Every year RisingOaks celebrates National Children’s day on November 20th. This year we spent the week creating a special treat for the children, giving them the opportunity to engage in activities that not only supported their learning and development but also honored their rights as young individuals.
We started our week off by making our own butter. We showed the children the liquid whipping cream and poured it into a clear bottle so we could observe as we worked. The children took turns shaking the bottle and we soon noticed that the liquid was getting thicker and thicker. We could no longer see the liquid swishing around as it had become whipped cream and it was coating the whole bottle. The children continued to shake and soon we could feel a lump forming. The whipped cream fell from the walls of the bottle allowing us to see into it again and to our surprise the white liquid was now a big yellow ball! This activity gave us an upper body workout strengthening our arms and shoulders while exploring the concept of cause and effect!
Our next task was to prepare the dough for the bread we would be baking. Tuesday morning we gathered as a large group around the table to read through our recipe together. We took turns measuring and pouring ingredients into a bowl. We worked on early math skills as we compared the sizes of 1 cup to 1 table spoon and counted together to ensure enough of each ingredient was added. Preparing the dough did not take too long, so in the same day we also prepared some homemade jam. Viewing our toddlers as competent and capable individuals, we equipped them with butter knives and had them slice up the strawberries for us. We added the sugar and lemon juice to the strawberries and it was ready to be cooked on the stovetop by an educator.
The next day we baked the bread to enjoy for afternoon snack. Sharing this meal as a community highlighted the children’s right to nutritious food and meaningful relationships. They beamed with pride as they tasted the product of all their hard work, strengthening their sense of accomplishment and self-confidence.
Through these experiences we honored and celebrated the children’s rights to play, learn and contribute while also providing valuable lessons in teamwork, patience, and creativity. While I would say that we honor the children’s right every single day, I am hopeful that we made this years National Children’s day a memorable one for our toddler class.
