Toddler Program

January 2023

This month the children in the toddler program have began to explore the house area and specifically the act of cooking, sharing, and eating food has been a huge area of interest in our group. The conversations and explorations are happening throughout their play and continuing to our group meal times. Throughout the month we have been continuing to reflect and revamp our environment to better support these explorations while supporting the children’s interest while also challenging the children in the room in sharing a space and expanding our associative play skills, and encouraging them to continue forming connections between peers, materials and the environment.

E walked up to W this morning with a basket of food and said “Play with me?” With a smile, W said “Yea!” This interaction sparked some AMAZING discoveries! E and W sat down on the milk crates that were on the carpet and began to explore trading food and pretending to eat. W “Eating food!” Their excitement caught the attention of HML, HE, and A who also came over. They began taking materials out of the basket of food and brought it down to the mats. E kept taking food out and walking to the stove and would put them inside. She would close the door, turn the knobs and wait. After a few moments, E would come back with the food on the plate and give it to her peers. H was the first recipient “H eating! Apple!” Before long, the whole group was on the carpet and E thought they needed more space so she brought over more milk crates and the children followed with chairs.

A said “We made a table. Eating lunch!”

W “I eating lunch too Lolo!”

W “Walker, cooking.”

S “Eat food home!”

H (holding an orange) “Orange yum!”

This play continued for almost 40 min before we needed to take a gross motor break. When half the group left, W, S, H, B, and AC got to work again in the house area. W began singing Happy Birthday to his peers.

S exclaimed “Birthday cake for Mama!”

W walked over to the stove and placed the pan in.

S With oven mitts on his hands said “Hot Hot!” W closed the door and waited. He exclaimed “READY NOW!” When HML walked over, put on the oven mitts and took the cake out of the oven and brought it to his peer, to which A said “BIRTHDAY!”


Selena Martin

Lauren Dewar RECE