Spring is in full bloom here at Trafalgar Oaks and with that come…dandelions. What we as adults know as pesky weeds have become a great interest to the children!

The children noticed the dandelions popping up outside and it always seems to be a race to find and pick as many as we can! We even had requests for us to show them how to draw dandelions. This request led to a step by step teacher led experience and we now have some professional dandelion artists in the class!

We have also been exploring dandelions and water. We discovered that if we mash up the dandelions in the water, it will turn yellow. We have been experimenting with a variety of different tools to mash them with as well as to strain, funnel and pour the liquid. We have created dandelion soup, pies, juice … and somehow even lemonade!

We are enjoying every bit of this spring weather and cannot wait for summer!

We are halfway through cold and flu season here in Canada and as a real world and concrete learning experience one class set up a doctor’s office dramatic play area!:

Today we set up a new dramatic centre for our preschoolers. Some of our preschoolers have been sharing stories about going to see the doctor. To continue this conversation further we decided to change our dramatic centre into a doctors office. Once the preschoolers were able to play in the dramatic centre they were excited to see all the new instruments and tools they could use in their play. We heard some of our preschoolers talking and sharing what they found:

“Wow, a doctors coat” - L
”What’s this called, Ms. P?” - L “It’s a stethoscope” - Ms. P
”Let’s put on our mask” - A and C
”The baby is hurt, let’s fix it” - L and C
”We need to give the baby medicine- he’s so sick” - B

Engaging in doctor pretend play can be a fun and enlightening experience for children. It provides a platform for them to learn, grow, and understand the world around them in a playful and interactive manner. It is also a great introduction to basic health concepts and foster nurturing and caring mindset in our preschoolers.