West Richmond Preschool

We went to our very first field trip of the year, the Pumpkin Patch at Westham Island Herb Farm. We saw different colors and sizes of pumpkins. We also met different animals on the farm. Diana, our tour guide, introduced us to the animals and helped us learn about them.   The first animals that we met were the cows. Diana fed them some oats that looked like crushed granola bars and their tongues were really long and purple. There was also a barn owl but we did not really see it as it was way way up in one of the beams.       We saw some pigs as well. Diana gave them half of a pumpkin and they all gathered around it. One of the pigs brought the pumpkin in the mud and the other pigs were trying to look for it. They sure don’t mind that their food is “dirty”. Diana said that there are some germs from the cows and pigs that could be on our hands. We had to wash them so we don’t get sick.         We we...

In anticipation of Thanksgiving and a visit to the Pumpkin Patch, the children in our Three and Four-Year-Old Classes recently enjoyed some sensory fun with Pumpkin Scented Cloud Dough. It was a popular activity that had children anxiously awaiting their turn to explore. It's a very simple recipe consisting of flour, vegetable oil and pumpkin pie spice. The last ingredient gave this activity a delicious scent that the children immediately noticed and commented on. The children enjoyed scooping and pouring, and the best... squishing! Sensory exploration is a child's way of making sense of the world. It's not all about touch, but about the other senses as well. Sensory exploration also helps to develop language skills. For example, giving children the chance to play with a variety of textures and tastes helps them to build new ways of talking about the world. Water isn't just wet, it can be slippery with bubbles, or cold when frozen. The bark of a tree can be smo...

As Thanksgiving approached, we asked the children what they were thankful for. We listed each child’s comment on our board out front. I hope you had a chance to take a look. There was one common thread for sure and it was that we were all thankful for our families, friends and pets. We also made cranberry sauce which made our classroom smell so fall like with the cinnamon in the air. The children were very proud to take it home to share with you all. On Wednesday, after the long weekend, we hopped on the school bus and headed to Westham Island Herb Farm in Ladner. We had perfect pumpkin patch weather with the sun shining that day. Once we arrived at the farm, we went on a tour of the farm and met some of the farm animals. The first animal we met was, Gracie, the Sicilian donkey. The tour guide fed Gracie an apple and she devoured it quickly. The goats were next, and there were plenty of them. The children enjoyed watching the goats running energetically in their pen. Then, ...

As our centre welcomes and appreciates diversity, the children participated in the celebration of Thanksgiving in two ways:     1. Making Cranberry Sauce     These are the ingredients that we used to make the cranberry sauce. We used sugar, orange juice, cranberries, water and a cinnamon stick.  Kianne pours the sugar in the bowl. Keira adds the water to the sugar. As she is adding the water, she said that the water will melt the sugar.     Nathan stirs the sugar and water together. He carefully stirs to make sure the water stays in the bowl.   Sofia adds the “red berries” to the bowl while we wait for the water and sugar to boil.   After boiling the sugar and water, we add the cranberries and wait for it to boil again.   Sara squeezes the orange to get all of the juice out       Lastly, we add the orange juice and cinnamon stick to the sauce....

  Welcome to MWF Fine Arts / Science & Nature class! We have all adjusted quite quickly to our classroom routine and environment. We are ready to play, observe, and learn. We are getting to know each other and forming friendships. As autumn arrived, we noticed many changes to our weather. Our children noticed that the weather has become cooler than when we first started school. We also noticed that the trees have been changing on our drive to and from school. To observe our environment, we went for a walk around the community centre. We discovered that many leaves have fallen to the ground - some fresh and some dry. There were many more colours of   leaves other than green, red, orange, yellow, and brown. We collected leaves for further observation in the classroom. The children were inspired by the leaves and we painted our impressions of leaves on trees. Some children painted leaves on the tree and some children painted leaves on the ground. Other children not...

On Tuesday, October 4 the children participated in an “Apple Tasting" Adventure! Each child was given the opportunity to taste three colours of apples:   green, red and yellow.   After consuming each colour, they were asked to choose their favorite one and write their name on an “apple” in the colour they chose as the best. This experience was exciting because it used many of their senses.   They got to see, taste, touch, think, choose, colour and then extend this experience through dramatic play.   They engaged socially in an apple stand, which included many apples in all three colours, baskets for sorting and shopping, and cash registers to pay for their desired purchases. Since Fall is a time of year that is filled with the opportunity to consume many harvested vegetables and fruit, it was very fun to participate in this kind of play…and see which colour was the most popular!!!     Until next time.   Lori

I began by talking a little about Thanksgiving in our morning circle and some of the children spoke about what was on the snack table, which we had set up as a cooking table. I then explained that we are going to do some cooking today. Some of the children were excited to get started and others not so much, I would guess the concern of some of the children was if they had to eat it. I of course assured them, it was for them to share with families for Thanksgiving dinner.     Ruka and Taylor are using scissors to cut up celery       Katlyin mixes the apples and celery together and we get ready for cooking the mixture       Charlie adds cranberries to our stuffing mix.   The children comment on the yummy smell in the   Classroom and are ready to taste the stuffing.   The children attach their Thanksgiving message that was shared during morning circle.  ...