January 2024
During the month of January, the children in the Infant Program have been very interested in snow! Since we had very few snow falls towards the end of 2023, the children were thrilled about all the snow we received in January! Towards the beginning of January, the children explored the snow in all aspects, such as feeling it with their hands, pressing the snow down with their boots, and even by putting fresh, clean snow into their mouths to further explore it. The children were also able to engage in some ‘snow painting’ as we put paint/water into squeeze bottles for the children to explore! As the weather got chillier and chillier, we had to think outside the box to further expand the children’s interest in snow. We decided to brace the cold January weather and collect some snow into buckets for the children to enjoy! Since the children had previously done snow painting using the squeeze bottles, some of the children reached over to the squeeze bottles and incorporated them into their play experience. The following morning, we decided to revisit the snow painting experience by collecting snow into buckets again and providing the squeeze bottles filled with paint/water! Additionally, the children began adding some play materials into their snow buckets, such as animals, stacking blocks, and scoops. The following morning, the children engaged in a scavenger hunt by digging the animals out of the snow! Once the weather had warmed up, the children were thrilled to finally play in the snow in our playground again! The children created ‘snow castles’ by placing snow into buckets and placing them upside down, as well as learning to scoop/dump the snow using shovels! I wonder how else we will be able to explore the snow?
Emily Merenda RECE, Miranda Lange RECE, Swati Limbachia B.A, BEd, M.A
