Little Lambs Home Daycare

A special moment shared from a home visit this past week. Inquiry based science activity Watch for a new blog post at www.littlelambshdc.com/blog showcasing this activity, it’s benefits, how to scaffold to continue learning, and all the fun we had along the way. Part of our role as an agency is to support our educators to try new activities, gain a deeper understanding of child development and hopefully inspire continual learning, and professional practice. ... . . . . . . . . . . . #fall #inquirybasedlearning #inquirybasedscience #earlyyearsideas #blogpostalert #littlelambs #LLHDC #licensedchildcareprovider #homedaycare #outdoorscience #recehomevisits #Madoc #hastingscounty #fun #invitationtoplay See more

Just a little Sunday resource crafting. Supplies include: wooden leaves (big and small) mini clothes pins ... clear wood glue/super glue permanent marker Items sourced cost less than $15 from Micheals and two separate invitations to play were created. Shown here is a. Easy numeracy activity 1-6 Skills developed through this activity include: number recognition counting fine motor skills patience attention regulation This activity can be used over and over again. Items can be added to scaffold learning and/add interest. What would you add? Share your creativity in the comments A literacy activity following the same concept was also created. Post coming soon.

Thank you Be Prepared

We inherited a green wall when we moved into our home 10 years ago. The previous owners had planted grape vines on the back fence. Thanks to the first frost and apparently perfect grape growing conditions this year, we picked a lot of grapes! One batch of grape jelly canned. Two quarts of juice left to make into jelly later this week . ( 1 quart of juice will make 8 jars of jelly. Nick is pretty pumped lol)

Music Monday Who needs a pick me up, feel good, reminder that there is goodness moment? I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did ... #gonatalia https://youtu.be/6dZ6eVGtvME

Gentle parenting (also known as positive parenting) is anything but permissive. Being kind, supporting children to self regulate and setting boundaries builds healthy kids https://youtu.be/Kg7v091kJk0

Sensory play is crucial for many areas of development. Play dough is still one of the best activities. Creating individual tinker trays for each child supports COVID-19 requirements while allowing children the ability to create and play BASIC/FOOLPROOF PLAYDOUGH RECIPE:... 1.5 cups flour 1/2 cup salt 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 2 tablespoons oil 1 cup of boiling water Dump all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix it all together. (If adding spices to create fall inspired scents, add 1 tsp to dry ingredients) Then add in the boiling water, oil and stir. You can add the food colouring directly to the boiling water if you prefer for nice, easy colour mixing. Or if you want different colours, you can add the food colouring at the end into the divided playdough. Knead a few times and it will become perfectly smooth. NOTE: play dough is currently one time use. To reduce waste send each child’s play dough home with them at the end of the day. They can continue their creativity and fun at home

Where were you September 11, 2001? I remember our classes being brought to the library. The librarian rolled the small tv on the black tv cart in front of the desk. I remember watching the news with my peers in a state of shock. A day that changed so many lives. How was this 19 years ago?

I’m excited to say SPACES AVAILABLE IN FRANKFORD Note: toddler and preschool spaces only. Infant spaces (under 24 months) are full. In the current child care climate making posts about open space is not something I’ve been able to do. If you’re looking for licensed child care in Frankford send us a message. We’d love to connect you with Sarah. Interviews are likely to book quickly with waitlists again becoming our normal. Act fast so you don’t miss out! ... A little about Sarah, Hi everyone, my name is Sarah. I’ve recently left my role as a supply teacher to license as a child care provider with Little Lambs. As a mom of three girls I hope to blend my professional and mom life to offer quality child care to my community. To learn more about child care through Little Lambs visit www.littlelambshdc.com

Who needs a pick me up??? Happy Friday https://youtu.be/aY6jTdDIEQs

Say NO to Time Outs I’m quite often met with looks of surprise when I talk about the negatives concerning Time Outs. If we take a minute to reflect on where time outs come from it’s easy to understand where our behavior modification predecessors went wrong. Time outs were presented as an alternative to physically spanking children for misbehaving. Neither spanking or time outs provide children with an opportunity to self-regulate or learn the processes of self regulation.... Time Outs are not a behavior management technique permitted to be used within Little Lambs and here’s a few reasons why: * When the parental/caregiver response is to isolate the child, an instinctual psychological need of the child goes unmet. In fact, brain imaging shows that the experience of relational painlike that caused by rejectionlooks very similar to the experience of physical pain in terms of brain activity. * In most cases, the primary experience a time-out offers a child is isolation. Even when presented in a patient and loving manner, time-outs teach them that when they make a mistake, or when they are having a hard time, they will be forced to be by themselvesa lesson that is often experienced, particularly by young children, as rejection. Further, it communicates to kids, I’m only interested in being with you and being there for you when you’ve got it all together. * Decades of research in attachment demonstrate that particularly in times of distress, we need to be near and be soothed by the people who care for us. But when children lose emotional control, parents often put them in their room or by themselves in the naughty chair, meaning that in this moment of emotional distress they have to suffer alone. * Studies in neuroplasticitythe brain’s adaptabilityhave proved that repeated experiences actually change the physical structure of the brain. * When children concentrate on their horrible luck to have such a mean, unfair mom or dad, they miss out on an opportunity to build insight, empathy, and problem-solving skills. Putting them in time-out deprives them of an opportunity to build skills that other types of discipline could focus on. Setting clear limits while emphasizing collaboration, conversation, and respect gives kids a chance to practice being active, empathic decision makers who are empowered to figure things out on their own. . . . . . . . . . . . . Quoted from: https://time.com/3404701/discipline-time-out-is-not-good/

#Sorry work. Something more important came up. This guy needed some attention after school today. He’s developed a fondness of Tea, to go along with his love of games.

Saw this in another group. Love it sharing Look at the differences between a typical preschool child’s hand (left) and a typical 7 year old hand (right). Want to know why a preschool aged child isn’t able to write yet? This is why! Their hands are still developing and are not fully formed. So what should they be doing to support this? PLAY!! Playdough, colouring, cutting, gluing, playing outside, digging in dirt, sensory play, dress up play, science experiments, beading, puzzles, throwing balls, etc. . All of these things help their hands develop. When they are physically ready to write, they will! No need to rush them, they will show you when they are ready. via @Raisingherbarefoot

I really like this simple #invitationtocreate

Balance boards are one of my top 5 favorite daycare resources. They can be used as a gross motor activity or in a variety of open ended ways. It’s literally up to each child’s imagination A little guidance and invitations to play provided by educators can scaffold learning even more. What are some of your favorite resources?

Here’s a peak at a fun inquiry based science activity from this past week. Kim is one of our amazing home child care providers in Trenton. She is always planning something great for the children in her care. By following the children’s interests she makes every day a GREAT DAY! Thank you Kim for putting so much heart into your program. ... Want to recreate this activity with your littles? Click the link below. Thank you #sciencebuddies https://youtu.be/CPOKDru-2ug @Kimmysplace

Emergent Curriculum is the fancy term used for the way we plan, implement and teach young children. No more do educators have their year planned in advance repeating the same topics, activities, outings etc year after year. The approach to respect children as capable and competent allows the educator to follow the children’s interest. ... What’s the best part? Brain science tells us that when children are actively engaged and interested in what they are learning they learn more! It means, by following an emergent style curriculum more language, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development is happening. Here are a couple blog posts that are worth reading if you’re new to emergent, child led curriculums. https://elc.utoronto.ca/about-us/emergent-curriculum/ http://playfullylearning.blogspot.com//theme-teaching-vs-e https://childhood101.com/emergent-curriculum-how-does-foll/

We could all use a little more (sometimes a lot more) Hygge in our lives. This danish approach to living life is a beautiful reminder to slow down, remember what’s important and be present for the people in your life. Bringing Hygge into our child care programs is a lovely way to build on the four foundations of How Does Learning Happen engagement ... *every child is an active and engaged learner who explores the world with body, mind, and sense well-being *every child is developing a sense of self, health, and well-being belonging *every child has a sense of belonging when they are connected to others and contributes to the world. expression *every child is a capable communicator who expresses themselves in many ways. I wrote a blog post for our website a bit ago about Hygge in the early years/home daycare. https://www.littlelambshdc.com//my-new-favourite-word-hygg

Playroom setups I Things all these spaces have in common: *neutral/natural colored furniture... *open shelves, beautiful baskets and simple storage *enough resources without being cluttered or over stimulating *mostly open ended toys/resources *just enough furniture. Lots of open floor space for moving around. *natural but easily sanitized toys/furniture *separate spaces for different developmental domains (quiet spaces, role play, gross motor, imaginative play, social engagement) *they are BEAUTIFUL playrooms and play spaces should feel calm and welcoming. What we don’t want to see a lot of in our playrooms/classrooms Bold colours for furniture and walls (think classic primary), over stimulating noisy resources (think toys requiring batteries). everything all at the same time/cluttered environment. (Rotate resources and change up your setups). limited open floor space

Have a wonderful weekend Little Lambs families

Well isn’t this a great idea! Thank you Go Science Kids for this simple no cost activity. A simple way to explore weight, cause and effect, measurement and balance. Throw in some Numeracy and language development with a dash of social interaction and it’s a winner of an activity.

This video makes me happy.

food for thought. Thanks, Be Prepared for the post.

With the start of school around the corner, we've created a quick update and reminder.

Sooooo..... scrolling through Facebook posts on our provider page this evening I came across this post by Ashley It sparked my memory and reminded me of an email I swiped past on a busy day (looked like more spam mail ). Letting it soak in, I now realize what this email was!! Thank you to our amazing community for nominating us. From the details shared the nomination period for community votes ends November 9th. ... If Little Lambs, and our affiliated group of amazing child care Provider’s have played a positive role in your life directly or indirectly we’d love your support. Please click the link below and add to our nominations https://belleville.communityvotes.com///childcare-services Feel free to spread the love and share #thankyou #communityvotes2020 #Belleville #licensedhomedaycare #homedaycareprovider #childcare #nominate

Love this invitation the create

https://developingchild.harvard.edu//what-is-inflammatio/

For anyone with children returning to school with either HPEDSB or Lakeshore Catholic District Scjool Board. http://www.hpedsb.on.ca/2/return-to-school-plan-for-hpedsb/

Welcome to my #carffice our new normal keeps evolving. My daughter is back to competition gymnastics @quintebaygymnastics which means I’m working from their parking lot for the first part of my day. I’m also finding new hours of the day to work. Balancing kids at home and working is hard. Monday saw me with my trusty sidekick Holly at the office after kids bedtimes. We’re making this new normal work! ... How are you managing? Share your time management tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #carfficethoughts #carffice #quintebayacro #quintebaygymnasticsclub #momlife #dogsofinstagram #cockapoosofinstagram #workfromhome #newnormal2020 #makingitwork #nightjob

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca//ontario-making-announcement-to

Listen with you school agers Have you ever wondered why kids seem to have more energy than adults??? https://open.spotify.com/episode/5KRzYLfNmrO18GxqnbYOAn