At the beginning of the summer, the children began talking with their educators about creating a summer bucket list. Together they came up with a list of different things that they wanted to do before the summer was over and a poster was created to document their fun. Each child chose a spot on the large paper and proceeded to decorate it by colouring/drawing a picture on it. Erin then painted the title (while Anthony took pictures of her). Boxes were drawn with the activity printed underneath so that a picture of the completed activity could be added once it was completed.
Christmas in July was not on our bucket list, but some of our adventures occurred during this fun week!
One of the items on the children’s bucket list was to bake cookies. So, this was checked off during our Christmas week. Everyone helped to measure and add ingredients such as flour, butter, eggs, and chocolate chips into the mixing bowl, taking turns stirring the mixture to make the cookie dough. The children were excited to participate in each step of the baking process and eagerly watched as the ingredients turned into dough. As they worked, they proudly shared their excitement. One child happily said, “I’m mixing the cookies!” while another smiled and exclaimed, “I can’t wait to eat them!” The baking activity provided a rich sensory experience as the children explored different textures, colours, and smells of the ingredients. Cognitive development was also supported by introducing early math concepts such as measuring, counting, sequencing, and following simple directions. Scientific thinking was also encouraged, as the children observed how separate ingredients combined to form cookie dough.
The day after making cookies, our next bucket list venture took place, comfy, cozy PJ Day! We had a nice relaxing morning inside playing with some new toys that were mysteriously left under the tree. When morning free play was over, everyone gathered in front of a cozy fire (on the iPad) and listened to some Christmas stories that our student Mikelea brought in to read. At snack time we got to enjoy the yummy cookies that we made the day before.
The following week we headed on a virtual field trip down to New York to visit The Bronx Zoo. We were able to see some gorillas, giraffes and sea otters moving around in their habitats. We then moved across the country to the San Diego Zoo. It was much earlier there and not many animals were awake and moving around. We did get to see some more otters swimming, as well as penguins, rhinos and koalas. We also visited a few aquariums, where the children seemed to really enjoy watching the big tanks of fish, as many of them said this was their favourite part of the trip. It was cool to watch the sharks and sting rays swim around and we even found Nemo in one of the tanks. This was a fun way to see some of our favourite animals and learn some new facts about them.
A walk in the forest was done to complete our nature walk bucket list activity. The children were observed exploring nature with curiosity and excitement. As we walked along the trail, the children admired the many colourful wildflowers and stopped to smell their different scents. They watched ducks swimming peacefully in the pond and talked about where they live. The children practiced important safety skills by stopping at crossroads, waiting for their friends, and walking together as a group. We also paused quietly to listen to the sounds of nature, especially the birds singing in the trees.
Throughout the walk, the children used their senses to explore the environment by looking, listening, and smelling. They shared their observations with their friends and showed respect for nature by leaving the flowers and wildlife undisturbed.
Having a picnic outside was something the children were very excited about doing this summer. So, on a day that Nick had prepared a cold plate lunch, the children switched their lunch tables for picnic tables and blankets on the ground. The children were able to enjoy their lunch in a different environment and were able to continue to demonstrate their appreciation for nature by cleaning up after themselves, putting their garbage and dishes in the correct places.
Two more activities were completed by the Preschool 1 children the following week, as they enjoyed a fun-filled water play day adventure and an outdoor dance party. They explored the water by spraying, pouring, scooping, and splashing while creating muddy puddles and washing baby dolls with soapy water. Through this hands-on activity, the children strengthened their fine and gross motor skills, practiced sharing and taking turns, and engaged in imaginative play as they cared for the dolls. They also explored early science concepts by observing how water changed the sand and created bubbles. During the Dance Party the children danced to a variety of fun songs while enjoying bubbles, colourful batons, bells, and shakers. This joyful experience encouraged the children to express themselves through movement and music while developing their gross motor skills, coordination, balance, rhythm, and body awareness. Exploring the different sounds of the instruments also supported listening skills, creativity, and an understanding of cause and effect as they discovered how different movements created different sounds.
On a day where the weather called for a gloomy day, Erin brought in some old sheets and we created a blanket fort to play in, checking off one of our final bucket list items. The children were able to contribute by moving the sheets into place and figuring out where everything should go. It did not end up raining, but we were committed to building our masterpiece (which ended up fitting all 20 children that attended that day). The children took turns helping in various ways, such as holding the sheets and handing the educators clips. After waiting patiently and when the fort was completed, the children went in and enjoyed playing with the toys in their new space. Lots of giggles and laughter was heard from under the tent as the children engaged with each other building social skills with peers.
In total there were 15 activities that the children came up with and wanted to complete before the summer was over. We were able to accomplish our goals and we had the best summer ever. The children were able to help plan their days and have their thoughts and ideas heard by others. We wanted everyone to have a say in how their day was spent in the classroom and a sense of pride could be felt and seen as their ideas were placed up on the poster for everyone to see. As the activities were completed and the pictures were added to the display, the children would regularly look at them and point themselves and their peers out, discussing what had happened that day.
