Early Childhood Programs Blog

Spring is in the Air- Forest Dreamers Monday/Wednesday

March 25, 2019 -
What’s that Peeping Around? One reason that I love working at Irvine is because I discover new things every day! With springtime approaching,  many plants and animals are emerging from their winter siesta! Today the children chose a further destination.  Taking advantage of the warmer weather, they wanted to visit some water and look for... Read more »

From Sun to Rain! Forest Dreamers Tuesday/Thursday

March 21, 2019 -
The Ninja Course The children had such a great time exploring our new “hidden play area” that they decided to head back and explore some more.  Sometimes with children, plans don’t go as planned and we didn’t make it past the straw bales. What started off as a quick jump, quickly became snack time. It... Read more »

Art & Science of the Land: Week 3

March 21, 2019 -
Today we finished our maple magic lesson by doing experiments about capillary action, writing our own maple syrup story, exploring the pond and large red maple tree and making pancakes and eating them with real maple syrup!  Maple syrup is such a yummy treat, it's amazing to think that something so delicious can be made... Read more »

Pretend Play!- Forest Dreamers Tuesday/Thursday

March 16, 2019 -
The Band must Play On... This group of Forest Dreamers never cease to amaze Mrs. Stephanie and myself! They are continually on the move. In a society that alway entertains children, we sometimes hear "I'm bored" or "What can I do?". Not with this bunch of children! Be it at the stream, the climbing tree,... Read more »

New Places- Forest Dreamers Monday/Wednesdayy

March 16, 2019 -
Forest Dreamer Play! Monday was a slow day but one filled with play! We made it to the "salamander circle" where the kids split up into groups exploring the forest. The giant dirt pile proved too tempting and several children grabbed sticks and started to break up the pile. While that was taking place, some... Read more »

Art & Science of the Land: Spring Week 2

March 12, 2019 - Earth Friends, Preschool

Today was week 1 of our Maple Magic series.  For two weeks we will be learning about maple syrup, how to identify maple trees in winter, how to measure trees and tap them for syrup and about the maple sugaring process.  Our focus today was on how to identify maple trees in winter and measure… Read more »

Brrrr….It’s COLD out here!

March 12, 2019 - Forest Dreamers, Preschool

“L” is for LOVE It’s amazing to me the different things that we can find in nature. During the winter months, people often think the forest looks dead and “boring”. Every time we meet, this Forest Dreamer group discovers something new and exciting! This week, with the cold temperature, we discovered Ice Needles! What an… Read more »

See You Later Winter! Forest Dreamers Monday/Wednesday

March 10, 2019 - Forest Dreamers, Preschool

Cold Wet Snow!! Today was possibly our last snow fall for the season! We gathered in the Glen and enjoyed some snow fun! Snow angels revealed smiley faces in the mulch! Teepee building led to pretend fire hand warming! The kids have such a great imagination and their excitement is contagious. Moving quickly for some… Read more »

Bring on the ICE! (Tuesday/Thursday)

March 4, 2019 - Forest Dreamers, Preschool

Hopscotch and Allergies Finally…Forest Dreamers starts up again!! Everyone gathered in the Glen, quickly setting off teepee building, balancing on logs, and inspecting the hidden ice crystals in the shadows of the bare trees. Some children rolled over logs and used magnifying lens to get a closer look.  We knew that this day would revolve… Read more »

Art and Science of the Land: First Week of Spring

March 4, 2019 - Earth Friends, Preschool

2/26/2019 Welcome back to Irvine for our Spring semester of Earth Friends Homechool!  This semester we are continuing on the theme we started in Fall, learning about how artists are inspired by the art and science of the land to create land art.  Sometimes this land art is small, sometimes it’s on a large, permanent… Read more »