Things To Do This Long Weekend

Hi Parents,

There are some great events happening in and around the city. If you don't have plans and are looking for something fun to do with the kiddies here are some great ideas:

*Down at harbour front, there is a 3 day festival that celebrates the harvest seasons. It will be held at Habourfront centre, from 11am-5pm from October 9th-11th.

*In a neat twist on the modern Thanksgiving meal, Black Creek Pioneer Village will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner, with a traditional Pioneer twist! Sounds neat.

Apple Picking

Leah and the kids went on a fantastic trip- apple picking in the city! It was such a unique experience, and I loved hearing all about it from the kids. This went perfectly with our October themes of harvesting and trees. It gave them a great hands on opportunity, and proved to be much fun!

He's a pro! Reaching way up to get some apples!

Mmmm looks delicious!

The kids got to discover apples of different shapes, sizes and maturity. Look at this tiny one!

The boys, ready for action in their apple picking gloves.




Working as a team to collect some apples for our use.

The kids learning about the different apple tools.

Thanksgiving

Leah and I would like to wish all of our students and their families a very Happy Thanksgiving! We hope that everyone has a great weekend filled with family and fun. We can't wait to hear what all of the kids did over the long weekend, I am sure that there will be many exciting stories that we can share with one another.

Over the last week leading up to the long weekend and all of the festivities that it contains, we talked amongst our group about the holiday. I asked the kids if they celebrate Thanksgiving, what they have done in the past for this holiday, and what they think it means. We also discussed what some of the foods are that we may consume during this long weekend.

After we shared our own personal experiences, I began to talk to the kids about how Thanksgiving may be celebrated in other cultural groups. Specifically, we talked about the Thanksgiving celebrations of the Indigenous Peoples in Canada. We spoke about the celebration of the harvest, what types of food may be harvested, and some of the activities (such as singing, dancing) that would occur during this celebratory time. This was a great introduction into learning about Indigenous Peoples and traditions which will continue throughout the year, and Indigenous models of teaching and learning will be implemented more throughout as well.

Dundas Square

We went to see a concert at Dundas Square towards the end of last month, which featured the very talented Maylee Todd! Her gorgeous voice and tantilizing beats had us all enjoying the weather and our time together. We were fortunate enough to be up close and centre at the concert, and we joined our friends the Twirly Birds (April and Lorna's group) and had a wonderful! Here are some photos of our time together. Stay tuned! More photos to come!

On our way to meet the rest of the group...Dundas Square here we come!

Before the concert began, we all enjoyed lunch together in front of the stage.

Waiting for the concert to begin.

Maylee Todd! She has a beautiful voice! The kids loved hearing all of the different instruments, rhythms and sounds.

Not only were we entertained by Maylee, but she had some special guests who made the kids laugh and really get into the vibe.

Maylee has an extraordinary ability to grab your attention with her melodic voice that relays great stories via her songs.

Imaginative Play

Our group of students really enjoy participaing in imaginative play together. They have come up with quite a few scenarios/games/roles that they really have a lot of fun with. During quiet time and sometimes if there is free play time available, they are very eager to enage with one another. 'Let's play teacher!' is one of their favourite sayings, and they really get into the roles they have come up with. Also, the 'game' of 'Hamsties' (their pretend hampster family) is also extremely popular. I find it fascinating to watch the kids together, their dynamics as a group, and how vast and creative their imaginations are. I think it is great that they like to play together, it helps to stregthen the inclusion that we have been cultivating within the group over the last month.

Doing 'school work' while 'playing teacher.'

'Hamsties!'
Here they are using a cash register, purchasing picture frames and toys!

Autumn!

This month, we are focusing on trees and harvesting. I love hearing what the kids already know about trees, they are quite the experts on evergreens! They have been busy discovering with their senses all of the different elements and features that the trees in our area have to offer. We have gone on walks, gathering leaves and observing the different colours they have been changing into.

Our Group Brainstorm...The Kids Want To Learn About....

Over the past month, Leah and I have been focused on building community and fostering a sense of inclusion amongst the kids. Since a large portion of the playschool curriculum is centred around our students, and what they are interested in, we thought it would be great to start brainstorming with the kids about some of the topics they would be interested in learning about. Our group came up with a fantastic list, that I'm sure we will continue to add to, change, and develop as the year goes on! These topics will be melded into some of the other things we will learn. It is going to be an exciting year with many new and unique learning opportunities for students and teachers alike!

Here is the list that the kids came up with:

-Greek Gods/Roman/Greek Mythology

-Cities and Countries

-Sports (basketball, soccer and racing)

-Magic Tricks

-Undersea Life/the Ocean

-Animals

-Ice Cream

-Science (when asked what specifically about science, the answer was "EVERYTHING!")

-Dinosaurs

A copy of this list will be hung up in our space, and we can add to it at any time! Parents if you have specialties or ideas for any of these topics, your input is much appreciated and welcome!