the new space and creating connections between all of the children and their educators.
Not only are the toddlers exploring the class and all of the wonderful toys and materials provided to inspire learning through play, they are also finding their way around the natural play space outside that is our amazing outdoor environment. They are trying out the bikes, sitting in the hammock, shoveling sand into buckets in the large sandbox and attempting to learn how to swing on the low homemade rope/ wood swing, between the outdoor wacky posts. Learning to swing takes time and patience, and we are seeing the beginning phase of the toddler attempts as they hold the ropes and sit, and even start to rock the swing a little as they learn this process. It’s worth the time and effort, and several of the children are determined to success at this skill.
As the children learn more about the routines in the toddler room at RisingOaks St Matthew, they are also being offered a variety of exciting activities to participate in, to continue to build on many of their skills. Recently they engaged their creative side while finger painting! At first, after the table was set with paper, bowls put out with autumn red and yellow paints, and the children covered in paint smocks, the toddlers looked down at the table all ready for art, but were unsure what to do. Educator Heather let everyone know that they could use their fingers to create the paintings and then lead the way by dipping her own fingers into the paint bowls and then onto the paper. The children quickly followed, and of course, paint brushes were offered and available to anyone who preferred not to use their hands. Most hands became covered in red or yellow, until they mixed and smeared the paint over their papers enough to make them mix together to create a beautiful orange! Not only did this activity provide an opportunity for the children to become creative, it also allowed them to make their own choices in how they wanted to approach their art. They used their fine motor skills and had time to explore paint using their senses. The paint did end up going past their hands, and in cases it made it up to elbows and even on someone’s nose!
We also recently hosted an apple tasting! Noticing that many of the children enjoy the variety of fruit Mrs. Brenda (our wonderful cook) offers the group at meal and snack times, we decided to provide several types of apples to taste together. As a large group activity, the toddlers gathered at the table and together we explored five types of apples-McIntosh, Royal Gala, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and a one we have never heard of before called Cosmic Crisp! First, we examined the apples, paying close attention to the colours (we had different shades of red, a green apple and a yellow apple), and the parts of the apple. The toddlers observed as Heather labeled the stem, core, seeds and apple skin. Then each apple was introduced, and the children had the opportunity to try to say the complex names of them- they really tried hard at this! Then, for the best part, the tasting! Each piece of fruit was sliced and handed out to the toddlers. We role modeled “pleases” and “thank you” as we handed them out. During this time the educators asked questions and provided descriptive words to encourage vocabulary growth. “Is the apple sweet?”, “Is it juicy or crunchy?”. After each tasting the toddlers were encouraged to share their own opinions to let their educators know which kinds they liked the best and which didn’t taste as yummy to them. Giving each child a chance to respond after they tasted the apples shows them that the educators and their peers value their thoughts. We strive to create a sense of belonging within the toddler room and hope each child that comes into the room feels valued and loved through our actions and the activities we engage them in. Each child enjoyed and ate all of the apples, they seemed to agree that all of the apples were delicious! In the end, with a few slices left over from each, the toddlers were able to pick a slice of their favorite to sample again.
We look forward to making more discoveries, learning new things and exploring each and every day with our new toddler class, helping each child reach their full potential!
