Crystal’s Dayhome

G. has found a ladybug or two in my yard every day this week. All of the children get excited to see the ladybugs he finds. They often want turns holding the ladybugs, but sometimes they fly off before getting the chance. This morning I set out a little ladybug sensory bin for when the children arrive.

Late Friday afternoon we got a dump of logs from Chip Drop. Over the weekend Archie lined the stumps up along the fence and the logs along the other fence. This morning the kids were so excited to see all of the stumps and they were the first thing the kids ran to to climb on.

When children are little, their learning doesn’t begin with pencils and worksheets; it begins with movement. Climbing, running, jumping, balancing, digging, pushing, pulling, and carrying all help strengthen the large muscles in children’s bodies. These large muscle movements are incredibly important because they lay the foundation for the smaller, more precise movements needed later for fine motor skills such as holding a pencil, cutting with scissors, buttoning clothing, and writing.

When children have opportunities for active play and movement, they are not “just playing”. They are building strength, coordination, body awareness, balance, and control. These experiences help prepare their bodies for the demands of school and everyday life.

This is one of the many reasons why active play is such an important part of early childhood. Big movements today help support little movements tomorrow.

Today we celebrated N. turning 3! Happy Birthday, N.!

Yesterday, I noticed the children really showing an interest in some of our bug books so this morning I set up a little bug exploration for them.

McHappy Day = McDonalds for us for lunch today.

Our old bucket of sidewalk chalk has been through it all: rain, snow, and everything in between so some pieces don’t work very well for drawing anymore. But that doesn’t mean we throw it away; it just means we find a new way to use it.

Today, the children had an absolute blast smashing the chalk with mallets. What started as well-loved, worn-down chalk quickly turned into a colourful sensory experience as they crushed, mixed, and spread the powder across their workspace.

A little creativity goes a long way especially when it gets messy!

N’s little brother K. joined us this afternoon for a few hours. Such a treat to get all those baby snuggles in.

To me there’s just something special about a room full of children deeply engaged in block play.

All four boys were involved in stacking, balancing, building, and creating various structures and roads today.

Block play may look simple, but it’s packed with so much learning.

A bunch of ice and snow has melted leaving a puddle of water under our picnic table. Today, the three older boys discovered this water and it became their fishing pond. They fished and fished and caught several species. Some old wet leaves for fish, some grass for seaweed, and a couple of ice chunks for jelly fish. All while they were busy fishing little J. was busy testing his own capabilities on the ice and snow.