This month we are wrapping up our Kindness Project and it has been an amazing learning journey. We have had many, many discussions about kindness and throughout it all the children continued to be enthusiastic and demonstrate expanding understandings and skills. The adults who work with our class; parents, EA, guest teachers and community volunteers have commented that they see a collaborative, caring sense of community embedded in our classroom program. If you have been following the project, the last activity that we did was collect quotes from the children which complimented our understandings of kindness.  This week as we wrapped up our project, the children sorted their thinking (collected on sticky notes) into categories. As they sorted we needed to add more categories such as courtesy and gentleness. We have learned the importance of listening to each other and trying to understand why someone is mean. This has probably had the biggest impact on our classroom comm...

This week's story was Mushroom In The Rain. Much like The Mitten by Jan Brett, the animals grow in size as they escape the weather. The new home grows as each larger animal is added. I had to be inventive as I did not have an expanding mushroom (who does???) but loved the creative use of our tunnels from the block centre. I have been using this green bath mat as my storytelling mat which has worked wonderfully. Later we retold the story using a blanket and the children took turns hiding under the mushroom!! These beautiful felt animals were made by Char Waters, a parent at our school. If you don't have felt animals you could use your rubber animals, pictures and of course substitute different animals such as an owl, deer or squirrel to mirror your local forest or seashore. ...

I read recently that teaching five year olds is like keeping crickets in a basket. When you open the lid to add a few more crickets, the others jump out. It seems apparent then that all adults who spend time with young children play an important role in helping children develop those important skills to self monitor and control their emotional and cognitive behaviour.  I t is during the early years when children make tremendous leaps in cognitive and emotional self regulation. In Preschool and Kindergarten children learn to share resources, wait their turn, clean up when asked or listen actively.  Of course there will be spontaneous growth in both cognitive and social emotional SR for all children, but I think that, especially for our vulnerable students, we must intentionally teach, support and scaffold children's growth in this important area. For example, when planning the flow of a Kindergarten day you can choose specific strategies such as quiet/busy blocks, predi...

The butterfly provocation at the nature table was such a huge success that I decided to create a second butterfly provocation at the playdoh centre. At this centre I included small sticks, coloured stones, two tubes of butterflies, sticks, flowers and some hexagon glass tiles. The children noticed that there was no glitter in the playdoh so that was added during play. Although the two butterflies centres were across the room from each other the children travelled back and forth to trade materials. Eventually the playdoh group moved their centre to the nature table so that they could all play together. ...

Mouse Count Storytelling Basket I've been putting together a few storytelling baskets for the classroom which focus on retelling familiar stories, with a range of fun props. Storytelling is a time tested rich tool for building literacy in preschool and kindergarten aged children. I began with choosing a few simple, fun stories. I purchased them in board book format, assembled props and dedicated a basket for each story. Then I cleared a shelf in the classroom library and placed the baskets on the shelfs. To introduce the stories, I set up a storytelling table adjacent to the group area and told the stories during story time. As the stories were introduced they were placed on the storytelling table for a week and then moved to the storytelling shelf in the library corner.   Then I encouraged the children to use the storytelling baskets when we transitioned into the classroom each morning.  We started with Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh.  A parent...

I was in the classroom this morning preparing for the upcoming week and noticed that, as expected, our butterflies had emerged from their chrysalises. I know how excited the children will be tomorrow morning so I took a few minutes to set up a provocation on a nearby table. I used some blue gem stones, fabric flowers, mirrors and felt butterflies. I also borrowed ann egg and chrysalis from the life cycle props in the science centre. I added some tree blocks from the story telling table and voila' a little butterfly play provocation. I can't wait to see the stories they create at this new centre. Update: Here are a couple of pictures of the children's play ...

It is May and I am so proud of how responsible the students are with their backpacks. All the snacks are packed away and the backpacks put aside during our wide area games with no adult reminders. A perfect example of self regulation! It takes time to build self regulation. As discussed in my book, Outside Our Window- developing a nature primary program , creating time for children to work together, solve problems together and play together will all contribute to a child's ability to self regulate. I like to begin the first week of school and build stamina through self regulation is my primary learning intention. Using clear intentions, I work with the children on helping them to understand how school works, what their job is and what my job is. I also look for every opportunity to build independence for them. I encourage them to help each other solve problems, share resources and work together to discuss an idea.                A second important strateg...

I read recently how critical it is that as a teacher I model kindness if I want to encourage this trait in children. This was evident this morning at the seashore when Olivia slipped off her log and had a surprise landing in a puddle and bumped her head. She was taken by surprise and cried. I thought about the choices that I had as an adult; comfort her and then send her off, ask a peer to sit with her. Instead I checked her head, gave her a tissue and then just sat alongside feeling a little inadequate because she really wanted her mom. I stayed beside her, along with our kind Emma on the other side, waiting until she was calm. Then I decided to just sit and after about five minutes she thanked me and said she was fine. I felt a little less inadequate! Today we added about ten hearts!!! to our Kindness Tree with quotes from our children being kind and an extra heart with a quote from a passenger on the bus who was kind enough to notice how wonderful Departure Bay Kinder...

This year one of my professional goals has been to add to the loose parts in the classroom and  inspire the children to experience process art. They often use the loose parts to create and then put the materials back in the containers. The biggest challenge has been finding space in the room to create an art studio.  The smaller art materials are stored in different three sizes of glass jars depending on their size. The shelf is only 24 inches tall.  I have added some muffin tins so that the children can carry and sort the materials.  Small loose parts: pony beads wooden beads (from an old car chair rest) coloured pasta goggly eyes (different sizes) stones (gray, white, black) string feathers (coloured and natural) sticks (nature, plain and coloured) cotton balls pom pom (large and mini) acorns beans q-tips ribbon The tall jars are wide rimmed pickle quart jars from the recycling centre (.10 cents each) and the middle jars are an assortment of j...