Wilson St. Location

“It all begins with a Seedling; add a little love, tenderness, sunlight, and nutrition, and soon you will have sturdy little Sprouts.”

Camelot St. Location

“A sturdy Sprout becomes a beautiful Bud; sprinkle in some time, patience, love, and sunlight, and soon you will have the most beautiful Sunflower”

A day in the life of a Seedling or a Sprout

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    Orientation

    Children building their orientation schema are interested in how objects look from different angles and perspectives. These are the children you notice hanging upside down in the playground or bending over to see things through their legs, they are developing their orientation schema. Sometimes you might even notice them turning objects over to look at them from a new angle.

    These children enjoy experimenting with magnifying glasses, mirrors, and reflections and can even show an interest in balancing objects or exploring height and weight. These children are in their element when we provide them with every opportunity to view the world and their materials from every angle and perspective possible.

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    Transporting

    Do you ever notice how children love to carry objects from one place to another or move them around the classroom? No doubt they are building their transporting schema.

    These children are learning about where things belong. They are often building concepts of distance and mapping out their environment too. We aim to provide these little learners with containers – buckets, baskets, bowls, bags, and lots of loose parts like blocks, counters, stones, and even water.

    Always keeping their materials on the same shelf, gives the children the ability to move things wherever they like, while also setting a boundary about where they belong when they are done moving their materials around the classroom.

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    Trajectory

    Children building the trajectory schema will love experimenting with direction, force and motion, and cause and effect. Our students who are always throwing objects and watching them as they land, are certainly developing their trajectory schema.

    Exploring movement and Science units on How Things Move will always grab the attention of children developing their trajectory schema. This schema is all about movement.

    Developmentally, this schema is supposed to be one of the earliest schemas that young children explore but in our experience, many children are still developing this schema in preschool and kindergarten. These children benefit from activities involving toy cars, paper planes, spinning objects, marble runs, and anything to do with balls.

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    Positioning

    Children building their positioning schema are often lining objects up or placing them in some type of careful alignment. The positioning of objects will involve stacking and won’t always be about aligning objects alongside each other either.

    These children are learning all about classification, order, sequences, shape, symmetry, and creating patterns. Repeating patterns are of great interest to children developing this schema too. So many math concepts rely on a student’s understanding of the positioning schema.

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    Enveloping

    An enveloping schema is an interest in wrapping up objects or themselves. As children explore the enveloping schema we notice them completely wrapping up objects or covering whole pieces of paper in one colour. This is also when children like to create cubbies or “hidey holes” to hide in too.

    When children are developing the enveloping schema, they are building measurement concepts around shape, space, and volume. Box construction and makerspaces are popular investigation areas for children exploring this schema.

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    Rotation

    Related to the trajectory schema is the rotation schema. This schema is all about objects that turn, spin, or rotate. Primarily this schema involves a child’s own bodies, balance, and coordination.

    In early education, you will always notice children exploring anything that rotates – including their own bodies as well as objects. That child turning the taps on and off? …Yes!! They are exploring the rotation schema.

    By using salad spinners, wheels, hoops, water wheels, windmills and even winding wool around objects for engaging activities we aim to help these children to build their rotation schemas.

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    Transforming

    Children working within the transformation schema are interested in change. They will be keen to explore any objects changing in appearance or substance. Sometimes these children might be interested in lifecycles and how living things transform or change into something new.

    Children building their transformation schema are building an understanding of cause and effect. Sensory play, play dough, and mixing paint or mud kitchen ingredients are highly engaging activities for these students. Most of the science experiments we do, especially in Chemistry, are perfect for children developing the transformation schema.

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    Enclosing

    This schema is often observed in block play and in dramatic play. Children building their enclosure schema are always creating boundaries and borders to contain objects or themselves.

    These are the children we notice building enclosures like fences and walls with the blocks and other small world play objects. They love to wrap up dolls and toys in the dramatic play space. Sometimes you might even notice them enclosing their own bodies by wrapping themselves up in fabrics or hiding in small spaces.

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    Connecting

    Children building their connection schema are learning how things connect and separate. They would be exploring concepts of size and shape and the forces of pushing and pulling too. You will notice these children are fascinated with construction sets like Lego®. They will enjoy joining things together, tying things up, and dismantling objects as well.

    These children will be drawn to tinkering, they are also interested in the arts and collage space where they can glue and stick things together. Children developing their connecting schema will work for extended periods of time connecting and disconnecting objects or joining and separating things.

✺ Our Toddler Classroom Priorities ✺

  • Circle time with the toddlers consists of a good morning song that shows love to each child one by one, checking the weather with our weather gnomes, practicing our phonetics, reading/telling a short story, and singing interactive songs that teach concrete concepts.

  • Learning the alphabet is integral for early literary success. It is our belief that children who learn the phonetic sounds, out of order, will have better success as an early reader. Why? Because words are letters out of order, read successfully, by combining the phonetic sounds of each letter.

  • Music is a staple in our toddler rooms, you will always hear music playing, or educators singing - often both synchronously, and not always in English. Music teaches rhythm, introduces new languages, improves mood and self-regulation, and provides an abundance of auditory discrimination; to name just a few. Musical instruments are always present in our learning spaces, children sometimes just need to bang/shake a tambourine, shake up a maraca, or bang a drum until their heart is full.

  • Everything in our space is child-sized and designed for the children to explore their fine and gross motor milieu. There are chairs of various child sized heights that they can practice sitting and balancing with. Indoor climbers they can climb, open spaces they can practice walking, skipping, hopping, dancing, and even running in. Having a plethora of learning materials that challenge the children use their fine motor skills, whether it’s self-selecting pencil crayons to draw, carrying objects from one place to the next, or practicing wiggling their toes when we play “this little piggy”.

  • Outdoors are integral to our programming. It provides the children an indefinite amount of teachable moments. The outdoors are rich in nature experiences, from bugs, mud, dirt, birds, butterflies, greenery, and more. To our sustainable play materials, like tree stumps, wooden play structures, and child sized benches and chairs for the children to rest on. Community walks are also a program highlight, what better way to learn about the world around you, than to get out there and explore your surroundings!

  • We believe toddlers are intelligent, competent, capable, human beings. We empower the children to assert their needs, and then we respect them by meeting that need. We allow them the space, time, and patience to practice dressing and undressing for outdoor time, putting their shoes and boots on and off, and so on. We empower them to blow their noses by leaving facial tissue within their reach. Children who believe they can, will!

  • The neural pathways in a child’s brain reduce by half by early childhood. The more sensorial stimulus they receive the more synaptic connections remain intact. It is the nature of brain development that neural pathways that do not serve as a necessary function are pruned away make room for the synaptic connections that are deemed necessary. We meet this need by providing the children a sensory room they can access freely.

  • Plants are essential to life on Earth, many being used for food, and medicine. The toddlers might not understand these deeper concepts, but it does not deter us from educating them about a plants function, how to care for plants, how to grow plants, and become familiar with the basics: seed, germinate, sprout, bud, flower.

  • Color theory is represented both directly and indirectly in program. When a toddler holds up or points to an object an educator will say “purple ball” for example. Pencil crayons and paper are within reach for them to explore color at their whim, and painting is done weekly. We always start with the primary colors, move into secondary colors, and then let the children explore to their hearts content with color blending.

  • Math is taught to the children both directly and indirectly. We provide materials that help them pattern, stack, group, as well as adding and subtracting. Our educators reresnt numbers through book, song, and impromptu teachable moments. Our toddlers also practice their maths through baking - we are the bread making connoisseurs of Nature’s Nest!

  • Science is all around us. It’s in every concept we teach - color, botany, math, music, art & so much more. When we make the bread, when we color mix, when we create child-safe chemical reactions, and when we explore cause & effect. Cause & effect being the most prominent science concept we teach directly, and daily.

  • Every child is born artist; their brains are so open to creativity that they must always have materials available to them that will feed that need. Toddlers have an insatiable need to scribble, it comes from a combination of vision and movement. Along with having constant access to colored pencils, the toddlers also have a chalkboard at their level they can use freely. Scribbling is not just a pleasurable experience for children, it also sets the foundation for them to begin writing letters and words.

  • Having manners, and a respect for their learning space is a key value we work toward instilling in our toddlers. They are expected to put things back where they found them when they are done, they are expected to clean-up their dishware after each meal, scraping leftovers into the bin, dirty dishes into their bin, putting their water bottles away, and even tucking their chairs in when they are done with them. We teach them to put things away gently, close doors with care, and learn the difference between indoor voices and outdoor voices.

  • In our toddler programs we refer to the children as friends to one another. We believe that by setting the standard that we all start as friends, it becomes more understandable to teach a toddler what others like and don’t like in friendship, and we can teach them how to assert social boundaries in friendship. Pro-social behavior is the expectation, empowering the toddlers to make pro-social choices on their own is the goal.

A day in the life of a Bud or a Sunflower

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    Social

    Children who are preschool age are beginning to understand social boundaries within themselves and group settings. Children at this age begin to understand how to work as a team, cooperate with one another, Imaginary play, and learn how to cope with big emotions. Children will begin to recognize that not everyone thinks exactly as they do and that each of their playmates has many unique qualities, some attractive and some not.

    We nurture this curiosity by encouraging a positive atmosphere among their peers in their respective programs. The Educators are trained to refer to the children as “Friends”, this teaches the children how to remain respectful and open with each of their peers. We firmly believe that friendship is given then lost just like trust and honesty.

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    Emotional

    Children who are preschool age are just starting to realize that they are capable of feeling different emotions. It is imperative that as the children begin to exhibit these emotions we give them the proper tools to name their emotions and how to ground themselves when needed.

    If an educator notices that a child might be feeling a certain type of way whether it is sad, happy or anything in between then the educator might encourage the child to notice, identify and validate those feelings. This approach helps the child understand the overwhelming feeling they may have while also acknowledging that it is okay to feel this way and how to cope with it in a healthy way.

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    Physical

    As children become aware of their bodies it is important to nurture their curiosity and help them gain the confidence needed to become more sure of the way they move, their actions and even their balance. Giving children a positive and safe environment to explore how their bodies work is an integral part of their development.

    In our preschool room the educators give the children lots of space, time and opportunity to encourage physical activity. The preschool program spends as much time outdoors as possible around 4 hours a day. The preschool rooms also encourages big body play indoors whether that is with hula hoops, hopscotch, mini trampolines, big body blocks, etc.

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    Cognitive

    As children reach the ages leading up to Kindergarten they start to understand the world around them better. During the Preschool years children start to become aware of the outside world or the world beyond just themselves. During the formative stages we encourage curiosity and give them as much knowledge about the world as possible.

    Our preschool program is very child-led, if a child shows an interest it is the educators cue to find out anything they possibly can about the subject and share with said child. An example of a child-led subject could be where a child discussed wanting to see a worm outside, how they loved worms or even asking what a worm is. This would be our cue to pull up any knowledge we may have about worms and teach the children who are curious.

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    Speech & Language

    Preschool children are at the age where they begin to understand how to string full sentences together, they begin to start to engage in conversations with the people around them. Children learn most if not all of their language from the adults in their lives, it is imperative we enunciate words properly and use the correct terms even if the information seems to advance for the child being spoken to.

    In our preschool room the educators are trained to ensure that they repeat the words that a child might be trying to say. If a child is struggling to say a word, the educator will then repeat the word back to them with the proper enunciation and ask the child to follow their lips or encourage the child to try again. In Preschool the educators talk to the children as if they are competent and capable, encouraging conversations between educators and children and between the children and their friends.

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    Attention Span

    As Children age their attention span begins to grow, in preschool we nurture this by challenging the children to focus on one activity at a time, engage in small group times and participate during circle time. It is almost impossible for children to learn or retain any information if they are not able to sit still and pay attention. In preschool it is important to begin to push the limits on maintaining the attention of children. It is important to find the sweet spot of pushing children’s limits of attention and losing them altogether. Preschool children practice their longer attention spans through engaging activities, enjoying the materials they love, having the autonomy to choose what they may engage in, etc.

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    Problem Solving

    Children begin to develop problem solving skills at an even younger age than Preschool, at the preschool level they develop the confidence to problem solve all on their own. Children who show signs of problem solving must be encouraged to show that others believe they are capable as well. If a child is faced with a problem you can often see the ‘wheels’ or ‘gears’ turning in their brains as they strategically try to figure out a solution. A child may be working on a puzzle with only one resolution and they may end up trying to turn or reconfigure the pieces for a trial and error period.

    In our Preschool program you may notice that the activities provided are trial and error coded, what this means is the children are able to find a solution with little to no guidance. If a bigger problem occurs with a child in the preschool room the educators will gently guide the child in the right direction without giving them the exact answer right away. Children need to be given opportunities for trial and error in a safe and positive environment from a young age so that they can thrive as they get older and begin to face challenges that might be presented to them.

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    Early Literacy

    While it may be far-fetched for Preschool children to be expected to read, it is developmentally appropriate for them to start honing their love of learning. In preschool we build a strong foundation for the educators to begin the introduction for reading. Preschool children are introduced to letter tracing, sounds, words that begin with each letter and this is the age where any information given to children starts to be retained. Preschool children often begin with a short story in which they love, the more they hear it the more they begin to understand what the story may be about.

    Throughout our preschool room you may see letters and letter sounds presented on different textiles, this is to ensure that children receive the multi-sensory experience to understand the learning on a deeper level. The educators are trained to recognize when a child shows interest in reading and foster that interest, whether it is reading aloud, discussing the illustrations, or practicing letter sounds to name a few.

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    Listening & Communication

    Listening is when the child can understand what might be said or asked of them in that moment and Communication is when the child is able to express their feelings around what they heard or is asked of them. As preschool children explore their autonomy and begin to trust that they are able to express themselves as needed, that is where communication and listening comes in. A Big part of children listening at this age is the gained mutual respect for one another, a child must feel heard, respected and understood before they desire to listen.

    In our preschool program listening and communication is demonstrated by the educator getting on the child’s level, giving them their undivided attention and respecting their choices as desired. When a child asserts themselves, it is up to us the educators to show them what it looks like to have their assertions heard, respected, and valued. This is especially important when it comes to consent.

✺ Our Preschool Classroom Priorities ✺

  • In Preschool we use circle time to help children extend their attention spans, we encourage our educators to make circle time as interesting to the child as possible to ensure the children are engaged and excited to learn. In Preschool children have a deeper understanding of what circle time means and how it looks in our program settings. Circle time is a great opportunity to introduce complex concepts as the children give the educators their undivided attention. During circle time the children are able to have autonomy surrounding the songs we choose to sing, the books we get to read and the educators take the suggestions the children give and make it a reality.

  • In our Preschool program we have a plethora of activities and books readily available for the children at all times. We do this to ensure the children are exposed to early literacy at all times, allowing them to pave their own path to reading. The more time we spend with books, the more likely the children are able to start to retain and understand the concepts being taught, especially when we oblige them and read their favorite book for the twelfth time that day. Another way we encourage reading comprehension is when our educators introduce a book, importance is given to stop and engage the children about what they see in the pictures on the pages, what their thoughts are on what they are hearing, even deeper the children are asked if they can relate to the concept the book is talking about. An example of the children relating to a concept would be if the educators are reading a book on colours around the world, they may ask the children “do you have a favorite color today?”.

  • In our preschool program we constantly have exposure to music, we like to use music to set the tone of the room, the calmer the music the calmer the children might be. In preschool we also like to use music to encourage big body movements to allow the children a positive outlet for their energy. In our preschool program we can add music to any experience adding a special touch to any activity. For example if we use classical music when doing an art experience then the children might have a deeper concentration on their work, more calming movements which makes more precise linework and attention to detail. Our Preschool educators use music to offer a multi-sensory experience to deepen the learning that is going on. For example, when discussing plants we may sing “the farmer plants the seed”. Music is also an amazing vehicle for language diversity, introducing children to their beloved English songs in a wide variety of languages, with a keen focus on their French versions.

  • Body connectivity is so crucial as Preschool children rapidly grow and their centre of gravity and their extremities change. An important part of our programming is ensuring that children ca explore both their proprioceptive and vestibular inputs. Proprioceptive Input includes the exploration of movements such as pushing, pulling, climbing, lifting, etc. It is important to explore and challenge the Proprioceptive input to ensure children are exercising the use of the neurons that are connected to body movement. As with anything the more you practice these skills the easier it will be to use them when needed. A child’s Vestibular system is the parts of the inner ear that assist with balance and coordination. In the early years it is crucial to challenge the Vestibular system so that the child’s brain can begin to understand what their body limits may be. This can include sitting up straight, the lack of comfort with being upside down for long periods of time, spinning, fast movements. In our preschool program we encourage the children to explore their limitations and comfort levels when it comes to big body movement. We ensure the children are given the tools needed to practice their movement skills in a safe environment that encourages body work.

  • The outdoors are so rich in knowledge and experiences that we believe it is so important for children to be able to explore the world around them freely and with a curious mind. Our preschool program ensures that children are exposed to challenging and new experiences outdoors to nurture their curiosity of nature, such as allowing them to climb the trees, peel the bark to peer at the inner tree, or dig up the earth bugs and insects. In our Preschool yard we have materials of different heights such as stumps and benches to encourage jumping and climbing, and two pulley systems that offer different opportunities to explore transportation. Our play structure has only a rock wall for children to climb to the perch, and we also have two big trees, one of them is for climbing vertically and the other one is great for hiding in or sliding through, these practices are highly encouraged. Children who spend more time outside are more likely to have advanced motor skills, agility and balance.

  • A big part of preparing children for school is nurturing their self-help skills. In preschool we encourage children to practice skills such as blowing your nose, getting dressed to go outside, filling your own water bottle, etc. We like to encourage the children to complete the task that they are fully capable of without help from an adult to foster their confidence and sense of self autonomy. As children work through the challenge of beginning to use their self-help skills we encourage them by saying “I’m so proud of you, are you proud of yourself?”, “This job is hard but you’ve got this”, “I believe in you”, etc.

  • At a young age children learn so much through sensory experiences, they learn what their preferences may be when it comes to smells, tastes or even feelings. Preschool children love to experience the world through their senses especially through touch; the preschool program offers ample opportunity for children to get dirty, grimy or slimy. In preschool we love to enjoy being outside while exploring our senses. In nature there are so many sounds, scents, things to look at, different textures to touch and even sometimes taste (food grown in the garden). Allowing the children to learn how to stimulate themselves and find pleasure intrinsically is key to fostering autonomy.

  • In Preschool we continue to introduce concepts such as repotting plants, plant care and how plants survive. We emphasize learning around the four main elements plants need to survive: sun, water, oxygen and soil. Plants are such an important part of living and teaching children how to care for them teaches patience and appreciation for life surrounding them. During our Spring and Summer months the preschoolers are able to gain experience in our garden, they are taught how our food is grown, the pollination process, sustainability and the stages of our meals. Children who understand the world around them tend to be more secure in where they belong inside our big world. They gain a respect for the small things like bees, and ecosystems; and the big things like carbon footprints and sustainability.

  • When the Toddlers move up to Preschool they should have an understanding of the colours and their names. In Preschool we focus on the meaning of secondary colors and Primary colors. We introduce the concept of color mixing, and begin to explore secondary and tertiary colors. Color mixing incorporates concepts such as color blending, and introduces something new with every new color medium used.

  • Toddlers typically come to preschool with the base knowledge of holding tools for art as well as being introduced to different mediums. Preschoolers focus on the correct way to hold the tools and the cause and effect of different mediums. Preschoolers also begin to use their imagination for their creations, it is the educators responsibility to encourage it.

  • In Preschool we focus on number recognition and they are introduced to the concept of skip counting. Preschoolers also develop a deeper understanding of smaller fractions and ratios. We introduce these concepts through play, baking and sensory experiences. Preschoolers are also provided materials to explore patterning and sequencing.

  • In preschool we begin to explore the world of science experiments. Preschoolers are introduced to the language surrounding science as we discuss advanced concepts surrounding weather, theories, laws, etc. Hearing the proper language in preschool will help build the foundation of learning for Kindergarten. Children find their confidence in learning by recognizing the language educators are using.

  • Etiquette is such an integral part of our programming that we practice these skills daily. In preschool we encourage children to mesh their self help with their etiquette. Preschoolers practice this by tucking in their chairs when done at all mealtimes, tidying their plates at each mealtime, caring for their environment around them, using their manners, sitting at the table, engaging in conversation with peers, etc. It is crucial that our educators also demonstrate and role model these practices in day to day routines.

  • As preschoolers become aware of the world around them they begin to realize that there are other children who think and act the same way that they do. Preschoolers begin to engage in play with others, preferential friendships emerge, and they begin to understand how to engage with others. In our preschool program we encourage positive social experiences through giving the children the correct language when engaging with one another, helping the children to have awareness of the others in the program, and role modeling empathy. Our educators help guide the children as needed through their social interactions. We can use language such as “look at their face, I wonder what they are feeling?” “You seem unhappy, would you like a hug?”, “I see you want to join your friend with the blocks, let us ask if we can play too” etc. The educators listen to the children's boundaries and assist the children in being able to communicate their feelings as needed, when needed.