Earlyon Child and Family Centre Niagara Falls
2999 Dorchester Road L2J 2Z9 Niagara Falls, ON, Canada

Over the holidays the recycling accumulates!! Our friend Kevin the artist would often say that the best materials to create art is right in our blue bins. Invite your little ones to choose items they would like to paint or to use to create a sculpture. Layout a large tarp or paint cloth on the floor, add some pots of paint and brushes and let them create!! You can have fun too by joining in on this creative art experience. Materials needed: Recycled materials - boxes, egg ca...rtons, plastic bottles Large tarp or paint cloth Variety of paint colours in pots Paint brushes Glue or tape (if making a sculpture) Old paint shirt for your child to wear Instructions: Choose materials from your recycle bin- boxes, egg cartons, paper wrap tubes, plastic bottles (avoid opened tins or glass items) Lay the large cloth on the floor Add the recycled materials on top Have your child wear an old paint shirt / clothing Place paint pots and brushes on the tarp Allow your child to choose the colours they prefer. Watch and observe what they create! Benefits of Process Art: Providing an open ended art experience allows children to use their imagination and awaken their creative mind. During the holidays it can be a busy time, this type of experience can calming for children. Play some calm music in the background and watch and listen as your little one creates.

Find the links to our Coffee & Conversation videos and our Mindful Mini posts below! Session 1: Emotional Literacy Coffee & Conversation Link https://www.youtube.com/watch Mindful Mini Link https://www.facebook.com//a.371387822965/3320481924722289/... Session 2: What is Self-Regulation? Coffee & Conversation Link https://www.youtube.com/watch Mindful Mini Link https://www.facebook.com/MaryWardEarlyON/posts/3328595770577571 Session 3: Self-Regulation Strategies Coffee & Conversation Link https://www.youtube.com/watch Mindful Mini Link https://www.facebook.com//a.371387822965/3355294927907655/

21 Countdown Activities to ‘21 Materials Needed: Handout What to do:... Follow along our 21 countdown activities to ‘21! See if you can complete all 21 activities before the new year. Let us know what your favourite activity was! Think of Trying: Have a friendly family competition - see who can do the most activities before the new year (some you can do together, like baking a cake - that’s a win for everyone!) Benefits: The activities on this list will benefit yours and your child’s physical health, wellbeing, and creativity! It also provides an opportunity to reach a goal together and reflect on the last few days of 2020. End your year off strong with some physical exercise, creativity, and mindfulness.

STEAM: Geoboard Pumpkin

It's Fit Friday! Autumn Obstacle Course Bingo Incorporate this fun fitness activity with your family and get moving while outside! Print this sheet for you and your family and use it as a way to incorporate movement and actions. Get moving by using a timer to see how fast family members can find each object!... Helpful Tips! Try finding the objects while incorporating exercise moves in between (e.g. Do 5 jumping jacks after you’ve found the scarecrow! Jump on one foot 3 times when you’ve found an acorn!) Use the pumpkin in the middle to add your own object to your bingo sheet Have each member of the family introduce something new to their sheet and take turns looking for it Bring the bingo fun indoors by seeing what you have at home, e.g. Apple, boots, etc. Incorporating fitness into your daily routine is beneficial for your family because: 1. It encourages family bonding during the week especially with everyone’s busy schedules 2. It encourages lifelong healthy habits that your children will inhabit as they grow 3. Gives your children a chance to build confidence in themselves 4. Builds and teaches teamwork as a family!

Welcome to STEAM! Let us explore by using our math and engineering skills and make our very own geoboard pumpkin! I wonder, how many rubber bands can we fit on our geoboard? What kind of shapes can you make? Let’s count how many sides each shape has! We will also be extending this activity by exploring art using our pumpkin stem as a paint stamp. What a great way to take a closer look at this season’s harvest of pumpkins! Making a geoboard with your children is a great way f...or children to: Explore concepts of counting, numbers, and expand on their numeracy vocabulary Practice fine motor skills by placing the push pins and rubber bands on to the pumpkin (adult supervision) Creative expression by extending the activity with art allowing children to use their imagination Materials you will need: A pumpkin Push pins / golf tees (adult supervision) Rubber bands Art materials: Paint Paper Knife or pumpkin carver (adult supervision) Paint brushes (optional)

Today we read "Five Little Chicks" by Nancy Tafuri. We followed their journey and counted along! Let's look at the life cycle of a chicken. Match the words to the picture and see how you do! Once you've done that, identify the letters you see. How many letters can you point out? What colours do you see in the pictures?

Mindful Minis! Welcome back to Mindful Minis where we focus on the social and emotional well-being of young children. These minis will compliment our Coffee and Conversation’s with Nicole, our Parent Support Worker, held each Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. This week we are focusing on the idea of Breathing Techniques. Children can begin practicing different breathing techniques into their day at bed time, meal times, play time, and so on. Taking the time to regularly practice b...reathe consciously will encourage children to be aware and reflect on how the different breathing exercises affect how they feel. This will further support young ones with tools to cultivate their own inner wisdom, self-love, and regulation. When we teach breathing exercises to children, we give them a life-long tool for managing their stress and cultivating inner peace. Regular mindful breathing practice teaches emotional awareness, self-regulation, and mindfulness. That, in turn, strengthens the whole child. Try these Breathing Techniques with your little one: See more

Reminder of our Gathering Time today at 10:30 a.m. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86762135512 Meeting ID: 867 6213 5512 Passcode: 1234... #earlyonnfnotl #education #learning #childcare #niagaracatholic #learningthroughplay #niagarafamilies #storytime See more

Baby Playtime - Scarf Play

Thoughtful Thursday - The Thankful Tree Description: 1. Draw and cut leaf shaped paper 2. Cut out the leaf shapes... 3. Have each family member write what they are grateful for on their leaf 4. Attach string to each leaf and have each family member read out what they have written down and discuss as a family 5. Place branches in to pots and hang each grateful leaf on branches for display Change the leaves with the seasons and write something different each time! You can also change the leaves to snowflakes and hearts during winter, Family Day, and Valentines Day. Bonding with your family promotes togetherness, and creating attachments with children as a family is so important in the healthy development of children!

#earlyonnfnotl #education #niagararegion #childcare #niagarafamilies #babyplaytime #momsniagara

#earlyonnfnotl #education #niagararegion #childcare #niagarafamilies #storytime

Let's talk about mindfulness!