Each month we introduce a new learning theme in our Toddler, Preschool and Out of School Care rooms. These themes are selected based on the interests of our children with a variety of activities, engagement opportunities and interactions planned to help the children absorb the concept through different mediums.

Theme-based learning is primarily delivered through the learning-through-play model.

Read on to learn about how a “Water” theme was selected in our Toddler Room and a sampling of activities the children participated in to learn all about H₂O.

Theme:

Water (all forms of water, bodies of water, water and weather, animals that live in the water)

Reason for Theme Selection:

On a neighbourhood walk with the Toddlers, the children noticed puddles along the sidewalk and wanted to jump in. They showed a curiosity about how those puddles got there and were especially excited by the prospect of being able to play in the puddles.

Objectives:

• Introduce concepts of water and its many forms
• Discuss water in nature and weather patterns
• Review the uses of water in everyday life and develop an understanding of how water helps us
• Incorporate water-themed activities that enhance gross motor and fine motor skills
• Incorporate water-themed activities that place emphasis on social, physical, intellectual, creative and emotional development

 Sample Activities Planned for Water Theme:

• Circle Time Songs
  • Row, Row, Row Your Boat
  • Slippery Fish
  • Rainbow Rainbow in the Sky
• Story Time
  • Washing Myself
  • My Happy Penguin
  • At the Waterworks
• Games
  • Jump in the Puddle
  • Pass the Ice
  • Lily pad Blocks Game
  • Pop the Bubbles
• Water Xylophone

In this activity, the staff poured different amounts of water in to a set of glass containers. Math, science and music elements were touched upon in this activity:

Math – children were asked to observe the varying levels of water in each glass and point out the glass with the most water and the least water

Science – staff assisted the children in clinking each glass with a metal spoon and listened for the different sounds each container produced; the more the water the lower the pitch of the sound

Music – the children were encouraged to clink the spoon along the containers and listen for the musical sounds generated 

• Pass the Ice Game

This activity is similar to “Hot Potato”; the children sit in a circle and pass the piece of ice to their neighbour. This game incorporated sensory learning as the children immediately recognized the hardness of the ice, but also its cold temperature and wanted to quickly pass it off to their friend. As the game went on, they also observed the ice melting and were surprised to see and feel the ice turn to water.

• Core Curriculum

Core curriculum programming focuses on literacy and numeracy concepts. Staff used a series of worksheets to teach the fundamentals (in this case matching, alphabet and numbers) but purposefully selected water-related resources to integrate theme-based learning.