Old Millbrook School Earlyon Child and Family Centre
1 Dufferin Street L0A1G0 Millbrook, ON, Canada

Please be advised that in accordance with the Provincial Shut Down, OMSFC will be pausing all in person programs. We will continue to offer virtual content for families to enjoy. We look forward to a time we can see you again.Please be advised that in accordance with the Provincial Shut Down, OMSFC will be pausing all in person programs. We will continue to offer virtual content for families to enjoy. We look forward to a time we can see you again.

Good Morning! Today’s recipe is super simple and delicious, your kids will love! Banana Oat Sheet Pan Pancakes... Ingredients: 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup wholegrain wheat flour 2 ripe bananas cup almond milk (or your preference) 3 eggs 3 tbsp maple syrup 4 tbsp coconut oil 3 tsp baking powder Toppings (bananas, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips) Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400F Mix all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor Grease your baking tray or use baking paper. Spread the batter onto the baking tray and add your toppings of choice Bake for 15-20 minutes. Pierce with a knife and if the knife comes out clean pancakes are done!

Loose Parts Play -SPONGES Sponges come in all shapes, sizes and colours. They can add a lot of fun to your child’s open play. They can be combined, moved, carried, redesigned, lined up, taken apart and put together in multiple ways. ... Here are a few ideas how you could set a provocation to your child(ren). Treasure Basket: Use a low basket or sturdy box and fill it with sponges of different sizes, colours and textures. Set it in an accessible area to your child. Using a treasure basket gives a child the opportunity to explore with their senses, develops fine motor, independence and creativity. Imaginative Play: Sponges can be used in any play setting, children can pretend they are some sort of food, part of a fence on a farm, a bed in house play, possibilities are endless. Place sponges in your child’s favourite setting, and present set it in a way you may think it will look appealing to your child. Maybe on a play plate by the table, or on the back of a construction truck. Pretend play combines two wondrous and uniquely human characteristics: the capacity for fantasy and the capacity for, and need to, make meaning of our experience. Susan Linn Blocks: Sponges can be part of an awesome structure. Set a basket with sponges by your children’s building space. Make a small building structure to captive your child’s attention. Constructive play fosters creative thought, problem-solving, eye-hand coordination and dexterity, mathematical and scientific concepts. Sensory Water: Large plastic bin filled with water and add some sponges of different sizes, shapes and colours. This is a messy play perfect for outdoors. Children are drawn to water play. They build fine motor strength, eye-hand coordination, problem-solving, cause and effect by repetitive motions such as squeezing, transporting, stirring. Water play is fun and it can also be a soothing and calming sensory experience. -Let us know how is your child(ren) using sponges. *Adult supervision is always recommended.

Let's Get Moving! Yoga helps strengthen growing bodies, improves flexibility and can help in reducing injuries. Yoga can also provide a physical outlet for children to use their imagination and express themselves. Today we are going to pretend that we are transforming with each yoga pose. Can you think of your own ways to stretch your body and what are you pretending to be? ... Let us know! ~ Amanda

Good Afternoon, for Storytime today I am reading "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff. Come and join me!

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Landmark 5, from Pathway to Stewardship and Kindship Help in a garden or look after an animal -Develop empathy by watching and caring for living things. ... These last few days, I have been spending some time working in my garden, while doing that I have spotted some beautiful yellow butterflies (Swallowtail). Butterflies are some of the most beautiful creatures we get to see during summer. I really enjoy watching them flutter around my yard. Here is a simple recipe to make Butterfly Nectar to attract butterflies and make them feel welcome! You will need: Sponges String 1 cup water cup granulated sugar Directions: -In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil, stir in sugar and simmer until dissolved. -Remove from heat and cool completely. -Even if your sponge is new, rinse thoroughly with clean water. Cut sponge in half or your desired sized ( I cut mine in three pieces). -Poke a small hole in each sponge. -Cut some string and thread though a sponge. -Dip the sponge in syrup until full. -Pick a spot to hang them around your garden, porch railings, or whatever else is accessible to you. Here is a link to a poster with some of the more common butterfly and caterpillar species from the Canadian Wildlife Federation to help you identify some of your visitors. https://cwf-fcf.org//booklets-hand/poster_butterfly_en.pdf Have a great day! -Brenda We are looking for families to actively participate in this journey with us. We would love for you to email us at [email protected] to let us know you are interested. Then, we will send you the link to a short online survey to complete. After that, join us online on Mondays and/or Wednesdays when its convenient for you and try out the ideas and activities we share. Share photos through email or in the comments section of each post of you and the children enjoying the activities and share your children's questions, ideas and observations with us. For more information, you can visit, https://pathwayproject.ca/

Join me right here at 2:00 pm for a Facebook Live Storytime! ~ Amanda

We are excited to be offering Virtual Program Offerings for Families until at least February 8th. We hope you will ‘tune’ in.We are excited to be offering Virtual Program Offerings for Families until at least February 8th. We hope you will ‘tune’ in.

Congratulations to Kristin Drummond whose name we drew for our "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" Contest. Thank you to all who participated!

Hello Everyone, Today I’m sharing a face/body paint recipe super easy to make. Face/body painting is a great creative activity where children can exercise their fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, also a great sensory experience and lots of fun! You will need:... cup corn starch cup flour cup lotion cup water 1 tsp vegetable oil Food colouring Spoon Bowl Container Mirror Directions: Add all ingredients to a bowl except the food colouring. Mix ingredients very well and make sure the paint consistency is to your liking. Add more cornstarch if you want to thicken or water to thin out. Separate in small container as many colours as you would like. Add drops of food colouring to obtain the colour you desire. Store in an airtight container. It can be a messy activity, I recommend to set the materials on a small area that is easy to wipe (maybe cover the area with a big old towel or bed sheet).

Look how tall this snowperson is!

Mental Health Monday Check-In Looking for a simple way to help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and maybe even improve your memory? Take a walk in the woods. Research suggests that mood disorders can be lifted by spending more time outdoors.

Music and Movement Join us on Zoom on Monday February 1st @ 10:00 AM February 8th @ 10:00 AM... Sing along with Brenda. Here is the Zoom info to join us. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84719233538...

In person programs have now restarted! We are posting them as events on Facebook. Registration is required for every program.In person programs have now restarted! We are posting them as events on Facebook. Registration is required for every program.

What's Happening Virtually this week at The Old Millbrook School EarlyON Child and Family Centre. Monday February 1st: Monday Mental Health Check In Post (morning) Little Artist Offering (afternoon)... Tuesday February 2nd: Story Time with Amanda (morning) Sensory/Science with Brenda (afternoon) Wednesday February 3rd: Pathways Program Offering with Amanda (morning) Gathering Time with Brenda (afternoon) Thursday February 4th: Pathways Program Offering with Brenda (morning) Fun in the First Year with Amanda (afternoon) Friday February 5th: Healthy Recipe Offering Sunday Febraury 7th: Self-Reg Sundays Tune in when you can! Have a great week.

Good Afternoon Everyone! We are taking a little break from Rhyme Time and would like for you to join us on the Learning Trail. The Learning Trail is an in person program that runs every Thursday in partnership with Cavan-Monaghan Libraries. Today's story is "Apple Cake" by Dawn Case. The recipe for Apple Cake will be posted in the comments. Please visit our Facebook Events for details and registration information for our outdoor programs.... Have a great day! ~ Amanda

Have you considered joining us and registering for our Trail Walks each Tuesday morning? In her book, "Balanced and Barefoot", Angela Hanscom shares that Children develop a strong vestibular sense by having frequent opportunities to move especially activities that go against gravity. Walking and running offer some vestibular input, but activities that encourage children out of an upright position provide rapid input to the inner ear. In other words, children will benefit... immensely by going upside down, spinning, tumbling, and swinging. Hanscom considers the vestibular system a sense, just like sight, hearing, touch or smell. After all, input to the vestibular system gives the brain information about the person’s surroundings, just as the other senses do. Without a strong sense of balance and spatial orientation, which the vestibular system provides, other senses are negatively affected. An overarching theme of her work is that children need abundant opportunities to strengthen their ability to integrate sensory input. The more input the brain receives, the more sensory integration practice the child has. (Katie Koerten for The Gazette) Email us at [email protected] to register.

There is still space left for the three remaining weeks of this program. Email [email protected] to register today. Please be sure to include your phone number and the full names of all who will attend with you and their ages. Participants will be contacted to confirm their registration or to be informed that the program is full.... Participants will be emailed our COVID Policies and Procedures and will be sent the link to our COVID Screen to be completed the day of the program prior to arriving. All adults and children will have their temperatures taken upon arrival prior to joining in the program. Please note, this is an outdoor program so dress for the weather each day. Access to our building is not permitted at this time.