A Peek At Play

This morning was quite busy with many families coming in to play.
As I wandered around the room I was amazed to see many different play explorations happening.
                 
The above moment shows several children (and me) playing at the boat in the dramatic play area.  All three children were involved in different ways. Exploring what it was to paddle, steer and dress like a mermaid. 
Playing together but separate.
       
A wonderful car ramp changed several times this morning depending on the age of the child playing.
                  
Exploring glass bottles and what will fit inside.  What each item sounds like when it drops in the bottle.   And how to get them out again.
            
The house play area was busy (as you can see at the back of the photo) so this little guy set up a new area on top of the puppet theatre. 
  
This play was interesting.  The little girl and her grandpa had been playing with the ponies and arches but it quickly changed when the child turned the empty basket into a hat.  She continued to look around through the holes.  A child`s interest changes quickly especially at a younger age.
            
Back on the carpet area this boy brought all the trees and dinosaurs over and set up this wonderful scene.  The little girl arrived, saw it and promptly said ``I like dinosaurs.`` A conversation began about the names of the dinosaurs.

This was just a few samples of what was happening during our open play time this morning. 
I`m delighted to see that families are feeling comfortable and beginning to explore the shelves and play with materials in different ways in various areas of the room.

Wednesday Walk

Our walk today started with a book “Stanley’s Stick” by John Hegley. 
     
The book is about boy who uses his imagination when playing with a stick, his favourite possession.  I like the end of the book where he sends the stick away for someone else to play with.

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After reading the book we went for our walk in the woods.
I asked the children to find their own stick.
Here are a few stick ideas I heard…
   a marching stick,
    a broomstick for sweeping,
   drum sticks,
  a hole stick for a bug,
   and a blackberry bashing stick.
Which was very purposeful so she could eat.

Look what we found on a stick.
 
The frog distracted us from our stick play while we tried to catch him.

Our turn around point the ‘big rock’.

A great climbing and sliding rock.

Pirate Day at the Beach

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day
but we celebrated last Friday.
It was the best low tide day for us to be at the beach.
Four StrongStart centres from our school district
planned this event together.
Here are a few of the activities that we did.
    
I brought the helm and sail from school and hung a pirate
flag on it.
We pretended to sail out to see searching for ships.
  
Another facilitator brought a nice piece of wood that
we used for ‘walking the plank’.
  
Fake moustaches had mixed reviews but were fun.
 
Another facilitator made wonderful treasure bottles and
scattered them around the beach.
  
She filled them with sand, gold sprayed mini pasta shells
and little toys.  The children were intrigued to turn the bottles over
and over to see what was inside.

There was buried treasure.
But first we had to build the map.

The children had to find four treasure boxes hidden around
the beach.
 
Collect a coin from each box then bring them to me,
Pirate Moe,
to buy a piece of the map puzzle.

The children worked together to figure out how the pieces fit together.
 
When the puzzle was completed they had to point out the `X`
then find on the beach where the treasure was hidden.

It didn't take long before they found it under a tree root.
 
We finished off the morning with songs and stories.
     
    It was a beautiful day to be a pirate on the beach.
              
                        Ahoy thar, matey!

Pirate Play with Parents

        
                      We’ve been playing pirates.
               It’s fun when the grown ups play too.
         
                         Then we learn about things;
                                    like a compass.
                     
                    And how to put on a life jacket
                                         and
             why it’s important to wear one in a boat.
             
         We have help to get dressed in our pirate gear
                                         and
                             have fun together.
           
                          We learn how to row a boat
           
                          and songs to sing together.

 As an educator looking at this picture, I really like that mom turned her
chair so she could look face to face at her little one.  He is very interested
in what she is saying and doing.  Making it more meaningful.

All the parents in the pictures above are spending quality time with their little
ones, enhancing the play but not dominating it. They followed their child's
 interest and built on it.

This is an important part of StrongStart;
a time for parents, grandparents and others to come and play with their child
without distractions of everyday life.