July/August 2022
Greetings!

Summer is officially upon us and in full swing! Many people are back to travelling or out and about exploring our local communities engaging in sports, walks and picnics again. It’s a great time of year! We decided to focus our newsletter this month on the theme GET MOVIN’ – because it’s the perfect season to do so! Movement has so many advantages to physical and mental health but is especially important for learning in young children. Read through the linked articles for all the advantages of movement for children and then try some of the ideas and activities we have curated for you. Most of all – have an amazing summer!!

I will also take this opportunity to provide an update on the Canada Wide Early Learning Childcare Agreement. Ontario signed on to the plan in April with the goal of reducing fees to parents for childcare. Since that time, they have provided guidelines to the individual regions/municipalities that will implement the plan. The guidelines have been with the Municipalities to determine their own process for Licensed Daycare Centres and Licensed Home Childcare Agencies to apply to be part of the program. This application process has started in some cities and not in others. We will continue to update parents on the process of application and approvals and decisions regarding participation in the program at the individual agency level as the process is different in each region/municipality. 

Sincerely,
Lisa Parise
Learning is Fun with Wee Watch
Let's Get Moving!
Most children are always on the move, and with good reason! Did you know that children learn through movement? Whether they are rolling, crawling, running, jumping, or even wiggling and fidgeting - that movement is helping their brains develop! 98% of a child’s brain develops within their first 6 years and physical movement plays a critical role in the creation of nerve cell networks that are essential for brain development.

Research has shown that children need to move to activate the brain. According to a 2020 study, children who have higher levels of physical activity have consistently been shown to perform better in school and other cognitive functions. The physical activity does not necessarily need to be connected to the learning goal at hand to be helpful. Many schools are now putting programs into place where children are not sitting for long periods at desks, but instead are encouraged to move around the room, stand, take “Brain breaks” where they engage in some form of movement. 

Children learn from exploration with all their senses and the more we can connect learning to ‘touch’ and movement, the better the learning experience will be for the child.
There are many ways for parents and childcare Providers to focus on the combination of movement and learning in their homes, and below are some examples that can be easily tried out! 

Connect language to actions:
Have children act out a story or math problem with their bodies. Studies have shown that children who acted out a math problem solved it faster and more accurately. Or use the body to learn shapes – have children make a circle with their arms or lie on the floor with some friends to make a square or triangle.

Action songs like “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes” are amazing tools for the brain, engaging both left and right brain functions that lay the foundation for further development of language, literacy, and math skills.

When children are learning the alphabet or numbers, combine the learning with leaping or jumping or a ball toss activity. Try this idea, called the “Alphabet Garden” – take sidewalk chalk and draw flowers all over the driveway and in each flower write a letter of the alphabet. Call out the letter and have your child find the letter and water the flower with a watering can as they say the sound of the letter.

Learning colours? Try taking strips of coloured construction paper and taping them to an outdoor wall – have your child throw a ball at the correct colour as you call it out. This can easily be modified by having them jump into coloured hula-hoops!

The possibilities are endless for learning activities – the upside is that the body can become a full learning instrument! Active physical movement and play helps children learn, improves memory, and increases their motivation – and simply makes learning more fun!
Wee Play & Learn
Every Provider and child has access to our Wee Learn educational curriculum! Wee Learn and all its associated programming was designed by a team of childcare experts to help children meet their developmental milestones and to prepare them for success in school and beyond! Our program is focused on play based learning for all ages and stages! 

Try some of these activities which align with our program:
Wee Beginners (1-2 years):

Wee Explorers (2-3 years):

Wee Builders (3-4 years):
Wee Learners (4-5 years):

Wee Experts (5-6 years):

Wee Mentors (6+ years):
Together Wee Can Play, Learn & Grow
Each year Wee Watch organizes exclusive and educational events and activities around a theme that all Providers across Ontario participate in called "Together Wee Can".

Wee Watch will be celebrating and promoting literacy all year through our Together Wee Can Program for 2022, “Together Wee Can Read, Learn, & Grow!”. Through this program, we have selected a wonderful book to focus on each month and developed special activities that correspond with the chosen book and theme.

Take a look at what's coming up in our homes...
This month we are celebrating Canada’s 155th birthday and what better way to learn about our amazing country than by reading the book “Canada in Colours” by Per-Henrik Gurth.

This book shows us all the beautiful and colourful landmarks we can visit in our own ‘backyard’.
August 9th is Book Lover’s Day so we thought instead of selecting a book this month, we would leave it open, making it a “Reader’s Choice”. This month we are giving children the opportunity to choose one of their favourite books to share with their friends.

Parents: Please send your child’s favourite book with them to daycare during this event.  

Each month we have a Mystery Reader reading the book of the month. Our Mystery Readers will be featured in our "Wee Talk with Lisa" Live On Facebook and a pre-recorded video of them reading the book will be shared on Facebook and YouTube.

Don't miss our upcoming Facebook Live, on Wednesday July13th @7pm with Susmita Dahal, Wee Watch Provider from our Brantford-Brant Agency!
Kids Can Cook
Cooking with kids isn't just about recipes, it can be a delicious learning experience for everyone! Cooking encourages literacy skills, harnesses imagination, empowerment, and creativity.

Check out this months recipes for kids:

Memorable Moments
There is always so much happening in our homes, be sure to check out our slideshow to experience some of the fun & learning.

Wee Watch Team Spotlight
Provider Anniversaries
Congratulations to our wonderful Providers on their milestone anniversaries! 

We thank you for your ongoing commitment to the families in your care, your community, and Wee Watch.

Let's be Social
We have so much to share with you...

"Our “Mystery Reader” this month has been revealed…Meet Niña Cabaguio!

Niña is an RECE and coordinator of the Glitterbug, 2SLGBTQ+ EarlyON Mobile Program and was happy to read this months book for for all of you.

This month is Pride month which is part of the reason we chose “All Are Welcome” as our book this month. We will be learning all about diversity and inclusion, making sure we all have a safe and welcoming space."

"Children will meet and make friends from different cultures, religions, with different family structures, and some that may define their gender or identity differently. One of the key components of "How Does Learning Happen" and Wee Watch's Inclusion Policy is the idea of belonging and making sure every child feels safe and welcome in our homes.

Check out these amazing rocks our Provider Sukhpal and the children painted this week - Love this! ❤

All Are Welcome!"

Sharing Some Wee Talk
Move and Groove with Your Kids - A 30-Day Challenge -...

Let's get real - parenting can be exhausting! There are days I'm sure we all feel like we have run a marathon but if you look back, we really haven't moved that much. Summer certainly makes it easier to focus on getting UP, getting OUT and MOVING ...

Read more
www.weewatch.com
Wee Watch Licensed Home Childcare | weewatch.com