Library Adventures

The Wandering Hamsters LOVE to explore the different libraries our great city has to offer. It is also a great way for them to become familiar with different neighbourhoods/areas in the city. The kids love to explore the different reading materials, from graphic novels, to chapter books and everything in between. We are lucky to be able to explore these great locations and talk about different types of stories and novels.

Camera Fun

All of the playschool teachers really try to encourage the children to explore their own ideas of creativity. And, let's face it, these students have an impecable way of infusing their ideas into our daily routines and lessons! It's great! Here is some fun we had with the camera one day, doing different poses and using my legs at a frame!

Drama and Dance Fun

The drama and dance lessons that Lorna comes up with are AMAZING. Her methods are unique and engage all of the children. Theybecome immersed in role play without even noticing it! Above are some pictures of a game the kids really are enthusiastic about. In this particular game, one of the kids is selected to be the 'host' of a party for example. And another child is selected to be a trickster figure, making all of the party guests sick, in a discreet way
of course. They then have to figure out who is the trickster. Its really fun to watch the kids be engaged and really have fun with these types of games!

Encaustic Paintings at Leah's Studio

(Updated post: now with pictures!)

Last week, both groups ventured to Leah's studio to do some encaustic work with her. Unforunately my camera was dead, but I am sure you have all seen by now the AMAZING creations the kids have created! I love that all of their pictures look so different. They all used different tools, techniques and ideas of inspiration to create their pieces. After they were done and during snack, the kids presented their pieces to one another. Leah and I were so proud of the way the kids encouraged each other and said positive things about the work their peers did. The appreciation they display towards one another is genuine and amazing!

Collages

Collages of all different sorts have been a great focus of ours over the last month. The kids have developed a great eye for creating pieces with all sorts of materials and pictures. We have been putting the pictures on display in our space. The kids have drawn inspiration from a number of different sources- creating space pictures, pictures of people, and using different types of magazines to come up with their own creations. They also have been great in describing what their picture is about in great detail.

The Importance of Water

We have been talking with the kids about water a lot this month, in different capacities. Leah has done a phenomenal job teaching the kids about Garrison Creek. Both groups went to Christie Pits recently, and on our way, we viewed some of the sunken houses and talked about the change in landscape.

Last week, we talked about the importance of being kind to the creatures that live in the water. I spoke with the kids about over fishing and litter affecting sea creatures.

We have also been reading a number of stories about different sea creatures and animals that live in the water.

I think this is a great topic of discussion to have with the kids, there are so many things to discuss with them.