Photo Glimpse

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THE MAIN LEVEL

Welcome! When entering, shoes must be left on the mat provided. Children have a cubby hook inside the closet at the front entrance to hang their hats, coats, snow/water pants and bags. Another cubby is located in the basement to house their extra clothes and belongings. I will document each child's arrival and departure with a sign in chart on the purple clipboard for attendance purposes.

Our day begins on the main level and our family room a large toy box for free play. We also have a large collection of educational video's and disney movies.

Just past the foyer closet is where the entrance to the basement playspace is located, we keep a baby gate at the top of the staircase for the safety of infants. I ask all parents to leave outside shoes at the front door and all children to hold the handrail, or scoot downstairs on their bottoms for safety.

Many colourful foam mats are used as soft surfacing. This helps to prevent injury from a tumble and gives the children space to roll around and be active with thier bodies as well as sitting and focusing on floor activities..

The "Fun Trunk" houses many materials that encourage gross motor skills and active play indoors. Hula Hoops, Bean Bag Toss, Frisbee's, Hacky Sacs, Bouncy Balls, Balancing Boards, Road Signs, Hopscotch Games, Creative Movement Streamers, Parachute Game, and recreational game books keep us inspired to be active and enjoy a diversity of play.

We frequently transform our playspace into a "Dance Studio" by the radio. It is here that we get our groove on! Creative expression is valued at Val's Butterfly Garden and through dance we enjoy being creative while learning about movement, coordination, rhythm and sound.

Other ACTIVE indoor options include:

Ball toss game, tunnel,  School bus tent, Indoor Riding Toys, and The Costume Trunk, JumpSmart Trampoline!

IN THE BACKYARD

Here you will see our climber. With spaces to climb through, on top of and slide down, the climber is a wonderful tool for developing spatial awareness. It also develops coordination as children balance and climb.
We also have a larger slide which is so much fun and as the children wait for the next turn, it helps to develop social skills and turn taking.

Our riding toys help us to release some energy! They also help us to gain an understanding of some simple directions. STOP, GO, FAST, SLOW, FRONT, BACK, are some of the concepts that are integrated into our vehicle play, through signs and games. These are kept on the covered area under the deck in the backyard where we can enjoy a shady space on a hot day.  We also enjoy setting up the water table in the shady area beneath our new large maple tree!

We have three water tables, a sprinkler and many water toys to keep us cool during the hot months.  We also enjoy a playhouse in the backyard where we can take our imaginary play to the next level.  With a few cozy coupe cars, a gas station and a lawn mower, we can really pretend to be all grown up.  With a bubble machine and a huge bubble wand collection, we have lots of fun blowing, chasing, counting and popping bubbles.

I have a wagon, single, double and triple strollers for neighborhood walks, depending on our needs that day. We enjoy visits to the park when our numbers are low enough, and nature walks through the Aurora Arboretum paths behind my house. I also have a Zoo and Canada's Wonderland Pass & enjoy taking small groups on trip when I have volunteers.

THE PLAYROOM

Our child sized table doubles as a space to eat as well as providing the children with ample opportunity to get creative. Activities here include: Painting, Chalk Drawings, Sensory experiences, Colouring with Markers & Crayons, Stamping, Collaging & so much more.

The table is where we enjoy our mealtimes, little ones use the booster seats and scoop bibs to keep us clean.

Take a look at our Toy Shelves! As with all the toys, these toys are frequently rotated. The Storage Closet houses a wide variety of rotational toys AND a pair of green lockers store our art supplies as well as offer magnet fun.

The activity tables are located in the "big kidz zone" and primarily for quiet cognitive activities. Here you see puzzles set up, but the play options are endless at the activity tables and open ended. The Big Kidz Zone is where all toys that pose a choking hazard or that are difficult to use while interrupted by babies and toddlers, are kept. Children are encouraged to make thier own play choices for this area and may continue to select new toys and games as soon as their previous one has been tidied.

Some options include: Puzzles, Memory Games, Colour Matching Games, Number Counters, Magnet Exploration, Card Games, Science Experiments, Sensory Play, Alphabet Tracing, Tiny Lego, Games with Rules, Small manipulatives etc.

A playpen is also set up in the Big Kidz Zone where one of our little friends spends their mid day nap.

The Doll House is fully accessorized with beds, pool, sandbox, tables, chairs, swing, shed, vaccum, vehicles and a wide variety of little people. Children pull this into the room to access it from all sides. Just one of the many ways thier imagination will bloom here.

The block shelves always have a wide selection of blocks available. My collection of blocks includes: duplo, primo, wood building blocks, parquetry shapes, alphabet blocks, peek-a-boo blocks, cloth blocks, waffle blocks, megabloks & my collection is growing. It is adjacent to the car corner as these types of play go hand in hand.

Our quiet book corner offers a huge selection of story books, board books, tape books and a felt board with felt pieces. This is where we enjoy regular story times and sing-a-longs. It is also a cozy place to just relax. Some books are sorted by topic to aid in my programming. An instrument bin brought out during group time for musical experiences.

I have many stimulating toys for young ones including, kick toys, activity garden, exersaucer, rattles, teethers, board books, stuffed animals, aquarium swing, bouncy seats, sensory toys, baby einstein dvd's etc.

Our room is decorated with educational materials. The entranceway is where the bulletin board is located with our schedule and emergency plan posted at all times. I believe in a print-rich environment to promote early literacy so bins will be labelled with both the image of the toy & the word clearly displayed (labels are still being created).

We enjoy a convenient washroom space with change pad and diaper pail. Toilet seats and a potty for trainers. Step Stool at sink for handwashing. A Pantry which is child locked, for storage of a variety of items including dishes, some dry goods and diapering bins. These closets are our broom & Vacuum spaces.

DRAMATIC PLAY

The "Happily Ever After" room is a special place dedicated to pretend play. It provides a dedicated space for dramatic play with 3 kitchens we can play in different "houses"! Sometimes we play "house" The Happily Ever After room also has a full pretend house inside, toys shelves filled with play foods, dishes, masks, phones and purses.  Stuffed Animal & Dolly Bins, Doll beds and blankets, a work bench and piano, a flashlight collection and a playpen where one of our friends takes their mid day nap.

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