Friday 25 October 2013

Bob Is Missing!


Meet Bob.

Bob has been at hot commodity amongst the children at Little Munchkins, and they have made up different ways to incorporate him in their play. Be there is one little problem... Bob is MISSING! The children have all been looking around to see if they can find where he went. He’s not in the tree house, or in the garden, and not buried in the sand. We have a serious case on our hands and we’re not giving up looking until Bob is returned safe and sound.

Earlier this week the children came across three painted rocks in our yard. This could only mean one thing and one thing only; clues to Bob’s disappearance. The children told us that a Leprechaun must have left them because he stole Bob and they are clues to where he is. Everyone decided the only way to get Bob back would be to build a trap to catch the Leprechaun!
We built a few different styled traps throughout the morning to see which one would work best. They decided by the end that a box would be most sufficient. So far we’ve had no luck catching this sneaky Leprechaun, but we will definitely keep you posted!  

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Friday 18 October 2013

Munchkins Mud Canal

             Our morning class project evolved from a small hole in the ground. A child looked at me and said, “I’m going to put my car in there.”  I knew this was more of a question as he wanted my approval for reassurance.  I nodded and said, “Okay however there is a chance it may get stuck”. He eagerly dropped the car into the hole and quickly discovered the car was stuck. I saw the panic come across his face but still didn’t interfere with how to solve his problem. He ran to the other side of the hill and began to dig and sure enough the car was freed from the earth. “AWESOME IT’S A TUNNEL” he replied with lots of excitement.

                Immediately the small hole in the side of the hill grabbed almost everyone’s attention. They were putting sticks and small rocks in and watching them come out. The children soon grabbed a big bin and carried it over to the hose. Once the bin was filled with water it was too heavy for them to lift it. They recruited more friends to help them. “Look Leslie, we’re doing teamwork!” said one girl. They walked very carefully together in order not to spill the water and dumped it into the hole. Water rushed through the tunnel, down the small slope, and pooled into a puddle.  

The children seemed to be disappointed by the outcome they received.  Marci, the other 4 year educator asked them how they thought they could make the water move. The children brainstormed some ideas like adding more water, but realized that would not work. Marci asked, “What if we dig the dirt out from around it?” The children began to dig frantically with their hands, sticks, shovels, and anything they could find within close reach. They also began building canals to change the path of the water. When they were ready for the next load of water they worked together again carrying the bin and
dumping the water into the hole. They observed what they needed to do to make the water flow faster and longer and even patched a wall that was broken so the water wouldn’t escape.

 The children were engaged for most of the morning working on this unplanned project. Team work and problem solving was consistent from start to finish. Listening to these four year olds communicate with each other was truly amazing!  Perhaps we can extend this project by making homemade boats to sail on their next course?



 

Friday 11 October 2013

Little Munchkins Family Thanksgiving

Today all the Little Munchkins children and staff worked very hard preparing our annual Thanksgiving dinner. Each age group had a dish they were responsible for to contribute to our meal. The toddlers mashed potatoes, the 2 year olds made apple crisp, the preschoolers peeled potatoes, carrots, and made stuffing. While the after school group made home made ice cream for dessert! (With extra vanilla!)






 
After the tables were set and food was prepared, we all sat down together as a family to enjoy the meal we all worked so hard on. During the meal everyone went around the table and shared what they were thankful for. 




Homemade placements the children created

 


                                   Here are what some of the children told us they were thankful for:

"I'm thankful for thanksgiving."
"I'm thankful for food."
"I'm thankful that it is almost the weekend!"
"I'm thankful for my mommy."
"I'm thankful for the surprises my mommy gives me."
"I'm thankful for all my friends."
 
 
We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with lots of food, family, and happiness! We at Little Munchkins are thankful for the families that have become  a part of our family.
 



Friday 4 October 2013

Lucky by Nature!

The weather has been absolutely ideal this entire week. The warm sun has been shining, a refreshing crisp breeze has been in the air, and the autumn colours are stunning. We have been trying to take full advantage of this perfect weather, and what better way to do it then a nature adventure!?

The children put on their boots with excitement and kindly reminded us to bring a bag so we could put in things we found along the way. We left the center and walked through the back yard, into the trail that leads to the road. Immediately, the children were discovering, touching, hearing, and even smelling the world around them. They seemed to really be drawn to the pine trees, calling out every time they saw another one. They touched the needles and told me it “smells
like a Christmas tree”. With each and every step we took our bag was collecting more and more flowers, leaves, grass, sticks,  rocks, and even pieces asphalt that had crumbled off
 the road.


              The road next to our center eventually turns into a dirt path.  The children are always  eager to arrive to the end of the road  because they know of the freedom that awaits them.  As soon as they hit that dirt they are off running and exploring every little one of nature’s details without hesitation.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                 We are so fortunate to live in an area with such breath taking surroundings. An area where we are able to give children the trust and freedom they deserve to learn and explore the world around them. Our morning adventure carried over into the afternoon when the children became engaged in activities from the materials they collected.
 
 
                  The children made art work, studied textures, shape, and colours, and even seemed to enjoy the new light table invitation we put out. We continued providing invitations all week with our natural materials, and are very excited to see what becomes of our next nature adventure!