Free play       
All centers are open: play kitchen, train table, cars, dolls, puzzles, ride on toys, paint, books, games, building blocks, music instrument box, colouring, preschool activities, play dough, etc.

Craft time      
This is a directed activity where we get mucky.  Children will explore different art techniques and materials.  I value art very much and encourage them to be creative; there are no rules in art. Art is a fantastic way to practice fine motor skills.  I believe it is not the product that is important but the process.  Get ready to get some funky looking crafts!

Circle time    
This is a caregiver directed learning time when we sing, read stories, play group games, do some preschool activities, group puzzles, etc.  This is a time when we share ideas and talk about important issues such as fire & earth quake drills.

Backyard time          
Our backyard is equipped with many toys including a slide, a play house, a Dora ship, giant sand box, cars and trucks, a workshop, balls, a basketball hoop, push toys, ride on toys, rocks area, etc.  In the summer month, children will be able to play in sprinklers and use our toddler temporary pool along with tons of summer water toys.  Our yard is fenced and safe. 

Outside time
Whether or not we go in the backyard to play, there is outside time every day.  We often go for a neighbourhood walk, stroll on the Galloping Goose Trail, or go to a playground.  Rain or sunshine!

Park time
This is a fun time when the children are free to explore their own physical abilities and limitations.  I allow the children to play on the equipment that they are capable of handling on their own.  I refrain from helping the children to climb, because I believe that they are safer when their little bodies are ready to tackle a specific obstacle on their own.  They are taught that I always come help them down if they have attempted an obstacle that was too difficult for them.  I monitor the children at all times, safety comes first, but I don’t intervene unnecessarily. 

To keep the children interested and to expose the children to new equipment, challenges and fun, I regularly go in search of new playgrounds throughout Victoria. 

Rest time        
It is mandatory that all children have a rest period.  Young children, who require a nap, rest in a quiet room. I will provide a mini crib for those younger than 3 years old.  All bedding will be kept for only that child to use and will be washed frequently.

Children (usually 3 and up) who do not nap will be resting on their mat to relax their bodies during rest time in consideration to the children sleeping. They are given a rest time bin that contains: a book, a puzzle, junior Lego sets, self-directed activities, busy books, tracing, a few toys and a playset. Each bin rotates every day and are completely rotated at the end of the month from my daycare locker where I have over 65 different rest time bins.

I will not keep any children awake.  If a child decides to only play for a bit on the mat and then have a little snooze, I feel it's important to respect their need to sleep a little. I will only wake up the sleeping children at 3:00pm when rest time is over.

Preschool time         
I encourage the children to do preschool activities I set out on their .  I believe in learning throughout the day within the activities that we do; Learning Through Play.  For example, if we are at the beach and we gather a bunch of rocks for fun, we will sort them by size and count them.  They are learning and don’t even realize it.  I offer many preschool-type games, high quality toys, and activities for all age groups.  I also offer several Montessori activities and use the Reggio Emilia approach, however I do also offer the noisy and silly toys kids enjoy.

Kindergarten readiness
I value kindergarten readiness more so than academics. Throughout my years working in schools in all grades, I have spent a lot of time in kindergarten and have seen the importance of teaching kindergarten readiness. This consists of getting the children ready for kindergarten by learning essential skills the teachers won't have much time to teach one-on-one, example: learning to properly hold and use scissors, pencils, markers and glue sticks, learning to sit still on a rug for group stories and activities, how to line up at the door and the bathroom, how to dress oneself, how to unzip their lunch bags, open containers by themselves, learning to wait for their turns, be as independent as their age will let them, learn to stand up for themselves, learn to play alone for a bit, practice to follow simple set of instructions and directives, etc. It's all those skills that will lead them to success during their first year of school. 

From my personal experience in schools and from the opinions of the kindergarten teachers I have worked with, if the children know TOO MUCH academically when entering kindergarten, they tend to lose focus, misbehave, because they are bored, and still lack all those important skills listed above. 


I do however touch base on some of the academic basics. Our weekly Show and Tell consists of learning the letters and their sounds, we do colours, shapes, numbers, textures, etc. I take every opportunity that presents itself to make it a learning experience, even if I need to catch a garden snake crawling by while we play outside so I can show the kids, I will put on my brave girl pants and do it! We practice counting and tracing throughout different activities. 

Be assured I do all that is necessary and more to have my littles ready for school.