The Days are Long, but the Years are Short

Being a mom has been the most rewarding and fulfilling experience of my life. I have had the privilege of being at home with my son for the last 21 months of his life. It hasn't always been easy, but it has definitely been worth it. 

I don't know how we got to this point, where I will be going back to work in a month and he will be starting daycare, but here we are! I wanted to document some of the moments and memories that he won't remember, but that I will never forget. So I share them here, in hopes that he can read it one day and know just how much joy he brought to my days- even though they were long. 

Our days start bright and early, just before 7am, to which I say he is preparing me for back to work! As soon as he is up, he is ready to go, usually saying "Hi Mama, Hi Dada, Down!" He wiggles his way out of our arms, off the bed, and darts to the stairs, where we remind him to hold railing and go slowly. He loves the stairs and can often spend time going up and down, up and down. When he finally makes his way down for good, he runs for his favourite animals- popata (hippo), ahwoo (giraffe), mmm-ba (Simba/lion), ree-ki-ki (Rafiki/monkey), dandara (dinosaur), mema (penguin), cheetah, geena (alligator). He spends time fitting them into their puzzles, making their sounds- roarrrrr being his favourite, or building castles for them with lego or blocks. 

We enjoy going to the cafe for breakfast as a family. As soon as he knows we are going in the beep-beep, he gets his shoes and tries to put them on his feet. He is on his way to putting them on independently! When we get to the cafe he requests ava (avocado) and cookie as we get to the door, if not sooner! He also enjoys croissants which he calls bun, gees (cheese), and bee-con!              

Some days we take a ride in the stroller to visit the library for the EarlyOn program or to play and read books. He loves pretending at the kitchen, where he says "Hot, hot" whenever he opens the oven. He also loves pressing any and all buttons! On other days, he might walk to the splash pad with dada or ride in his trike to the park with mama. He likes climbing up the bars and big steps the most. He is a little scared of the slide, but once he goes down, he has a big smile on his face and wants to go again! He isn't the biggest fan of swings anymore- he enjoyed them more when he was an infant. He also loves visits with nandy (aunty), and this mama does too! While they eat snacks, dance, and play, I get to sit back and relax!  

When he is ready for a nap he will let us know by saying "Mumby, Baa" which are his stuffed animals that he sleeps with- monkey and lamb. He also asks for "Bubby." He can sleep up to two hours most days. If he wakes and talks to himself, then calls out to mama or dada, he has had a good nap! 

His afternoons are definitely more active! You can find him at the stairs to the basement saying "bap-bap" to which he is asking to put on his boxing gloves to punch the bag. Or he is throwing the basketball into the net, kicking the soccer ball (with his left foot like his dada), and running around the house playing cheetah. He also loves sliding down- 1,2 3, and climbing up his Joey couch! If he wants to watch something on tv, he will bring us the button (remote) and request mmm-ba (Lion King), bia (Bluey), dandara (Gigantasourous), or to-to-ro (My Neighbour Totoro).  

He loves dancing! When he wants to dance he says it in Spanish "Bailar!" He is particular about his music and will say "no, no" if he doesn't approve of a song selection! But when he likes a song, he will sing along (on key) and do his signature move which involves bending his arm and sticking out his elbow! If he's at papa's house, he points to Google and waits for him to ask for teddy bears picnic. They march around the living room table singing and laughing.

In the evenings, he often requests walk and bath. He loves splashing the water, but isn't a fan of getting it in his eyes. We're working on it! On the way up to his bedroom, we always stop to say bye-bye to nana's picture and blow kiss. He's also sure to kiss dada between the railings of the stairs. Melts my heart every time!

In his bedroom, he will bring us book after book to read. His favourite is a Sesame Street one his nana gifted him when he was an infant. He points to all the characters and says their names- emo, cookie, bi bird, abby... he loves Ernie's duckie too- quack quack. If he's not ready to sleep, which is often the case, he plays peek-a-boo behind his curtain, with his balls, or his farm. He'll eventually climb into my arms and fall asleep. 

When he's tucked into his crib, a little break for mama before a new day- a new day that I will treasure for the rest of my life. 

A Few of Our Favourite Things

Three months with my little man have flown by- even though some days have been long. Having a winter baby in the middle of a pandemic can be hard at times, but we are doing our best to have fun and keep busy during his wake time!

Here are a few of our favourite things that have kept Baby I busy and have helped him develop during these first few months of life! 

Tummy Time

The Lovevery Play Gym has been his playground during tummy time and floor time. When laying on his back Baby I can look at black and white images and follow the sound of the rings. When he is on his tummy, he listens to the crinkling and squeaking sounds from the "Making Sounds" section and lifts his head to look at images in the "Learn to Focus Zone". Recently, I added an acrylic mirror from Ikea for him to look at himself while on his tummy and back.  

Lovevery Play Gym

Since babies can only see in black and white, I also added a set of art cards from Wee Gallery, as well as their soft book of animals on the farm (I love using this as we sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"). Placing these high contrast images around his play gym have helped Baby I to strengthen his cognitive abilities, attention span, and gross motor skills. 

Wee Gallery Soft Book

In addition to the rings on the play gym, we added a shaker, chime ball, and wrist rattles to our playtime. Baby I enjoys when we sing songs and use the rattles during movements like up, down, fast, and slow. He is able to follow the path of the rattles and chime ball with his eyes. Recently, he has started to bat at the rings and rattles, as well as grasp them when I place them between his fingers. 

O Ball Shaker

Wrist Rattle

I can't wait to see what new developments Baby I makes as he enters into his third month. It is truly a joy to watch him learn and grow!

*The links embedded in this post are connected to my Amazon Storefront, where I receive a small commission for any purchases made. Thank you! 

 

A New Chapter - Motherhood

It has been two years since I last shared a post on my blog. In my last post, I wrote about my hope of sharing more in my role as an educator and beyond. Little did I know that we would be heading into a global pandemic a month later, which had educators teaching virtually- on and off- up until today! Needless to say, my blog writing was yet again put on hold, as I navigated the new waters of online teaching.

My virtual learning setup

Today, I am back to my blog, where I write not only as an educator, but as a new mom! Just like becoming an educator was a dream come true of mine; so was becoming a mother. Both dreams however, were not easy to accomplish. After finishing teacher's college in 2008, and not getting interviews in any of the school boards I applied to, I spent two years working in the field of early childhood education as a toddler/preschool teacher and an ABA and play therapist for children with autism. The year after that, Full-Day Kindergarten was being implemented in Ontario and I applied as an ECE to the YRDSB. After almost missing my interview, as I drove up and down Yonge Street searching for the building, I was hired and one step closer to becoming a teacher! The year I spent working as an ECE was invaluable to my teaching career. I experienced first hand what it was to work collaboratively in a classroom setting from day one. It is what helped me become a teacher the following year, now ten years ago.

My first year teaching

Becoming a mother was a dream that I didn't think would take as long to accomplish (once I was ready), yet as I write this post, I realize that it took the same amount of time to become a mother as it did to become a teacher. After getting married to the love of my life in 2017, we planned to start a family the following year. The next three years would prove to be some of the most challenging years of my life. I experienced two miscarriages, which took a toll on my health, both mentally and physically. I was open about my loss, and by sharing my experiences, I was met with others who were willing to share theirs. This really helped me grow through my loss and come out hopeful that I would be blessed to be a mom one day. Who knew that in the midst of a pandemic my prayers would be answered. Just weeks before my 37th birthday, I found out that I was pregnant. Each day, week, month, and trimester that passed was a blessing. The moment that the doctor put my son on my chest, I cried a cry of relief. I still can't believe he is here!

My 37th birthday

I didn't know what I was going to write in this post when I first started. I just knew that I wanted to share that I am in a new chapter of my life- one that has been many years in the making. So if you are starting a new chapter, whether it be as an educator or parent, or if you are still waiting for that new chapter to begin- continue to have faith that you will grow through whatever challenges come your way. Your chapter will write itself when it is ready. I do hope to share more beyond the classroom this year, and I do hope you come along as this new chapter called motherhood unfolds!

My baby boy

"The thing you're waiting and praying for may be closer than you think. Don't give up just yet."

Reflections from a Grade One Teacher

I began Kindie Korner just over six years ago, on the first of February, when I was taking my Kindergarten Additional Qualification Course through York University. When I reflect back to my first blog post, "Yes, this is Kindrgordin!", I am filled with the warmth and excitement from my first years of teaching. I think of all the wonderful students I learned with and from; some of whom I still see in the hallways, except they are now my height and in Grade 6! I am quickly reminded of how precious time is and how fast it passes us by. 

My first kindergarten inquiry (2013-2014)

It has been just over two years since my last blog post, on the fifth of February, where I shared a "Math Talk Monday". That was my eighth and final year of teaching Kindergarten (for the time being). I had decided that I would challenge myself the following year to try a new grade and extend the principles of play and inquiry into Grade One.

An invitation to measure in my last year of teaching kindergarten (2017-2018)

I was fortunate to remain in the same classroom that I taught kindergarten in for the previous four years, as well as continue to teach many of the same students that I had taught in both Year One and Two of Kindergarten. To say that it was a challenging year, would be an understatement. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful class, very supportive grade partners, and was excited to be teaching a new grade. However, I did have personal challenges that prevented me from teaching the full year. It made it hard for me to fully embrace the school year as I usually would, or share my learning the way I love to do- hence the two year overdue blogpost! 

My Grade One Classroom (2018-2019)

This year, I am teaching Grade One for the second year. I am in a new classroom that is closer to my amazing teaching team, I feel more comfortable with the curriculum, and I am lucky to be teaching some of my former students from Year One of Kindergarten. I know that there will always be challenges to face on this journey of life- both personally and professionally. But as I write this, I am reminded of how much I enjoy sharing with you and how much I enjoy the work I do, both in the classroom and on my own time. My hope is to share more of what I have learned and have yet to discover in my role as an educator and beyond. I guess it isn't a coincidence that I was given today's leap day, the twenty-ninth of February, to share this post with you. 

My current Grade One Classroom (2019-2020)

"Today is a Gift

That's why it's 

called the Present."

Math Talk Monday: Measuring "One Very Big Bear"

I love books! I have a VERY BIG collection of children's books, which I have collected throughout my career. I have also been fortunate to have received many books as gifts- from colleagues, students, friends, and family. 

https://www.amazon.ca/shop/kindiekorner

"One Very Big Bear" by Alice Brière-Haquet was gifted to me by one of my dedicated classroom volunteers, Lucas Serper. It is a story about counting and size, and a fun way to introduce students to measuring height!

Special thanks to my husband for drawing the very big bears for me! 

I posted the above provocation to Instagram, which I created after reading the story to our class, and I was excited to see educators in the following weeks try it out in their own classrooms. As much as they commented that I inspired them; it was truly inspiring to see all the ways they took the idea and made it their own. Thanks @kinderkulture @journey_of_learning @learninginroom122 and @ms.desousa for sharing! 

Love that they also used bottle caps as a non-standard measuring tool!
(pictured in their Instagram video) 

Love the small, medium, and big bears to measure and compare!

Love the connection to the story of The Three Bears! 

Love the addition of wooden numbers to represent the amount of gems used!

"The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other."     

                                                                          

Math Talk Monday: Tenzi!

Happy New Year! 

As much as I love posting to Kindie Korner, I never seem to have enough 'time' to keep up with all the ideas that I would love to share with you. With that being said, I do post more regularly to Instagram and Twitter and hope that you can follow along there! 

I recently posted an Instagram Story about a math game that I am currently playing during our small group lessons, called Tenzi! I took a poll and asked my followers if they have ever played it before- 61% of followers answered no. 

This gave me the idea to challenge myself to share how to play math games like Tenzi and other math related ideas and resources on a more regular basis. And since it's Monday- Math Talk Monday is it! 

I learned how to play Tenzi with the YRDSB Early Years Math Consultant, Heather Jelley, a few years back at my Kindergarten Additional Qualification Course, and later introduced the game to my kindergarteners, who absolutely love it to this day! 

________________________

Materials: 10 dice of the same colour for each player 

(i.e., 10 red dice for player one, 10 blue dice for player two, etc.) 

*I sometimes add ten-frames to help students track how many dice they have rolled and how many more they need to make 10.

How To Play: Each player rolls all ten dice at the same time. Students can choose a number they want to collect (i.e., 5) or they can use the number they roll the most on their first roll (i.e., player one rolls four 3's, so 3 becomes the number they collect). As you roll the dice, you collect your number in the ten-frame (or in a line). Once you have collected all ten dice of the same number, you call out "Tenzi!" to show you have finished. 

Curriculum Connections: taken from The Kindergarten Program

3. 15.3  make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects 
   15.5  subitize quantities to 5 without having to count, using a variety of materials (e.g., dominoes, dot plates, dice, number of fingers) and strategies (e.g., composing or decomposing numbers)
   15.6  use information to estimate the number in a small set (e.g., apply knowledge of quantity; use a common reference such as a five frame; subitize) 
   20.1  demonstrate an understanding of number relationships for numbers from 0 to 10, through investigation (e.g., show small quantities using fingers or manipulatives)

Early Number Concepts and Strategies: taken from YRDSB

Conservation, Subitizing, One-to-One Correspondence  

If you are one of the 61% who have not played Tenzi, I encourage you to try it out - you and your students won't be disappointed! 

Here's to many more Math Talk Monday's! 

Environment as Third Educator

As I enter into my seventh year as an educator in Kindergarten and my fourth year in the same classroom, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the changes to our learning environment over the years and share some of my thoughts as to why these changes have been made. To help with this comparison, I will use photos from the first year classroom layout and our current classroom setup. 

September 2014

September 2017

This is our whole group learning space. In the past, this space has been used to gather for whole group activities and sharing. When we are not all together in the space, it was sometimes used for extending building or playing math games. More often than not, it was left empty and took up a large space that was unused during thinking and learning time. This year, we decided to move the carpet to the corner of the room and incorporate it into the reading and calming space. As we are challenged to consider organizing the space to accommodate for multiple purposes, such as brief group meetings and opportunities for small-group and individual work (The Kindergarten Program, 2016), we wanted to make use of this large space during thinking and learning time. We can now briefly meet as a large group when needed and provide alternative seating (i.e., logs, mats), use the space for yoga and meditation, book browsing, listen to reading on the computers, and exploring our feelings and emotions.    

September 2014

September 2017

September 2017

Our creative area originally began on the opposite side of the classroom, but was moved closer to the sinks and art supply cupboards in more recent years. We always appreciated the large space for students to create on, and that has remained a staple in our classroom. This year however, we removed one of the four tables from the creative art area, and placed another two tables together for more focused small-group work. We are working with a new prep coverage model, whereby one teacher covers all kindergarten preps to support minimizing the number of adult transitions for our youngest learners (YRDSB, 2017). This teacher will be helping to build literacy behaviours with small groups of children as well as support them in play based learning experiences (YRDSB, 2017). With this in mind, we created a space close to our literacy materials to support this learning. It currently has a provocation (invitation to learn) which invites students to make their name using magnetic letters or window writers on mirrors. 

September 2014

September 2017

September 2017

The math area has evolved over the years. In the beginning, we had it placed in a corner but found that students were using the materials all the way on the other side of the classroom in the drama area. We then moved it beside drama and building so that the materials could be used interchangeably in all areas. This year, it remains in the same space but we added a carpet to the area, as we found students would sometimes use the larger carpet to explore math materials in the past. We didn't want to remove the table entirely, so we placed one beside the carpet for provocations and small-group work. We also started with an invitation that was available to explore during Welcome To Kindergarten in the spring, so that new students feel a sense of familiarity with the environment and materials when they enter on their first day. 

September 2014

September 2017

The building area has always been a favourite in the classroom and requires a big space for planning, creating, and constructing. During the first year, we had the building materials facing the large carpet. The space was nice and big, however we often found ourselves having to break down structures when transitioning to prep coverage, which in turn would interrupt the children's play. Having an area where they can save their work throughout the day was very important to us, so we used a smaller carpet to define this area. We also moved it closer to the drama and math areas, again to extend play and use materials interchangeably. This year we also added a table for various reasons and opportunities including planning, building on another surface/level,  and to display provocations. 

September 2014

September 2017

The drama area has been an area that often ends up being too crowded for the amount of interest it receives from the children. This year, we are very excited for the initial layout of the drama area. Because we gained more space by moving the large carpet to the corner, we were able to open the drama area up to allow movement and creativity. We added bins with pots and pans, scarves, multicultural dolls, and healthy foods to start and can change them as interests change throughout the year. We also added greenery and a mirror for a more home-like feel. 

September 2014

September 2017

Our self-regulated snack area remains close to the cubbies for easy access and clean-up. In the morning it also serves as a sign-in area, where students can find their names and place it in the basket to show they are here. The same names are later used to show that they have visited the snack table throughout the morning. The cubbies hold picture frames, that will later be filled with pictures of families/children. The framed art work is from my first inquiry with my kindergarten students. These watercolour paintings are close to my heart, as they are a reminder of where I started on my inquiry journey and how far I have come in the last five years. We often keep pieces of past documentation displayed throughout the classroom to spark curiosity, wonder, and interest from our new and returning students. I learned the importance of preserving history through my Kindergarten AQ course that was instructed by Joanne Babalis. 

September 2015

September 2017

Our science and light exploration area has always been close to a window in order for the children to observe the outdoors from inside. This year, we have opened the space up to include a shelf with loose parts (i.e., feathers, rocks, seashells, and pinecones) and writing materials, a table to explore these materials closely or for provocations, and a light table with mirrors to explore materials on different surfaces and dimensions. My personal favourite addition is a four shelf science cart that comes apart to provide different visual and touch observations. It is also on wheels so that it can easily be taken outside during our outdoor explorations. 

September 2017

September 2017

Our classroom environment also includes learning in the outdoors. A previous post of mine; Outdoor Learning, will show you a glimpse into our outdoor learning area, which has also been updated this year. I look forward to blogging about it soon! 

 

We need to think about creating classroom environments that give children the opportunity for wonder, mystery and discovery; an environment that speaks to young children’s inherent curiosity and innate yearning for exploration is a classroom where children are passionate about learning ...

(The Kindergarten Program, 2016, p.29)