Building Character, Confidence, Competence, & Compassion

Most preschool programs will not accept children UNLESS they are Potty Trained. PuddleDucks Preschool understands that not all children move through their developmental stages at the same pace. We do not feel that these children should be left out, nor do we feel that a parent should have to rush back to their child’s preschool in order to change them. Your child does NOT need to be potty trained to come to PuddleDucks Preschool.

Our caring and nurturing staff will be here to assist you with potty training. If your duckling has an accident or needs a diaper change, we've got your back!

** It is important to ensure your little one always has a fresh change of clothes and a few diapers or pull-ups available in their backpack.

At PuddleDucks Preschool we foster an open-door policy; this means that we are an un-parented program, however, parents and guardians are always welcome and encouraged to stay and join in on any class. The only time you will be required to stay is if your little duckling is showing signs of distress when you leave. 

Volunteers:

PuddleDucks Preschool does not require mandatory classroom volunteers. However, we love getting to know our families and encourage you to stay for a class if you so wish. Once the September madness is over, a Classroom Volunteer Sign-Up sheet will be posted.

Why do Children Need both Craft and Art?

Beyond being a mental stimulant, fine art and craft activities are great  attributes for your ducklings, such as:

· Creativity & self-esteem 

Playing with colours, shapes and textures encourages your preschooler to use the creative side of their brains, and completing crafts will help boost their self-esteem.

· Fine motor skills & coordination Working with their hands helps children practice their hand-eye coordination and develop their fine motor skills.

· Cognitive functioning

Seeing colours, feeling textures, and smelling different materials helps to reinforce children’s processing abilities and memory.

· Self-expression

There are no hard and fast rules and no wrong way in art activities for preschoolers. Letting them loose with colours and crafts allows them to express themselves fully, showing them the reward in self-expression.

What is mindfulness? There are many answers to this question as it can be different for each person who practices. The aspect of mindfulness we will be focusing on is learning how to be in and enjoy the present. There are many ways that we will incorporate mindfulness into our curriculum, the first being: learning how to breath deeply with purpose. We will practice taking deep breaths at circle time, during our craft time and when we start to feel out of control emotionally. The second way we will incorporate mindfulness in our programs is with the practice of beginner level children's yoga.  

Benefits of Mindfulness:

• decrease feelings of stress and anxiety
• improve focus and concentration
• help with impulsivity
• improve self-regulation
• develop empathy
• reduce aggression
• improve sleep
• …and more!

What is sensory-based play?
Toddlers and kids learn best through their senses. Any play which stimulates the use of touch, smell, sight, hearing, or using fine motor muscles is considered sensory-based play. Stimulating neural pathways through sensory experiences is a crucial part of children’s early brain development.

Sensory-based play lays a crucial foundation for later learning skills

Stimulating senses through play sends signals to the brain which help develop its ability to identify objects and explore the world. Learning to differentiate sharp from soft, round from square, and cold from warm is a basic step in empowering the brain’s ability to discover, classify and sort more sophisticated information later through life.

"From classroom personality to storybook hero, Mat Man™ is a favorite among young children. Children first meet this charming character through the Handwriting Without Tears® Build Mat Man activity. Mat Man teaches important readiness skills: Body Awareness, Drawing & Pre-writing, Counting, Building, Socializing & sharing.

The teaching philosophy behind Handwriting Without Tears is that "the curriculum is designed to make handwriting easy to teach, and easy to learn."

Our PPP Program will be introduced to some basic  Mat Man lessons during their "All About Me" theme month. 

We introduce Mat Man to both our 3s and our 4s right in September. The 3s and 4s all learn the music, stories and activities associated with our Handwriting Without Tears program. The 3s focus more on the music and the shapes, whereas with the 4s we start learning our Letters and Sounds. In October, we start working on our Handwriting Without Tears program. This program works through the alphabet and introduces writing by using the basic shapes covered in the 3-year-old program and the sounds of the letters.