Programs and Activities
Do you have a staff who likes to knit or sew?
The CNC team at Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s Bayshore site found plenty of ways to stay busy and get creative with their knitting and sewing skills during the pandemic. They worked on a variety of inspired projects for their program and families. They made fun additions like doll clothes and activity aprons for the children. They also created practical designs like masks, handmade scarves, ear warmers, and mug warmers that brought families comfort in winter. And an added benefit is that all their creations are higher quality and longer lasting than store-bought! Click here to see.From Challenge to Opportunity: How One CNC Program Found Creativity, Purpose, and Wellness in the Pandemic
With all the uncertainty, it can be difficult to find good in a pandemic. One CNC program took these challenges as an opportunity to focus on what they could control: learning and creativity. Read more...Multilingual Activities Guide: Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence
This activities guide offers a variety of age-appropriate activities and games to support and strengthen various components of executive function and self-regulation in children. Each chapter contains activities suitable for a different age groups, ranging from infants to adolescents. The full guide is also available in Arabic! And two sections—5 to 7 year-olds and 7 to 12 year olds—are available in French.Teaching Emotions to Young Children: Tips and Tricks
With all of the research out there on emotions, the studies are far from complete, but one thing is very clear – naming our feelings helps us develop skills to manage our emotions. This article is full of tips and tricks to help us give the children in our programs the important emotional tools and language they need.Webinar: Early Childhood Behaviour Guidance Practices and the Role of Implicit Bias
In this paradigm-shifting webinar, participants will learn about implicit racial bias and its role in behavior management practices and policies in early childhood programs. This training is a great opportunity for us to examine how our own implicit biases may affect how we manage the behavior of young children of color in our programs.Learn with Natural Curiosity: The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children’s Environmental Inquiry
Natural Curiosity is a beautiful website full of educational resources and professional learning opportunities for educators who wish to deepen their own inquiry into inquiry-based learning, the four-branch environmental inquiry framework, and Indigenous perspectives.Activity Idea: Ice Chalk Art
Chalk is a fun summer activity that children love - and ice chalk is easily washed away with just a little water! Made with simple and easy-to-find ingredients, it's a great way to help keep kids cool. And remember to visit LET'S PLAY for more activity ideas this summer!Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math for Preschoolers?
Lately, everyone seems to be talking about STEAM. It’s a hot topic in the world of education, but what does it really mean? STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math. You may think some of these subjects seem lofty for young children to grasp - and in some ways, that’s true. But young children can build a strong foundation for future learning by exploring STEAM preschool skills and concepts through play. And there are lots of STEAM activities that you can do with children to keep them engaged and learning using simple household items!Encouraging Dramatic Play in the Early Childhood Classroom
In the current pursuit to foster social and emotional wellness in young children, there’s perhaps no better activity to dedicate time, resources, and space to than dramatic play! Here's a helpful list of picture books to guide dramatic play and foster students’ literacy and social and emotional skills.CMAS Webinar: School Readiness with Newcomer Centre of Peel
School readiness means that children are ready for school, and families are ready to support their children's learning - and CNC programs play an important role in preparing newcomer children and families for this transition. In this webinar, participants joined Jacqueline MoonSammy, Aisha Ilyas, and their team from Newcomer Centre of Peel (NCP), to talk about how they noticed a need in their CNC community, and developed a program to support school readiness for the children in their program. They talked about some of the challenges they faced, as well as some helpful tips and strategies you can use in your program to help prepare children for kindergarten in the fall!