PLAYFUL PALS PLAYSCHOOL / PRESCHOOL
2665 Erin Centre Blvd. Mississauga, ON. 905-858-5910 ext. 162 or ext. 710 kristina.lwhitford@peelsb.com
Friday, May 20, 2016
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Learning through Play
Our "big friends" learned about the benefits of "play" and are able to apply this knowledge to working with our "little friends".
Our HPC 3O0 class said the following about their participation through the "Learning through Play" workshop:
"I liked that we were able to make connections between the topics discussed in class and this session to the behaviour that we see in playschool."
Our HPC 3O0 class said the following about their participation through the "Learning through Play" workshop:
"I liked that we were able to make connections between the topics discussed in class and this session to the behaviour that we see in playschool."
Monday, May 9, 2016
University of Toronto Mississauga - Junior Scientists
Researchers from University of Toronto Mississauga's Infant and Child Studies Centre are looking for participants for their research about children's language, music, and social-emotional development.
If you are interested in having your child be a part of one of these studies please call 905-828-5446 or email juniorscientist@utoronto.ca or fill out one of the forms at Playful Pals Playschool.
If you are interested in having your child be a part of one of these studies please call 905-828-5446 or email juniorscientist@utoronto.ca or fill out one of the forms at Playful Pals Playschool.
Monday, April 18, 2016
Drawing Development
Early
Years Stages of Drawing Development
Each child is able to
grow as an artist. Children go through visible stages of artistic growth,
reflecting the increase muscular control and rapid cognitive development.
Drawing of course, is only one of many art forms that can be used to analyze
and define a child’s linguistic ability. It reflects the cognitive growth that
is necessary for them to become writers. Drawing is an important form of
thinking and communication for children in the early years. At first children
may be aimlessly marking up paper with a variety of lines and colours. Overtime
they begin to repeat and vary the marks that they have made previously. During
this period, it shows the child becoming comfortable with the drawing tools,
refining their control over the direction and types of lines they can produce.
Presented below are
the developmental stages of child art;
Age
|
Stage
|
Characteristic
|
2-4 years
|
Scribbling
|
|
A.
1- 2 ½ years
|
Random Scribbling
|
-Random lines are made using the whole arm, while tool is held with
the whole hand
-Lines may extend beyond the paper
|
B.
2 ½ -3 years
|
Controlled Scribbing
|
-Begins to use wrist motions
-Stays on paper, makes smaller marks
-Controls where lines are placed
|
C.
3- 4 ½ years
|
Named Scribbles
|
-Holds tool with fingers
-Can make many different lines and shapes
-Name scribbles, but often changes name
|
4 ½ - 7 years
|
Pre-Schematic
|
-Develops a set of symbols to represent concepts
-May not resemble or be in proportion to real objects
-Learns pictures communicate to others
|
7 - 9 years
|
Schematic
|
-Drawing shows concept, not real images
-Baseline and skyline appear
-X-ray drawings appear
|
What Do They Learn in
Each Stage?
Scribbling
Physical Development
- Hand-eye coordination
- Fine and gross muscle development
- Hand manipulationLanguage
- Naming or labelling
- Conversation (with peers, parents, and educators)Guidance
- Self-confidence
- Independence
- Initiative
- EnjoymentPre-SchematicWith the skills above they are additionally developing
- Observation
- Thinking
- Problem solving
- Feelings of competenceSchematic
Children will be developing skills
that are important for art, science and mathematics
- Trial and error
- Patterns
- Shapes
- Numbers
- Interpretation
What Are the Parent’s
and Educator’s Role?
Parents and educators are encouraged to allow children to scribble. Children need
proper materials that will provide them with easy control. Crayons, non-toxic
markers, and pencils, are a few examples of mediums that can be used.
Communication is a strong factor when it comes to children who are beginning to
scribble. For example, a child who has only begin to scribbling, parents and
educators can make comments on the child’s movement rather than the artwork
itself. Comment on how fast the child’s arms are moving or how big the child’s
movements are. As the child gains more control of their scribbling, talk about
the variety of moments and different marks that the child has made. When the
child starts to name their scribbles, it is encouraged to ask open ended
questions that will help them to verbalize their thoughts, feelings and
experiences.
For more information
please visit:
Monday, March 21, 2016
Bunnies and Chicks
In small
group today, children were learning all about bunnies and chicks. We have noticed that the children have been
taking a keen interest in dramatic play and puzzles – our small group activity
this week took these interests into consideration. The small group activity allowed children to
use their thinking skills, and vocabulary while connecting to the bunnies and
chicks theme – what do we find inside the egg?
While the activity is in progress, there may be interactions occurring
between the children, their peers and the educator. Each child was given a carton
of about 4 eggs, which has different objects inside. The children will be
shaking and listening to the sounds that the objects make, by doing so they can
make predictions as to what is inside. The objective of the activity is for the
children to explore their imaginations and use their 5 senses.
As the
children were shaking the eggs the educator would ask them questions such as; “What
kind of sound do you hear?” or “What do you think is inside?” By asking these
questions the educator is able to stimulate the children’s cognitive skills.
They are able to make connections to everyday events or come up with their own
conclusions. For example; during the activity a child was cracking the egg
rather than squeezing the egg open. This shows that the child was able to bring
his real life experiences into his play. The children
are able to practice using descriptive language, as they explain, explore and
extend their thoughts.
For some
of the children, the task of opening the eggs were fairly hard. However, they
progress with the challenge, using trial and error they were then able to
figure out how to open the egg. The children had a positive attitude towards
their learning. Showing persistence, engagement and curiosity they engage the
educator and peers in the activity in a positive way.
Michelle Le - Sheridan College ECE student
Monday, February 29, 2016
Patterning
This week our "Little Friends" will be learning about patterns. On Monday, our small group activity was creating a macaroni necklace and creating a blue and yellow pattern. We have been focused on simple A, B, A, B patterns.
This small group activity also helped develop a number of other important skills including counting, fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. According to ELECT, children should be encouraged to count in meaningful ways in play and daily life. At home, try counting things at the kitchen table or the number of steps you take on your way up to bed. This helps make numbers more meaningful for children. Stringing of the macaroni pieces onto a string, in our small group activity also helped the children with their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. The more practice they are given the better they will become. Fine motor skills/control is important for primary printing, a skill they will be required to use on a daily basis when they enter school.
This small group activity also helped develop a number of other important skills including counting, fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. According to ELECT, children should be encouraged to count in meaningful ways in play and daily life. At home, try counting things at the kitchen table or the number of steps you take on your way up to bed. This helps make numbers more meaningful for children. Stringing of the macaroni pieces onto a string, in our small group activity also helped the children with their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. The more practice they are given the better they will become. Fine motor skills/control is important for primary printing, a skill they will be required to use on a daily basis when they enter school.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Little Readers
Our Little
Readers
Today we
found these two “little friends” reading in our library center. We LOVE to see children “read”
independently! Early Learning for Every
Child Today suggests that an indicator for enjoying literacy is “choosing and
spend[ing] time with books.” When
children are engaged in literacy activities they will often “discuss and make
connections between books and stories…..request specific stories, poems, songs
[and] show pleasure and enjoyment during activities with language, music, and
print materials.” When children are
exposed to a variety of print materials children will be motivated to learn
more about reading.
While
reading children also work on their letter recognition skills and learn about
the conventions of print. Children will
often “pretend to write….hold books the right way, turn pages from the front to
the back, [and] use left to right directionality”. These are important skills to learn before
children enter the kindergarten classroom.
Children
can practice and learn these skills at home too. Providing children with books of their own,
visiting the library, demonstrating how to read a menu at a restaurant are all
good ways children can practice their literacy skills with parents. They begin to learn that reading is an
important skill they will use in everyday activities.
Happy
reading everyone! J
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