Teddy Bear Picnic

Today was our 3rd annual Teddy Bear Picnic and the weather was fantastic.

We hold the picnic at the local therapeutic Gardens and this year all 4 StrongStart centres in our school district and more than 50 families were able to participate.

Joy, one of the founders of the gardens met us at the front gates and introduced us to a couple of her favourite bears.

Then the families entered the garden to play, sit and enjoy.

There was the Labyrinth to walk through.

 

A tea party to enjoy with your friends.

 

A chance to dance with scarves.

 

Make bear headbands.

Find the paper ladybugs and read the instructions of what to do.

 

One ladybug read  "smell a flower" but there were alot of bees out today so you had to be careful.

Parachute play was so much fun to watch.

I loved hearing the cheers when the stuffies were airborne and the giggles when the children were underneath.

For some it was watching what one of the gardens was doing and then getting down with him to investigate the worms and bees in the flower beds.

We then settled in for a story time and snacks.

 

The Gardens provide a very relaxing atmosphere for families to come, explore and enjoy their time together.

Snails for Snack

Mmmm have you ever eaten a snail?  The children that came to StrongStart hadn't until today.
Here's the recipe.

First use a rolling pin to flatten the bread.

Second, spread on a filling. The choices today were jam, hummus or nutella.

Third, roll up to look like a snail.

Fourth, add antenna and eyes.

This caused a good discussion about snail eyes and where they are located.
Finally, enjoy eating.

They were enjoyed so much that most children made a second one.

In The Tall Tall Grass

I really like Denise Fleming's books.  I appreciate the art work and the simple text.
Today we focused on her book "In the Tall Tall Grass".  Last year we did an art project with this book too using ripped paper.  This year I tried to think of how else we could make the tall grass.  Hair combs came to mind.

But the comb didn't give a nice long stroke for tall grass so I pulled out a nail brush and it worked wonderfully.

After making their grass marks or for some before making their grass marks, they used little brushes or qtips to paint bugs and more.

Greenhouse Glove

We used inexpensive plastic disposable gloves from the dollar store to make a green house to start our seeds.

Wet cotton balls, squeeze out the extra water than drop one wet ball into each finger of the glove.

 

Then drop a seed in each finger space with the wet cotton ball.  We used bean seeds.

After you have all the seeds in place, close the top of the glove and tape it on to a window for the sun and it's warmth to help it grow.

Bike to the Park

This week British Columbia is celebrating Bike to Work week.  And for the little ones that are not yet in school today was Bike to the Park.

We decorated our bikes before heading off on the ride.

Checked out our bikes to make sure they were in working order.

Practiced our road safety by learning the signs.

Then were ready for our ride.

We ended at the playground for a snack and a story.

 

Even though it was a bit of a wet day the sprinklers came on at the water park.

What a fun way to end a great morning.