Make-it Topic: Bedtime

Imaginative:

• Place out large blankets and pillows for beds, teddy bears and doll pajamas 
• Place out slippers and teddies
• Place stars on the roof and a moon for viewing

Language:

• Read “Good Night Moon” 
• Read “ The napping house” make a flannel board story with it 
• Read “An awesome book” by Dallas Clayton (found on the internet) 
• Read “Good night gorilla” 
• Talk about dreams, read “Bernstein bears bad dreams” 
• Read “Froggy goes to bed” 
• Make a pajama flannel board activity

Art

• Use tooth brushes to paint with 
• Place out pillow cases for the children to color dream pictures on and take home 
• Use star cookie cutters to paint night pictures 
• Make dream pictures, place out pictures for the children to glue a dream story 
• Make a quilt 
• Give each child a circle and have them create their moon 
• Turn out the lights, tape felts to flashlights and draw pictures

Water/Sand

• Place out sponges and babies for bath time in the water table 
• Place out cotton balls and animals in the sand table 
• Place different type of beds for animals in the sand 
• Place out rubber ducks in the water 
• Have different types of bedding for plastic animals to explore; grass, straw, leaves etc.

Gross Motor

• Have pillow sack races 
• Use a blanket as a parachute, invite the children to hold the ends place a small bear to throw up in the air 
• Have races to see who can put the pajamas on first, use large adult pajamas to place over the children’s clothes 
• Do a pillow jump across the floor

Science/Curiosity

• Make clouds for dreams 
• Place out star charts and books of stars 
• Place out different materials that beds are made of 
• Place out measuring tapes to measure the beds

Blocks

• Place teddy bears and beds 
• Place out people and blankets 
• Place out boxes and small blankets, tents and small people for play

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Have a monkey to bed number game 
• Bed time sequence cards 
• Place out pillow shapes to match colors and patterns 
• Match the bed to the blankets 
• Play the game: Too many teddies 
• Lace the quilts, slippers, pajamas 
• Sort morning and bedtime pictures 
• Make a napping house sequence cards

Music:

• Sing 5 monkeys jumping on the bed 
• Sing Twinkle, Twinkle little star

Quiet

• Place out a large pillows, blankets and flannel story books

Cooking

• Make bears in bed 
• Place out a slice of bread, spread peanut butter on and place teddy graham crackers, place another ½ slice bread on top for covers

Field trip

• Go to a bed store

Extensions from the activities

• Have a pajama day, bring blankets pillows and bears. Serve milk and cookies for snack, play lullaby’s and record a bed time story 
• Hibernation theme

Make-it Topic: Jack and the Beanstalk

Imaginative:

• Place out a cow, beans, a  vine, golden hen, eggs, a harp allow the children to tell the story 
• Using large paper, draw a bean stalk take photos of the children they can climb the vine to the castle 
• Make a farm for “Jacks” house

Language:

• Read “Jack and the beanstalk” 
• Read the poem from the book “Fe Fi Fo Fum” 
• Read “From seed to plant” 
• Discuss farmers
• Discuss different fairy tales
•  Sing the poem “All around the castle”
  All around the castle the giant chased Jack,
  the giant thought it was all in fun and
  “Roarrrr” went the giant

Art:

• Make harps out of boxes and elastics 
• Make a collage of beans 
• Paint using a bean plant 
• Have each child make a leaf, place on a bean stalk leading to the roof of cotton clouds 
• Place out boxes, glue tape paint have the children design a castle 
• Paint a giant goose 
• Dye eggs gold using onion 
• Make a collage of the giants food 
• Design your own beanstalk 
• Paint with soap and water colors

Water/Sand

• Place beans in the sand table 
• Place strainers in the water to make rain 
• Have a cow washing station 
• Place out cornstarch and baby oil in the water to make clouds
•  Place little people and farm animals in the sand table

Gross Motor

• Place tape on the floor have the children race on the line 
• Search for the beans 
• Play duck, duck goose 
• Using paper twisted together make a stalk the children crawl up and back down 
• Play the giant says 
• Place a leaf on the floor give directions like stand on top of the leaf, stand beside, behind, in front ect. 
• Place out large foot prints, follow them to a treasure

Science/Curiosity

• Grow beans in cups, measure as they grow 
• Place out tape measures to measure around 
• Place out eggs to see explore 
• Show pictures of a bean life cycle 
• Make a cloud in a bowl 
• Place out scales to weigh beans

Blocks

• Place out a castle and farm animals 
• Place out ropes for building with

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Sort beans into trays 
• Bean counting 
• Lace castles 
• Put out play dough and the story 
• Play the Jack and the beanstalk game 
• Make a matching game 
• Play memory

Music:

• Place out harps

Quiet

• Flannel board story of Jack and the beanstalk

Cooking

• Make the giants dinner with chicken, potatoes, and corn

Field trip

• Take a trip to the local farm 
• Take a trip to the super market look at all the types of beans

Extensions from the activities

• Fairy tale unit 
• Gardening unit

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