Our New Buddies

Each year we have new buddies.  Last year's buddies have graduated and moved on to high school.  This year we are matched up with a grade 6/7 class.  We’ve had three meetings so far.  
  
For our first get together we invited the buddies to come and play in our room.  It gave them an opportunity to see what the little buddies are interested in and to help them remember what it was like to be a preschooler.
  
     After introducing themselves to each other they found a place to play.

            
                        
The second time we met was in the multi-purpose room.  It has no toys and allowed the children to focus on each other.
                 
Our task was to trace each other’s hands.  This activity helped us notice some of our similarities and differences.


              
Today we made gingerbread cookies, as the beginning of our annual creation.  This activity helped us learn a bit more about how to work together.

    
An important part of our time together is to share stories.  Our big buddies read to the little buddies.
                      
      
Our big buddies are enthusiastic in singing our songs and to listen to stories. They are great role models for the little buddies.
        
Our time together is special.  It is creating bonds that are developing and becoming stronger on each visit.  Children that begin shy are making connections and opening up. The older buddies are learning empathy, showing kindness and patience.  The grown ups are learning more about pre-teens and how they can interact genuinely with their children.

Molding Planets

One of the interests of the children, as we study outer space, are the planets.
   This week I invited them to use plastercine to make their own planet.
             
We use play dough all the time but not plastercine.  It’s more expensive so I use it occasionally.  Plastercine has a different feel on your fingers than play dough.  And you can use multiple colours and they don’t blend together.

The children really enjoyed rolling, poking and shaping their plastercine. They enjoyed making planets together.
  
By providing models of the planets the children added rings and other details.
  
At StrongStart the parents are there the whole time and they are available to encourage and expand on their child’s interest.  For the children that wanted to talk more about each planet’s features, the parent was there to be that resource or show them where to find the answers, such as from our book shelves.

       Part of today’s fun was creating names for our planets.

My favourite part was joining this little one at the table as he explored the plastercine.  We shared words and sounds, expressing our pleasure in the activity to each other.

Build-a-Rocket Snack

            
This morning the children were welcome to build a rocket for their snack.
     
       I provided a simple recipe for them to read and follow.
      
Cutting the cheese into triangles was a challenge and the grown ups
                   offered help when needed.

                 Putting the rocket together was easy.
         
                  I enjoyed some of their creativity;
    like adding flames coming out of the bottom of the rocket.

    Build-a-rocket was a big thumbs up from the group this morning.

What’s on Our Art shelves?

After posting about our Art Area Makeover there were comments wanting to know what kind of things we have on our shelves.
Here are a list of photos.



 

 
 

We’ve also had items from nature that were in season.

That’s Mine - story

       
I found this book at a used book sale and liked the simplicity of it and that it could be made in to an oral story.  The story is about a rabbit who sees an apple in a tree and wants it but can’t reach it.  A crow flies along to help but decides to keep it for himself.  He drops it as he flies away, the rabbit chases him.  It lands beside a hedgehog and he claims it as his.  They argue waking a bear who eventually helps them figure out how to share it.
   
I decided to use props to tell the story but had to make a few substitutions.  My story is told with a pear (a Melissa and Doug toy) and a wolf instead of hedgehog.

The children liked this story and were able to predict what was going to happen.