West Richmond Preschool

Yesterday was our last day visiting our Grandpals at Courtyard Gardens. The early days were sometimes a challenge as our children were often shy to just jump in and strike up a conversation with these older adults. And, on the other side, some of our Grandpals were unsure how to talk to our children or what to do with them. However, each time we saw them, it was obvious their feelings of uncertainty and trepidation were slowly being left behind. Relationships are difficult and it can take a while to build up trust. And, this is where the commitment piece comes in. We must stay committed to the building of a relationship for it to be successful. It would have been easy to let this program go, to decide that it wasn't worth it. But, as educators and community advocates, we see great value in these types of connections and thus we did not simply 'throw in the towel' on this program. Yesterday's visit truly epitomised the meaning of these relationships and I believe we are

It was a lovely sunny morning; in fact it was too nice to be inside and since we are trying to incorporate more activities on our balcony, I thought it would be fun and exciting to have our opening sharing circle outside. I feel blessed to work with two other educators who say "yes" to most of my crazy ideas so we set up outside. The children were excited upon entering the room to hear that circle was outside.  I wondered if the children would be distracted or tempted to run around. Would every bird, plane, weed wacker or car honk interfere with their ability to listen? And then I thought– so what if it does! Isn't that the joy of being outside, of placing ourselves in a new surrounding? Despite my openness to this potential, the children were actually very focused and I would venture to say that they were perhaps more alert than usual. After spending time outdoors, admiring the gardening project from the other preschool classes, some children went inside

The sun was shining, the air was warm and there was a lightness in everyone's step. The buddies arrival was different this time- there was a familiarity that was underlying this visit. They entered the room with confidence and a knowledge of what was to come. This is always an interesting point in relationships when the unfamiliar becomes familiar- not boring just comfortable. I believe that once relationships enter this phase, there is an ability to be true to oneself and express oneself freely. We let our guards down slightly and feel able to take risks within the relationship. In listening to the conversations between the big and small buddies, it was apparent they had come to this place in their relationship. Anticipating  it to be a sunny day, we decided it was a perfect opportunity to make sun prints. Sun prints produce such dramatic effects. It is amazing to watch the colour transformation occur right before your eyes! The buddies were so helpful- finding letters to write