Our Playschool: July 2010

WE STRIVE TO SEE THE WORLD FROM A KIDS-EYE-VIEW

Bellwoods Playschool uses a child-centred, socially conscious pedagogy to engage young children in social and artistic thought and action. Using what the city has to offer, we empower our students with the knowledge to be socially and environmentally responsible citizens while they develop into explorers of their urban landscape.

WE THINK OF THE CITY AS OUR CLASSROOM

A valuable aspect of the Bellwoods Playschool program is to empower children as navigators of their city. We journey on regular excursions, by foot and by public transportation, to art galleries, museums and cultural events, as well as markets, parks and city landmarks.

WE KNOW ITS TAKES A VILLAGE

Our Playschool runs on a model that links a range of artists together to engage and inspire children. We like to bring in different perspectives and actively pursue a diverse teaching staff. As such, professional educators and artists trade chalkboards for personal anecdotes and textbooks for real life experiences. Together, they create an atmosphere that is at once intellectually stimulating and deeply personalized.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Week 1 of Summer Camp

Last week was fun! Here's a quick summary of what we got up to:

Getting to know you games, swimming, more games. Trip to the Humber River. We made buttons. We checked out the crayfish and fish and identified some wildflowers and got our feet wet in the river. Hike in Trinity Bellwoods. Plant identification, plant darwings, collective song writing, swimming, games. Camping in Trinity Bellwoods.

One of the campers said, "I'm at the best day camp! It's not like camp, it's like a playdate at someone's house, except we're at this studio." I think that's a good review!

Plans for this week: Street Art, Public art, urban spaces. Plan the mural together, make mobiles to beautify trees in the park, paint the mural, visit graffiti alley and maybe the sculpture garden. Sprouts, music, sports, drama games, swimming every day at Osler.