Embracing Changes

As the breeze drifts in, sometimes gentle, sometimes heavy with rain, we cannot help but wonder. Is summer nearing its end? This time round we attempt to be aware of changes by listening to our own heart beats. Just as the earth shifts its pace, our bodies respond. Each beat echoing the rhythm of the changing season.

“When I sleep and I touch my heart, I feel … (closing fists to make an upward and downward movement)”, Emily explains how her steady beat, rising and falling like tiny waves.

Noticing our own heartbeat is a form of interoception. Our awareness of what is happening inside our body. The inner sense can sharpen our outer observations.

How do our external senses guiding our observations? Kai, fascinated by his first attempt at using the microscope, leans in with curiosity, carefully observing the angles and shapes that appear on the screen. As Kai peers into the microscope, his eyes trace the crisp, edges of each hexagon. In this way, Kai's focused sense of sight becomes his primary tool for observing any possible changes whereas his inner sense, proprioception, helps him control tools like a microscope by knowing here his hands are.

Some days, we talk about dreams … about the amazing things we imagine when we sleep or daydream. When we pay attention to those dreams, we start to see them more clearly. It is like turning our invisible thoughts into pictures we can show and stories we can tell. Our dreams become something real, something we can share with others, like a drawing, a game, or an idea. That is how imagination grows. It starts inside us, but with a little attention, it can shine on the outside too.

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Tvisha dreams about Emelia as part of her imagination.

We attempt to make connections between our senses and our experiences of the day. Playing with friends, tasting our food, learn something new, or feeling big feelings.

When Luka dreams more about owls.

We converse how when we sleep, our brain mixes all those bits together into a story. Sometimes the story is silly, sometimes exciting, and sometimes a little strange. Because in dreams, anything can happen!

“I dream about wolf”, Kalyan.

We too talk if we ever have a dream we do not like, we try to remember it is just our brain story game, and we can wake up and tell it to go away. If we have a dream we like, we can think about it the next day, draw it, or tell someone about it. It is our special story.

When we listen to our bodies, we can feel how we move with the world around us. For examples, if the wind is gentle, we may sway slowly … if the rain is light, we may tiptoe … if the sun is warm, we may stretch wide.

When we move to a song, we are not just dancing. We are learning how our bodies can follow changes, just like the seasons and the weather do. In this way, we work with our vestibular sense.

Luka has his hands stay busy, eyes stay curious, and mind filled with questions. Just like real scientists!

In addition to working with our inner senses - proprioception, interoception, imagination, and vestibular sense - we include our awareness to sense changes with a science experiment related to the character of water.

Today, our classroom turns into a science land for precipitation experiment! We fill a glass jar with water. This is our air. On top, we add a fluffy, white cloud made of shaving cream.

At first, the cloud just floats. But when we drop water onto it, the cloud begins to get heavy. At first, the cloud just floated. But when we dropp blue water onto it, the cloud begins to get heavy. Drip … drop … SPLASH! The blue water falls through the cloud into the jar … just like rain falling from the sky.

We learn that clouds are made of tiny drops of water. When we get too full, the water falls down as precipitation. When we watch, we listen, we wonder:
• “What happens if we add more drops?”
• “Can clouds hold rain forever?”

​We begin with a science experiment that has everyone excited--making a tornado in a jar. Each friend has his or her own jar to work with. We fill it with water, add a colour of own choice, and a few drops of dish soap. Then comes the fun part--shaking and swirling!

Kai proudly shares his creation—an electric eel made from shiny pipe cleaners. He explains that its skin sparkles like electricity and that it “sounds like electricity” too. His creativity and vivid imagination add an extra spark to our day.

We are fascinated as we watch the tiny whirlpool spin inside, looking just like a real tornado. Some experiment with how fast or slow they swirled the jars, noticing the difference in the tornado’s shape and speed. It is a wonderful way to explore cause and effect, and it spark so many “Wow!” moments.

​Later in the day, we switch gears and move to our shaving cream donut sensory table. This is a feast for the senses! We have soft, colourful shaving foam, pool noodle rings cut into donut shapes, coloured rice for “sprinkles,” and different sized beads to decorate.

We enjoy pretending to ice our donuts, adding sprinkles, and creating their own imaginative “flavours.” It isn’t just fun—it encourages fine motor skills, sensory exploration, and a whole lot of giggles.

Kindest,
Children & Friends.