Learn Teach Share

I posted this to my private account and forgot that it needed to be public so let’s try it again! I love in Whitby!!!

In celebration of reaching 500 followers (thank you so much) I decided to make a list of 5 things the pandemic has taught me...⁣
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1. Never take the small things in life for granted. ⁣
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2. We don’t need as much stuff as we think, but we do need each other.⁣
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3. We are all more alike than we think. ⁣
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4. Learning a new hobby is very calming.⁣
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5. Life is better in leggings. ⁣
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What has the pandemic taught you? ⁣
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As I reach 400 followers (wow!) I thought I would share 4 things about myself.⁣
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1. I’m halfway done my Master of Education, I already have my honours BA in Early Childhood Education, minor in Family Supports and Community Practice and my Bachelor of Education.⁣
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2. I LOVE to ! So far I have been to 25 countries and I hope to keep traveling in the future. I actually started a travel account recently .your.compass.anywhere, because I love to write and take photos of my adventures. I had several plans for the summer which I have postponed because of the pandemic, one of which was to visit in Italy as part of their international study tour.⁣
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3. I have identical twin nephews who are 18 months old and adorable! The role of aunt is one I’m really enjoying and I love spoiling those cuties.⁣
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4. I’m a bit of a , I love crystals and essential oils, I smudge my house regularly, I meditate and do yoga. While I love new age ideas, I only bring in things like and yoga into my teaching when there is science to support the claims of their benefits.⁣
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So that’s me in a nutshell, I’m an educator, traveler, writer, aunt and hippie and I love any opportunity to be creative or teach! ⁣
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Thank you all so much for the support! I am so excited to have already reached 400 followers and please keep following and sharing and I will keep posting ideas! ❤️ ⁣
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In my experience as a teacher and tutor I learned a trick about working on with a child. ⁣
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Asking them to read a book aloud usually gets boring and leads to frustration. Instead I use songs (I started with some older ones such as “Imagine” and “Blowin in the Wind”). ⁣
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I used lyrics because of the repetition, it helps build children’s confidence because they become familiar with the chorus.⁣
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After reading the song, play the song as a reward. It’s also a great segue into poetry and discussing the meaning of the lyrics. ⁣
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There’s a good chance you have some grass seed and soil in the shed or garage. If so, this project is for you. Take an old pair of nylons, cut the foot off and fill it with dirt, make it nice and round like a head. Sprinkle grass seed on the top, where hair should grow then tie it closed. Have your child get as creative as they want when making the face. In the past, I used elastic bands to tie off a round nose and glued googly eyes and made mouths from pipe cleaners, but you can really go wild and do anything at all. Place your new little friend in a shallow bowl and that’s all it takes to make your own grass head, like the old chia heads. (Remember those commercials? Cha-cha-chia!)⁣
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Discuss with your child where to place the head (it’s also fun to name your creatures). Discuss why near a window is best and then ask how else to help grass grow. Then make sure they properly water it each day and wait for some progress. Grass grows pretty quickly so the wait isn’t too long! ⁣
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I like to have children measure and track the growth of the grass (great way to bring in data management and graphing). Perhaps make multiple grass heads and compare which part of the house seems to be the better spot and why. ⁣
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Once you reach an agreed upon height then comes their “haircut”! My rule was always once it reached the desired height then they could give any style haircut they wanted, no restrictions. I’ve seen trims, I’ve seen Mohawks, I’ve seen them almost shaved! Remember this is what makes it fun so make a big deal out of hair cut day and take before and after photos of the big makeover! (If you don’t have nylons, I’ve also decorated a clear plastic cup and planted seeds in there instead)⁣
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Mix cornstarch and water and an optional drop or two of food colouring. Mix them until you reach the right consistency.⁣
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Goop goes by many names and there are many different recipes. This is my favourite because it’s simple, uses things in the cupboard and it’s safe if it ends up in your child’s mouth! ⁣
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Goop feels like a solid until you take a handful and then it becomes a liquid. ⁣
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Children can play and explore and have fun and older children can later write about the experience using descriptive language. ⁣
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Goop is a fun sensory activity and is safe for all ages. ⁣
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After your children have learned various yoga moves, breathing techniques and mindful activities it’s fun to play a game of Jenga.⁣
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Write a task in each block ( sells a similar set of blocks). Then play Jenga normally but after each block is pulled, you must complete the task. ⁣
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It’s also important to remind children to be calm and take a deep breath to not knock over the tower! ⁣
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Mindfulness made fun! ⁣
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Colour scavenger hunts are a lot of fun! They require no new materials and are perfect when you are home during a ! ⁣
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If you have around the house this is a great way to use them! Otherwise, you can just make some samples of colours on a piece of paper. Challenge your child to find items to match the colours you assigned them. The example in the photos was done indoors, I’ll later share an outdoor example. ⁣
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Matching and identifying are important skills for little ones and anytime their work is presented as a game it instantly becomes more fun and engaging. Remember to always ! ⁣
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@ Pickering, Ontario

This time of year children usually take field trips. Why not create some of your own trips in quarantine!? ⁣⁣
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One idea for a trip is to explore your backyard. Pack lunch in their lunch bag and bring a clipboard, paper, a magnify glass, binoculars, a sketch book, pencil crayons/paint & any reference books you have on flowers, plants, birds, insects etc. in their backpacks. Maybe even bring a story to have an outdoor read aloud! ⁣⁣
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Then let your child explore, unlike a real field trip they can wander off without danger. Let them explore and follow their own interests, don’t force them to investigate a certain plant or flower, they might find an interesting rock or a feather or seed that interests them more and that’s ok! Encourage their questions and let them take notes on anything the choose. ⁣⁣
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If you chose to make the trip for “scientists” instead of for children than perhaps consider dressing the part. Men’s white collared shirts make excellent lab coats. My dad has donated many old shirts to me over the years for this very purpose. Also safety googles usually make a big impact on making children more engaged in science based activities. ⁣⁣
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Make a day of the trip, have your morning exploration time gathering questions. Then break for a read aloud and snack. Have some “recess” and a picnic lunch. Then have them pick one question they had and start a project. This is ! Get them to collect data, make notes of observations and take photos and even some plant samples (with your permission & help). End the field trip with some art time and have them pick a spot where they feel inspired and they can sketch or paint something they found interesting or beautiful. ⁣⁣
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Then for the following days you can use their questions and observations to create a research project that they will be much more engaged and excited about than if you just forced a topic on them and sat them behind a computer! ⁣⁣
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Give children as much control as you can and they will be more invested and engaged in the task at hand! And remember to always... ! ⁣⁣
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Don’t be scared about painting with little ones. Art is for children of ALL ages, even babies! If you are worried about the mess or the paint going in their mouths then try out this idea! ⁣
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Place a few colours of paint on paper (I like to see if they reach for the paint bottles and then use the colours they “picked”). Put the paper with the paint in a ziplock bag and seal the bag.⁣
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Then lay the bag on the floor for tummy time and let your child reach for the bag. As they touch it and move the paint around the page they will create their own beautiful works of art with zero mess! ⁣
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I always say that I like to “trick” children into learning. Many times I’ve pulled out a scrabble board with students and suggested we play a game instead of doing work. They get excited, competitive and strategic and before you know it they are reading and spelling and figuring out everyone’s score (adding and multiplying for those double and triple letters!)⁣
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Have a dictionary handy so you can challenge each other if you question a word choice. Using an dictionary is seen as an outdated skill and rarely taught anymore. I like to still use it because it helps strengthen skills like alphabetizing and of course reading. ⁣
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Remember to always make learning fun! ⁣
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Yoga has so many benefits, for our bodies, mind and spirit. Children aren’t getting their usually amount of physical activity with school, sports and extra curricular activities cancelled and so yoga is a great way to ensure they are keeping active. An added benefit is the calming effects of , which are especially important during a stressful pandemic. ⁣
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I’ve introduced yoga to students from JK all the way to college age. They all enjoy it and find it to be fun and calming. ⁣
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No matter your age or fitness level you can try yoga, babies even benefit from being near their mom doing yoga, as it is a quiet and calming activity. ⁣
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There are lots of videos and books about adapting yoga for children. During the pandemic many studios are even offering free online classes. ⁣
The studio I practice in is offering many free class on Instagram every week. ⁣
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What resources are you using to bring yoga into your isolated household? ⁣
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