Skip to main content

A Holiday Celebration with our Big Buddies

As always there was great anticipation for our big buddy day. Prior to their coming, we revisited the Genius 15 topics to refresh their memories. I was very impressed that most of our preschoolers remembered their big buddies's names; even the ones who have two buddies! Our plan for Genius 15 this visit was for the groups to create a multi-dimensional representation of their topic. Our hope was that they could take the knowledge they have gathered from their research and use it to create a piece of  art. We believe children 'speak' in many languages and it is our job to invite them to use these languages to express themselves.

We collected various materials, everything from elastic bands to wire to foam to tape to fabric to cotton balls to boxes and on and on. As soon as the teams were paired up, they set to work. There was this intense and focused energy in the room as big and small buddies collected materials from the art table. Designs were discussed, debates over the 'best' way to do something transpired and soon the wheels were in motion to create their piece. The creativity and ingenuity revealed by these students was impressive. All the teachers were totally in awe of their work- these kids are smart! I especially loved the way the big buddies gently supported the little buddies, knowing the little buddies needed help to articulate their ideas. Sadly, I took loads of photos but they have faces so I cannot post them here.

We also had a plan to write Christmas stories and sing Christmas songs but time was too short! Luckily,  we managed to sneak time in for the stories the Dixon students wrote. They had worked hard on re-writing a fairytale (known as a fractured fairy tale). They brought their stories with them and read them to their little buddy. I listened to a few of them and was most impressed with their humour and ability to use sarcasm and irony. The preschoolers listened on a whole other level, one that is equally important and far less judgemental. They listened with complete admiration and even though they probably did not understand a lot of it, they enjoyed the stories anyway.


This is an exploration of playgrounds-monkey bars and a slide.

This is a robot relating to the topic of  electronics.

After Genius 15, we decorated gingerbread cookies.  Needless to say, everyone, including the teachers, had a blast decorating cookies with lots of icing and candy. Soon, they were gobbled up, fuelling us with energy to take outside to the playground.


Walking as fast their feet could walk without being accused of running, everyone bounded down the hallway to get to the playground. They rushed onto the equipment, little buddies in awe of the big buddy's ability to hang effortlessly from the money bears, jump onto swings with ease and dig deep deep holes in the sandbox. I chuckled to myself as I saw this humongous hole and knew it could not been the work of my preschoolers who try to dig holes every day but are about 1/16 the depth! What a few years can do…

It was time to part our ways and I love this moment- big buddies hugging little buddies, shouting goodbye and thank you repeatedly, knowing we all had a wonderful time being and creating together. Also, the warmth of knowing we will get to see each other next month and will deepen our friendships.

As a side note, the Dixon students had a Bollywood Dance session last week. Miele's older brother goes to the school so she got to see them all dancing, even Mr Vines!  I was so happy she connected with her buddy and this class on a level outside of our arranged visits. This is why we do these programs; to build bridges within  our community, to create long lasting relationships with those who live around us. Thank you West Richmond Community for being such a wonderful place for our children to grow up!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 Year Old M/W/F Class – I Hear…I See…I Wonder…

We began one of our circle discussions with a question for the children, “What would you like to learn, wonder or hear about?” Here is what they said:    “Skateboarding, Soccer, Perches” (Connor) “Bikes” (Taylor) “Going outside to see if I left my toy” (Jun)  “The Sun” (Jack) “Rollerskating and Swimming” (Daniella)"Skating” (Noel) “Ball” (Sofie) “Scooter and Tricycle” (Masaki) “Shoes” (Ashlan) “When you put something under a pillow you can find it” (Tia) “Soccer” (Kyle) From my list I noticed quite a few of the children were interested in wheels, so at our next circle discussion we looked closely at a scooter and a pair of roller skates – as well as the wheels on a long board. The conversation brought up more questions and answers, which the children confidently discussed amongst themselves. One of the questions was “What makes this a scooter?” The conversation followed with “The scooter has a handle and a brake” and “I know how to ride a long board.” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Social Responsibility: Down to the Core

Social responsibility- a term that has now become quite common in the field of education and has the potential to lose its meaning if we are not careful. As an early childhood educator, I have always placed great importance on the need to develop this way of thinking in young children. It is for this reason that we engage in activities that benefit others, such as volunteering at our local food bank, adopting an owl, or raising money for Variety Club. With the recent catastrophe in the Philippines, my mind was suddenly thrown into its own typhoon. I found myself asking questions around social responsibility and what it really means. What does it mean to me? What does it mean to my preschoolers? How far does it extend into the world around us? Can four year old children grasp these deep and complex concepts? What can they understand about their world? How can we teach them about being socially responsible to: ones self; ones family; ones community; ones province; ones country; ones worl...
6 comments
Read more

And We Begin

This week marks a new beginning for all of us. And, with all new beginnings, it provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the past and think about what is to come. I have been going to yoga a lot this past while and one of the things the instructors mention at the onset of each class is to create an intention for your practice.  I thought a lot about this concept and decided that it would be interesting and important to apply it to my teaching on a deeper level than in the past. So, as I move into the year, I am hoping to set intentions, which I believe are different than goals. For me personally, goals are more structured and outcome driven. Intentions imply more of a journey. Balancing intentions with flexibility and openness will be the challenge.  I also want to explore the idea of children setting their own intentions. Can this work? Will they understand? Can we help support this idea without creating comparisons or pressure? I am really not sure. And so we begin...
4 comments
Read more