Waterloo had its heavy snowfall, the children gained opportunities to explore something different from the other seasons. This month, the children tried out various toys and tools for fun in the snow.
When they were at the playground, they engaged with a wheelbarrow and a shovel. It’s challenging when there was only one wheelbarrow and one shovel, along with more than 20 children. But the friends came up with a way to have a group game together, so more children could join the play. They found a spot to build a snow fort. The one with the wheelbarrow and the shovel was responsible for collecting and delivering snow chunks, while the rest stayed at the spot to build with the collections. To make their construction smoother, they chose a child to sit on the top of a huge snowball as a leader, so she could see through everything clearly and direct everyone what to do next. All the friends who joined the game showed excellent social interaction skills, when they cooperated with each other on the group project. The chosen child practiced her leadership under her friends’ help.
We also had a similar activity in building at the playground, but with snow brick makers. The children again well presented their ability in cooperation. Each child understood their duties. The ones with shovels helped dig and deliver the snow and the ones with model tools built up the structures. A child extended the game by finding out that the cones we have could be used to make other shapes. She then added the snow cones into their huge project. The children appreciated each other’s help by saying “thank you” each time, and the other side was always responsive with “you’re welcome”, which illustrated their respect for their peers.
In addition, the children got to spend their outdoor time at the snow hill, which was a perfect place for sledding. The educators brought six crazy carpets for the 23 friends to share. The children in school-age 2 faced similar challenges: how to share when there are limited materials. They soon formed into 6 groups, taking turns to share in the happy moment. The ones waiting for their turns chose different things to do; some lined up while some enjoyed other activities. During the activity, all the children demonstrated great manners again by asking for turns and help. It’s amazing to see how they manage their feelings with eagerness.
Overall, the children had wonderful developmental opportunities in different areas, such as social and emotional. They learned how to regulate themselves when they had to take turns, share the things they liked, as well as work together as a team to achieve their goals.
