Family Resource Centre

Learning Science Through Play

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Science is “a way of exploring and investigating the world around us… not only a way of knowing; it is…a way of doing” (Wenham, 1995, p. 2). And according to the experts, it is important in the lives of young people for a number of reasons:

  • Science involves a lot of communication with other people.
  • Science develops patience and perseverance in kids.
  • It can help kids form a healthy dose of scepticism.
  • Science teaches kids about the world around them.
  • Science can spark in kids’ minds that they, too, can help solve the world’s big problems.

So how do we foster science in our young?

Science Activity at Creating Together: Food colour and coffee filters – using droppers.

According to Wenham, Science involves the discovery of something that is true, why something occurs, and how something is investigated (1995). Educators, parents, and caregivers can facilitate children’s involvement  in science by providing materials, raising questions and problems as children play, and encouraging them to observe, predict, describe, and theorize about what they’re doing – ultimately helping them to grow in their thinking.

The National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) call for science to be taught through the inquiry method. Inquiry follows the tradition of hands-on exploration of children’s own questions that eventually lead to discovery of scientific concepts.

“Students should be actively involved in exploring phenomena that interest them. These investigations should be fun and open the door to…more things to explore” (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1993, p. 10).

The team at Creating Together is excited to be offering Science Activities this year, so parents and caregivers can come together with their children and encourage a hands-on exploration of the world around us!

Join us! We certainly look forward to seeing you!

References

American Association for the Advancement of Sci- ence (AAAS). (1993). Benchmarks for science literacy: Project 2061. New York, NY: Oxford University.

National Research Council. (1996). National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Wenham, N. (1995). Understanding primary science. London, UK: Paul Chapman.

Student Spotlight: Welcome Hillary Tang!

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Join us in welcoming our newest addition to the community, Hillary Tang. She joins us from Ryerson University’s 4-year nursing program. 

Nursing is a profession that joins the head, heart and hands. Students immerse themselves in real-life situations so they can translate theory into practice and solidify technical, communication, care-giving and teamwork skills.” (https://www.ryerson.ca/nursingdegree/our-program/placements/)

The program coordinates over 250 placement opportunities in 35 hospitals and over 200 traditional and non-traditional health settings, and each of the four years of the nursing program requires students to be placed in a way that supports that year’s curriculum:

  • Year One – long-term care facility
  • Year Two – continuing care, rehabilitation or acute-care
  • Year Three – community nursing
  • Year Four – medical-surgical unit, ER, ICU, day-surgery unit, public health or other setting

As a 3rd year student, Hillary joins us for her community nursing placement. She will be with us for 3 months every Tuesday and Wednesday, and is really looking forward to meeting each of you.

I am excited to be a part of the Creating Together community and getting to know you and your little one…please don’t hesitate to say hello! If you have any questions (about myself, my program, or about health in general), don’t be shy to ask away.”

January is Family Literacy Month!

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This month, the Toronto Public Library is celebrating “Family Literacy Month“, and on January 27th ABC Life Literacy Canada celebrates a national awareness initiative, Family Literacy Day, to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.

Did you know that early literacy begins before a child can read? According to research by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, children who are successful readers have usually engaged in many early language and literacy activities before starting school. In fact, hearing and engaging with books read aloud to them is one of the most important activities for infants, toddlers, and pre-school children.

Until the last 30 years, children were seen as non-readers until they entered school. Now, children’s attempts to read and write before they reach school age are seen as important steps in developing reading and writing abilities.

It takes a village to raise a child – so we invite you to join us each Monday at 9:30am at Creating Together for “Literacy Mondays“, where we all work together to support healthy, fun literacy development in children. This program is designed for one-on-one or small group storytelling, featuring developmentally appropriate books and CDs. It gives children the opportunity to read and sing along with parents/caregivers and a staff member, and children also have a choice to listen to a story with headphones on their own.

Also, please get involved with our ongoing Toy and Book drive, where you can donate and purchase books – and all funds raised go towards supporting the work we do at Creating Together.

In addition to Literacy Mondays at Creating Together, take a look at these opportunities to promote literacy in your children:

 

Child Behaviour Tips and Strategies

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Every child is unique in terms of their activity level, distractability, and sensitivity. In addition to this uniqueness, each child is at a different stage of development and their behaviour is a reflection of this stage. Still, even when we accept these facts, it can be difficult for parents and caregivers to know how to respond to challenging child behaviour in a way that stops it from continuing, while also guiding them to gain confidence, competence, and social problem-solving skills.
At Creating Together, there are a couple of strategies staff and students use, and we wanted to share couple of tips and strategies for dealing with challenging child behaviour. Below is a brief summary of a few tips, but staff would have also made themselves available this month on the 22nd and 25th (see times below) to discuss these and other topics parents and caregivers would find helpful.
Set Realistic Limits and Expectations
Limits and expectations are kept simple and clear by keeping them few in number, and by relating to the safety and protection of self, others, and the space. When enforced consistently and in a way that the child can understand, they create a healthy container for play. For example:
  • “The sand stays in the sandbox.”
  • “It’s time to wash our hands for snack.”
Positive Framing
You’ll notice in the above phrase examples, the limits are framed in a positive way – rather than focus on what NOT to do, they focus on what TO do. This reinforces the behaviour you want to see more of while also decreasing the likelihood for the child to get defensive or resistant. In fact, research tells us that when we focus on what NOT to do, that is exactly what the child ends up doing more of. Here are some more examples of positive framing:
  • “Walk.” (Rather than: “Don’t run.”)
  • “Speak softly.” (Rather than: “Don’t shout.”)
Redirecting
When a child is upset, before the behaviour you are trying to avoid escalates, offer an alternative toy, activity, or location.
Also, as much as possible, redirect the child towards activities that are in line with their needs.
For example: “I can see you have a lot of energy. Let’s go try out the slide.”
Focusing on the Behaviour, Rather than the Child
When speaking with children, messages can easily be framed in a way that can seem to the child as attacking and critical, creating guilt, shame, and a lower self-esteem. You can preserve the child’s integrity with positive guidance by framing messages in a way that separates the child from the behaviour. For example:
  • “When you grab the train from his hands, it makes Allan angry.” (Rather than: “You are mean when you grab the train like that from Allan.”)
  • “Playdough stays in the playdough area.” (Rather than: “You naughty girl.”)
Reinforce The Behaviour You Want to See
To build confidence and encourage children to repeat behaviour you would like to see, use positive reinforcement to focus on the specific behaviour, rather than on the child. For example:
  • “Thank you for helping Sam when she fell down. That’s called being caring.” (Rather than: “You good girl.”)
  • “When we tidy up, it makes the area safe for everybody.” (Rather than: “You’re the best helper.”)
Be Alert
When adults observe children in their activities, they are in a better position to anticipate potential difficulties and step in
to prevent problems. Keep phone / tablet use to a minimum, and sit in proximity to your child, so they can use you as a resource as needed.
If you found this article helpful, and you have any other questions about how to work through a challenging situation as a parent or caregiver, please speak with the staff – we are always here to help. Also, bring your questions and learning needs to one of our upcoming information sessions this month (Jan 22 / 25th – see below). The feedback gathered from parents and caregivers at these information sessions will tell us what kinds of resources we should bring in over the course of the year. If you can’t make either of these dates, be sure to let a staff know!

Thank You Mazon Canada Foundation!

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Creating Together would like to acknowledge the Mazon Canada Foundation for their grant of $3,000 in 2017 to help support our food and nutrition programs. This funding was used to purchase food for our daily snack program and for healthy meals provided through community events and potlucks for families. In 2017, this program served over 8,000 nutritious snacks to 628 children ages from infancy to six years and approximately 850 meals to families.

Healthy choice muffin creations during family baking time, heart cookie morsels for Valentine’s Day and Family Day potluck feast! Just a few of the many ways that food brings families together at Creating Together.

Creating Together Parkdale Family Resource Centre

Our mission is to support the healthy social, cognitive, emotional and physical development of children 0 to 6 years and their families. We welcome children aged 0 to 6 years and their families/ caregivers to relax and connect with each other and with the greater communities through our many programs.
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MON 9:00am - 2:30pm
TUE 9:00am - 2:30pm
WED 9:00am - 2:30pm
THU 9:00am - 2:30pm
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SAT 10am - 2:00pm (twice monthly)
SUN Closed

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Creating Together
1342 Queen Street West
Phone: (416) 537-1004
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