The holiday season brings so much joy and wonder, and this year, we feel especially lucky to have several Christmas trees in our classroom—including a mini one that the children can decorate all on their own! This little tree has become a centerpiece of creativity and collaboration, and we’re thrilled to share how it has inspired our young learners.

We placed the small tree on a table in the dramatic center, alongside a collection of small ornaments as a provocation. We were curious to see how the children would engage with these materials. Would they incorporate the ornaments into their dramatic play, perhaps imagining them as toys or pieces of play food? Would they explore the ornaments’ textures by rolling them around like balls? With these questions in mind, we took a step back to observe.

Before long, a few children approached the dramatic center and noticed the tree. “Hey, who put this tree here? That’s so silly,” one of them remarked with a smile. Their curiosity grew as they spotted the ornaments. “Look, it’s the same as those ones on the big tree, but these are tiny baby ones!”

One child eagerly picked up an ornament and asked, “Can I decorate it?” We enthusiastically encouraged them to go ahead. The excitement quickly spread, and they invited their friends to join in. “Do you want to help?” one child asked another. Soon, the group was working together to decorate the tree.

Some of the children faced challenges when trying to hang the ornaments, but our classroom is full of kind helpers. With a little teamwork and support, everyone succeeded in adding their ornaments to the tree. Watching the children collaborate was heartwarming. They made independent choices about which ornaments to use and where to place them, all while offering help to their peers and sharing materials. These moments beautifully showcased their growing independence and their ability to practice important social skills.

As educators, we often relish the opportunity to engage directly with the children’s play. But in this instance, stepping back and observing proved equally rewarding. We got to witness their creativity, problem-solving, and cooperative spirit in action—qualities that make this season truly magical.

This simple activity reminded us of the power of open-ended play. By providing the children with a blank canvas—or in this case, a miniature Christmas tree—we gave them the freedom to express themselves and work together. And in doing so, they reminded us of the joy and wonder that comes from creating something beautiful, together.

Merry Christmas from our classroom to yours!

At Trafalgar Oaks, we promote the inclusion of nature and art in our teaching. By using different materials we created different sensory experiences that resembled the environments described in the song "Going on a Bear Hunt".

For the forest, we used a combination of wooden construction paper, leaves, and a variety of textured wood longs, and wooden trees. Our preschoolers were encouraged to explore the "forest" using their sense of touch, running their hands over the different textures and feeling the roughness of the tree trunks.

We also added some calming forest sounds in the background to further immerse them in the environment. As we journeyed through the song, we encountered the river, where we used water table to create a hands-on experience. Our preschoolers were delighted to use our wooden dolls and bears to splash their hands in the "water" and explore the sensation of the water flowing through their fingers.

Next, we ventured into the mud, where we used a mixture of mulch and crushed for this tactile experience. Our preschoolers giggled with glee as they squelched their hands into the "mud" and explored the sensation of the textures.

Finally, we arrived at the cave, where we used black felt and a black cave made out of clay this enclosed space gave a sense of mystery and adventure. Our preschoolers enjoyed using their bears and wooden people to hide and run away. Through this multisensory experience, the children were able to engage with the song on a deeper level, using their imaginations to bring the environments to life.

It was an unforgettable educational adventure that combined music, creativity, and exploration! As we continue our interest in all things camping our friends have been sharing how they enjoy camping with their families. Some have shared during morning circle they stay in a cabin, others in a huge tent and some in a camping van or camping trailer. Our preschoolers also enjoyed watching a video of Bilipi touring a campground and a camping trailer last Friday. This interest lead us to finding a way our friends can create their own camper van. There are many options to use for our camper base but we decided to use felt as it would be a great fit for hanging in our classroom. By using felt to create craven vehicle we are creating an innovative and engaging project that combines art, design, and engineering principles. This educational activity is designed to foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in our preschoolers! To begin, we gathered a variety of felt sheets in different colors, textures, and thicknesses. We also used a few simple tools, such as scissors, markers and tracers of a door, window and craven outline. Additionally, we showed some reference images of vehicles to inspire their design. This is an excellent opportunity to practice measurement skills, as they need to ensure that all the parts fit together seamlessly on their vehicle. Next, our preschoolers will assemble their vehicle using glue and hot glue. This stage requires patience, attention to detail, and fine motor skills. As we work together on our next steps we will encourage them to think about the structure of their vehicle and talk about where windows and doors will go on their camper van!