Programs and Activities
Harvest Festivals Around the World: Video
What is Harvest Festival? How do people celebrate harvest around the world? This video shows several different harvest festivals that are celebrated around the world throughout the year from Pongal to Vendimia, The Moon Festival to Olivagando. We share some of the many ways people celebrate harvest around the world.
40 Gratitude Activities for Kids this Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a beautiful time of year to practice gratitude. Here’s a list of Thanksgiving gratitude activities and thankful crafts that are fun and easy ways to teach children about gratitude.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an opportunity for the CNC community to stand with the Indigenous peoples in Canada and listen. It can be difficult to find our path towards reconciliation, but we encourage you to reflect, learn about residential schools, and begin a dialogue within your CNC programs. To acknowledge and honour the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, here is a collection of online events and resources to share.WEBINAR: Building Blocks for Supporting All Children in Inclusive Settings
Are you thinking about how to meaningfully include ALL children in the routines and activities in your program? This webinar can help you determine which supports might be the most useful, identify modifications, and create plans to promote participation, engagement, and access for children who need additional support.
Trauma-Informed Practices Benefit All Children
Did you know that trauma-informed practices can benefit all children? In this newsletter, ChildCare Education Institute looks at traumatic events, adverse childhood events, and the impact these experiences have on young children. They also explore how to recognize the signs of trauma and traumatic stress in the children we care for, how to help children who have experienced trauma, and how we can help meet the needs of the families and children we serve.
What is Culturally Responsive ECE Practice?
What is cultural responsiveness? Rather than just focusing on the celebration of differences and the harmonious co-existence of diverse groups, culturally responsive interactions and programming in early childhood education involve caregivers' deep engagement with diverse cultures and worldviews in order to transform practice.
Principles for Culturally Responsive Teaching in Early Childhood Education
There can be no recipe or script for culturally responsive teaching because every group of families and children has differing backgrounds and unique needs, capabilities, and interests. Early childhood educators need to know about this diversity in order to adapt their practice to suit the cultural practices, beliefs, and values of the child and their family, and to support all children to participate fully while maintaining their cultural identities. This guide offers some general, research-based principles and suggestions to empower ECEs, in concert with families, to discover different ways of dealing with issues of diversity.
No Backyard, No Problem… Families Can Bring the Outside In!
No backyard? No problem! If the only outdoor space families have access to is a balcony or concrete patio, they can still access nature and its healing powers by bringing it indoors through crafts, gardening, books, and online resources. Here's a list you can share with parents, full of fun and simple nature-themed ways for children to stay curious about the natural world indoors.
18 Ways to Have Fun with Loose Parts in CNC
In this 30-minute CNC Learning Moment session, CMAS consultant Tricia Kassotis joins us to talk about CNC Fun with Loose Parts. We encourage you to watch on your own, or as a team!
CNC Learning Moments Series
CNC Learning Moments is a new training series that’s been developed especially for you to reflect on, inspire, and improve your CNC program... and the first two topics are available now! We encourage you to watch 8 Tips for Creating Emotionally Safe Play Spaces for CNC and Let's Get Moving! BIG Movements for Small CNC Spaces on your own, or as a team! You’ll also find that each new session includes a list of resource links to extend your learning and further support your CNC team.