Make-it Topic: Tea

February 2013

Tea Center Ideas

Imaginative:

• Set out a tea party, use real cookies and water in the tea pots 
• Place out bears on chairs, fancy dresses, ties and have a formal tea party 
• Place out old coffee makers, old tea kettles cups for a restaurant 
• Place out sushi  rolls and tea for a Japanese tea

Language:

• Read “Miss Spiders Tea Party” 
• Read “Tea for me Tea for you” 
• Use Here’s a Cup for a flannel board game or a fun movement poem
  Here’s a cup, and here’s a cup and
  (make a tea cup with fingers)
  here’s a pot of tea.
  (Hold up thumb)
  Now pour it and pour it and have a drink with me. 
• Read “Chadu” Discuss Japanese tea ceremony

Art:

• Paint using tea bags 
• Place out cloth napkins allow the children to make a washable napkin 
• Paint with cookie cutters
• Make clay sugar bowls 
• Paint on coffee filters 
• Place out glue and ground coffee for a college 
• Make a tea bag collage
•  Paint/color/rubbings on a tea pot cut out 
• Do tea bag/coffee filter tie dye

Water/Sand

• Place out tea pots in the water table 
• Use colored water and tea cups in the table 
• Place sponges shaped as tea bags in the water

Gross Motor

• Make a tea pot piñata 
• Sing I’m a little tea pot 
• Coffee beanbag toss

Science/Curiosity

• Show the types of tea leaves and tea in bags 
• Place out a bowl of water with tea bags show how it changes 
• Grow mint for tea

Blocks

• Place out wood blocks and small cloths 
• Place out houses and people

 Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Place out different colored tea pot cut outs match the colored tea bag 
• Make coffee play dough 
• Lace tea pots 
• Make a tea pot puzzle 
• Tea bag sorting 
• Match the tea cup with saucer 
• Place coffee in a zip lock bag securely closed allow the children to trace letters in it

Music:

• Sing I’m a little tea pot 
• Make coffee bean shakers for singing with

Quiet

• Place out small cups of non-caffeinated tea and cookies with a few books to relax with 
• Place out large pillows with a table and tea books

Cooking

• Make Iced tea

4 Tea bags (non-caffeinated), 1 lemon, 2 cups sugar 4 cups hot water, pitcher. Boil water steep the tea for 5 min add the desired amount of sugar (can use honey to sweeten) place in ½ lemon juiced serve

• Make scones with jelly to serve with the tea 
• Make tea snacks using cucumber, tuna, cheese on crackers

Field trip

• Go to the local coffee/tea shops for a tour

Make-It Topic: Wings

Imaginative:

• Place out different types of wings for flying around (blankets, cardboard wings, large feathers) 
• Set out large pillows and eggs for making nests 
• Place out lizards, birds, bats, bugs, with cages blankets and bottles for caring for creatures

Language:

• Read “The little rabbit who wanted red wings” 
• Read “Waiting for wings
•  Discuss how some lizards have wings 
• Read “Bats have shiny wings"
•  Read the poem “I’m a little airplane”

I’m a little airplane, way up high
(hold hands to the forehead to shade eyes looking up)
With my great big silver wings, watch me fly!
(hold arms out like wings and fly)
When the pilot tells me, I’ll come down
(hold hands over ears)
Swooping and gliding to the ground
(hold arms like wings spin and sit)

• When you wake up how would you fly encourage the children to show you how they would fly

Art:

• Have the children lay on their tummy using a swing give the children a paint brush and paint while swinging (can be field trip, and gross motor) 
• Place out feathers, strips of paper allow the children to make their own special wings 
• Place out coffee filters allow the children to paint them and tie a string in the middle for a butterfly 
• Cut out a wing shape allow the children to decorate it however they want 
• Place lizard shapes out have children make wings for their lizard 
• Paint peacock feather 
• Place feathers out with paint allow the children to paint with them 
• Use cardboard to do wing rubbings

Water/Sand

• Place out coffee filters, paper shreds, leaf cut outs, paper scraps, yarn, twigs, feathers, in the sand table 
• Place feather in the water table 
• Place birds, eggs, lizards, bats in the water to wash 
• Place fish in the water

Gross Motor

• Dance around like you were flying 
• Fly around the back yard 
• Have an if I were a? I would fly like... 
• Place a blanket on the children backs and dance with their wings

Science/Curiosity

• Place out different wings for examining 
• Use pictures of different creatures with wings 
• Place out the parachute bears

Blocks

• Place out large blocks for making towers 
• Encourage children to make a perch for creatures 
• Place out winged creatures

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Match the wings 
• Place out play dough and knives with wing shapes 
• Match the wing to the creature 
• Wing lacing 
• Counting wings on creatures 
• Wing creature puzzles
•  Airplane puzzles

Music

• Use fans, with bells to make noise 
• Listen to different sounds of wings (birds, bugs)

Quiet

• Place out a flannel board with creatures allow the children to make a story

Cooking

• Make chicken wings

Chicken wings, 1cup soya sauce, ½ cup honey, 1tblsp mustard

Place soya sauce, honey and mustard in a bowl mix place the wings in mix well bake for 30 min on baking sheet or till wings are cooked through. Serve with the 3 other food groups to create a well balanced lunch.

Field trip

• Go for a walk looking for winged creatures 
• Go to the pet store view birds

Accreditation Feedback

AELCS has granted the Hemel House program accreditation status to recognize that they have met the provincial requirement for high quality child care as demonstrated using specific data collection strategies and identifications in the criteria outlined in the Quality Standards.

We would like to share with you some of the AELCS noted feedback from our site visit in March 2012.

STANDARD TEN –Early learning and child care services participate in ongoing monitoring and evaluation processes that support continuous quality improvement.

Demonstrated Best Practices:

• Exit questionnaires given to parents when care no longer needed.
• Applying for Re -Accreditation is one way this standard is being met. 
• There is evidence that the opinions of families and Providers are sought and taken into consideration. 
• There is an informal process in place to meet this standard through licensing reports and informal parent and Providers input. 
• There is formal goal setting for Providers. Each provider has a Provider Action Plan outlining areas they intend to address. Providers have a wall at the office with goals they have set; as the goals have been met they are removed from the wall. 
• There is an annual program review. Policy and procedure development/revision involves relevant stakeholders

Accreditation Feedback

AELCS has granted the Hemel House program accreditation status to recognize that they have met the provincial requirement for high quality child care as demonstrated using specific data collection strategies and identifications in the criteria outlined in the Quality Standards.

We would like to share with you some of the AELCS noted feedback from our site visit in March 2012.

STANDARD NINE – Families and community stakeholders are actively engaged in ensuring that community diversity and interests are reflected in the delivery of early learning and child care services.

Demonstrated Best Practices:

• The program receives newsletters from schools, health services and professional organizations.
• The Consultants are members of one or more associations in the community. (Director’s Association, ECE Conference planning, volunteer at community events.) 
• Outcomes of planning processes are communicated with stakeholders. Newsletters, website.
• The program and staff belong to several professional organizations.
• The program relies on the support of the community stakeholders for program input and development.
• There is an established pattern for regular community consultation with stakeholders. Advisory Board.
• Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders are clearly defined.

Accreditation Feedback

AELCS has granted the Hemel House program accreditation status to recognize that they have met the provincial requirement for high quality child care as demonstrated using specific data collection strategies and identifications in the criteria outlined in the Quality Standards.

We would like to share with you some of the AELCS noted feedback from our site visit in March 2012.

 STANDARD EIGHT – The program responds to the needs and concerns of children, their families, the staff and the community.

Demonstrated Best Practices:

• It is evident that the program uses community resources to meet the needs of the children and families it serves. A group formed by providers, parents, and administration – Mastermind- to discuss issues that involve them all; currently they are testing the usage of the web and the blog. New policies or changes are reviewed by them. They set the goals for the agency.
• Through parent surveys it was evident that families felt respected and their requests and needs are followed through and considered.
• Parents are offered resource links to community agencies that can offer them support when needed.
• There is evidence that the program is responsive to complaints, issues and concerns from the members of the broader community.
• The program’s policies and practices recognize and reflect a focus on meeting diverse needs. Parents and providers can reach consultants 24/7. One consultant is available by phone and office administrator answers e-mail messages 24/7.
• Signing of contracts happen after hours; provider and parent meet with a consultant to sign all the contracts.
• Agency mails out birthday cards to all children and providers. Provider’s anniversaries are acknowledged with certificates.
• Website has direct links to several community resources.

Make-it Topic: Music

November 2012

Music Center Ideas

Imaginative:

• Place out different music instruments make a music studio  
• Use tape recorders and head sets for the children to make their own music  
• Place out different types of music with various costumes, the children can dress up how they choose to each different type of music

Language:

• Recite the poem finger bands

The finger band has come to town, come to town, come to town.
The finger band has come to town so early in the morning.
This is the way we play the drums, play the drums, and play the drums.
This is the way we play the drums so early in the morning.
The finger band has gone away, gone away, gone away.
The finger band has gone away so early in the morning

• Read “Our marching band”  
• Read “I make music”  
• Read “Elmo’s world Music”  
• Talk about the children’s favorite music and instrument, make a book of them  
• Tape the children singing and play it back to them

Art:

• Jingle bell painting: use bells to roll around a paper just like a marble painting  
• Musical fingers: play music, encourage the children to paint to the music  
• Make cymbals out of foil plates with macaroni in them  
• Gather coffee cans and paint them for drums  
• Have children decorate wooden dowels to make rhythm sticks  
• Make rain sticks and dance with them  
• Make shakers with two cups and tape  
• Make music mitts: glue on bells to the finger tips and paint them, encourage the children to dance with them

Water/Sand

• Place out cups and sticks in the water table  
• Place strainers and cups in the sand, encourage music making  
• Have a music wash stand  
• Place different instruments in the sand for sifting and digging

Gross Motor

• Go outside with music and large side walk chalk, play the music and encourage the children to dance while they draw a picture  
• Cut out the center of yogurt containers. Attach ribbon, yarn, or any other object as streamers. Dance with the streamers!
• Play musical chairs  
• Have the children dance to slow music on bubble wrap  
• Place out a large piano (homemade with a roll of paper) colored say a color and have the children move to that color  
• Make a marching band

Science/Curiosity

• Place cups filled with different water levels or water, encourage the children to tap and hear the sound or older children run their finger on the top to hear the sound  
• Place beans on the top of a drum, allow the children to drum to discover what happens or place the beans on a speaker with base playing 
  
• Match the sound

Blocks

• Place out sticks and tree circles for making natural wood instruments  
• Place out different size containers to build with  
• Place out pots and pans

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Match the music notes  
• Place out a xylophone with colors and encourage the children to play the same colors on a sheet  
• Place out pots and pans for sequencing and making music  
• Match the musical instrument  
• Place out shapes of instruments for lacing

Music:

• Play throats: have the children place their hands on their throats making different sounds and how it feels  
• Sing, sing, and sing some more song

Sing, sing, sing with me.
Sing out loud and clear
To tell the people everywhere
That music time is here.

Quiet

• Have different types of music to listen to, have the children use head phones  
• Use a flannel board with the different songs such as 5 Little Ducks; Rain, Rain, Go Away or I’m a Little Tea Pot

Cooking

• Make foods that have lots of sounds, like hot chocolate with a whistling tea pot, popcorn (ensure appropriate for ages in care as it can be a choking hazard for very young children), squeaky cheese, crunching crackers etc.  
• Make muffins to look like drums

Field trip

• Invite someone to come in and play a musical instrument  
• Go to a music shop and look around  
• Visit the local high schools and listen to the band