Guest Post written by local mama & our lovely friend, Catherine Wigg.
Inside the beautiful Sankalpa Preschool classroom at Wymbin.
"SANKALPA is an idea that is formed in your heart or mind- we believe that every child should have the opportunity to grow and innovate creatively in a supportive, interesting, and engaging environment." - Wymbin
I have wanted to homeschool for years because I found school really hard socially while growing up. But then I had two kids quite close together and I realized I needed a break. When we found Wymbin it was such an easy decision for us to send them there. We really wanted the kids to have a place to feel safe, understood and accepted and we truly believe that Wymbin checks off all of those boxes.
Come and see what Wymbin is all about!
The Sankalpa Preschool Open House
is on Saturday February 29th from 10:30am-12:00pm
The Sankalpa preschool program at Wymbin is inspired by Reggio Emilia principles. Reggio Emilia puts the child in the centre of all learning in the classroom. The children guide the lessons learned in the class based on what they are interested, rather than following a curriculum. The teachers allows the students to guide her, instead of the teacher guiding the students.
William loves going to preschool with Miss Ana. She is kind, gentle and one of the most patient people on this Earth. Miss Ana is at preschool every day so no matter the days you sign your little one up for, she will be their teacher!
At Wymbin, they have a word they try to embody for every month. February is Friendship. I love this because William is a very independent player and when he comes home he will talk about asking kids if they want to play with him. He even talked about a friend in his class and asked if one day she could come to our house to play! My momma heart was so happy!
Miss Ana’s tips for setting up a successful activity at home:
Be thoughtful – think about your child while setting up the activity.
For example: if you are doing an activity with beads a few questions you could ask yourself would be: “does the bead fit on the string?” “does the string unravel while putting the bead on, making it more difficult with each bead?” The best way to answer these questions is by you trying the activity first yourself!
When presenting a new activity, less is best!
Too many things can be overwhelming and a new activity can be overwhelming as well. Be patient.
Join your child and let them be.
Miss Ana always asks questions to prompt conversation and creativity to flow. She NEVER assumes any answers. Some good questions to ask are:
What is that?
What are you doing?
Why?
It can be really tempting to explain what is “really” happening – but we want to remember to have them lead. So, instead of you leading the conversation with real life facts about “WHY” things are the way they are, you can help foster your child’s imagination by being a “scientist” and making statements like: “I see that there is water around the ice” or “the water is cold”. Do not present a suggestion that could alter the way your child is going to continue to play.
What you need for the activity we did below: – beads of different shapes and sizes – string and other tools ex: skewer sticks of different sizes – containers to hold beads
Catherine Wigg is a local mama who shares her journey about living naturally, essential oils, her adorable family and the cutest mobile home from her blog Oh Those Baby Feels.
Follow Catherine on social media:
@catherine.wigg
@catherinesessentials
@mobilewiththewiggs