Summer brought a lot of fun changes to the toddler room at RisingOaks | St. Luke! First, we started Water Fun Fridays where the children dress up in their bathing suits and have lots of fun playing in the water with our sprinklers! The playground turns into their own splash pad and helps the toddlers cool down during the summer heat. They love the sensory aspect of it, especially when water pools and forms a puddle and they can jump in it! The water also makes the sandbox slightly damp, and they loved playing with it when they found that the sand holds shape when molded.
Another change can also be seen inside our classroom. Educator AJ slightly changed the layout of the classroom throughout the summer with various activity stations set up around the room and this kept the environment new and engaging for the children. “Wow! It’s a bridge!” Finlay said as he balanced on top of the wooden block bridge provocation. “I read a book!” Nora shared as she sat across from McKenna at the table placed near the window. “I want to colour!” Yuna said when she saw the long brown paper and crayons setup. “Choo choo! We’re on the train!” Abilene and Orla sang as they sat on the chairs lined up in a column, pretending they were on a train.
One more ongoing change that can be found in our program is our garden! At the start of the summer, the toddlers planted wildflower seeds. They have continued to grow and bloom over the last two months, providing us with red, blue, pink, and white flowers. The children loved seeing the flowers change as they took good care of them this summer, giving them water and making sure not to pluck out the plants. “Please do not touch,” Declan said as they were going through the guidelines of how to protect the plants. Kyle, Orla’s father, also lent us a hand with our garden. With his help, the children were able to plant bell peppers, tomatoes, mint, chives, lettuce, and basil! They helped dig the soil, place the plant into the hole, cover the soil with straw, and water it as the final step. The changes we experienced this summer brought about growth for the children as they explored and interacted with the new aspects of their environment!
