Thompson Early Learning

“When you take it out, it melts!”
“It’s magic!”
“It’s sticky!”
“It’s just melting in my hands!”
“It’s so gooey and bluey!”

Another fun science experiment at preschool! 🌟

The children got their hands messy while making Oobleck using just cornstarch and water. They were fascinated by this unusual mixture, which felt solid when squeezed and flowed like a liquid when released. Through hands-on exploration, the children observed, questioned, predicted, and discovered how Oobleck changed depending on the pressure they applied.

This sensory science activity introduced important concepts such as the properties of matter, changes in materials, texture, viscosity, and cause and effect. It encouraged scientific thinking, problem-solving, and curiosity while strengthening fine motor skills and sensory exploration.

There were plenty of giggles, surprises, and discoveries along the way—because learning is always more exciting when you can touch, squish, and experiment! 💙🧪✨

The children have been very interested in bugs during outdoor play! As they dug around the playground and in our garden, they discovered worms, centipedes, and roly-polies and ladybug grubs! To support their curiosity and inquiry, we added magnifying glasses, binoculars and bug holders to our outdoor environment for further exploration and closer observation. 🐛🔍🪱🔎🐞

We then brought their curiosity into the classroom by creating a bug provocation table filled with informative posters, books, bug pictures, and bug X-rays on the light table. The children also explored creativity through bug-print process art activities. 🪲🎨

This ongoing interest has encouraged observation, questioning, creativity, and a deeper connection to nature through hands-on, child-led learning experiences. ✨

A very special visitor day at preschool! 🦆💛

One of our preschool families brought in ducklings from their annual chick hatching project, giving the children a wonderful opportunity for hands-on learning. The class observed the ducklings up close, learned about what they eat, and noticed how they interact with one another. There were so many thoughtful questions, gentle observations, and moments of wonder throughout the day.

Experiences like these help children build curiosity, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the natural world. Thank you to this wonderful family for sharing such a memorable learning experience with us!

At Thompson Early Learning, we take pride our gardening program with the children. In both the classroom and preschool garden, the children are experiencing what it means to grow their own food first-hand.

In the science corner they learn about parts of a plant and enjoy compare various plants with pictures in books and posters, and learn about the stages of plant growth.

The children learned how to plant from seed - and patience that comes in waiting for a plant to grow! They sowed different kinds of seeds, including grass, peas, radish and a variety of flowers. Once ready, the children transfered the plants they grew from seed to the preschool garden, and planted other wildflowers carrots, brocolli, lettuce, kale, cucumber, and tomatoes.

They also pruned various herb that were planted in years past, like chives, mint and oregano, and water them regularly. The strawberry and blueberry plants have grown, and are already blooming, with "baby" berries coming in!

Everyone is excited to watch everything continue to grow, and together we are taking wonderful care of the garden, watering every day. 🌱🍓🫐

To learn more about our fabulous preschool program contact Anna, Preschool Coordinator, at 604 238-8497 or visit thompsonearlylearning.com

📚✨ What Does “Reading” Look Like in Preschool? ✨📚

It’s not about reading every word on the page.

It’s about… .little hands learning how to hold and to open a book..turning pages gently..noticing details in the pictures..recognizing text direction.

It’s also about….making connections to what children see and experience. .fostering social-emotional development..asking questions..creating stories from their imagination. .exploring where a book can take them.

At this age, reading is about fostering curiosity, creativity, confidence and a love for storytelling.

Because every child’s reading journey – AND story - is just beginning. 💛📖

We’re so proud to share that our program was selected to exhibit at the Children’s Art Exhibition at the Richmond Public Library (Brighouse Branch) for Child Care Month! 🎨

This year’s theme, “I Feel Brave When…,” invited children to explore what bravery means to them. Together, we learned that being brave doesn’t mean never feeling scared—it means facing those feelings, sometimes with a deep breath and a little courage.

Through stories, group discussions and reflection, each child shared their own “brave moment,” which became part of our collaborative artwork:
Brave Faces & Brave Voices

This piece centres children’s voices, identities, and emotional expression through both visual art and dialogue. Each child created a self-portrait using black permanent marker on watercolour paper, using bold, expressive lines to represent themselves with confidence. They then layered watercolour over their drawings, choosing colours intuitively or intentionally to reflect their emotions, personalities, and interpretations of bravery. Their words are captured in caption bubbles, allowing each artwork to communicate both visual and verbal expressions of courage.

Displayed together, the artwork forms a quilt-like installation that symbolizes community, belonging, and collective strength. Each square reflects a unique perspective, while the full piece tells a shared story of developing courage in early childhood—highlighting both individuality and connection.

This project was filled with creativity, courage, and so many proud little moments. 💛

We hope you get a chance to see it in person!

Happy Child Care Month!

Happy Earth Day! 🌎🌱

With the arrival of spring, the children enjoyed a meaningful seed planting activity using recyclable and compostable materials. They carefully planted seeds, watered them, and explored what plants need to grow—sunlight, water, air, and care.

Through this hands-on experience, they’re building curiosity, patience, nurturing skills and a deeper connection to nature. They’re also developing responsibility as they care for their plants and environment each day.

This activity encouraged scientific inquiry; the children asked many questions.

Here’s what they had to say:
💬 “They need water!”
💬 “The sun will help them grow!”
💬 “They need water but you can’t give too much!”

We look forward to observing the changes and watching our plants grow over time! 🌼

♻️

Watching little hands at work is always so special 👐

Making playdough is always a favorite in our preschool, but each time we do it, it becomes so much more than just an activity—it becomes an experience.

The educator thoughtfully placed the ingredients on the table, inviting curious minds to gather, wonder, and begin. From pouring, mixing, and choosing colours to kneading the dough, the children were fully a part of the process. In our classroom, we believe children are capable, curious, and full of ideas - and moments like this remind us just how true that is.

When it came time to choose a colour, some children said blue, while others were sure it should be red. Instead of choosing just one, we paused, listened to each other, and decided to mix the colours together. At first, the colour appeared dark purple, but as we mixed it into the dough, it transformed into a soft pastel shade. Watching that change unfold felt almost magical, and it became such a beautiful result of collaboration and shared decision-making.

We followed a simple recipe together, bringing each step to life. The children took turns adding and mixing the ingredients in a bowl - observing how the mixture formed into something new. Then they used their hands to mix, press, squish and knead the dough, until as it came together.

This hands-on process brought so much joy and ownership to their learning. It is important to involve the children - not just in playing with the playdough but creating it too! You can hear the pride on their voices when they say, “I made this!”

As they explored, we heard:
“It feels so soft!”
“It’s squishy!”
“It’s like a cloud!”
“It’s warm!”

Through sensory-rich activities like this, children aren’t “just playing”— they are building language, strengthening fine motor skills, experimenting, problem-solving, and expressing themselves in creative ways.

The Magic Milk experiment was absolutely mesmerizing and full of colour! 🪄

We started with a tray of milk and added drops of food colouring using an eye dropper. Then came the exciting part—dipping a Q-tip in dish soap and touching the milk. Instantly, the colours burst into motion, swirling and dancing in beautiful patterns!

So what’s happening?
Milk contains water, vitamins, minerals, and fat. When the dish soap touches the milk, it breaks up the fat and reduces the surface tension. As the soap molecules rush to attach to the fat, they create movement—pushing the colours around and creating a magical swirling effect. 🌈

To us, it looks like pure magic… but it’s actually science in action! 🔬

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