March 27, 2025
An educator asked all the children to grab a construction vehicle and come to the tuff tray. The children all quickly made their way to the tuff tray. K had found a little dump truck to bring along with her. She watched carefully as her educator placed gems all over the tuff tray then her educator dumped a whole bunch of dirt on top of the gems. K set to work right away looking for gems in the dirt. She was very excited when she found one, she held it up and said, “look a pink one!” K kept busy and found plenty of gems but then noticed something. “My hands are dirty,” she said to her educator. Her educator reassured her that when they were done they would wash their hands. As K continued to find gems, she was rubbing them in her hands to clean them. “We need to wash them,” she told her educator. “What do you need to wash them?” “Water,” said K. The educator got K a small cup of water and K began cleaning her gems in the water. Soon K’s friends noticed and liked her idea so they asked for water, too. When K and her friends had found all the gems, they helped their educator clean up the mess. Then as promised, K was able to wash her hands. She smiled and waved both her clean hands in the air. She then proudly placed all the clean sparkly gems on a towel to dry, then headed outside for more fun adventures with her friends.
Belonging: K expressed a sense of purpose by working diligently to find all the gems in the dirt. She contributed to the program by helping to tidy up and keep her classroom clean and inviting.
Well-Being: It was clear that K was expressing her sense of competency when she asked to have water and soap so she could clean the dirt off the gems. K also did a great job managing her stress about her dirty hands, she just needed a little reminder from her educator.
Engagement: As K looked for and then cleaned all the gems, she showed focused attention. She maintained this focus during the entire activity and even when helping to clean up.
Expression: K started and continued a conversation with her educator during the gem activity. She also used her fine motor skills to clean the gems supporting her later writing abilities.
By Brianna Wall
February 3, 2025
As the class was getting dressed to go outside, I told everyone, “Lets get all our stuff on so we can get outside and play on the snow hill!” T replied, “Snow hill?” I then said, “Once we are ready we will go and check it out!” T then quickly got dressed with some assistance. As we walked outside T pointed to the hill with a gasp. I opened the gate and we all started to walk over to the snow hill. Once we got to the snow hill, T was a bit hesitant to climb up. T walked around the hill observing. T walked up to me and said, “help.” I showed T how to climb up the hill. T was still hesitant about going up. I then said, “How about we make stairs to get up to the top?” T nodded “yes” and I started to pat down the snow, making indents into the side of the snow to act as stairs. When I was all finished, T then grabbed my hand for assistance and used the stairs to get up the hill. After a few times getting to the top of the hill, T was able to climb the stairs on his own and by the very end he was able to get up to the top of the hill even without the stairs as he built up his confidence in his gross motor skills. T then was playing with his peers on the top of the snow hill.
Well-being: T showed a sense of well-being as he gained confidence in his growing gross motor skills as he was able to get up on the top of the snow hill all by himself.
Belonging: T showed a sense of belonging as he was engaging in positive communication with me, his educator. T also showed belonging when was playing on top of the snow hill with his peers, showing that he feels he belongs.
Engagement: T showed engagement as he kept on trying to get to the top of the hill. T did not let his hesitations stop him from trying.
Expression: T showed expression when he gasped and pointed to the hill, showing T was excited to explore!
Written by Bella Vaz RECE
January 19, 2025
A has been talking lots about hockey. This morning A asked, “Can we play hockey?” I told A we would play hockey in the gym this morning. Moments later I realized the gym was occupied and we were unable to go to the gym. I brought the hockey net, sticks and balls into the classroom and moved the tables to the side to make room to play. A was waiting by the bucket of hockey sticks and said, “I want blue.” I gave A the blue stick. A then hit the ball with his stick and started to chase after it. Another peer picked up the ball with their hands. A shouted, "Hey, use your stick!” A then proceeded to hit the ball with his stick. A came over to me and said, “I hit a hockey player, I need a penalty.” I replied, “Okay! You can sit right here and you get one minute for roughing!” He laughed and waited. He came out of the penalty box and ran over to the ball and shot it and it went in the net! I cheered for A. He then told me, “I need to celebrate.” I said, “okay, let's celebrate!” He ran over to C and asked, “Can I have a hug? I got a goal!” C replied, “yeah,” and they gave each other a big hug to celebrate A's goal.
Belonging: A showed he felt a sense of belonging as he was eager to play hockey. A alo showed a sense of belonging as he asked me if we could play hockey today, showing he feels comfortable enough to express his wants and needs in the classroom.
Well-Being: A showed well-being as he was running after the ball and trying to shoot the ball into the net. A was engaging in physical activity which was supporting his personal well-being. He also showed pride in his accomplishment of getting a goal by wanting to celebrate with a hug from his friend.
Engagement: A showed he was engaged as he said, “I hit a hockey player, I need a penalty.” A was thinking back to his play at home and the hockey he watches at home and incorporated it into his play at daycare. This showed that A was engaged in his play by making real world connections.
Expression: A showed expression when he said “I want blue” this was A expressing he likes the colour blue.
Written by Bella Vaz RECE
Dec 04, 2024
A boy and his peers were sitting on each of the wooden blocks and he shouted, “Let’s go, choo choo train!”
He started to move, pushing his feet forward and the other kids followed.
Once he reached the classroom door, he looked at Ms. Youngmi smiling. The educator reminded him to stay in the classroom so the boy stopped moving and closed the door.
His peers were right beside him, connected as a train, and they started to play.
He was looking around at his peers and the classroom with a magnifying glass, saying, “Youngmi! I see you!” and then turned to his peer right behind him saying, “I see you!” They looked at each other, giggling together.
After taking the time to browse and talk, another peer shouted, “W, move!”
He shouted back, “Let’s go! Choo choo!” moving forward and leading the train to follow.
Belonging: The boy felt a sense of belonging when he led his peers in his dramatic play of a train and engaged in the play, too. He showed positive leadership during his playing and communicating.
Engagement: He enjoyed moving forward using his legs and feet muscles on the wooden block and verbally interacting with the educator and peers.
Well-being: He showed excitement and confidence while playing by expressing his ideas to the peers and the educator, giggling and smiling at people around him. He knows the boundary of the playing area and keeps himself in the classroom.
Expression: He was able to talk about his creative idea for dramatic play and get the peers' and educator’s attention by leading the play in front of the group.
Written by Youngmi Kang, RECE
Nov 11, 2024
While playing with a peer, the girl listened to Ms.Youngmi ask the class, “Who wants to paint?” She shouted, “me!” coming to the table.
She sat at the table and saw a flower shaped salt dough that she made the other day.
The educator started to talk to the class, “Do you remember this? It’s a poppy for Remembrance Day,” showing the poppy on her shirt. The girl touched her poppy, too, on her shirt while staring at the educator. She grabbed a brush to paint her poppy and said, “red!” After painting all over the poppy, she shouted, “I’m done!” The educator praised her. “Your poppy looks red now!” She smiled. “Do you see in the middle of your poppy? What colour is that?” asked the educator and the girl said, “Black!” Then she grabbed another brush with black paint to place a dot on the middle of her poppy.
Belonging: The girl felt a sense of belonging when she interacted with the educator by talking about the special day and the colours she knows. She saw the poppy on her shirt as well as the other peers and the educator for Remembrance Day and was able to get a feeling of being included.
Engagement and Expression: She engaged in the conversation about the poppy and Remembrance Day. She was able to recognize her salt dough poppy that she made the other day and enjoyed colouring it red and black in the middle.
Well-Being: She was able to show her motor skills while painting with a brush. She showed confidence in talking about the colour of the poppy and took initiative to finish her own artwork.
Written by Youngmi Kang, RECE
October 02, 2024
The boy noticed different colours of leaves and green tape on the floor. He turned and asked the educator, “Miss Youngmi, what is this?” The educator responded to him, “What do you think it is?” He replied, “I don’t know,” still staring at the floor. The educator showed him a broom and dustpan which is used in the classroom everyday, and he noticed it was the same shape as the dustpan on the floor. Then he focused back on the leaves around the floor, which made him excited and he asked the educator, “what are you doing?” The educator asked him back, “what do we do with a broom and a dustpan?” showing him a smaller sized broom. As soon as he saw the broom, he asked the educator, “Can I try?” He held the broom in both hands and started to sweep the floor.
Pushing the broom hard on the floor made the leaves scatter around the room. He would lift the broom up into the air and then try again to approach them using the broom at a different angle. Having the leaves scattered all around the classroom, the educator began to sweep the leaves into the outline of the dustpan. He looked at the green tape on the floor for a moment and changed his direction to sweep towards the dustpan.
Belonging: He noticed a change in the classroom and approached the educator to ask why there was green tape on the floor. He felt a sense of belonging when he communicated with the educator.
Engagement: The boy engaged in the activity by sweeping the leaves around the classroom. He grabbed the top of the broom and pushed the bottom of it to sweep up the leaves.
Expression: He used his verbal communication skills with his educator. He was able to ask what the objects on the ground were and let her know he wanted to try out the activity.
Well-Being: He tested out different theories on how he could sweep up the leaves. He took the time to solve different problems while using the broom. He was able to use gross motor skills as well as fine motor skills through the activity by moving around the classroom holding the broom to sweep.
Written by Youngmi Kang, RECE
September 3 2024
The boy came to the table as soon as he saw the educator preparing some play dough at the table. He said, “play dough!” and looked at the educator while pointing to the pile of playdough. The educator asked him, “do you want to play with the play dough?” He looked up at the educator and replied, “yes” while sitting down at the table. Once the educator placed the play dough on the plate with a fork, knife and spoon, he stared at the cutlery for a while. The educator asked him, “why don’t you cut the play dough in half and then you will have smaller pieces?” He responded, “Youngmi, help please.” He grabbed for the knife using his right hand and a fork in his left hand. Bringing it towards the play dough, he was able to cut the play dough in half with the educator’s help. He then shouted, “it’s yummy!” and pretended to eat a piece of it. After a while the boy then made a couple more attempts to cut the play dough into smaller pieces without the educator’s help.
Belonging : The boy felt a sense of belonging when he saw the educator preparing the activity and came to the table to engage. He interacted with the educator and felt comfortable to ask for help and eventually try on his own.
Engagement : He was engaged in using the utensils to cut the playdough first with the help from the educator then trying it out by himself. He used his imagination to pretend to eat the play dough, exclaiming that it was yummy.
Well-Being : He was able to use his fine motor skills to manipulate the knife when cutting the play dough into smaller pieces. The boy was also able to show off his prior knowledge of how to fold and poke the play dough and pretend it was food.
Expression : The boy interacted very well with the educator during the activity by showing his interest in the activity and asking for help.
By Youngmi Kang, RECE
August 2024
At the table, I placed syringes, silicone shapes and honey in dishes. The child sat down in the chair and leaned close to the bowl of honey. Taking in a big inhale, she smelled the contents. I said, “it’s honey. We are going to transfer the honey from here to the silicone trays.” Nodding her head as she made eye contact with me, she looked back down to the contents. Using her right hand, she picked up the syringe and took it over to the honey. Using her entire hand, she squeezed the syringe. Her eyes watched as the honey was slurped up. When her hand released the syringe, the honey slowly sank from the top of the syringe to the bottom. Looking at me, she said, “it’s not staying in. I need help.” Nodding my head, I checked to see why the syringe wasn’t working. Using my thumb and forefinger, I squeezed up the liquid. Slowly I held the syringe over the silicone and dripped the contents inside. The girl's eyes had widened and her mouth popped into the shape of an “o.” I said, “it seems to be working, you've got to hold the syringe tight and not release it until you are ready to spread the honey over the silicone.” Nodding her head, she took the syringe back. Following the directions of what I had said, she held tight to the syringe and slowly moved her hand to hover over the silicone. Relaxing her hand, her eyes followed the movements of the honey slowly dripping down into the silicone.
Belonging: By sitting down at the table and pulling out a chair, the child was able to show how comfortable she felt in the classroom.
Well-Being: She was able to gain confidence of using her fine motor skills by watching and following the instructions from the educator. She was able to use her language skills to communicate that she needed help from the educator.
Engagement: Throughout trial and error, the girl was able to practice how to use the syringe to soak up the honey. She was able to focus her attention on how the educator was able to drip honey onto the silicone trays.
Expression: Through her body language, the child had been able to make eye contact and nod her head in understanding to the educator. She was able to form a five to seven word sentence to ask for assistance from the educator.
Written By Jessica Martin, RECE
July 15, 2024
Sitting down at the table, the child looked into the three piece container holding various coloured transportation vehicles. She said, “I'm looking for a purple train.” Using her fingers, she brushed along the vehicles until she spotted the purple train. Using her thumb and forefinger, she pulled the purple train out. Her eyes looked over to the lines that had been placed along the table. Making eye contact with me, she said, “what do I do, Jessica?” I said, “you can choose a line and fill your cars up along the line.” Making eye contact with me, she said, “I want this one,” as she pointed to the zigzag line. Taking the purple train to the line, she turned the vehicle facing up the table. Going back to her pile of vehicles, she searched through the vehicles to find another purple vehicle. She lined this vehicle up with her purple train. The child continued to fill in the line until there was no space left. When the line was finished, she looked up to me and said, “I want to count the cars.” I said, “okay, do you need help?” She said, “no, I can do it.” Using her right index finger, she pointed to the start of the line before saying “one.” She would point and count out loud as she went. The girl had reached the number thirty when she reached the end of the line. She then said to me, “there were thirty cars. That's a lot.” Nodding my head, I said, “yes, you counted so well. I didn't know you could count up to thirty all by yourself. I'm proud of you.” Her lips tilted into a large smile as I lifted my right hand up to high five her for her accomplishment.
Belonging: Throughout this activity, the child had made eye contact, asked questions and shared her knowledge with the educator showing how comfortable and safe she had felt.
Well-Being: By telling the girl she could choose which line she wanted to place her vehicles onto, she was able to make the decisions of what line she would like to fill and what colours she wanted to start with. At the end of this activity, the girl had developed a sense of pride in herself when the educator complimented her abilities in counting up to thirty.
Expression: She had been able to communicate her thoughts through questioning and showing her understanding of early numeracy skills.
Engagement: By lining the cars up onto the line, the child had begun a new exploration of verbally counting to thirty. She had been able to communicate her thought process of wanting a purple train to start filling in her line.
Written By Jessica Martin, RECE
June 3, 2024
Sitting down at the table, the child looked into the bucket covered in black rice. He said, “What are we doing today, Jessica?” I held out a paint brush for him to grab, and he held the entire brush using his palmer grasp. Looking at the boy, I said, “underneath the black rice are letters hidden. You'll have to find the letter C for [his name].” Nodding his head, he took the bristle side of the paint brush into the rice. Going back and forth, he started to have the rice thrown up in the air and onto the table. Seeing the rice among the flat surface, he used his thumb and forefinger to pick up the material and drop it back into the bin. Trying again, the rice began to fly out of the clear container. Looking at me, he said, “Jessica, they keep coming out.” I said, “I think you are brushing too hard, I'll help you.” Going hand over hand, I showed him the slow movements of brushing the rice away. When he grew confident in his abilities, I let go for him to explore the rice on his own. Gently, he started to brush the rice away to uncover the letters hidden underneath, when he spotted his initial. Shouting and using his index finger to point at the letter, he said, “look, it’s my letter! It’s C.”
Belonging: By using hand over hand, the child and I were able to share the experience on how to brush the rice away gently. By verbally communicating with the educator, the boy had shown that he wanted to participate and engage in brushing away the rice.
Engagement: By realizing the rice kept falling out of the clear container, the boy had looked to the educator for guidance on how to keep the rice in the bin. He expressed his happiness on finding his initial by verbally shouting, “look, it's my letter! It's C.”
Expression: The child has started to visually recognize the letter that starts with his name, which will help him learn how to read. He was able to string three to five words together to form sentences to articulate his findings when he found his letter and when he needed help to keep the rice in the container.
Well-Being: The boy recognized that the rice kept falling along the top of the table. He continued to problem solve how to prevent this by making the decision to ask the educator for assistance. When he grew confident in his abilities on how to gently brush the rice away, he took full control of the object.
Written By Jessica Martin, RECE
May 6, 2024
At the table, I placed a paper towel onto the table in front of each child. Sitting down, I had a cutting board filled with different fruits such as mango, pear, orange and kiwi. Holding up a fruit, I asked, “does anyone know what kind of fruit this is?” The boy and his peers shouted, “it’s a kiwi!” Nodding my head, I said, “yes, it is a kiwi.” I then placed a kiwi in front of each child and said, “okay, taste the kiwi and let me know if it's sour or if it is sweet.” As his classmates nodded their heads, the boy used his right hand to pick up the kiwi. Holding the fruit up to his face, he licked the kiwi before saying, “this one is sour.” As we continued trying the various fruits, the boy looked at me and said, “Jessica?” I said, “yes, [child]?” He said, “do you like coffee, Jessica?” I said, “no, I like tea better.” He said, “really? I’m not allowed to have tea. It’s too hot. My mom drinks it.” I said, “yes, tea is very hot. Maybe when you are older you can have tea.”
Belonging: The boy participated through the activity of tasting the different fruits alongside his peers. He then extended the conversation into asking questions about tea and coffee. By asking questions to the educator, he was able to share his experience of how he wasn’t allowed to have tea because it’s too hot.
Engagement: By using his senses, the boy was able to indicate if the fruits were sweet or sour. He was able to communicate his own experiences of how he wasn’t allowed to have tea but his mom does.
Expression: Bringing up a topic of interest, the boy asked the educator if they had liked coffee and how he wasn’t allowed to have tea. He had made eye contact through his discussion with the educator to show his interest in conversing.
Well-Being: The child, along with his peers, had the opportunity to taste a variety of fruits. Through a discussion about taste, texture, and appearance, he had the opportunity to discover his likes and dislikes of different fruits, helping to create a sense of agency and a positive relationship with foods. During his discussions with his educator, the child was also able to talk about the rules he has and why, with the example he gave of not being able to have tea because it is too hot. This shows that he understands the safety precautions around hot liquids.
Jessica Martin, RECE
April 2, 2024
Pulling out a chair and sitting down, the girl looked down at the muffin tray with elastic bands covering it. Tilting her head down, her eyes looked up and down to see the hidden ducks inside. Using her hand, she tucked it under the elastic bands, and used her finger tips to grasp the duck into the palm of her hand. Grasping the duck fully, she pulled her hand out and dropped it into the metal bucket. As she looked into the bucket, she looked to a peer and said, “look, I got a duck.” Sticking her hand back underneath the elastic band, she made quick work of pulling each duck out and dropping them into a metal bucket. When her bucket was full, she looked back to the same peer and said, “lots of ducks. Look.” The peer looked into the bucket and said, “wow, that is a lot of ducks.”
Belonging: The child interacted with her peer, to state she had caught a lot of ducks and encouraged them to look into the metal bucket.
Engagement: By using her hand, she was able to manipulate the elastic band to stretch for her in order to grasp the ducks.
Expression: Using her vocabulary, the child started a conversation with her peer about how she caught a duck and at the end stated she caught a lot of ducks and for her peer to take a closer look.
Well-Being: Using a calm demeanor, she focused her attention on placing her hand underneath the elastic band to reach for the ducks that were stuck.
Jessica Martin, RECE
