Wee Watch Licensed Home Child Care Oakville

Today is Groundhog Day! Folklore has it that if a groundhog sees its shadow on Feb. 2, it will retreat into its burrow, and we endure another six weeks of cold weather. No shadow means spring-like temperatures are on the way.... It’s official Wiarton Willie has predicted an early spring!

During "normal" times children experience a wide range of emotions that can be hard for them to understand and express. Throughout this pandemic, not only are our emotions heightened and out of whack, but so are those of our wee friends. It is easy to forget that children do not always know what they are feeling and how to express what they are feeling. One of our Wee Watch Providers in Barrie, Brianna, created this awesome "cozy corner" in her day care space. The basket is filled with books all about emotions, cuddly things, tensions/stress balls and the poster on the wall displays different calming strategies. What a great way to help children learn different techniques to manage their big emotions.

Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates a child's senses: touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing. Sensory activities facilitate exploration and naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore. Ice is a fun, free, and awesome sensory play item. You simply add water to a bowl or tub along with little items and freeze. Children will love chiseling away trying to get the treasures out. Our Provider Crystal froze pom poms and the children loved it!

Our "Tower of Books" Challenge & Fundraiser is winding down. Our Providers and little readers have been doing an amazing job reading and we are so thrilled to announce that our Wee Watch homes have read 4939 books so far! Way to go everyone! Just a reminder, for every book read in our Wee Watch homes during this event Wee Watch will donate $0.10 to the Canadian Children's Literacy Foundation.... There are still a few days left, so get reading!

Check out our latest Wee Talk Blog: Supporting Literacy at Home. There are many ways parents can support the development of literacy in their children, and many of those ways can be fun!

Last week was the start of our annual Together Wee Can program. We kicked things off with our "Tower of Books" Challenge & Fundraiser, which runs until Wednesday January 27th, Family Literacy Day. For every book read in our Wee Watch homes during this event, Wee Watch will donate $0.10 to the "Canadian Children's Literacy Foundation". We have heard from some of our Providers and are thrilled to share with you that after only one week, Wee Watch Providers and children have read 1430 books! That is a great start and still a week and a half to go, plenty of time to get reading! Way to go everyone, keep up the great work!

Today we are introducing our Provider Bhavna, who joined Wee Watch Nepean in April 2014. When a child is part of Bhavna’s child care they become part of her family. You can feel her positive energy as soon as you enter her home. She is always professional with both the office and her parents. It is obvious that Bhavna loves what she does and is such an amazing ambassador for Wee Watch! She quickly forms a bond with a new wee one, and often children that are no longer in care ...still keep in touch. That’s the sort of impact she makes! New parents feel at ease as well, making this an easy transition for them too. Her beautiful new home has an awesome playroom with big windows and lots of space for the children to explore, play and learn. There are always a variety of toys to entice any age group and she is eager to educate herself on different activities and learning games she could incorporate into her group as well. Bhavna loves to get the children outside exploring. It could be going on a nature walk, blowing bubbles or a simple walk around the neighbourhood. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention her dance shows. Bhavna enjoys teaching the children (even very young ones) simple cultural dances that they then can perform for their parents, even dressing in authentic garments. In the past, this would be a planned social get together Bhavna organized for the wee ones and parents to come together and celebrate with their daycare family. Thank you for all you do Bhavna, especially in this unprecedented time.

Wishing all those who are celebrating a very Happy Diwali!

Today is National Child Day, which is a day to recognize Canada's commitment to upholding the rights of children and supporting them to live their best life. This guide (https://bit.ly/335IKRh) provides wonderful resources to help teach children about National Child Day, as well as some activities to do together. #nationalchildday #childrenfirst #childrenhaverights #seenandheard #weewatchcares

Kindness can go a long way. Today is World Kindness Day, and this day offers us a reminder of the ripple effect one small act of kindness can have. It is also a great opportunity to teach our children the importance of being caring to others, and how every day we should be kind to everyone around us. Here are some wonderful activities to do with kids to help spread kindness: https://bit.ly/38CdTiG #worldkindnessday #bekind #spreadlove

Today we’re introducing Kaitland, who joined Wee Watch Nepean in May 2019. Kaitland has an amazing space, recently renovated, in her basement for the children to develop, learn and grow. With her many innovative ideas, she is constantly empowering her children to be the best that they can be. Arts and crafts, playing and exploring the outdoors, planning creative and educational activities on a regular basis, Kaitland’s child care is a home away from home for the children who are so fortunate to be in her care. We are so lucky to have her as a part of our Wee Watch family! #weewatchwednesday #providerprofile #weewatch #weewatchprovider #licensedhomechildcare #qualitychildcare

*Product Recall* Health Canada has issued a recall of this bath toy due to a choking hazard

As we mark Remembrance Day today, parents, caregivers and Providers are encouraged to speak to children about the importance of this day. This article (https://bit.ly/3pgBKuy) provides some great tips. Another wonderful option is to watch and listen to the book A Poppy is to Remember being read aloud: https://youtu.be/AWKwDmfha54 #lestweforget #remembranceday #weremember

Many of our Providers have been busy doing some poppy arts and crafts with the children in their homes. If you are still looking for some ideas for making poppies with your wee ones, click here for some inspiration (https://bit.ly/32uCX7E). You may even decide to display them in your windows to show support for our veterans. #artsandcrafts #makepoppies #poppies