A recent trip to a local playground reminded me of how much my perspective on acceptable playground play can differ from my other colleagues in the field. What I witnessed was a staff from another summer camp frequently requesting children to "reign in" their actions, from what I assume was a fear for the children's safety. Below are some examples of the scenarios, along with my thoughts.
Scenario #1: Child stands on swing seat
Staff: "Sit down! No standing on the swings."
My thoughts: The child was on an individual swing set and posed no risk to other children. By my estimate, the child appeared to be 8 or 9 years old and seemed perfectly confident, comfortable and in control of the swing. In fact, he wasn't even swinging, but merely standing on the seat, with both hands grasping the chains on either side. I asked in my own head, "how is this action any riskier than climbing any of the other structures on the rest of the playground?"
Verdict: Risk minimal. Let them play!
Scenario #2: Child shuffles up pole that supports swing set
Staff: "Get down. No climbing up the swings."
My thoughts: Why not?! The child was not in the way of any other participants, nor was he in the path of the swings. Again, the risk to this child climbing, or to those around him, was no greater than, say, climbing the monkey bars at the other end of the playground.
Verdict: Risk minimal. Let them play!
Scenario #3: Child climbs up side of playground structure
Staff: "Be careful..."
My thoughts: I've grown to hate this phrase. Why? Because it conveys NOTHING. First, will saying "be careful" change how the child is behaving? Doubtful. Do you think the child is actually trying to be careless to hurt herself? Second, saying "be careful" doesn't tell the child what you want her to do. It conveys no direction. If you have an actual concern, simply prompt the child to think about the dangers (i.e. "if your foot slips, do you have a good grip with both hands?")
Verdict: Useless phrase. Let them play!
Let's be reminded of why we have playgrounds. Yes, the obvious reasons are for fun and physical activity. But playgrounds, or playing in general, are for exploring risk and developing skills! Of course we should set some limits to prevent major hazards from inflicting serious harm. But an exposure to reasonable risky play only serves to develop skills in our children, both in assessing and overcoming risks.
No risk? No reward!
Cheers,
Dustin
Friday, 14 July 2017
Friday, 7 July 2017
Summer Daycamp Pro Tips
With a super fun and sunny start to daycamps this summer, the kids and leaders have been having a blast. The first week has flown by with a great variety of activities, from face painting and rocket building, to trips to playgrounds and waterparks, to some quality time just playing board games with friends.
The following are some Summer Daycamp Pro Tips to keep the summer rolling smoothly for children and parents alike:
The following are some Summer Daycamp Pro Tips to keep the summer rolling smoothly for children and parents alike:
- Sunscreen and water bottle - Send it! The staff remind the children multiple times a day to apply sunscreen and drink water. Forgot to send sunscreen with your child? Just ask a leader to borrow some camp supply!
- Water shoes - Dry or wet, it's important to keep your child's feet protected. Pack some footwear for waterparks or beaches.
- Food safety - Is your child's lunch perishable? If so, stick an ice-pack in the lunch kit to keep things cool. Warm yogurt is gross!
- Waitlists - If a desired daycamp is full, always get on the waitlist! You'd be surprised how much movement there is in the registration system.
- Be on time - Please stick to the program times for which you have registered. It's not fair to the staff or other participants if you drop off early or pick up late. Having to give warnings or charge late fees are the least favourite tasks for the leaders!
Cheers,
Dustin
Friday, 16 June 2017
Return of the Sun
Hi Jr OSC families!
Thank you all for doing your sun dances. It's paid off and
Mr.Sun is back again!
The school year is almost over and here at OSC we are
preparing for an amazing summer program!
Your little sunbeams will be getting lots of vitamin D from here on out. Please make sure to gear them up with water bottles, sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats!
Earlier this week, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some of the new and hottest hair trends for Wacky Hair Day. We are so lucky to have the kids keeping us up to date with what is cool and hip.
There are lots of exciting events coming up, one of them being the OSC Family BBQ! The BBQ is a great way to celebrate the end to a great year with your children. There will be food, a slideshow, and even a revenge against the leaders event . Please bring food bank items to vote for which leaders will receive punishment! We really hope that all of you and your sunbeams are able to make it! Have a beautiful, sunny weekend!
Your little sunbeams will be getting lots of vitamin D from here on out. Please make sure to gear them up with water bottles, sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats!
Earlier this week, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some of the new and hottest hair trends for Wacky Hair Day. We are so lucky to have the kids keeping us up to date with what is cool and hip.
There are lots of exciting events coming up, one of them being the OSC Family BBQ! The BBQ is a great way to celebrate the end to a great year with your children. There will be food, a slideshow, and even a revenge against the leaders event . Please bring food bank items to vote for which leaders will receive punishment! We really hope that all of you and your sunbeams are able to make it! Have a beautiful, sunny weekend!
Mackenzie
Wednesday, 10 May 2017
Glove Monsters
Hello OSC families,
On Thursday, Mackenzie organized a creepy and creative art activity called glove monsters. From googly eyes, multi-coloured felts, buttons and sharpies, the kids eagerly started to decorate their monsters. They used brightly coloured toe socks and used stuffing to make their monster plush and 3D. With our supplies, the kids used their imagination and decorated these amazing and unique glove monsters. Some were scarier than others with sharp teeth and others were covered with colourful feathers and pom poms. No two monsters looked the same and the final products were oh so scary! The kids were so excited to show Mackenzie and me their completed monster. This was a great opportunity for them to express their artistic skills.
Until next time,
Sarah A
On Thursday, Mackenzie organized a creepy and creative art activity called glove monsters. From googly eyes, multi-coloured felts, buttons and sharpies, the kids eagerly started to decorate their monsters. They used brightly coloured toe socks and used stuffing to make their monster plush and 3D. With our supplies, the kids used their imagination and decorated these amazing and unique glove monsters. Some were scarier than others with sharp teeth and others were covered with colourful feathers and pom poms. No two monsters looked the same and the final products were oh so scary! The kids were so excited to show Mackenzie and me their completed monster. This was a great opportunity for them to express their artistic skills.
Until next time,
Sarah A
Monday, 8 May 2017
Baking up a storm!
In the kitchen for a special activity were Jason and a bunch of our expert bakers, making bread pudding. The kids were given different tasks at their table, pouring in ingredients, mixing the batter, and even a little bit of cleaning up. They were so excited to bake that we posted the recipe here in the blog. If anyone would like to make it at home, check out the recipe below!
Ingredients:
6 slices day-old bread
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.
Happy Baking!
Pearlena
Ingredients:
6 slices day-old bread
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.
Happy Baking!
Pearlena
Thursday, 27 April 2017
Spring is in the air!
With all the spring showers, the May flowers have come a little early this year. The sun is making its way through the clouds, making our playground days extra special, being able to play in the warm sun and the cool breeze. Since the sun has been out more, we have been able to take the opportunity to use our patio even more. This week, Sara led the kids in planting their own spring flowers. They decorated their ceramic pots by painting them, before putting soil and sunflower seeds in the pots. We hope that these sunflowers will be ready to be planted for the summer time and soon we will have sunflowers taller than the kids! These beautiful flower pots are living temporarily on our patio, until they start to sprout. It won’t be long before we will have to pull out the sunscreen, hats, and extra water bottles!
Have a great day!
Pearlena
Have a great day!
Pearlena
Thursday, 20 April 2017
Bunny Masks
Happy Easter OSC Families!
I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing long weekend. There’s nothing better than spending the weekend with your family, especially when it involves eating as much chocolate as possible. Last week, to prepare for Easter, we made Easter Bunny Masks for one of our art activities.
To make the masks, we started off by cutting out the center of a paper plate. After that, we drew bunny ears on a light coloured sheet of paper and cut them out. We drew a smaller section inside the ears and coloured them pink. We then cut out six small whiskers, three for each side of the plate, and used black construction paper for them. Once we glued the ears and whiskers in their place, we hot glued a popsicle stick to the bottom of the paper plate. The kids could hold on to the popsicle stick and then hold their masks up to their faces.
We had a few ears fall off as they were quite big and heavy, so liquid glue or a hot glue gun worked best to keep them in place. All in all, it was a super fun activity and all the masks turned out so well. I’m looking forward to our next holiday themed art activity!
All the best,
Erin
I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing long weekend. There’s nothing better than spending the weekend with your family, especially when it involves eating as much chocolate as possible. Last week, to prepare for Easter, we made Easter Bunny Masks for one of our art activities.
To make the masks, we started off by cutting out the center of a paper plate. After that, we drew bunny ears on a light coloured sheet of paper and cut them out. We drew a smaller section inside the ears and coloured them pink. We then cut out six small whiskers, three for each side of the plate, and used black construction paper for them. Once we glued the ears and whiskers in their place, we hot glued a popsicle stick to the bottom of the paper plate. The kids could hold on to the popsicle stick and then hold their masks up to their faces.
All the best,
Erin
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