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Welcome to an exciting month of learning and fun with HIPPY Halton! This November, we’re diving into activities designed to spark curiosity, boost early skills, and nurture a kindness-first mindset.
Each week, we’ll explore different themes through hands-on experiences that encourage preschoolers to explore the world around them. From sensory play with pumpkins to creating poppy crafts for Remembrance Day, these activities will help you turn everyday moments into learning adventures.
Together, let’s help our little ones build foundational skills and a heart full of kindness—one activity at a time!
WEEK 1: Exploring Through Sensory Play & Early Skills
This week, we focus on hands-on exploration to spark curiosity in everyday objects and develop essential skills in language, math, and fine motor abilities.
Activity 1: Pumpkin Sensory Play
Let’s use leftover pumpkins to explore textures! Cut a pumpkin in half and let children scoop out seeds and feel the inside. Great for sensory exploration.
Activity 2: Story Time
Building language through stories. Choose a colorful picture book and read together. Encourage your child to point out animals, objects, or colours and ask questions to boost comprehension. We love:
"Pumpkin Soup" by Helen Cooper
A delightful tale of friendship and teamwork, this story follows three friends—a cat, a squirrel, and a duck—as they make pumpkin soup together. The story beautifully conveys themes of cooperation and sharing, perfect for a cozy autumn read-aloud.
Activity 3: Counting Fun
Introduce numbers through play. Use everyday items like blocks or toys to count and create simple patterns like red-blue-red-blue. Have your child continue the pattern.
Activity 4: Playdough Creations
Strengthening hand muscles. Provide playdough and tools like cookie cutters, encouraging your toddler to roll, squish, and shape the dough to enhance hand strength and coordination.
WEEK 2: Building Kindness & Community
In Week 2, we’re focusing on kindness, remembrance, and the importance of community through engaging activities that also introduce basic shapes and fun science concepts. This week’s theme will help children build empathy, understand the importance of sharing, and explore the joy of learning through play.
Activity 1: Story on Bullying
Storytime Focus: Watch A Story About A Bully by Jennifer Sattler, where a bullfrog learns the importance of sharing when the pond's residents stand up together. This engaging story introduces the concepts of kindness, standing up for others, and the importance of inclusivity.
Activity 2: Remembrance Day Poppies
Teach the significance of Remembrance Day by making simple poppies with red construction paper and green straws. Children can also create thank-you cards for Veterans,, using crayons and stickers to express their gratitude.
Activity 3: World Kindness Day – Kindness Tree
Celebrate World Kindness Day by creating a “Kindness Tree.” Use pre-cut colorful heart shapes and a tree template to craft this collage. Each heart represents an act of kindness, fostering empathy and understanding.
Activity 4: Shape Sorting
Gather shape cutouts or small toys and let children sort by shape and color. This hands-on activity builds recognition skills and introduces basic geometry concepts in a fun, interactive way.
Activity 5: Sink or Float
Take a small tub of water and gather household items. Let your child predict which items will sink or float, then test them in the water. This activity encourages curiosity and introduces early science concepts of buoyancy and density.
WEEK 3: Celebrating Nature Through Science and Math
This week, we will dive into the wonders of nature while promoting scientific exploration and basic math skills.
Activity 1: Caterpillar Shoes Storytime
Encouraging Empathy: Enjoy the sweet, rhyming bedtime story Caterpillar Shoes about a caterpillar who generously gives his beloved shoes away before transforming into a beautiful butterfly. Discuss themes of sharing and caring for others.
Activity 2: Grocery Store Play
Introducing Math Concepts: Set up a pretend grocery store using pantry items. Let your toddler "buy" items with play money, introducing basic counting and money concepts. Use this activity to practice addition and subtraction as they "check out" their items!
Activity 3: Colour Mixing Experiment
Exploring Science Concepts: Use clear cups with water and food colouring to let your child mix colours. Discuss what happens when they combine different colours and encourage them to predict what new colours they might create. This activity is a great introduction to basic colour theory and experimentation.
Activity 4: Fall Nature Walk
Observing Seasonal Changes: Go on a nature walk to collect leaves, acorns, and other fall items. Afterward, create a nature collage with the collected items. Use this opportunity to measure and count the different items collected, integrating math skills into the science of observing nature.
Activity 5: Fine Motor Skills: Bead Stringing
Give your children large beads or big dry pasta and a shoelace or string. Show them how to string the beads, which enhances their dexterity and concentration while incorporating patterns (math).
WEEK 4: Celebrating the Harvest & Growing Gratitude
This week, we’re focusing on gratitude through harvest celebrations and activities that explore nature, numbers, and creativity.
Activity 1: Harvest Recipe Creation
Exploring the harvest season through cooking. Choose a simple recipe that incorporates seasonal fruits or vegetables, like a fruit salad or vegetable soup.
Involve your child in washing, cutting (with supervision), and mixing the ingredients. As you cook, discuss the different colors, shapes, and flavors of the ingredients, fostering both creativity and basic math skills like counting and measuring.
Try this recipe: Slow Cooker Creamy Vegetable Chicken Stew
Activity 2: The Bear and the Bee Storytime
Learning about patience and teamwork. Enjoy a story where a bear learns the hard way to cooperate. Discuss the importance of patience.
Activity 3: Number Hunt
Strengthening math skills. Hide paper numbers around a room and go on a hunt together. Help your child identify and count each number they find.
Activity 4: Planting Seeds
Understanding growth and patience. Although the cooler weather is here, you can still plant seeds in pots indoors and water them together, talking about what plants need to grow. Watch them sprout over time!
🌟 Starting November 15th, we’ll be featured on the Oakville Community Foundation’s GIVE Oakville platform!
With GIVEOakville, 100% of your donation comes directly to us, and your generosity can even be “topped-up” by the Foundation!
The Foundation covers all transaction fees meaning 100% of donations go directly to your charity.
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