Monarch Manor
240 Manor Rd E M4S 1R8 Toronto, ON, Canada

They say it takes a village to raise a child... our village includes a team of loving, committed and passionate educators. A huge thank you to all our teachers on Child Care Worker and ECE Appreciation Day! #eceappreciationday

An outdoor graduation for our preschoolers heading to kindergarten we’re so excited as they embark on this next adventure!

Salt trays are an easy and fun way to practice pre-writing skills. Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills children need to develop before they are able to write. These skills contribute to the child's ability to hold and use a pencil, and the ability to draw, write, copy, and colour. A major component of pre-writing skills are the pre-writing shapes. Pre-writing shapes are the pencil strokes that most letters, numbers and early drawings are comprised of. They are typi...cally mastered in sequential order, and to an age specific level. These strokes include the following strokes: |, , O, +, /, square, \, X, and . (See image 2 - source: relatetherapyservices.com.au) Salt trays can be made from any flat surface with an edge to keep the salt inside. Add colour using paper or paint underneath if you like. Shake gently to reset the salt and start all over again. Images for this rainbow salt tray are from learning4kids.net #weareallinthistogether #playideas @ Monarch Manor

It’s the weekend....Let’s make some noise! Can Drums Drums create the rhythm to a tune, making this instrument a key element in a tempo lesson. Whether you dance to the beat or sing along with the percussion, drums are a great guide. You can create drums at home by using everyday items like soup cans, Pringles containers, or even a tabletop! All you need is some kind of a drum stick to tap along with.... https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/kid-made-drum-set-kazoo-eas Kazoo Explore sound and science with creative kids blog Buggy and Buddy’s homemade kazoo. With simple materials that you’re likely to have at home (cardboard tube, wax paper, rubber band, etc), this kazoo is perfect for vocal tots who love to spend their days humming and singing. See how to re-create this activity by heading over to Buggy and Buddy. https://buggyandbuddy.com/exploring-sound-making-a-kazoo-s/ Water Xylophone If you’re looking for an instrument with a multitude of sounds, you may want to try this musical water xylophone. By filling the cups with different amounts of water and tapping the glasses with a spoon, your kids can hear all the different tones that are produced. This is a great activity to complete with a friend (or little brother or sister), too. Get them started on a beat to a certain tempo with one cup, and you can join in with another sound or a different cup. Soon you’ll be on your way to making your very own homemade musical masterpiece! http://www.stillplayingschool.com//musical-water-experimen Cereal Box Guitar If you've got a cereal box and a couple of rubber bands lying around, you've got a guitar! Made by Joel has the super simple how-to. Older babies and toddlers can help you decorate the cereal box with stickers or washi tape, then get to strumming. No cereal box? Rubber bands stretched around a loaf pan will produce a similar effect. http://madebyjoel.com/2010/11/cheerios-craft-video-2.html #wereallinthistogether

Repurpose those baby wipes containers! Another idea for sensory play using the tops of baby wipe containers by attaching them to some kind of a board, and then stick materials with fun textures to the inside of each. Your child can open and close the different lids and feel the textures and look at the materials. For added fun and challenge, after your child learns each of the materials using sight and touch, close the lids and have your child try and figure out which are... which just from touch alone. https://motherhoodandotheradventures.wordpress.com//peek-/ Older infants & toddlers love pulling scraps of colorful fabric out of baby wipe containers. This is an easy activity that can go on for hours and never get old. Source: https://aspottedpony.com//turn-a-wipe-container-into-/876/ Give your old wipes container eyes so that it becomes a cute monster that eats letters. The idea is for your child to put in one letter at a time to feed the alphabet monster. Encourage your child to say the letter and make its sound. You can also ask your little one to find specific letters to put in. https://www.icanteachmychild.com/feed-the-alphabet-monster/ Children who know their letters practice their phonemic understanding with pictures on the lid tops of animals (or whatever else you want to use) and then letters underneath from the beginnings of their names. Your child tries to figure out which letters are under which animals. https://www.notimeforflashcards.com//flip-top-phonics-game #wereallinthistogether