Shining Stars Dayhome - Walker Lakes, Edmonton

Leaf Sunflower Mosaic
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Under our monthly theme "Leaves," children painted paper black and arranged real leaves and yellow flowers in a radial pattern to build a natural sunflower collage.
​Skill Development
​Fine Motor Skills: Handling delicate leaves and petals refines finger grip and hand-eye coordination.
​Sensory Learning: Touching different plant textures and observing vibrant autumn colors stimulates tactile and visual senses.
​Spatial Concepts: Placing materials in a circular pattern introduces basic balance, symmetry, and geometric awareness.
​Nature Connection: Working directly with outdoor elements fosters environmental awareness and curiosity about plant life.
​Creativity & Contrast: Using a black backdrop teaches color contrast and encourages artistic confidence.

🌳 Nature-Inspired Tree Craft

Today, the children collected leaves and small sticks from nature and creatively arranged and glued them to make beautiful trees. This simple nature-based craft encouraged creativity while helping children explore and appreciate natural materials.

🌟 Skills Developed:

Fine motor skills
Hand-eye coordination
Creativity and imagination
Concentration and patience
Nature awareness
Decision-making and problem-solving

DIY Guitar – Creative Music Activity

Today, the children created their own DIY guitars using tissue paper rolls and rubber bands. They decorated their guitars, stretched rubber bands across them, and explored how different sounds could be produced. The children enjoyed turning simple materials into their own musical instruments, encouraging creativity and hands-on learning

Skills Developed:

🎨 Creativity and self-expression
✋ Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
🎵 Musical awareness and exploration of sounds
🧠 Problem-solving and understanding cause and effect
🤝 Confidence, participation, and imaginative play

🍃✈️ Leaf Airplane Adventure
The children collected leaves from nature and creatively transformed them into beautiful airplanes, adding small berries as colourful balloons. This fun activity encouraged creativity, imagination, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, and nature exploration while allowing the children to proudly express their ideas through art.

Sunny Day Park Adventure
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Today, the children enjoyed a sunny day at the park, playing on the slides, zip line, and monkey bars. They had lots of fun while staying active and enjoying outdoor play together.
Skills Developed:

Gross motor skills, balance, and coordination
Strength and physical fitness
Confidence and independence
Social skills and cooperation
Outdoor exploration and active learning

🍃 Leaf Through Nature – Creative Leaf Art
Today, the children created a beautiful nature-inspired artwork using leaves, sticks, and blue pastel colours. They made a blue background, added a leaf and stick to create a nature scene, and used natural materials to represent the ocean. This activity encouraged creativity, imagination, and appreciation of nature.
Skill Development:
Fine motor skills & hand-eye coordination
Creativity & self-expression
Nature awareness & observation
Imagination & decision-making

Ball Balancing and Walking Challenge

Today at our day home, the children enjoyed a fun ball-balancing and walking challenge. Each child used a tissue roll as a holder to carefully balance a ball while walking with the stick. They walked toward the target, maintained their balance, and then returned to the starting point. The activity was engaging and encouraged the children to have fun while practicing control and coordination.

Skill Development:

Balance & Coordination: Practiced keeping the ball steady while moving.
Fine Motor Skills: Developed hand control while holding the stick and tissue roll.
Gross Motor Skills: Encouraged controlled walking and body movement.
Focus & Concentration: Children stayed attentive to prevent the ball from falling.
Confidence & Turn-Taking: Encouraged patience, participation, and confidence during the challenge.

🐛 Creative Egg Carton Caterpillar Craft
Today, the children turned recycled egg cartons into colourful caterpillars. They painted the pieces, added googly eyes, and created pipe-cleaner tentacles. The activity was fun, creative, and encouraged children to use their imagination while exploring recycled materials.
🌟 Skill Development
Fine Motor Skills: Cutting, painting, and gluing.
Creativity: Designing colourful caterpillars.
Hand-Eye Coordination: Placing eyes and tentacles.
Imagination: Creating unique caterpillar designs.
Social Skills: Sharing materials and ideas.

Birthday Celebration & Summer Park Adventure.

Yesterday at our day home, we celebrated a child’s special birthday with a fun and joyful cake-cutting celebration. The children enjoyed the delicious fruit cake and shared lots of smiles and excitement together. After the celebration, we went to the park where the children enjoyed outdoor play, fun activities, and water play. They explored the playground, played together, stayed active, and had a wonderful time enjoying the summer weather. It was a happy day filled with celebration, friendship, laughter, and memorable experiences.

Skill Development

Gross Motor Skills: Running, climbing, sliding, and active outdoor play strengthened coordination and body movement.
Social Skills: Playing together encouraged sharing, cooperation, and positive friendships.
Communication Skills: Children interacted with each other and expressed their ideas and excitement.
Confidence & Independence: Trying different playground activities helped children build confidence.
Sensory Development: Water and outdoor play provided enjoyable sensory exploration.
Emotional Development: Celebrating together supported happiness, belonging, and positive relationships.

🍃 Leaf Caterpillar – Nature Art Activity
The children enjoyed an outdoor Leaf Theme Art Activity, creating a colourful caterpillar using natural leaves. They collected, arranged, and decorated the leaves, turning simple natural materials into a creative caterpillar. This activity encouraged nature exploration, creativity, and hands-on learning.
Skills Development
Fine Motor Skills: Picking and arranging leaves.
Creativity: Creating and decorating the caterpillar.
Cognitive Skills: Sequencing and organizing leaves.
Hand-Eye Coordination: Placing materials carefully.
Nature Awareness: Exploring and appreciating natural materials.
Social Skills: Sharing materials and ideas.