Back to Daycare

It was our gradual entry morning at daycare today. Our plan for gradual entry was pretty informal this year as we have all returning families.  I just need to adapt my plans for the children's new interests, and modify our sleep and bathroom routines a little from when they were last here in June.

I was painting the daycare walls, and giving the house a good clean yesterday as I set-up the play space. It got me thinking about why I love providing family daycare in my home (as opposed to a purpose built space, such as a basement area):

• In a subtle way it elevates the value I place on children and their right to the best of what I have to offer.  When I ran daycare before it was in a basement suite - it was darker, more enclosed.  Looking back it sent a message that there was prime real estate upstairs which the children couldn't access.

• I love that my child care and homemaking blend so nicely.  I can make someone a late breakfast in the kitchen, or throw some messy play clothes in the laundry while interacting with the kids. In the past I had thought that my home would remain clean and tidy when I ran daycare in the basement. The opposite was true! The space I spend my time in (play space) remains tidy - homemaking when running daycare in a seperate space did not happen:)

• Having the daycare in our living room requires that the daycare environment be home-like, clutter-free, and attractive.  I do 'take-down' the daycare stuff at the end of the week, but we live with it for a considerable amount of time. I don't want to look at broken, plastic, untidy toys - and I'm sure the kids don't either.

Here's our space as we kick-off the new school year.  I changed the Eboo Cards - they are my decorating inspiration.  Last year's were the alphabet ones and this year's are the number ones.

Navy Beans in the sensory table.

A new IKEA tent creates some seclusion.

I moved the reading chair into the living room for a while.

Joyfully surrounded by children,
Caz.

If you love them, let them go....

We released our butterflies today. It has been the most wonderful experience watching their metamorphosis.  Here's their journey in pictures...

It's funny to look back and see how small and skinny they started out!

Viewing the chrysalis daily to see if there is any change...

After the first butterfly emerges we quickly set-up a flight centre!

Pictured moments after emerging.

Today's trip to the deck to gently go into the world.

Joyfully inspired,
Caz.

Our New Daycare Babies

Our daycare is excited about raising our new babies! The shipment of 6 little caterpillars arrived yesterday from our Child Care Resource and Referral program.  We created a habitat for them today and are looking forward to observing their metamorphosis up close.  I find myself reciting The Very Hungry Caterpillar all day long:)

George and Muffin Mouse are taking more detailed observation notes and are working collaboratively on a science report - we wonder if the size of the caterpillar will correspond to the size of the chrysalis, and whether this will impact the butterfly's development....

 

 Some quick facts on Painted Lady Butterflies:

• They are one of the most common butterflies in the world and undergo their complete life cycle under controlled conditions - all stages are easily observed.

• The larvae (caterpillar) builds a webbed nest on Canada Thistle, mallow or another of its preferred food plants.  We expect the first chrysalis 5-14 days from now.

• After the chrysalis is formed we will create a "flight house" with netting and expect to see our butterflies in 7-10 days.

• We will plan to keep the butterflies in the flight house for a few days (feeding them orange Gatorade!) until releasing them.  5-7 days after emergence female butterflies will start searching for host plants on which to lay their eggs.

Joyfully observant,
Caz.

Preschool Days

Although largely unplanned, a preschool curriculum has unfolded this year for Banana Bread. She has an opportunity to enjoy the sensory activities designed for the toddlers, and the exposure to a larger world with the homeschoolers.  As her daycare friends mature into their preschool years next year I think our daycare days will be more structured too.

Schooling in the car outside music lessons

I did make a conscious effort in the New Year to introduce a preschool literacy curriculum as she was showing an interest in print and learning to read (she would find "her letter" everywhere, and told stories as she 'read' them aloud in her play.)  Twice a week while we are waiting for the big kids to finish their activities we take a portable homeschool kit on the road with us.  We work on a preschool curriculum book (picked-up from Costco) until it exhausts her interest, she reads me some beginning readers, and then I read her a couple of stories.  We usually school this way for about 30 minutes at a time, but it is more structured than her other play - it is important to follow the directions, and complete the work neatly :)

Schooling outside dance class.

Here is a little glimpse into Banana Bread's life.....

Beach Day Fridays

Feeding the neighbourhood ducks

Play outdoors.

Play indoors.

A favourite - water in the sandbox.

Discovering a snail.

Art - dinosaur stamps.

Joyfully parenting,
Caz.

Natural Play Environments: Tree Forts

Venturing to find swords

A lovely surprise met us at the park this morning... Some fun folks had created a tree fort over the weekend with the wind-blown tree branches that covered the ground last week.  We spent 2 hours in the sunshine playing in the fort, adding some embellishments and creating adventures.

I'm intrigued about the concept of Outdoor Kindergarten and am looking forward to a conference in May to explore the ideas some more. In the meantime enjoying a beautiful morning outdoors seems natural, without being pegagogical!

Joyfully outdoors,
Caz.

Banana Bread exploring the new fort entrance

George using his wooden knife to break branches

Muffin Mouse in an unplanned, but perfect shirt today!

Planning fort construction

OK. So the original structure was there before this morning!

Family Daycare: Toddler Time

Caring for toddlers is one of my favorite things.  I love how creative they are in their play, and how their view of the world changes so frequently.

Providing play space that meets toddlers' needs in a family daycare is a work in progress for me. I embrace the idea of developmentally appropriate toys, but also value the resource bins from my local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency. 


How to find balance in a theme-bin-based world?

I created this space with toddlers in mind. Sensory blocks, a soft mat, and a bin of large dinos.

The fundamental basis to my approach is developmentally appropriate practice - choosing materials that are interesting to the children, first.  I then supplement this approach with thematic resources (such as puzzles, library-book-bins, dramatic play items etc.)

My preschoolers created this with the materials; "Dino Party."

This approach has had another valuable pay-off; it naturally meets the needs of a multi-age care environment. Many of the toddler-toys are open ended, with a variety of play opportunities (stacking cups which nest, tower, fill, roll etc.) that also appeal to a preschooler's developing sense of cooperative and dramatic play (stacking cups are glasses in a restaurant, caves for dinosaurs, stamps for paint, a tower for a dragon etc.)


I'm learning that I have more success when I start my planning from a toddler perspective and add items for older children, than when I start with an older child in mind and try and adapt down.

Joyfully on toddler time,
Caz.

Banana Bread's Dino Roar.