Monthly Archives: January 2022

Parallel Play Can Be Fun at Any Age

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Today I observed something I recalled learning about in my early childhood education class: parallel play. It wasn’t involving toddlers as the definition suggests but eight and nine year olds enjoying each other’s company while on devices.

I know some parents and teachers may frown upon this and suggest that children should be playing outside or interacting in a more direct way, which my daughter and her friends, Jack and Alex, were doing throughout their play date, but as they all sat on the sofa together playing a Roblox game, this showed me how play amongst children is constantly evolving.

They were all fully engaged and even chatting and joking with each other occasionally and just enjoying each other’s presence., and that’s what matters.

All the best,

Tanya

Do You Want to Build a Snowman? A Simple Request from My Daughter

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The overnight forecast calls for snow and then rain. Still not enough for a snowman, my daughter informed me. A little over a week ago, we got our first snow, but with technology and the kids using Zoom and Google classroom throughout the pandemic, there was no snow day.

While this was a little disappointing for Quinn, she was happy to see her teacher and classmates online and to have enough snow to build a tiny baby snowman after school ended online.

I remember longing for the snow when I was Quinn’s age and wanting to build a huge snowman. While she longs for the same thing decades later, she now has a different and new concern. Will she get an actual snow day if it happens on a school day, or will she still have school online using Google classroom?

This is an instance where I can empathize with her and children who are being robbed of their snow days. I’m hoping that if we do get a lot of snow this year that Quinn doesn’t have to wait until after her Google classroom meeting to build that snowman and is actually granted a snow day.

All the best,

Tanya

This School Year is Adding Up to a Fun Time Learning! Four Months Down & Six To Go!

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My daughter’s teacher posted a picture of her on Class Dojo earning a certificate of achievement award for successfully completing the division section in the XtraMath program her third grade classroom uses. Quinn was so excited because this means she completed all of the sections, including addition, subtraction and multiplication.

I was very proud of her too, but seeing the picture and her smiling eyes made me appreciate this school year even more. Last year around this time, Quinn was still learning virtually and had not been in the classroom since March 2020. Though she must wear her mask and there are more Covid cases on the rise lately with the Omicron variant causing the number of students physically in the classroom to dwindle, the more direct interaction she gets with her teacher and classmates is all adding up to a different yet wonderful school year.

Of course, I’m all for safety first, but my fingers are crossed that the Covid cases will subside, Quinn will remain in the classroom and getting to add on terrific learning experiences and interactions for the next six months.

All the best,

Tanya