Truth be told, it took me three years of teaching kindergarten to discover the beauty behind sensory bins. Little did I know at the time, they allowed children to explore, touch, create, communicate and discover while also learning important skills. Yes, learning. That’s what I hadn’t understood just yet. I was going stir-crazy trying to … Continue reading

The beautiful weather at the moment is simply dragging me outside. I have no control over it! If my children want to stay indoors, too bad! Luckily, there is so much outdoor learning to do! Plus, most outdoor learning is inquiry-based, which suits my curious children and, let’s face it, most curious children. Learning outdoors … Continue reading

Spring is hard in daycares. You’ve been stuck inside more often than not all winter, due to extreme cold, icy winds and freezing rain. You’re going stir-crazy and your kiddos are too! Finally, the temperature starts to rise and everything starts to thaw. Everyone is so excited to be out…until the first fall into a … Continue reading

Picture this: it’s springtime and the kids are outside enjoying the sunlight on their face and the fresh air in their lungs. What does this mean for you? A bunch of happy children… and muddy clothes. After their fun but (begrudgingly) messy day, their clothes get tossed into the washing machine – you set the … Continue reading

We tend to fondly remember our favourite books from early childhood. What is it about those books that make them unforgettable? For me, it was Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I am still unsure if it was the joy of eating through all those gorgeous, bright, appealing foods or if it was the dramatic … Continue reading

A month into the school year, teachers start working out the kinks in their lesson plans for the rest of the year. We look at our students and figure out what will work best for this group. Like most teachers, Phys-ed teachers play to their strengths, highlighting sports and activities they enjoy or think have … Continue reading

We probably all have fond memories of traditional field day activities such as the egg and spoon, sack races, wheelbarrow and three-legged. While these activities may still be incorporated into our field days now, they often look quite different from field days of the past. Track and field days, where children compete at running, jumping … Continue reading

It’s a funny thing, how these weird squiggly shapes turn into letters and words. Our brains pick out their individual patterns, provides a meaning, lumps them together with others to form a word, then melts them together into sentences with nary a hiccup, providing stories, knowledge and communication. We learn how to read so young … Continue reading

Playing is a large component of my math classes and it comes in many different forms.  I run math centres which rotate every day and one of these centres is always a game. Games are often built into other activities too. We all know that it is fun to play, so presenting learning activities as games … Continue reading

April showers bring May flowers…and MUD! Spring is here and underneath all that melted snow is wonderful mud. Now before you pull out the wet wipes, hear us out. Mud is a severely underappreciated educational resource. Mud play is a great way to get kids outdoors and is perfect for dramatic play. Yes, they’re going … Continue reading