Essential.

Before I dive into the happenings at the house this week, I want to take a quick minute to give a shout out to the Chartwell educators. The “stay at home” order was issued, but we have proven to be essential, and so we continue to open our doors and provide a home away from home for each of our families. We are following the appropriate measures, we continue to adapt to each new restriction and rule, and we continue to do so because we are here to provide care for your little scholars. Educators – You are doing great! And we thank you for providing a space where a mix of learning and fun happens Monday to Friday. Here’s to being essential, and here’s to each one of Chartwell’s educators! THANK YOU.

One more thing – to all the parents who are juggling their own work schedule, zoom meets, lunches, online learning, pick up and drop off times, and even sleep – you are doing great! It may not seem like it, but you’ve got this! We have all got this.

That’s it, promise. Now, on to the good stuff…here’s a closer look at that learning and fun combo in action.

We’ve got the basics covered! Colours, letters, numbers, name recognition and shapes are being worked on and recognized in all classrooms. The end goal may be the same, but the journey to get there is determined by the child’s development, age, and over all goals.

During free play, children have a choice when it comes to their creative expression. They have an opportunity to paint, glue, construct, build and use different materials to create a masterpiece that is designed just how they want it to be. Creative expression helps children articulate their feelings, emotions and thoughts. They think critically about their world and practice visual communication. Children will learn and use their colours, shapes and sounds during creative play. And so with the learning that was happening in the photos above, they will use and express during free play.

Creative expression can also be found when children role play. They become a character, pretend play happens, and when the teachers provide the opportunity by bringing real materials in to enhance the role playing, their imaginations take off!

The photos above are taken of the Kinder Ice Rink, where you can skate and order from the snack bar. It’s an essential business, as it serves exercise and coffee! Order your coffee, or hot chocolate, and grab your skates, the ice has been zamboni’d and is ready to use!

We got our Bill Nye on when using different ways to melt ice to save our arctic friends from being trapped in ice. Warm water, salt and patience did the trick!

The Arctic has been a hot topic in the house…

After the work is done, we PLAY! And the best place to play is OUTDOORS! Bring on the fresh air!

That’s a wrap on this week’s happenings. Enjoy the weekend, we will be back at it next week!

2021. Let’s do this.

“Another year over, and new one just begun” well said Mr. Lennon.
2020 is in the rear view, and there is no looking back! 2021, here we come!

There was no slowing down after the holidays, we got right back into things here at the house, and it all started with a roar up in the toddler district!

You might have thought dinosaurs were extinct, but if you were to venture through the toddler classroom you’d hear otherwise! With a roar roar there and a roar roar here, there is definitely roaring everywhere! Dinosaurs are back baby! Let’s let our little paleontologists show you what they have been digging up…

This is just the beginning of their journey through the great valley. The toddlers cannot get enough of all things dinosaurs, and so the environment, planning, and learning will turn into Jurassic Park until the interest fades just like the dinosaurs themselves.

Let’s continue this journey through the first week of 2021….next up, the Preschool scholars take on the four components of letter recognition.
1. Letter Recognition: the ability to recognize the shape and size of the letter.
2. Letter Name: recognizing that the shape of the letter is associated with a letter name.
3. Letter Sound Knowledge: determining what sound corresponds to the shape or name of the letter.
4. Letter writing: the ability to trace or write the letter with a pen in accordance with its shape and direction.

Along with their letter recognition, they named their favourite animal, found their favourite animal and kept the letter recognition going, as they guessed the first letter of their favourite animal too!

What a zoo! Let’s head to the Coach House to check in on what these scholars got up to!

A whole lot of fine motors skills were to put to work this week – from painting, to puzzling to practicing with a pair of scissors.

The first week back in 2021 is a wrap! Here’s to a new year, where there has got to be way more cheer!

The Chartwell House.

Merry Christmas to all.

This year may have been different – it may have challenged us, and knocked us down, but it forced us to be creative, to think outside of the box and to get back up. We have been forced to mask, to be patient, to follow rules, and we have been forced to stay apart. But at this time of year, more than ever, we need to stay together. And yes, this may look different, but it is important to communicate with your loved ones, spend time with those who matter most and if that’s over a Zoom chat so be it, it’s coming together in unique ways that will help us get through this together…even if that is 6 feet apart.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!' Card | Noteworthy Cards

From all of us at The Chartwell House – We want to wish all of you, a very safe, but very happy,
Merry Christmas.

Pa rum pum pum pum!

‘Tis the season of Bing, Dolly, Sinatra and of course Bieber!
The Christmas music is on high volume, the smell of Douglas Fir is in the air, and the lights are all a glow.
We are just 21 days away from the most wonderful time of the year!

Until then, we will be busy just like Santa’s elves decorating the classrooms, preparing a special Christmas surprise for each of you, and of course packing in all the learning we can while at play.

The Christmas songs that have been on repeat include:

Santa Claus is coming to Town

2. Oh, Christmas Tree

3. T’was the Night Before Christmas.

4. Frosty the Snowman.

And 5. Walking in a Winter Wonderland.

Hit pause for a second, because you’ll have to hear this, actually better yet, you get to see it! When a toddler is building a tower, stacking blocks one on top of another, it’s not as simple as it may look – they have to create a hand-eye connection, while using their fine-motor skills to grasp the blocks, control the speed in which they stack, and then carefully snap the block into place all while solving any problem that may interrupt the construction. Building a block tower, takes the whole body and mind of a toddler!

The focused continued in the Preschool classroom where they Bill Nye’d this science experiment, creating a rain cloud in a jar!

Science rules!

So do Fridays!

Enjoy the weekend.

The Chartwell House.

December is coming to town.

The first snowfall coated most of the yard, and the Preschooler’s were the first ones to leave their prints! There’s always something magical about the first snowfall of the season!

The snow may have melted faster than it landed, but we kept the feeling of winter indoors as we slowly started decking the halls.

While the weather outside has been unpredictable the fire outside has been oh so delectable!

Back indoors, the toddler’s exploration of puzzling has been shaping up nicely.

Not only are the toddlers learning their shapes while finding the puzzle pieces, they are working with colours, tuning their fine motor skills, and working on their language and vocabulary as they hear and see the shape they place.

Working with shapes and colours continue as the child grows, the ways in which they work with them however, will become more and more challenging.

A child’s imagination is powerful, and to encourage them to use this superpower, loose parts has been the answer. Loose parts mean alluring, beautiful, found objects and materials that children can move, manipulate, control, and change while they play. Children can carry, combine, redesign, line up, take apart, and put loose parts back together in endless ways.

Now, I’ll use my own imagination to shrink down my Christmas shopping list…bibbidi boddidi boo!

That’s the happenings at the house this week! See you next week!

The Chartwell House.

Think. Happy. Thoughts.

The outdoor play continues…where fun and friendships happen!

Now, more than ever, we need to be in this together!

It’s hard to ignore the news, the numbers, the masks, the new protocols, but while scrolling through the photos here, just for a moment, look at what happens during your little one’s day. They work hard, and play even harder! And for them, it’s just another day at the house with their closest pals 🙂

These little educators are constantly learning new things, conquering new experiences, and building confidence, and they are doing so without even realizing it. The environment they are in is set up to challenge each of them, and reward them with accomplishments. Whether it be successful toilet training, taking a first step, writing their name for the first time, zipping up that jacket, or climbing the stairs all the way to the top, each goal they crush they learn from and take with them. We capture these moments in documentation, you see these moments live, and we take each of these small moments and turn them into big, huge moments that need to be celebrated. Because why not celebrate the little things?

Make each moment, teachable.

Here’s to the weekend, and to making even more memorable moments!

The Chartwell House.

Confession: The Christmas Music has started.

It went from Summer, to Fall to Winter all in one week – Oh Canada!

And the Toddler One’s were intrigued! They discussed the weather from sun, to rain, to snow, whatever was in the forecast they wanted to know!

Speaking of the weather, Toddler Two made it rain!

Then by using their fine motor skills, they brought out the sunshine!

When the sun is shining, you can find us outdoors! The Preschool class rounded up the troops to take a walk to the river. And before the temps dropped again, enjoyed snack and discussions on the front yard.

Outdoor play is just as important as play within doors – while outside the children are able to explore the natural environment, take risks, seek exercise, and breathe in that fresh air.

With all going on in the world, we could all use just a little more fresh air. Getting outdoors offers a ton of benefits for your little scholars – exposure to Vitamin D, stronger lungs, improved eyesight, less stress, more social skills and that fresh air will improve their immune system. Check, check and check!

If you need us, we’ll be outside!

The Chartwell House.

Lest we forget.

In Flanders Field the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days away
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Field.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Field.
– By. Dr. John McCrae

It’s beginning to look a lot like….too soon?

49 days until Christmas. But in Preschool…Oh, Christmas tree!

Before Santa comes to town, we had to continue the pumpkin fun by exploring the inside of our pumpkins while saving the seeds for the teachers too!

From the youngest to the oldest of the house we’ve got all areas covered!

Sensory play – check!
Water play – check!
Creative play – check!

Letter, colour and number recognition, reading and puzzling, gross motor play, fine motor skills, self help skills, mathematics, science…it all happens when you let them play!

And then during play, children will begin to express interest, they will let you know however way they can if they want more, they may repeat the same movements, go down the slide over and over, they may sign, ask questions, and or show by engaging – when this happens, this is when the teachers will start to make changes to the classroom to meet the interests, the needs, and the wants of their students. Observe, provide, engage, and document.