This month, the toddlers at RisingOaks Early Learning | St. Patrick showed a growing interest in painting activities. To extend their learning, educators set up a sensory-rich painting experience. On a round tuff tray, bowls of brightly coloured paints; yellow, blue, orange, pink, and green were placed alongside silicone puzzle shapes and other vibrant materials. These open-ended materials encouraged creativity and self-expression, allowing each child to explore in their own unique way. Lily was the first to show interest, dipping her brush into the paint and spreading it across the paper. She experimented with the silicone puzzle shapes and Squigz handles, stamping them into the paint and onto the paper. Her curiosity grew as she transitioned from using brushes to puzzle shapes and then to painting with her hands, creating colourful handprints. This hands-on exploration supported Lily’s sensory development and strengthened her fine motor skills as she gripped, pressed, and manipulated the materials. Augustus and Brantley explored the experience with great focus, dipping their green and blue square shapes into the paint and stamping them repeatedly on the paper. Their engagement reflected an early understanding of cause and effect as they noticed how pressing harder or softer created different patterns and prints. Sebastian was drawn to the activity as he dipped a brown star shape into the paint, observing the marks it made and enjoying the visual contrast between the bright colours and the white paper. Dante and Emmie were particularly engaged by the sensory aspect of the experience. They explored with both brushes and their hands, feeling the paint’s texture. Emmie showed great curiosity and creativity as she experimented with new techniques, switching from the brush bristles to the handle to create different effects. Zoey enjoyed hand painting, dipping her hands into the paint and pressing them onto the paper. Her excitement and smiles showed her joy in exploring the textures and colours while expressing herself freely. Robbie focused intently as he dipped his brush into different colours and painted across the paper. He proudly pointed and named the colours “green” and “red” demonstrating his growing colour recognition and language development. Clementine used the paint tools to mix colours together, saying “blue” and “orange,” which supported her expressive language and deepened her understanding of colour concepts. Throughout these activities, the toddlers demonstrated curiosity, creativity, and confidence as they engaged with the materials. They named colours, shared tools, and interacted socially, strengthening their expressive language.

The water play experience unfolded like a gentle story of discovery and connection. The infants gathered around the tub, their eyes widening as they saw the soft blue water shimmer beneath the light. The air filled with the scent of soap and the sound of bubbling laughter. Each child approached in their own way, some eager, some cautious, but all curious. Hands dipped into the soapy surface, and soon the room came alive with movement. Tiny fingers swirled through the foam, feeling the smooth bubbles pop and disappear, while others used scoopers to lift the water, watching it stream and sparkle as it poured back down. The silicone sea toys drifted around like real creatures, catching the children’s attention as they reached out to touch, squeeze, and explore their different textures. Through every splash and movement, learning was happening naturally and beautifully. The infants were discovering cause and effect, how the water rippled when they moved their hands, how the toys floated and sank, and how bubbles grew or vanished with a single touch. These small discoveries were the beginning of scientific thinking, as the children experimented with action and reaction. Their fine and gross motor skills were strengthening with every scoop, pour, and reach, as they used both big and small muscles to explore. The varied textures and temperatures of the water and foam helped develop their sensory awareness, allowing them to understand the world through touch, sight, and sound. But beyond the physical and cognitive learning, something deeper was taking place. The shared space around the water tub became a place of connection. The infants watched one another, copying gestures, exchanging looks, and smiling as they splashed together. Their giggles blended with the sound of water, creating a rhythm of joy and belonging. Through this shared play, they were building the foundations of social and emotional development, learning to share space, respond to one another, and feel the comfort of being part of a group. Language and communication were also gently woven into this moment. As the educator described what was happening  “You’re pouring the blue water,” “Look at the bubbles floating,” “The fish is swimming!” the infants listened, absorbed, and began to connect words to actions. Every sound and word became part of their growing understanding of language. This simple, sensory moment told a powerful story of early learning, one that did not need words to be understood. Through water, color, and touch, the infants explored their curiosity, strengthened their bodies, and connected with one another. What appeared as joyful play was, in truth, a deep and meaningful experience, a story of growth, wonder, and the beginnings of lifelong discovery.

The Toddler 1 program at RisingOaks Early Learning | St. Patrick, explored the joyful celebration of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights. We introduced the children to this beautiful cultural tradition through music and art. It was a vibrant day full of colour, creativity, and cultural connection. To bring the spirit of Diwali to life, we invited the children to create their own firework art. Using a variety of materials like bright colour paper, sponges and glue, the children. enthusiastically expressed themselves on paper. They swirled, stamped, and splashed, making dazzling displays of colourful fireworks. The room was filled with excitement as each child proudly pointed out their creations. As we played traditional Diwali music, the sounds and colours created a sensory rich environment, and we could see the wonder and curiosity in their faces. Through this celebration, we opened a door to learning about different cultures and the ways people around the world celebrate with joy and togetherness. We spoke simply about the meaning of Diwali how it is celebrated with lights, fireworks, family gatherings, and sharing sweets. This supported children’s early awareness of cultural diversity, and helped nurture respect and curiosity for traditions beyond their own. We will continue exploring different celebrations from around the world to build a more inclusive and culturally rich learning environment. We look forward to more opportunities where children can explore traditions through sensory play, music, and art celebrating both similarities and differences in meaningful ways. 

This month at RisingOaks Early Learning | St. Patrick, the children have been excited to explore our brand-new infant and toddler playground! The JKK group has especially enjoyed discovering the many play opportunities it offes such as, digging in the sand, exploring the little hut, and taking turns on the slide.

Climbing up the hill to reach the slide gave the children a chance to strengthen their gross motor skills, while practicing patience and turn-taking as they waited for their turn to go down. The addition of bubbles brought extra joy—children’s laughter filled the air as they shouted “BUBBLES!” and chased them through the playground.

Spending time in this natural outdoor space also encouraged the children to notice and respect the world around them. They carefully walked around a spiderweb on the ground so as not to disturb its tiny resident, and some stood in awe, observing ants marching across the logs. In the sandbox, children experimented with tools to shape the sand into hills and castles, or to dig deep holes with sand drills—proudly testing how far they could go.

Through these experiences, the children not only built their physical skills with plenty of big-body play, but also developed a growing sense of independence, curiosity, and belonging in natural spaces.