It’s a HOPPY Easter! We had a short week last week (and this week) due to germs and the holiday so we are still celebrating. All Mi Families (“my families”) LLC programs celebrate holidays in various ways. Our child development and tutoring program, Adventure Academy, uses the festive fun in our lesson plans. Like Christmas, Easter has many religious and secular teachings associated with the holidays. Although Mi Families offers “Mi Ministry” events, Adventure Academy sticks with Easter Bunny fun to be sensitive to religious differences for our students.
Easter bunnies….chicks…eggs… The chicks and the eggs fit right into our current theme of “Birds and Eggs,” and added circle time discussion of what can be born in an egg. Not a bunny. We talked about how different types of animals are born in different ways. This topic led to how different types of animals move in different ways. We’ve been observing birds flying and decided ducks are “super birds” as they fly, swim, walk on land … Pretending to be ducks and other animals led to some wonderful dramatic play experiences.
Dramatic play offers opportunities for teachers to observe students exploring ideas, trying new roles, interacting with others, expressing themselves and showcasing their abilities. Dramatic play of animal adventures provided opportunities for me to observe where students were on all areas of the developmental continuum: social emotional, physical, language, literacy, math, social studies, science, creative development… For example: a simple piece of chalk outside led to an activity of children drawing eggs then hopping over them as the Easter Bunny.
Children are often self conscience when they are aware of being observed / evaluated as themselves, yet are more open to exploring through dramatic play. Taking on the roll of the Easter Bunny led to authentic observation of skills such as large motor development of jumping and fine motor skills using the chalk. Coloring eggs with chalk, crayons, markers, and paint led to exploration of different art forms and color mixing knowledge. Investigating eggs and watching birds provided insight into what students knew about such topics and how they interact within natural settings.
Adventure Academy learns outdoors and in our multi-age classroom. Because this program is stage before age focused we offer various curriculums to meet various learning needs and abilities. One curriculum we enjoy for all ages is Mother Goose Time. Mother Goose Time’s monthly themes can be simplified for younger children while expanded on for advanced students. In each Mother Goose Time kit you are provided with activities for daily sub-themes, as well as a bonus day for topics such as holidays. This months Easter kit continues to be enjoyed.
Easter has transitioned our bird topics to learning about other animals, especially the animals we are beginning to see as Northern Michigan warms up and birds fly back, wild turkeys run across our playground, frogs hop over from the swamp, bugs are discovered under rocks… As this week continues we’ll be observing local wildlife and discussing the wildlife around the world. From pelicans to penguins and bees to beetles – wildlife is fascinating. The children love acting out animal adventures and learning about their movements and habitats.
As we learn about our wild world we’ll incorporate the arts into our lesson plans. From dramatic play to visual arts to music and movement – Adventure Academy teaches through hands on experiences… often messy experiences! Our education through recreation learning programs are available year round. The spring semester is full but we have a couple part time spaces remaining for our summer session. If you’d like to enroll your child email Christi@MiFamilies.com. Feel free to email regarding any of our programs or visit www.MiFamilies.com for more information.
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