Through the month of December the children in School-age 2 have participated in a wide variety of activities. The four foundations of How Does Learning Happen have been fostered consistently throughout the month. These foundations are Belonging, Well-Being, Engagement, and Expression.
When a game of Christmas Bingo was brouught into the program room the children were asked if they wanted to gather on the carpet and participate. Many of them sat down with their cards and small lego pieces for markers and the game began. After Tracey had a turn at calling out, Mariana, Alayna, and Elora all had a turn. They used descriptive words such as “a snow man with a green bow” and showed the children the picture. This provided a sense of belonging, allowing a sense of connectedness to others, making contributions to the group, and an experience of being valued.
The children had also been working on their holiday gifts for their parents, it was a coupon book! We all worked together to put ideas on a giant sticky note to share. The children took turns as they excitedly came up with their individual ideas and later chose which ones they wanted to use on their gift. This fostered the foundation of expression. It provided an opportunity to be heard and to be listened too. When sharing ideas it supported their growing communication skills and fostered their literacy. In turn, it also supported the foundation of engagement. They had to be creative and innovative while thinking of their ideas. They had to problem solve when they could not spell a word and were encouraged to ask their peers.
The last foundation that could be seen through an activity was well-being. This was seen while the children were exploring the forest behind the school. Taking time in nature helps some children with physical and mental wellness, and providing a sense of self. As the children found large logs, climbed up on branches, and investigated swinging on branch vines, they were heard saying, “Look, I can do it Tracey!.” “I’m climbing up on the log!” or “I just want to lay here and chill in the nature!”
All of these four foundations can be explored daily whether a child is at home, school, or at RisingOaks Early Learning. Perhaps you can explore these foundations and recognize how they come into play at your home! If you are interested in learning more, here is the link: https://files.ontario.ca/edu-how-does-learning-happen-en-2021-03-23.pdf
