Nature Play On Vancouver Island

Nature Kindergarten On Vancouver Island

Happy spring I have been busy playing in our garden. It is only a year old so everything is pretty small but it is nice to see that the plants survived the winter and there are blooms on the flowering bushes.  Despite the cold and wet weather I have enjoyed hikes almost every day and lots of cuddles with our granddaughter (after a five day wait period from school due to COVID). I have some fun activities planned for the children, some of which was decided with them prior to the break in preparation for spring. A few of the new resources purchased through grants and PAC funding have arrived including a large Grimm rainbow and platforms for building with it as well as more gem blocks for the block centre. These were purchased to further encourage and support loose parts play. We expect to continue with the outdoor program and will begin our beach visits in April with Miss Macdonald.  This coming Wednesday March 30th I will be away in the morning at a district workshop and Mrs. Macarthur ...
Social Emotional Well Being This winter I have been part of a teacher inquiry on Social Emotional Well Being. This has included professional reading, connecting with kindergarten teachers to share strengths of our programs and attending workshops to learn about new programs and resources. As a  Reggio Inspired Educator/Researcher relationships of child and family are integratal to our work. With Covid many new challenges have emerged, one of which is a need to reflect on our programs and ensure that your child's SE Well Being is cared for. I am excited at the changes in the program and wanted to share some highlights with you. I also wanted to welcome Natasha to our classroom team. Natasha is a Education Assistant and is working with the District Team to help build a strong foundation of safety and social emotional well being for your children. This includes a district teacher shadowing her in the mornings, working with us on developing supportive strategies and also providing crit...