The sun has come out

As the sun’s rays warm the earth after the winter months, we’re delighted to share with you the latest news from the Boréal des tout-petits and Scène des tout-petits childcare centers. With the return of spring, our forests are decked out in new colors, trees are budding and flowers are blooming, heralding a time of renewal and even more outdoor activities for children!

All these changes call for appropriate clothing, as we will explain in a moment. The last few weeks have seen two mornings of family involvement in the forest at each of the two centers, resulting in some great advances in the children’s natural play areas!

We’re also coming to the end of the action research for the Nature and Forest Daycare Project.

What exactly is this project? Stay until the end to find out!

First of all, we would like to express our gratitude to all the parents who joined our teams on the morning of the two early childhood centers’ engagement. Your presence and invaluable help have enabled us to improve our natural spaces and create facilities that enrich the children’s experience and make them more comfortable.

A morning of commitment at Boréal des tout-petits

At Boréal des tout-petits, our efforts were focused on refurbishing the cabins. One of them has even been transformed into a cosy little nest for the children. The toilet room began to be fitted out and the running track cleaned up. Meanwhile, the children tried out the workshop proposed by Pierre Harrison and set up by one of the parents: an original musical workshop using stoves hung from a tree branch!

It is always fantastic to see what can be created with recycled materials!

An enjoyable morning of engagement at Scène des tout-petits

At Scène des tout petits, children were able to take full advantage of the facilities already in place, playing freely among themselves, while parents contributed to projects aimed at improving the environment, such as draining stagnant water to limit the spread of mosquitoes and installing a rope-operated doorbell. All participants, staff and parents alike, have even begun to create a shelter for a new dry toilet integrated into the surrounding landscape. All these efforts have enriched our play and learning spaces, but there is always more to do.

We loved the music workshop and would love to be able to create permanent music workshops in the forests of both centers. If you would like to contribute to this children’s project by bringing in old stoves, our educators will be happy to use them!

Our warmest thanks go to Pierre Harrison, the educational staff and all the families present for their commitment and support.

Thanks also to Mother Earth for lending us these beautiful natural spaces and allowing the children to explore and grow in confidence.

Nature and Forest Daycare Project is moving foward !

Speaking of the benefits that Mother Earth allows us to enjoy, we are happy to update you on the progress of our action-research project for the Nature and Forest Daycare Project. Since August 2022, we have been exploring the impact of time spent outdoors on children’s development and on our staff. During these early stages of the action-research project, a number of questions were
have been explored:

– Does taking children outdoors help reduce disputes and improve their behavior?

– Does it help develop their motor skills?

These questions, among many others, have guided our efforts to understand the benefits of outdoor experience for toddlers. To answer these questions, we implemented a variety of data-gathering tools, including surveys addressed to the various players involved in the program
including educational staff and parents. Their invaluable contributions give us a complete picture of the impact of our outdoor activities on the daily lives of the children and adults involved.

We are now approaching the next phase of our project, where the data collected will be analyzed and interpreted. Thanks to this rigorous process, we will be able to receive a first research report in June. This will be followed by the production of infographics and popularized information to make the results accessible. The ultimate aim of this action research is to learn lessons that will guide our future practice, and to explore the possibility of extending this program to other sites.

We are delighted to be moving forward with this project and look forward to receiving the results of the research report!

The weather is changing, so be prepared!

Now that the warm weather is setting in and the sun is shining more and more, it is important to be properly prepared for outdoor activities. Now is the time to pack your children’s bags with a cap and sunscreen to protect them from UV rays. Thanks to the shade of the trees, temperatures in the forest will be milder, but these precautions are still necessary, and it is important to always remain vigilant in the face of changing weather conditions. At Boréal, a temperature sensor has been installed in the forest since last summer. It enables us to monitor temperature variations in real time, ensuring the best possible conditions for our explorers!

We look forward to sharing with you the progress of the CPE forêt project and the exciting discoveries to come over the coming weeks. Thank you for your trust and continued support!