Ontario's New Kindergarten Program Document

Play nourishes every aspect of children’s development. ... Play develops the foundation of intellectual, social, physical, and emotional skills necessary for success in school and in life. It “paves the way for learning”. 

(Canadian Council on Learning, 2006, p. 2) 

In Ontario, we have a new Kindergarten program document (curriculum). I’m so excited the focus has shifted to a child-first perspective. Our classroom will continue to use this perspective along with the new program document to develop an environment with rich learning opportunities for all our learners. 

We run a play-based program. For those of you unfamiliar with what that looks like here are 5 key principles for this type of program (taken straight from the new program document).

1. Play is recognized as a child’s right, and it is essential to the child’s optimal development 

       Play is essential to the development of children’s cognitive, physical, social and

       emotional well-being.

2. All children are viewed as competent, curious, capable of complex thinking and rich in potential and experience.

3. A natural curiosity and a desire to explore, play and inquire are the primary drivers of learning among young children.

4. The learning environment plays a key role in what and how a child learns. 

Providing materials to support independence for our learners.

Our learners are responsible for their daily writing everyday.

Colour coded writing materials allows for independence.

5. In play-based learning programs assessment supports the child’s learning and autonomy as a learner.

       We strive to make learners ‘thinking visible’ through photos, conversations and  work 

        samples

Using technology (educators & learners)

Recording conversations

The new document breaks down learning into four frames:

- Belonging and contributing 

- Problem solving and innovating

- Demonstrating literacy and mathematics behaviours 

- Self-regulation and well-being

One aspect of this new document is outdoor learning. For our returning families you know how much we love outdoor learning in Room 122! Being outdoors is vital for children’s development. “connecting to the natural world contributes to children’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being (Louv, 2005). Children’s natural curiosity and sense of wonder can be fostered by providing them with many opportunities to learn outdoors.”

Check out the new program document here.

Looking forward to a year of great thinking and learning alongside you and your children! 

The Importance of Trees

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not."

- The Lorax

Our learners have been exploring environmental stewardship and the importance of trees through conversations, outdoor experiences and various texts (books, videos, etc.). We have been blown away by the incredible thinking and ideas each learner has shared about trees and their importance to our lives.

We took (and will continue to take) lots of nature walks. Our walks focused on plants and trees. Learners recorded their observations during each walk and outdoor learning time.

Students recorded through pictures or words all the plants they saw on our walk

"Ms. Tompkins, we love this tree! It's so beautiful!"

We read many books with a focus on trees and deforestation. Our learners broke out into applause at the end of 'The Great Kapok Tree' book (spoiler) because the man didn't cut the tree down. A student wrote her wonder after the book was finished:

"I wonder why the people chop down the trees and they don't plant back? The animals have no home. I think because they won't have a house."- M.L.

During 'The Lorax' one student commented, "I wonder why the man wants more money, because he will die (because he is cutting all the trees down) and then he cannot see his money." They are thinking so critically!

Our learners are passionate about helping save energy and not cutting down the trees. They have been making connections to our learning about polar bears (click here for link) and how we need to save energy to help the planet. With their focus on not cutting down trees, we felt it would be important to provide an opportunity for our learners to plant trees. Then we found out Grade 5s were planting trees! We were so excited to join in on the hard work!

Stomping on the soil to pack it down

Digging the hole 

We were so impressed with each learner as they got their hands dirty and worked in the heat to plant a tree. They all felt very accomplished. It brought their learning to life!

We are so excited to continue to learn about trees and their roles in our lives!