Un trésor dans mon jardin
VISION :
Un trésor dans mon jardin consists of fun and educational activities around gardening; the children create their garden, plant, water, weed, harvest, transform and taste the fruit of the work of their little hands.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
- bringing children and families together for a common project
- expanding and diversifying their taste in foods
- creating a rich learning environment to explore the origins of foods
- inspiring the reflection on healthy food choices
KEY CONCEPTS – THE 5 C’s:
- Connaître/Recognize
- Cultiver / Grow
- Cueillir / Harvest
- Cuisiner / Cook
- Conserver / Conservation
View 5 C’s poster
Petite enfance, grande forme
Petite enfance, grande forme is a program that aims to teach healthy eating habits from an early age to help foster a healthy attitude towards food for the rest of life through the discovery and exploration of new foods. It is through fun activities that children discover how healthy eating is fun, easy, and delicious!
The pilot project started at the Nouvel Horizon centre in October 2015 and has been implemented in all of our centres as of September 2017. The educators have created their own activities that align with the philosophy of Petite enfance, grande forme for one year . These activities were then compiled into a kit that is now available to all educators in our centres. Petite enfance, grande forme is a collaborative creation by the educators at La Boîte à soleil.
Nutrition education is done through programming, daily activities and food offered to children. Educators use crafts, cooking, eating and exploring new foods with children to help them learn and discover. They not only use the activities planned for the program, but also integrate food discovery into all kinds of daily activities, whether spontaneous or planned. By observing and listening to children, each educator uses to children’s interest and ties it into food and nutrition: describing the menu, discussing odours from the kitchen (or cart), encourage children to describe foods with all their senses or even discussing the origin and source of food.
Littératie pour la vie
Literacy for Life is designed to help educators and parents of preschoolers promote the emerging literacy skills that all children need to develop to learn to read and write successfully.
Drawing on the latest research in early literacy and translating it into practical, immediately usable strategies, Literacy for Life enables educators to naturally integrate literacy into every moment of the day.
Participants learn the most effective methods for promoting the six building blocks of literacy, namely
- Oral language
- Vocabulary
- Understanding the story
- Language of learning
- Knowledge of print
- Phonological awareness
- Program components
Literacy for Life offers practical strategies for use in everyday activities and conversations.
These strategies can be easily integrated into everyday conversations and literacy activities, meaning educators don’t need to set aside extra time in their day. Each strategy is designed to make learning to read and write a fun and natural part of every child’s day.
Nos petits soleils
The Nos petits soleils project aims to create a strong partnership between the seven Sunshine Box daycare centers and French-speaking seniors’ clubs or residences on the Niagara Peninsula. This initiative aims to bring youngsters and seniors together through a range of organized activities (visits where possible, pen-pals, virtual meetings, shared activities, etc.).
Some seniors don’t have grandchildren, or their grandchildren are too far away geographically to have a meaningful relationship with them. Conversely, some children don’t see their grandparents for the same reasons, or their grandparents have passed away. In these cases, bonds can be forged outside the grandparent/grandchild relationship, with just as much chance of success. The most important elements of these activities are the spontaneous exchanges that take place. A kind word, a gesture of encouragement or a consoling caress. Intergenerational programs enable young and old, in a society where the family is often fragmented, to have relationships that are unique in character. This program also aims to develop empathy in our children.
The gap between young and old continues to widen. The hectic pace of life, the move to single-family dwellings and the increased accessibility of housing for the elderly have inadvertently made these ties more difficult to maintain. Unfortunately, this gap can create a sense of isolation and missed opportunities for young and old to learn valuable cultural experiences from each other. An experience that can foster continued pride in Francophones and their traditions.
The Nos petits soleils project consists of activities aimed at children and seniors that will:
- foster a positive, empathetic attitude among children towards aging and the elderly
- give seniors the opportunity to feel valued and useful
- increase and maintain mobility through shared recreational activities
- help children with their social and emotional development
- give children and seniors the opportunity to build relationships based on unconditional mutual acceptance
- break the isolation of French-speaking seniors, and potentially have positive effects for people with dementia
build relationships that help reduce the impact of declining physical and mental health on older people - enable seniors who speak only French and have difficulty with English to enjoy activities in French, surrounded by smiling, welcoming French-speaking children.
As a result, projects like ours have considerable benefits for the francophone community:
- transmitting the French language, Francophone culture, heritage and experience between generations
- strengthening communities to make them more age-friendly by breaking down age barriers and stereotypes from one age group to another
- promoting understanding, respect and the sharing of ideas, knowledge and experience across cultures so that they are not lost
- improve health outcomes and quality of life for francophone seniors
boost self-esteem and satisfaction in both age groups through the acquisition of new identity skills - encourage careers in healthcare and a lifelong commitment to volunteering among young francophones.
With our aging population, this initiative could also encourage the involvement of our youngest members in our francophone community, as well as ensure the renewal of leadership within the community.
What’s more, studies show that children who participated in intergenerational programs achieved better reading scores, had a positive attitude towards aging and even reduced the likelihood of missing school. Establishing a pen-pal program between our after-school children (afterschool program) and francophone seniors will help address the consequences of declining use and quality of spoken and written French, as well as help counter language insecurity.
The Nos petits soleils project will involve over 200 children in 7 Boîte à Soleil daycare centers. Each day-care center will work with a French-speaking residence or a French-speaking seniors’ club with an average of 50 to 100 members. This means that some 250 seniors will be reached by this great initiative in the Niagara Peninsula. It’s a winning formula from every point of view!
"In youth, the days seem short and the years long; in old age, the years seem short and the days long. But in reality, both years and days are short, and both should be used positively."
- Gretchen Rubin