RisingOaks Early Learning

One of the preschoolers in Preschool 2 at RisingOaks | Oak Creek expressed interest in traffic lights after noticing the lights on his shoes. Inspired by his curiosity, we decided to create traffic lights for our classroom, which sparked an interest among many other children. Together, we cut out paper circles and discussed the meaning of each colour, exploring how red means stop, yellow means slow, and green means go. We then taped the lights onto building blocks, and the children eagerly incorporated them into their dramatic play, using them alongside cars and other vehicles to create their own road systems.

We continued to build on this emerging interest by asking questions and engaging in simple research. Through our discussions, we learned that the traffic light was first designed by an inventor named Garrett Morgan. Garrett noticed that cars and people sometimes became confused on the road, so he invented the traffic light to help keep everyone safe. This learning connected the children’s play to real-world problem solving and helped introduce them to Black history in a meaningful, age-appropriate way.

To further explore this concept, we added colourful loose parts to our learning environment and the children participated in open-ended art activities, exploring the red, yellow, and green colours of traffic lights and discussing what each colour signals. The children explored colours, expressed their creativity, and developed their own ideas and inventions through their play.🚦
“The cars are gonna crash with no lights!” One of the children concluded.
“Green says go, go, go!” Another child said.

“My lights are going to be so colourful“ one of the children explained as they created with the art materials.

🍕 Happy Pizza Day! 🍕

Pizza isn’t just delicious—it’s a fun way for children to explore creativity, practice fine motor skills, and enjoy time together in the kitchen. Whether you’re making mini pizzas at home or just enjoying a slice as a family, it’s a great day to celebrate food and fun!

Mini Pizza Recipe (Kid-Friendly & Easy!)

Ingredients:
Store-bought pizza dough
Pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Optional toppings of your choice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking oil.
Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface. Use a cookie cutter or the rim of a cup to cut out small circles (about 12). Place on the baking sheet.
Spread 1–2 teaspoons of pizza sauce on each dough circle.
Sprinkle with 1–2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese. Add toppings if desired.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden.
Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Today is Send a Card to a Friend Day 💌

Little notes, big smiles. Small acts of kindness—like a card or drawing—can make a big difference. Sending a card is a fun way for children to practice kindness and let friends know they’re thinking of them.

Don't forget our annual swim event!
SWIM • PLAY • CONNECT • SNACK • HAVE FUN!

DATE: Sunday, February 15

❗Please check your email to RSVP by Feb 13. If you did not get the email, please send a message to [email protected]

We can't wait to see you there!

It’s Read Aloud Day! 📚

Big voices, silly sounds, and favourite stories make reading extra fun—and extra meaningful. A few minutes of reading aloud can spark curiosity, build confidence, and create beautiful moments together. It's a simple way to support growing minds every day!

The preschoolers at RisingOaks Early Learning | Our Lady of Fatima showed a strong & growing interest in farm animals. Noticing this curiosity, educators introduced a variety of ways to support the children’s learning in meaningful and engaging ways.

The learning began with the creation of a pretend farm. The preschoolers & educators transformed the space using open-ended materials, encouraging imaginative play & conversation. The children helped create chickens using paper plates, explored how cows are milked using gloves, and deepened their understanding through books, group discussions, & shared storytelling. These experiences sparked excitement & curiosity, with children confidently sharing what they knew and asking thoughtful questions.

The children used pretend milk made from water and paint and began incorporating it into their play in new ways—creating pretend ice creams, cakes, and yogurt. This imaginative use of materials demonstrated their growing understanding of how farm products are used.

Some preschoolers began pretending to pick apples to make apple pies. Educators then extended this learning by making stewed apples with yogurt. This hands-on cooking experience allowed children to connect their imaginative play with actual food preparation.

An apple tree was added to the farm setup, becoming a much-loved feature. The children “picked” apples from the tree and created their own dishes, eagerly sharing ideas and working collaboratively. They also began picking vegetables to make pretend soup.

Recognizing this interest, educators further extended the experience by cooking soup with the preschoolers. With close supervision, the children used child-safe knives to cut vegetables, developing fine motor skills, confidence, and an understanding of food preparation & safety. They were proud to contribute and excited to see their play ideas come to life. The preschoolers led the direction of the project through their interests, imagination, and collaboration, while educators supported their learning. It was joyful to observe how curiosity, play, and real-life experiences came together to create rich, meaningful learning moments that continued to grow.

The past few weeks it has been too cold to go outside and play. Kristine shared a video of a person making their own ice cream outside. The infant room at RisingOaks Early Learning | Saint John Paul II thought it was a great idea to try it out! We gathered all the ingredients, brought some of the snow inside and had the babies help create some ice cream. We poured the cream, sugar, vanilla and salt into the bowl, and started whisking away. Holly and Clara held onto the whisk and started to mix the ingredients together. Ronan and Nikola helped by grabbing the whisk and moving it back and forth in the bowl. Margo was unsure, and watched from nearby. We all watched as the mixture started to get thicker and thicker. Once it was thick enough we all gave it a try to make sure that it tasted good! The infants really enjoyed helping create their own ice cream, and we cannot wait for everyone to enjoy it at afternoon snack! We cannot wait to see if anyone else tries it out.

At RisingOaks Early Learning | St.Patrick in the Toddler 2 Program there were horses made from adhesive paper on the table. Each horse was cut out carefully so only the outline of the horse remained. The middle of each horse was open and sticky, ready for small hands. Nancy placed one horse on a tray with lots of yellow and red tissue paper on the table for the children to explored.

Beside the horses were small piles of red and yellow tissue paper. The paper was soft and light.

Nancy said gently, “Look, Horses.”
She pointed to the shapes. “Sticky horses.”
Robbie touched the outline, his hand was sticking to the adhesive paper and said, “Horse, sticky.”
Nancy smiled. “Yes, sticky horse.”
She held up a piece of red tissue paper. “Put tissue paper inside.”
Nancy pressed the paper into the middle of the horse. “Inside the horse.”
Zoey picked up yellow tissue paper. “Yellow.”
Nancy nodded. “Yellow tissue paper, where can we put it?
Zoey pushed the paper down and said, “In horse.”
Nancy responded, “In the horse.”
Augustus tried to place paper on the table instead.
Nancy softly guided, and explained how the table isn’t sticky but inside and around the horse is sticky.
She traced the horse outline with her finger.
Augustus followed and placed a hand full of tissue paper on the horse patting it down on the sticky sheet.
Brantley pressed many small pieces at once. “More, more.”
Nancy said, “More tissue paper. Fill the horse.”
Florence held up red paper and waved it. “Red!”
Nancy answered, “Red for New Year. Horse is bright.”
The horses slowly filled with red and yellow tissue paper.
Robbie patted the paper. “Strong horse.”
Zoey replied, “Fast Horse.”
Florence placing paper. “Happy Horse.”
Augustus laughed. “Red Horse.”

When they finished, we placed the horses on the window. Each horse looked different, full of red and yellow shapes inside the outlines.
Nancy said, “Horses. All ready for Lunar New Year.”
The children looked, pointed, and said , “Red Horse! Yellow Horse and Happy Horse!”

Happy Groundhog Day, everyone!

As we eagerly await the prediction from Wiarton Willie, let's celebrate the quirky charm of this day! Will it be 6 more weeks of winter or an early spring? 🌷❄️

Share your weather wishes and favourite traditions below! Let’s embrace whatever comes our way with joy!

At RisingOaks Early Learning | St. Patrick in the Toddler 2 Program; Due to inclement weather, the toddlers remained indoors. To support their physical development, the educators set up a gross motor activity using wooden blocks. Deborah and the children worked together to stack the wooden blocks, creating a raised pathway.

The children were encouraged to walk along the blocks, maintain their balance, and jump off once they reached the edge. Initially, Revynah, Zoey, Owen, Augustus and Robbie requested support from the educators when they reached the edge and wanted to jump. With reassurance and repeated attempts, their confidence gradually increased. After several turns, they began to attempt the jump independently.

Robbie excitedly said, "try it," while Zoey expressed her by saying, "I want to do it" showing that children were confidently communicating their comfort levels and making choices.

To ensure safety while still supporting risky play, Nancy placed soft pillows at the edge of the blocks so the children could land safely and independently without injury. The children demonstrated patience and social awareness by taking turns and waiting for one another. During play, they used simple language such as "my turn" and "mine," indicating developing communication and social interaction skills.

Throughout this activity, the children developed, gross motor skills such as balance, coordination, and jumping. As well as social skills which include turn-taking, sharing space, and peer encouragement. Their level of confidence and independence increased through repeated practice.

This activity provided a meaningful opportunity for the children to engage in active, collaborative, and safe risky play while indoors, supporting their overall physical, social, and emotional development.

Celebrating Black History Month and highlighting past and present Canadian Olympic Athletes!!

Keri Neeb and our school age group are so excited to see this years Milano Cortina 2026 athletes compete!!

This past week the infants at RisingOaks Early Learning | St Brigid made a train out of boxes! The infants really enjoyed climbing in and out of the box we made for our ball drop activity and lately they’re noticing when the train goes by, shouting “train” or “choo-choo” as we watch it drive past either from our classroom window or on the playground.

Together the educators brain stormed some ideas on how we could combine those two activities and when our paper towel order came and we got all these boxes, that’s when it clicked, let’s make a cardboard train! Educator Michelle C made up a train out of bristle board and glued it to the front box and wrote “all aboard the infant express” on some of the other boxes “cars” of our train.

The infants babbled and smiled as they’d carefully climb into the train cars. “All aboard” the educators said smiling as they’d start to sing the good morning train song. “Choo-coo” we heard some of the infants shout as they did the horn motion. The infants babbled and clapped along as they sat happily in their our train car. Some of the infants even liked climbing from box to box to get closer to the front of the train!