When I think of summer, I think….cottage. And when you’re at the cottage, you fish! The Senior’s of the House, moved things into the Chartwell cottage, got their fishing rods and took to the water, only to end the day by the camp fire.
It’s been a HOT HOT HOT week but with the temperature not rising until the ‘noon we took advantage of the mornings being on the cooler side and took to the outdoors.
As we explored, we came upon a few hidden gems…painted rocks, streams, cocoons, and a frog! Oh my!
When indoors, we have been working on our: number recognition, counting, fine motor skills with our pincer grasp, sticker’ing and use of scissors, letter recognition, tracing, Jolly Phonics, and….our dance moves!
A balanced lifestyle is highly recommend, but a little bit of work and a whole lot of play seems like the only way!
It’s an inferno outside, but at the house we are keeping all things cool.
There may be a lot going on in the world right now, but the best thing for a kid, and their overall development is to PLAY! Allowing children to play, allows them to express their creativity, explore with their imaginations, build their fine and gross motor skills, and develop cognitive and emotional strength. Play is important for healthy brain development. So when the rest of the world may be operating a little differently, it is important for us, to provide a safe, consistent space where the children have nothing but PLAY to worry about!
The Senior’s of the House took over the roads with their bikes! And the teachers patrolled in control on their blades.
This week we celebrated Canada’s 153rd Birthday….crazy! Lookin’ good Canada!
After the fireworks we were back to work – conquering our fine motor skills with our painting, writing, using scissors and sticker’ing too.
A little bit of work, and a whole lot of play is a pretty good summer mix if you ask me!
Another week has come to an end, and the weekend is about to begin. Stay cool.
We are back and it feels oh so good to complete the first week! And would you like some more good news? Tomorrow is…summer!
The Toddlers have been working hard all week preparing the garden beds out front to plant some new flowers. They bulldozed, turned the soil, dug the holes and watered. Meanwhile, at the back of the House, the Preschoolers planted tomatoes, getting their hands dirty and working on that green thumb.
Although it feels like summer, the sun is shining, and all we want to do is play, there’s still a lot of learning happening as we do. With our individual bins we are creating sensory play, that allows the children to touch, feel, and build using their own work space, and supplies. The fine motor skills are being tested when threading beads, scooping and pouring, and drawing pictures of their families. What may look like a scribble is the child’s way of expressing their creativity, and imagination. The Preschool classroom have moved on to drawing their people using shapes, adding hair, arms, and legs. Letter recognition, and the sounds of the letter continue to be practiced in both Senior and Preschool classrooms. Printing names, and working on their Jolly Phonics, our Seniors are going to be more than ready for “big school!”
And that’s a wrap on the first week back! We hope you have a wonderful weekend. And to all the Dad’s out there….
We are half way through the first week, and we are feeling good!
There may be a few new rules in place, but it’s not keeping us from fun in the sun, yoga on the mats, and learning spaced-out indoors. With individual play bins, there’s nothing like having your own space, but still being able to interact with your besties.
When the beaches are closed, we bring the beach to us!
After a morning stroll through the neighbourhood, we took advantage of our outdoor space – driving the diggers in the dirt, and welcoming a few new friends to the house too!
Our Preschool friends have done some remodeling, and construction work on the “big room” of the house. Things are getting checked off our repair and to do list quick!
With all that is happening in the world, I thought maybe a little piece of normal midway through the week would bring just even a little smile on yours and your little’s face. For all of the staff, Chartwell has been like a second home, and being away from the comfort of Chartwell, and all of you families has hit us hard! We miss you all, and we hope you are all staying safe and healthy as we go through this together!
Your lovely Chartwell teachers have been keeping busy at home and wanted to share a little bit of what they have been up to with you.
Here are a few words from some of your Chartwell teachers…
Family isn’t always blood. The saying is very real in times like this. Being away from the school for weeks now has made me realize how much everyone at Chartwell is family. I miss everyone so much and hope everyone is staying safe and sane in the comfort for their own homes. I can’t wait to be back to normal, hopefully its sooner rather than later! Lots of Love, Mrs. Bialy “TiTi”
MS. HILLIS SHOWS OFF HER PUZZLING SKILLS, FINISHING A 2000 PIECE PUZZLE!
HELLO MY KINDER KIDDIES I MISS YOU AND ALL YOUR FAMILIES. I HOPE YOU ARE GETTING OUTSIDE ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE AND BIRDS SINGING! I’M KEEPING BUSY BY TRYING TO IMPROVE MY GREEN THUMB AND KEEP MY NEW PLANTS ALIVE! I’M ENJOYING SPENDING LOTS OF TIME WITH MY DAUGHTER; MAKING CRAFTS OUT OF RECYCLED ITEMS AND HAVING LOTS OF FUN OUTSIDE. I HOPE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE KEEPING SAFE. I HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON! MS. SHANNON
I HOPE EVERYONE IS STAYING HEALTHY AND SAFE. MISSING THE SMILES FROM ALL THE CHILDREN! WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS. ❤️ MS. BENNETT
From all of us, to all of you – Stay home to stay healthy!
Play benefits all area’s of child’s development. One of the most important aspects at this time and with this age group is, unstructured play – aka “free play.”
Free play allows the child to explore freely, create and discover without a set of predetermined rules or guidelines. Free play has influence on cognitive development, increasing physical, emotional, and social development. It helps with creativity, imagination and problem-solving abilities, and social skills.
Creativity and Imagination:
Mathematics and Problem-solving abilities:
Fine Motor Skills:
Reading, writing, and letter recognition:
Physical Activity and Gross-motor:
Music and Dance:
And language….en Francais!
A lot of hidden learning happens during free play! So I repeat, let them play!
It was the last week of February, and oh what a week it was! It was action packed with Funkey Kids, Movin and Groovin, the Animals, Mother Goose, French and Kindermusik all visiting the house. We danced, we sang, we nursed some rhymes, moved and grooved, faced fears petting snakes, and we learnt different sea creatures en Francais! Yes, this was all in just five days! And I haven’t even mentioned the fun in the snow, or learning we did!
And to keep the photos going, we’ll start up the stairs in the Main House, here’s a closer look at what the two toddler classrooms got up to.
Toddler One had an interest in the classic, Cat in the Hat, when they were creating Thing 1, and Thing 2 inspired art.
Across the way in Toddler Two they focused on feelings, and their emotions. What makes you happy? Sad? What happens when you’re anrgy? Name that emotion with Ms. Reid.
With snow piling up on the roads, we have seen a lot of snowplows passing by as we are out in the yard. And so the Toddler Two’s took pretend play serious as they plowed the snow in their playground, going above and beyond to get all the snow.
As we step back inside, we’ll take a closer look into the Preschool classroom – where they worked on letter recognition, puzzling, and their math skills when filling up the buckets with marker lids. The concept of less and more, and counting come into play with such a simple activity.
With the small world play, the Preschoolers were working on their driving, and parking skills as they controlled the cars, maneuvering them on the roads and into the parking spots. Number recognition is also happening as they pick and choose the number when parking.
And to wrap up the photos, we’ll finish in Senior Preschool – where they have been working hard on their hand-eye when it comes to printing, and letter recognition.
They continued mastering their fine motor skills when getting a head start on St Paddy Day’s decorations.
That’s a wrap from what happened in the house this week! From Ms. Hillis, her Mom, and all of us we hope you have a wonderful weekend!
