Oak Creek Projects

During last year’s Spring and Summer months, the preschool program started an investigative project into insects. This project interest was brought on as the children started to explore all of the insects in their natural playground. Each and every time they stepped foot into this environment, a new question was pondered by the preschoolers. As the project started to take its shape, the children engaged in various types of play that enhanced their learning environment.

Symbolic play was introduced as the children explored with loose parts in the creation of insects and their accompanying habitats. The children enhanced their communication play skills as they engaged in conversation pertaining to the insects they were exploring. Fantasy and role play was explored as the children took on the roles of butterflies, bees and even spiders. Finally, recapitulative play was experienced as the children shared stories of bugs they have seen on their own adventures in the forest and on their walks.

During a particular morning the Preschool children were busy exploring into their insect project. Educator Heather brought in a chrysalis that she explained would turn into a Monarch butterfly. Heather explained that the children would be able to watch and explore the various stages of turning into a butterfly before it emerged from its chrysalis. After a few weeks of waiting, the butterfly was taking a little longer than they thought so Heather took it home to stay warm. “Is it a boy or a girl” Alexis asked before Heather left. Finally, Heather let the children know that the Monarch butterfly finally hatched! The children were able to help feed their new butterfly with oranges, bananas and also some apples. After much conversation, the children were able to identify the monarch butterfly was indeed a boy as it had lots of spots. This is just one example of an experience that was engaged in throughout this project.

Completed: September 2021

RECEs: Heather, Adeena, Courtney and Rukmanie

Objectives: To further explore and expand on the preschoolers sense of wonder in their growing interest of insects.

girl pointing to a caterpillar crawlin on a table Child holding a small log

butterfly on a rosebush

Click here to read the complete documentation on our project

Child spinning his toys in a salad spinner

The Infant rotation project began as the educators observed the infants spinning balls and cups or the infants asking the educators to spin balls and cups.

Throughout the project, the infants were introduced to many items that could spin and/or rotate; fidget spinners, a salad spinner, an office chair, a sit and spin, kaleidoscopes, and gears. The infants watched some ballerinas spin and imitated that movement. The infants played some golf to get some balls spinning and they sent balls down a ramp for some spinning action! They used their own wind power to get some pinwheels spinning.

Infants are all about cause and effect, how their own actions affect how things work. This project was a great example of how infants like to participate in these types of activities.

Completed: June 2021

RECEs: Celine, Shannon, Melody and Maja

Objectives: To explore the children’s interest in rotation, sparked by observations of the infants spinning balls and cups or asking an educator to spin the balls and cups.

educator assisting a child as they spin like a ballerina

Child playing with a gear toy

child spinning his toys in a salad spinner

Click here to read the full project documentation.

guest displaying indigenous culture items on a blanket

The children in School-age 2 were exploring an activity during Halloween where they were making Dracula by using tin cans and paint. When Nora finished making her Dracula, she left it for the glue to dry and went home. Dylan then stacked his finished Dracula on top of Nora’s and said, “Hey look, the Dracula looks like a totem pole.” Elijah then added, “Oh yes, I know what a totem pole is, we learned about that at school.” Dylan then added, “I know this because my dad usually reads books about the first people who lived in Canada.” With this small simple acted and conversation the indigenous project started to develop and grow.

Completed: April 2021

RECEs: Rukmanie

Objectives: To further explore the children’s interest of the indigenous culture in Canada.

boy assembling children-created totem pole guest displaying indigenous culture items on a blanket

children building a teepee with sticks

Click here to read the complete documentation on our project

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