Candy Cane Cookies

Our final snack before Christmas was to make candy candy sugar cookies.
    
The dough was ready for each child to have a ball of red and white.
      
    The children followed the recipe and rolled their balls into ropes.
 
After twisting the ropes together and curving the top we put them on the pan to bake.
 
It was a challenge for some to wait for them to be baked before eating them.
       

Gingerbread Play Dough

You’ll find gingerbread play dough in many centres at this time of year.  A basic recipe of flour, salt, water, oil and spices make it ready in minutes.  But what’s
           special about this dough is the attraction it is to many people.
               
I believe the scent of the play dough, a very homey scent to many, is what draws
                           young and old to play with it.
             
Whole families have sat around the table rolling out the dough and making
                                cookies together.
      
By providing tools that are real or very similar to ones found at home adds
                        authenticity to the activity.
         
Conversations happen around the table just like the dinner table at home.  We are learning about each other; what we like and don’t like.  Gingerbread play dough is
                                  a great language prompt.
            
      I slipped in a bit more literacy by adding a poem on the table.

Night Elf Play

          
You’ve seen our Pegkin tree house and all the peg people that are playing there but I’ve yet to share our night time elf play that is just off to the left side of
                  the tree house in the above picture.
   
I painted the inside of box green on the bottom and blue on the top.  Then poked
                    mini lights through the top and back.
 
Furnished it with small wooden chairs, backgammon pieces, wooden spools, jewels
                                         and trees.
            
                                And of course the elves.
     
              This weekend I found glass trees and a picket fence.

     The children do play with it but not as much as the tree house.
       
                                  It is always busy.

Christmas Collages

At the art table this morning we made collages.  That was a new word for the children and a great way to talk about different symbols of the season.
         
Each container had garland, tinsel, pom poms, bows, felt pieces, ribbons, musical notes, and cut-outs from old Christmas cards.  The instructions were to add pieces that remind each person of Christmas.

      For some it was Santa Claus, candy canes and stockings.
     
                 For others it was the birth of Jesus.

      
         And others spent the time practicing a new skill.
            
            
What I enjoyed about this activity was that it provided another opportunity to talk with families about their traditions at this time of year.

Tinsel Decorating

              This week our sensory tub is full of tinsel garlands and
                          small wooden tree decorations.
             
    But it didn’t stay in the tub. The children were inspired to decorate.
  
       The children began decorating the house area with the garland. 
                     Through the chairs and into the sink.
 
         Over and around the table.  And even to the gingerbread play house.

I wonder how many of the children helped decorate at home. 
They seemed to have some experience. 
They definitely had the interest.

Pegkin Project Week #2

This past week we met 8 new Pegkins and introduced a new tree house.
                      
Pegkin #6 Addi - she likes the colour pink and to play with Adeline's toys.  We missed meeting her last week because of a snow storm.
                     
Pegkin #8 Softness - she's very soft and dressed in Christmas colours.  She has glittery wings so she can fly.
                    
Pegkin #9 Feather Deather - she lives in Featherland.  She has feathers and can fly to the moon. Feather Deather has a dog and likes to play fetch.
                    
Pegkin #10 Jingle Bells - but we call her Jingles for short.  She likes to dance and sing Jingle Bells so we sang the song for her.
                    
Pegkin #11 Jesse - she looks just like her creator. She likes rainbows and Christmas.
    
Pegkin #12 Delfie – he is wearing his button blanket and cedar hat.  He loves to drum and dance.
              
Pegkin #13 Ella – is all the way from Mexico. She loves to play soccer and do homework. Her favourite food is pineapple and she loves to drink milk and apple juice best.  She loves the colours pink, purple, blue and anything that sparkles and glitters.
                 
Pegkin #14 Prince George - the King of the Sea. He lives in a house made of seaweed and he keeps a lookout for sharks and humans.  He was created by a child that is now in Kindergarten.  His family likes to collect treasures from the ocean so that is why he is made with sea glass and shells.

Our new tree house.

I’ve been inspired by several different ideas on wonderful blogs and have wanted one for my program for years.  My very handy and willing husband helped me create this tree house. 
  
I finally had the wood needed, thanks to families donating it, and explained to my husband what my vision was and he started building.
            
The families love it.  There is constant activity around both tree houses.  Through exploring and inventing they have been imagining different scenarios with the Pegkins.
           
 
                           But more on that in another post.