Grouptime events

This week the children explored the concepts of FUNCTION and RESPONSIBILITY.  We all have different roles we play in the various communities.  For example at our centre the children felt that  cleanliness and organization are important so we used our service learning chart to help us check what our cleaning responsibilities are and practiced it throughout the week.  Then we went outside to pick up garbage around the playground to show that our responsibilities are not just limited in one space but to every community we are part of.   We also discussed that in part people perform and continue to stay  committed to their responsibilities because we CARE for one another and our community.   

"I want to be a cake maker when I grow up!" Nicky excitedly expressed to the group.  This led to our exploration of the Baker and other community members who are essential in maintaining the bakery shop like the farmer, miller, truck driver, grocer, and the truck mechanic. We worked on a map to demonstrate the CONNECTION of each community member and how they work together.  We've also discovered that a failure of one helper can disrupt the whole community.  For instance if the delivery truck breaks down then supplies won't be delivered and the baker can't make some of the goodies.  A concerned Isaak said: "Oh no! The bakeshop will close down!" Another idea they have is a baking party which is a great way to practice cooperation and caring behaviour. Olivia called us the baking community; they brought in some baking supplies and took turns mixing the ingredients.  We observed how we each contributed to the baking task as we worked together like a team.

Based from our walk along the Dunbar neighbourhood and our class discussion the children defined community as a group of people who work together. We created a poster to show their understanding of the different types of communities they are part of such as the home, school and other groups they participate in.  They realize that they each have different roles in each of those groups and that cooperation is key in supporting the development of a strong community.  For example one of the "jobs" they feel is important in our daycare is cleaning and organizing toys.  They worked together in sorting out blocks, toys and sprayed tables.   All of these is good in theory but what does it look like in practice?  So they went and told the other children about their experience and invited them to do the same.