It Begins....

For many childcare centres, it is the beginning of summer programming.  What will your program be like this year?  Busy? Relaxed? or a balance of both?  I will try and post as much as possible about all the adventures and discoveries that will happen over the next 2 months.  
Today was all about organizing, team work, testing boundaries and observing.  Tomorrow......who knows!  This will be the first year myself and the other Educators will be running a summer program using Emergent Curriculum, so we're interested to see what develops! 
Hooray for Summer!!!!
Until You Read Again......

Tin Can Chime - First Tutorial!

I've wanted to make this for the longest time.  It's a fun (and easy) way to upcycle all the tin cans we would otherwise recycle.

Let's get started......

Materials:

• 3 tin cans of various widths
• water
• hammer and nail
• string/yarn/twine
• buttons or beads
• bolt or heavy washer

How To:

Step 1)  Clean out cans, fill each can with about 5cm (2 in.) of water, then freeze.

Step 2) Take cans out of freezer and turn upside down on a stable work surface.  Hammer a hole into the centre of each can, making it large enough to put the string through. (*note: please give the children straight, clean nails to use....I grabbed the first one I saw and it's condition is, well, older!)

Step 3) Run hot water over cans to dislodge the ice; dry cans.  Cut a very long piece of string and prep. 3 buttons or beads.  Thread the string through the largest can, leaving about 15cm (6in.) at the top, and tie on a button/bead to secure it in place.  Continue with the next two cans, being sure to secure them so that each can sits about 2.5cm (1in.) into the other can. You can fiddle around with it though to get it just the way you like it. 

To Finish: Thread buttons or beads on the bottom string and tie the bolt or washer to the very end.  Hang in the yard or by an open window :)

As an extension or a pre-chime making, decorate the cans!  Let me know how yours turn out!

Until You Read Again.....

TODAY- Nature Play Day!

What are you going to do to celebrate nature today? 
This afternoon, the school-age group will be creating a habitat for garden snails that I recieved at the workshop (mine laid eggs!) 

Here are some ideas you and your children may like to use to reconnect with nature!

• Earth clay sculptures
• Branch, shell and stone mobile
• Turn over logs and rocks to discover what's underneath
• Plant or pot a garden
• Buy a pet tree.....yes, trees make great pets!
• Photograph something in nature
• Sketch a natural element
• Make mud pies
• Play in the forest
• Walk through the grass in bare feet

All of these things are possible.  If not today, then tomorrow and then the next day and the next.....until we help children understand that the future of their environments don't need to be made entirely of concrete and plastic.

Until You Read Again.....

NATURE PLAY DAY

Tomorrow, June 15th, is the 1st National Nature Play Day.  Take your children out into nature, plan a nature related activity or read about nature.  Visit http://www.childnature.ca/nature-play-day-canada to learn more and even registar your activity.  Help your children (and maybe even yourself) reconnect with nature.
Until You Read Again.....

Soothing Stones

Once in a while (or sometimes every other day!) children end up with a "learning injury".  Bumps, bruises, blisters, scrapes and stings all need something to ease the pain and my co-worker Andrea introduced me to a very eco-friendly way to do this! 

Stones.  Rounded and smooth.

Keep these stones in the freezer and when a boo-boo ensues:  choose a stone, wrap in a small cloth and apply to boo-boo'ed area! 

• To personalize the stones, take children on a hunt for their perfect soothing stone and then use a permanent marker to write the childs name on it. 
• Instead of trying to scramble to find a cloth for wrapping, you could sew or crochet your own little pocket to keep the stone in.
• The cooling effect lasts for about 45 minutes (depending on stone size). 
• The stones are easy to transport in a cooler for outtings or at camp.
• Alternately, you may just want to use soothing stones as a nice way to cool down on a hot day or ease an aching muscle.

Have a Soothing Day!

Until You Read Again.......



Nurtured by Nature

What is the sound of a child playing in the forest??? 

On June 9th & 10th I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on Natural Playgrounds and using nature within the curriculum.  A presentation and some great hands on learning were implemented by Adam and Jill Beinenstock, a husband and wife team who combine their knowledge of Landscapes and Early Childhood Education to produce playgrounds that bring children back to nature.

Many of us grew up playing amongst trees,digging in gardens, climbing hills, picking up worms and lovingly creating mud pies. In the last few decades, generations of children/people are growing up without ever playing in a forest or sticking their hands in mud because of fear-mongering.  

"We are a social enterprise that has responded to a crisis. Children no longer have the freedom to roam or explore their neighbourhoods, walk to school, or even climb a tree as we did when we were young. Our playgrounds have become flattened, paved and sterilized land punctuated with catalogued monuments of plastic and steel while obesity rates, diabetes, asthma and ADHD run out of control through our children and youth. Screen time for kids in North America now exceeds 52hrs per week and for the first time in history; our children will have a shorter lifespan than their parents. This happened on our watch, and it is becoming clear that something has gone terribly wrong." - Beinenstock. 

Adam speaks very passionately about what he does.  One of the stories that really stuck with me was about Adam meeting with an inspector at a playground with a boulder: The inspector was apparently questioning the safety of the boulder and what relevance it had in the playground, when two children came along-one who was "fit" and the other not so much-to play at the boulder.  The fit child made his way to the top in a few movements, while his friend took a few tries and had difficulty.  The fit friend then began guiding and encouraging his "not so much" friend to the top of this boulder.  The inspector got his answer.  Kind of a modern Aesop's fable!  After his intro. and slide show, we split into groups and visited the host Daycares playground.  We listened to how the process leading to the final product was very important to the overall function and design.  It was then our turn to create a scale model masterpiece....a thoughtful venture indeed!!!

Jill was also an inspiration, evoking much conversation about how we can use our curriculum to bring children back to nature.  A slide show about gardening prompted talk of plant safety and shrubs that you can see under.  Many people seemed astounded that children (in the pictures) were using metal and wood gardening tools.  On the second workshop day, Jill had brought along a vast array of curriculum ideas that the adults got to try!  Do you know how relaxing it is to mould red clay?!  Making natural paint/dyes with the mortar and pestle, rolling bird seed "meatballs" and creating habitats for snails (how do snails fly?), these were just the tip of the iceberg.  So much happened in such a small period of time, but it was an experience I know i'll always remember.

Check out these links to find out more about connecting children with nature:

Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds

Child and Nature Alliance

Richard Louv - Author of "Last Child in the Woods"

Lakehead Region Conservation Authority

University of illinois

Thunder Bay Field Naturalists

Just as a personal aside; Playgrounds are also my passion.  My goal in 10years is to be creating playscapes full time.  To remind parents, Educators and schools about the benefits of nature in our communities.  The people that know me will tell you that I will just about talk your ears off about the subject of outdoor play and those of you I haven't met yet.....be ready!

It is time for us to help our children reconnect to the land that once taught and nurtured so many of us.  It is time for us to give them back the ability to get dirty, take risks, and play freely.

Until You Read Again.....

School-Age Needs

When setting up a (After)School-Age program or in reviewing the needs of an existing program, it is helpful to find criteria that shows us (the Educators), Directors and a Board of Directors what the standards of practice are. 
In talking with many Educators, it seems that After-School programs are being held in hallways, side rooms, locker rooms, or community rooms.  Although we can be resourceful with the space(s) we are given (hooray for us!), what message does this send to the children?  How do they feel about being corralled into small spaces, or being unable to continuously work on a project?  I'm not stating that this is the truth for all programs, however, everyone should be made aware of the needs of the children in an School-age program.  In the past, I have encouraged my school-agers to be proactive and write letters to Board of Directors/Directors talking about what they think is needed in the program and how they feel about the current program. The following are links with information regarding School-age programming:
http://www.childcarelearning.on.ca
Toronto Operating System
Tribes

If you have other resources to share, please post a link
Until You Read Again.....

First of Many

Welcome! 
This blog is being started as a way for me to communicate ideas with other after-school groups.  In my city, After-school Educators meet monthly to discuss issues and ideas, but sometimes you just have to get an idea out there ASAP!!!
My hope is that other Educators and the Children in their programs will come here to share their experiences, ideas and questions/answers!
I would also like to post challenges.  For example, I challenged my group to create a marble run using only a handful of recycled materials.  They drew up plans and we tried out different configurations until it worked just how they wanted! (i'll post details & pic. tomorrow!)
I'm very excited about getting this ball rolling so,
Until You Read Again.....