All Aboard the Story Truck

Who needs a library on wheels? Small Wonders does! We have to admit that it's not always easy getting out. Even as a nature-inspired dayhome,  it can be difficult to get all the children up and out in the cold from the cold fall months, to the deep snowy winter days.

Reading is the source from which we pull 99% of our activities and inspirations, so having a library come to us, is pretty awesome.

Aboard Calgary Public Library’s Story Truck, you’ll find story time, song and rhymes, play time, and of course books — all for children from 0 to five years of age.

The Story Truck visits day homes in select neighbourhoods once a week for a month, bringing fun and learning to each visit.

The library's free Library Month at Your Day Home program is a hit for my little ones. I'd prepared the children for our visit and they were giddy with excitement. They were waiting and watching, and when the truck pulled up they couldn't get their shoes on fast enough.

I LOVE the fact that the truck comes to our house. I love the fact that Ms. Courtney, our facilitator got right down to the children's' level and made them feel at home - aboard the bus of course.

There is really something for any child. Or should I say every child?! Ms. Courtney started off with a song, then a story/book, then some finger play and singing, and another story. I really liked the fact that there was room in the truck for movement. There was a little break in all of that. The 45 minutes is just right, because the children don't have much idle time (we all know what happens when children are idle).

Our friends were also able to take out books...I did as well, and Small Wonders was left with a big bin of books - ours to keep and read for one whole month. 

Oh, and one more thing; The newest Story Truck on the road features illustrations from Mo Willems, children’s author and creator of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

The children coloured some groovy pigeons after our visit.

We cannot wait until our next visit.

Happy reading everyone!

All about the Senses ~ Part 1

One of the problems with lesson planning is that each child has unique interests that may not be celebrated by peers. It's not always easy to get all the kids excited about a particular topic. As such, I often break up our activities into various parts, ensuring that each child finds at least one activity that they enjoy.

In the month of September we learned all about the senses. Learning about the senses is not necessarily exciting for each child. Thus, I was inspired to covered the topic using various materials, and teaching methods in both languages (English & French).

On a cool afternoon, as I prepared hot chocolate and scones for tea time, the older children enjoyed some early literacy fun. While happily talking about "current affairs" lol, they traced, wrote and drew on worksheets that I'd provided for them. They were so engaged and had so much fun doing it that they asked me for more "work".

What better way to work on our pencil grasp and spelling than to trace some fun activity words! Check out Education.com for more fine motor and language arts activities like this one!

Stay tuned to see how we continue to explore all about our senses.

*This journal entry contains an affiliate link. Please read my disclosure here.

Story of the month: Stone Soup

We started our storytelling on Thursday, which was just the right day to do so as it was soup day. The children take turns picking veggies out of my sac to add to the soup, and they almost know the story by heart :)
We are having so much fun with this story. We did a bit of French vocab as well, and made our own soupe aux legumes craft. In the kitchen we made vegetable soup with wild rice, and we added a boiled egg AND potato latkes - yum!

Stone Soup Synopsis (there are many variations of this story)

A young man (Jack) is very hungry. He comes upon a village, where he assumes 2 things...where there's a village there are people AND where there are people there is food. He's sure he will not be hungry for long.
He knocks on each door in the village only to be turned away, and told to go ask someone else for food.
Empty-handed and still hungry, he leaves the village. He finds a stone on the side of the road, which gives him an idea. He runs back to the village and speaks to one of the villagers - telling  him that he is going to make stone soup. The villager is curious and brings Jack a big pot, which they place in the village square. 

One by one the villagers bring vegetables, herbs and meat to add to the big bubbling pot.  
Soon, the pot is filled with potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, cabbage, meat and so on. Indeed a great delicious pot of soup was shared by all the villagers, and Jack leaves the villagers the stone, for the next time they want to make a pot of stone soup.

A bit of storytelling ... bit of art, a bit of food.

There are other versions of the book.  Well look This is the first copy that I found/read.

Gift-Giving Event- Week 1: Merry Christmas Purple Dinosaur !

Hello dear parents & friends of Small Wonders. Welcome to our first blog post for our Holiday Gift-Giving Event. The event is being hosted by Small Wonders Dayhome & Playschool and our wonderful, generous sponsors. 
Each week (until the week of December 18th) we will be giving away a lovely gift. All you have to do is read the entry rules and follow the directions.

Good luck everyone!

About the Book & Author
Written by Shelancia Daniel, a textile artist, designer, creative director and owner of EZ Kids and The Creativity Shell.  Shelancia began writing and sewing books for her own children and is grateful to share her first book with children everywhere!

Merry Christmas purple Dinosaur! is about a dinosaur who wants to make  Christmas special by visiting all her friends. Her friends live all over the world and speak many different languages, and celebrate Christmas in their own way. Purple Dinosaur brings gifts for her friends to enjoy, and is delighted when she gets an unexpected gift in return.

Merry Christmas Purple Dinosaur! is beautiful to look at. With stunningly-crafted illustrations and an introduction to various languages, the book is sprinkled with a tribute to different countries and cultures. The book draws each reader into the story, as if he or she were on a magical Christmas journey. This book is a keepsake!

This holiday season, EZ Kids will generously offer copy of Merry Christmas Purple Dinosaur! to ONE lucky Small Wonders family & (or) family members.

There are the 2 ways to enter this giveaway:

 You can receive up to 4 entries:

1/ Leave a comment in the "comment section" below, telling me what you love about the holidays  = 1 point.
Want Extra Points?    
2/ Visit and follow the Creativity Shell on FB, or Twitter or Instagram...or all 3. Come back and tell me where you've done so (in comment section - 1 comment per each) = 3 points.

The giveaway is open to Small Wonders families, any family member attending the Christmas party, and other SW friends (ie. helpers etc). 
Rules were outlined in the latest Weekending Report.

The giveaway begins on Wednesday, November 16th and closes on Sunday, November 21st at midnight- Mountain Time.

                                                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A winner will be chosen using a random number generator. The winner will be announced on Friday December 23rd, at the Christmas party. 

This book is also available in Kindle edition.

******************CONTEST CLOSED ****************

Small Wonders Visit Owl's Nest Bookstore

Two weeks ago the children and I bundled up and stopped in at Owl's Nest Books (Calgary's oldest independent bookstore). I had the intention to visit with the little ones in the Summer, but we just never got around to it, and I'm glad we were able to do it before year's end. The thing is, we were all under the weather in some way, shape or form, but we did good (imo).

I love Owl's Nest; it's a warm cozy little place that is so inviting. 
I also like the location. I mean, it's certainly not in our neighborhood, but located in the Britannia Shopping Plaza on Elbow Drive & 49th Avenue, taking the number 3 bus down is not only fun, (because the kids like it), it's also very accessible.

The kids had a great time. They browsed, ran around a little (not too much), and some sat down with a book or two.
Owl's Nest has a good selection of preschool French books (which is what we were after), we also picked up some other stuff gifts on our trip. Owl's Nest has a range of books and toys for any age and/ or taste, so it's definitely a one stop shop. The staff is lovely and welcoming to all. If you haven't visited, you should sooner than later.

Thank you so much to the wonderful staff who were very kind to the little ones.

What Does Peace Feel Like? ~ September Book of the Month

Our September book of the month was What Does Peace Look Like? (V. Radunsky).
Radunsky's vibrant book combines visuals, and encourages (young) children to use their 5 senses to discuss the topic of peace. Using quotes from children in an International school in Rome, this book takes a serious matter, and gets right down to the child's level.

Working with younger children, I think the word peace can be so abstract. I think this is true for many people. We use our senses in every day life, and I think this is why it sticks with the younger reader.  Going even further, the books illustrates how we all see, hear, feel, taste and smell things differently - something that we take for granted. For example, many of the children's answers are practical, and the pictures helped to draw the children into the text. I thought that was awesome!

Check out the last page, where you can find the word for peace in nearly 200 languages. I don't think we got through all of them.
I encourage you to read this book, or create your own activity exploring ways to talk about peace at home with your child (no matter the age).

BOM Activity ~ Storytelling & Meditation
Peace starts within. Even young children can practice meditation. For this exercise I didn't capture any photos (perhaps if Iman was here I would), but I needed to be as engaged as the children, so we left the camera aside.

On a cool autumn morning, the children and I practiced a simple breathing technique, which I think is perfect for anyone-any age, and be used anywhere and everywhere. The children and I spoke about the importance of letting our brains help us sometimes when we feel tired or just moody.

I asked the little ones to sit down in a circle (as we do for circle time). I then asked them to close their eyes (no peeking or giggles). First we did some mimicking- to make sure that everyone was present. 
We played Salma Says. I asked them to "cough" "wiggle their tongues" and "pretend to sniff the air" - all with their eyes closed..
We then moved on to the exercise. I asked the children to breathe in slowly and breathe out X 3 (of course I did this with them).

 I then began my storytelling for the day, about 3 little kids, 2 girls and a boy (MB, ZA, & JM). In the story, I took them to familiar sights - like the backyard in our garden, then to the green space that we visit weekly. They walked over the bridge to a magical place where there was an ice cream shop. I asked them to think about their favourite ice cream flavour.
I told them that they could put ANYTHING at all on their ice cream. (I gave them hint), like peanut butter, strawberries, sprinkles, even macaroni and cheese). Giggles were heard. 

Then I finished the story by asking the children to come back home for lunch, and I counted down from 5, and told them to open their eyes.

We've done another storytelling & meditation activity since that day. I had the children lying down, which is think is better. We will see...
   

On Dancing & painting & just being you...

Can you dance? Can giraffes dance? These questions led to a serious discussion at our table as the children snacked on yummy treats.

Giraffes Can't Dance is our May book of the month, it is one of my favourite books ever. I have included it in my homeschooling curriculum for a few years, and was happy to share it with our daycare friends as our May 2016 Book of the Month.

I love Giraffes Can't Dance for its simple yet important message...it's okay to be different, and to do things differently.  This book is also about friendship, learning and trying new things, and being the best you can possibly be. I think it sends a great message to young children. 

Over all we enjoyed our book of the month, and most importantly, we ended up doing some kind of wacky art (see above).

But enough about me. When I asked what everyone loved about the book they said:
/ Gerald is super-funny and he has long legs
/ the lions dance really nice
/...when Gerald was really good at dancing and no one knew he could dance
/ all of it
/ when Gerald met the cricket
/ the trees are tall like Gerald

You'd have to read the book to see what we're talking about.

Art & Brunch Donor Spotlight: Wendi Silvano

Artist Bio

Wendi Silvano writes picture books, early and emergent readers, early chapter books, magazine articles and stories, educational materials and goofy poetry. A former preschool and elementary school teacher, Wendi has always loved children's literature and is now delighted to take part in creating books like those she loved as a child.

Wendi has written popular books like Turkey Trouble, Hey Diddle Riddle, and Turkey Claus which was selected as one of the ten best fiction picture books of 2012 by Young Adults Book Central. She is also the author of the fun series, “Love is All Around….” (one for each state of the US and various cities).
Love is All Around Calgary was donated by Wendi for the event, and is also on the Small Wonders Book of the Month list in 2016. Thanks so much Wendi, we love reading!

Contact Wendi
http://www.wendisilvano.com/
Twitter: @WendiSilvano

4 Reasons you should Raise a Reader

A few years ago I worked at a literacy-based organization. I worked with adult-leaners who struggled with reading, or had various disabilities that made it difficult. I often felt very anxious about literacy in my home, and the importance of starting my children young. The truth is, as I had been homeschooling since forever, it was actually quite simple to continue to push books into the hands of my children, or sit down for story-time.The problem was, and still is, that with the advance in technology sometimes it seems that the good ole' days of library visits and the love of books is becoming extinct. 
Seems a bit dramatic...maybe so, but I think there is a thin line. At Small Wonders early childhood literacy is very important to me, and thankfully, I have a group of kids who cannot get enough of books and story-telling.

Here are 4 reasons why I support early childhood literacy AND I am raising readers.

It Builds Vocabulary
I am often AMAZED at the words that come out of the childrens' mouths. I know that many of those words are from books. Reading a lot of books- diverse ones too- will help children expand their vocabulary.

It provides Bonding
Anytime you read a book to a child (not just your child), it allows for a bonding experience. Helping to develop the emotional and mental well-being of  any child is no small feat. Consider that stories can come to life for children in many ways (learning about new people & foods; waiting for a new sibling to be born; or sharing pictures and stories of animals in different parts of the world).

Imagination & Wonder
Who needs TV when you have books? Really, who? Reading books is entertaining, educational, and promotes active, rather than passive learning. And reading will surely help improve a child's attention span. 

Cultural Awareness
According to research conducted by author Jim Trelease, regular reading of books “creates empathy toward others, because literature values humanity and celebrates human spirit and potential, offering insight into different lifestyles while recognizing universality”.
 Uhm, yes, yes, and yes - I could not agree more! One of the reasons the children at Small Wonders enjoy our Book of the Month project is because the books show diversity, and celebrate humans in all shapes, forms, and abilities (sometimes animals too :)

Are you raising a reader? How do you help your family focus on reading?

Sprinkle a bit of magic on bookgiving day

Will you be celebrating International Book-giving day? We did! Since Book-giving day is on Sunday, and we have a holiday on Monday the 15th, we celebrated on Friday the 12th. It was a mighty fun day for the children.

Following tradition, we started off the day with a big pancakes and eggs breakfast. The kids lingered for quite some time at the breakfast table.

I left the wagon at the front door so that all the kids could add their books as they arrived

We read/shared stories, shared treats, and swapped books. The Small Wonders February Book of the Month is called Whoever You Are by Mem Fox. I saw a range of feedback from the children regarding this book. Some just wanted to look and look again at the pictures. Others, asked a lot of questions, while a few just "seemed" to truly enjoy it, and wanted to hear it again and again.

snack time :)

Our treat bags waiting to be picked up

As a part of our celebration, we asked all families to bring one book to swap, and one to donate. Families who donate a book have a chance to win a copy of Mem's book as well as a gift card to a local bookstore. A second draw will be held for a second gift card.

The children had a lovely day. I had a lovely time. We LOVE books, so naturally we will always find ways to celebrate our love for stories. Thank you for your enthusiasm - it means a lot to the children.

What are your plans for Book-giving Day?
Find Book-giving Day on Twitter:

#bookgivingday

Upcoming post: What was inside our Book-giving day/Valentines' Loot bags.