What happens when we build with blocks on a mirror? Or when we use play-dough with scissors or even animals? I wonder what could happen when we place a plastic glove of water in the freezer or place water beads outside in -20* weather? These wonderings of the children and educators have sparked the development…
This week in Quartz room we have been exploring our interest in dramatic play. It all started when we noticed that the mornings, when the children come over from Shale room, they were wearing some of Shale’s dress up clothes. They seemed to enjoy exploring the aspect of becoming someone else in these clothes. Also,…
“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” – right? This week, the Quartz educators decided to embrace this thousand year old quote to address the constant sound of fire truck sirens in the classroom. We get it – saying “wee-oh, wee-oh, wee-oh” is so much fun and so contagious. We also acknowledge that the children…
How can our environment provoke different styles of play? This is the question Quartz Room educators have been asking themselves the past few days. Recently we moved our kitchen area to allow for better large body play on our carpet. This subtle switch not only created the space for the large body play but also…
Last week our tables were our indoor slides, this week we expanded our sliding, but this time not with our bodies! We covered one of our tables with a large piece of paper, turned the table on an incline, brought out paint and some eye droppers to see what would happen! It was a bit…
Oh no! The Quartz children have turned into human marbles! Last week we enjoyed rolling the marbles down our tables so much, that we decided to roll and slide ourselves down the tables. What a great opportunity to expand and explore how we can move our bodies on these make-shift slides. All we had to…
Movement on an incline plane; what does this mean to a Quartz child? In the simplest terms it is a ramp that we can place objects at the top and watch them slide all the way to the bottom. The educators decided to introduce the idea of inclines on Monday after we had been consistently…
Trains, trains, and more train play. Who thought a walk through our neighbourhood would provide so much interest and excitement about trains. In trying to teach the children to cross the street in a safe manner, the educators asked the children to pretend to be a train so that we crossed in a straight line. …
Although short, this week has been busy, fun filled, and exciting! Our focus in movement has started growing into how we can make objects move be that our whole body, feet, or just our hands! With winter (slowly) coming, we know that winter boots will be a required article of clothing to wear. We also know…
Movement is defined as an act of changing physical location or position or of having this changed. In Quartz room we have begun exploring what this concept means for us and how we can create opportunities to move throughout the day. Recently we have started taking trips to Ottewell Lodge to climb the stairs. Climbing…