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Last week the Kinders celebrated Earth Week!  Our first task was to clean up any trash that covered our schoolyard! We put on gloves, grabbed a garbage bag and went straight to work, diligently scanning our schoolyard! A handful of hardworking, enthusiastic Kinders made it their mission to pick up EVERY SINGLE piece of garbage that they saw! Look how hard they worked! Can you spot the differences between these two pictures? Since the Kinders were so passionate about this project, we’ve decided to do a weekly litter clean up! Once the schoolyard was cleaned, we decided to connect with nature by getting our hands dirty. I gave each Kinder a recycled yogurt container and explained to them that we would be PLANTING. I poured soil into a container and allowed the Kinders to explore this material while they filled up their cups with dirt! “It looks like Oreos!” “It smells good!" During this experience, a few Kinders noticed that there were holes at the bottom of each yogurt cup and asked: “Why are there holes?” “Doesn’t the soil go through?” We explored these questions by testing out some theories: “When you shake, a little comes out!” “It’s thick. That’s why it doesn’t go through!” Once our cups were filled with dirt, each Kinder was able to choose a vegetable or flower seed to plant. The differences in the size, shape, and texture of each type of seed really captured their interests! The Kinders placed their plants in a warm, sunny area on our plant shelf and have been watering them everyday!  Whenever we notice a new sprout pushing through the soil, we excitedly announce that a new plant baby has been born! The parent of that plant baby proudly parades around the room, showing everyone what they have grown. It has been such a successful earth week. I can’t wait to continue these projects that help foster an appreciation for nature!
- Vita
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Our Kinder group is a very passionate bunch! To help us work through intense emotions such as sadness, frustration, and anger, we made “Calming Stones” with polymer clay!  Before beginning the activity, we sat together and I passed around my own “Calming Stone” that I brought from home. I explained that when I feel scared or nervous, I feel the smooth stone in my hand while I breath IN..1..2..3.. and OUT..1..2..1... Everyone then closed their eyes and envisioned themselves in a calm space, noticing the colours and shapes that they see. Once the Kinders had a sense of what made them feel calm, we brought out the clay and went straight to work! “I chose galaxy colours!” "Cheetah makes you calm because of all the colours... White, blue and pink." Everyone had their own unique way to shape, form and design their calming stone! Some Kinders chose to roll or squish their clay in their hands, while others chose to use carving tools to add little details. I was so surprised to see how the shape of each worry stone varied from one another! "I'm doing all this [squishing the clay] because I don't want it to be hard to use” “I call mine Bacon!” “This is my cinnamon bun” “I made a donut ring!” “I made designs on it!” During this process, I also asked, “How will your stone help you when you’re feeling upset?” These were some responses: "I'm going to use it when I feel scared to go to school” "Mine means 'are you feeling brave?' Are you feeling ok?’” "It's a cake! It's going to make me think of what cake to have for my birthday!” "I'm going to make a snake stone! It will remind me to dance!" The Kinders became very attached to their “Calming Stones” and loved keeping them close throughout the day! We are planning to apply this mindful practice to our everyday life in the Kinder room!
- Vita |
Kindercare Leader
Vita
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March 2024
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