Belonging and Contributing
Belonging and Contributing – “Children learn how to communicate and understand the importance of relationships with others and with the environment around them. Children’s sense of connectedness to others, to their community and to the natural world is part of this area of learning and development. Children begin to develop their sense of belonging and contributing through their relationships with their families and classroom communities.”
What does it look like at home? – Children are already in close relationship with their families but the ability of young children is often overlooked at home. As adults it is often easier and faster to do things for children. But for children to learn they must be given the time and encouragement to do things themselves. There is no reason young children cannot have the responsibility of taking care of many of their own needs: dressing, helping with meals, tidying up their toys, etc. When you are doing this at home you are helping your child learn about and develop a sense of belong and contributing.
Activities
● Baking/Cooking
○ Any form of cooking or baking is an opportunity for children to develop their independence, creativity, and a sense of contribution. Having your child help with the preparation of a snack or meal, or having them alongside you as you bake, will teach children multiple life skills. You will be demonstrating to them safe practices in the kitchen, food preparation, measuring, and how fun cooking can be.
● Making Compost:
○ Learning how to make compost is an excellent way to teach children how to be less wasteful and how to reuse materials in order to create a more sustainable world. It is important to show children at a young age that everyone plays a part in helping reduce and reuse the waste we produce. Clicking on the title of this activity it will bring you to a well laid out lesson plan created by amazing scientists and teachers at Science North. This activity promotes personal responsibility for the world around us, while also teaching your children about biology.
Overall Expectations:
1. communicate with others in a variety of ways, for a variety of purposes, and in a variety of contexts.
2. demonstrate independence, self regulation, and a willingness to take responsibility in learning and other endeavours.
7. participate actively and regularly in a variety of activities that require the application of movement concepts.
13. use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating.
14. demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings.
25. demonstrate a sense of identity and a positive self-image.
28. demonstrate an awareness of their surroundings.
29. demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment.
Ice Painting
Ice painting is a creative and interactive activity that allows the child to participate in the development of the ‘paint’, as well as express creativity when designing and creating new art pieces. When clicking on the link, you will be directed to a quick video that demonstrates how to create ‘ice paint’, and some artwork examples. Art is a great way for children to express themselves, and to explore different designs and colours. This quick and safe homemade ice paint will allow your child to see how different materials can be used in a creative way.
Outdoor Exploration and Documentation
This activity can be done in your own backyard, or on a nature walk. You can have your child bring a notebook and pencil, or a clipboard, and have them document their findings through words, scribble writing, drawings, etc. To engage your child with further questions, ask them what they notice about the plant, bug, animal, and describe the surroundings or habitat as well. This activity promotes exploration, biodiversity, and a sense of understanding of the natural world around them.
● Overall Expectations:
○ (1) Communicate with others in a variety of ways, for a variety of purposes, and in a variety of contexts.
○ (2) Demonstrate independence, self regulation, and a willingness to take responsibility in learning and other endeavours.
○ (3) Identify and use social skills in play and other contexts.
○ (4) Demonstrate an ability to use problem solving skills in a variety of contexts, including social contexts.
○ (6) Demonstrate an awareness of their own health and well-being.
○ (7) Participate actively and regularly in a variety of activities that require the application of movement concepts.
○ (20) Apply the mathematical processes to support the development of mathematical thinking, to demonstrate understanding, and to communicate thinking and learning in mathematics, while engaged in play-based learning and in other contexts.
○ (25) Demonstrate a sense of identity and a positive self-image.
● Overall Expectations:
○ (4) Demonstrate an ability to use problem-solving skills in a variety of contexts, including social contexts.
○ (13) Use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating.)
○ (14) Demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings.
○ (22) Communicate their thoughts and feelings, and their theories and ideas, through various art forms.
○ (28) Demonstrate a sense of awareness of their surroundings.
○ (29) Demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and a need to care for and respect the environment.
Gardening
Gardening is a great activity that gets children outside, learning about plants and vegetables, as well as a way to spend quality time with the family. Even if you don’t have a full garden, you can buy individual plants or seeds, and have them inside the home in planters. The diversity of plants that can be explored will allow children to learn about a wide variety of biodiversity. In addition, learning how certain foods are grown will help children understand that food can come from the earth, which may help develop an appreciation for sustainable living.
Overall Expectations:
1. communicate with others in a variety of ways, for a variety of purposes, and in a variety of contexts.
2. demonstrate independence, self regulation, and a willingness to take responsibility in learning and other endeavours.
13. use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating.
22. communicate their thoughts and feelings, and their theories and ideas, through various art forms.
Overall Expectations:
1. communicate with others in a variety of ways, for a variety of purposes, and in a variety of contexts.
2. demonstrate independence, self regulation, and a willingness to take responsibility in learning and other endeavours.
3. identify and use social skills in play and other contexts.
4. demonstrate an ability to use problem solving skills in a variety of contexts, including social contexts.
7. participate actively and regularly in a variety of activities that require the application of movement concepts.
8. develop movement skills and concepts as they use their growing bodies to move in a variety of ways and in a variety of contexts.
10. demonstrate literacy behaviours that enable beginning writers to communicate with others.
13. use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating.
14. demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings.
15. demonstrate an understanding of numbers, using concrete materials to explore and investigate counting, quantity, and number relationships.
17. describe, sort, classify, build, and compare two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures, and describe the location and movement of objects, through investigation.
28. demonstrate an awareness of their surroundings.
29. demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment.
