Gumdrop Daycare

Gumdrop Daycare Dog friendly, private dayhome center with preschool programming and osc for 0-6 yr olds. Flexible hours for your schedule.

04/29/2026

Today’s fine motor invitation gave little hands the chance to strengthen coordination, concentration, patience, problem-solving, and independence through playful lacing activities. These simple but powerful experiences help develop the hand strength and bilateral coordination needed for everyday life skills like dressing, writing, and self-care.

Nature, sunshine, and hands-on learning make the best classroom—where every lace builds confidence and every challenge supports growing minds.

Each thread pulled is more than just a craft… it’s growing strong fingers, focused minds, and capable little learners. torSkills

04/29/2026

Planting trees today, growing tomorrow

Today at dayhome, our little learners got their hands dirty planting trees and caring for the Earth—an experience that goes far beyond outdoor play. Teaching children to plant and nurture living things helps build responsibility, patience, and a deeper connection to nature from an early age. By exploring how trees grow, provide oxygen, shelter animals, and help our planet thrive, children begin to understand that even small hands can make a big impact.

I love these conversations and seeing them work together with unique ideas. I always forget to capture them in the moment but today this was too special not to ❤️

Outdoor environmental activities like this encourage sensory exploration, fine and gross motor development, teamwork, and early science learning while also planting the seeds for lifelong respect for our world. When children learn to care for the Earth, they learn they are capable of helping it grow too.

04/29/2026

Another solid messy play day!

04/27/2026

Spring is the perfect season for little explorers. This year Spring looks a little different in Central Alberta 🌨️

From snowy boots to blooming flowers, outdoor play gives toddlers endless opportunities to learn through nature. Exploring the world around them builds gross motor skills through climbing, running, and balancing, while collecting sticks, spotting bugs, and feeling different textures supports sensory development and curiosity.

Luckily we still have fresh air and sunshine to help boost our moods, encourage independence, and create meaningful connections with the environment.

Every puddle/snow mound jumped, the beginning of leaves admired, and the trails explored are helping little minds grow, bodies strengthen, and confidence bloom.

This year we're still walking through the snow sadly but our explorations didn't slow down. Learning to handle ourselves in different climates is a basic skill so we are adapting. Now that we're located on an acreage it's a lot of fun seeing the squirrels eating pinecones and the bunnies running around. We talked about our big carport that gusted over from the winds and since the snow hasn't melted yet the kiddos decided to incorporate it into a boat to get through the waves.

It was so fun to feed our little squirrels some peanuts. The kiddos giggled watching the little guy take the peanuts up to the treetops. We noticed little florals coming out of our apple trees and the kiddos knew that apples would follow she to our lifecycle activity. With the cold weather, the kiddos didn't want to stay outside for very long (neither did I) and that's completely okay because we've got a week of fun outdoor exploration to begin.

04/26/2026

It's mud kitchen season right?

Our mud kitchen is more than just play — it’s a space where preschoolers explore, create, and connect. Inspired by forest school learning, children mix, pour, build, and imagine while developing fine motor skills, problem-solving, sensory awareness, and early math and science concepts.

In the mud kitchen, sticks become spoons, petals become ingredients, and imagination turns into endless possibilities. Outdoor, nature-based play encourages resilience, confidence, creativity, and a deep connection to the world around them — all while embracing the magic of getting a little muddy.

Because sometimes the best learning happens outside, in the dirt, with open-ended play 🍃🪵

We're just waiting for this latest snow dump to melt away so we can get back to cooking up masterpieces!

04/25/2026

Learning to care for our Earth starts with little hands and big thinking

Today our preschoolers explored patterning and recycling sorting—two simple activities with powerful learning behind them.

Through patterning, our preschoolers are building early math skills like recognizing sequences, predicting what comes next, and developing problem-solving and critical thinking. These are the foundations for future math and logical reasoning.

With our recycling sort, children are learning to identify materials like paper, plastic, and organic waste—helping them understand responsibility, environmental awareness, and how their choices impact the world around them.

Hands-on, meaningful, and connected to real life—this is how learning sticks so when we play outside we can apply this new knowledge.

04/23/2026

Today we took something old and gave it new life ♻️ We broke down worn-out crayons and melted them into beautiful Earth-shaped creations — showing our kiddos that even the smallest actions can help take care of our planet.

Through this hands-on activity, they explored creativity, cause and effect, and most importantly, learned the value of reusing and reducing waste. From using a pencil sharpener for hand strengthening to breaking the crayons by hand these kids explore how something broken can make something new!

We also talked about how when we break something we can't bring it back to its original self which is why we are cautious with our words and actions. Even though we can make something new, it will always change from the original. This activity took up most of our morning today because we ended up having quite a big discussion on how we can build Earth into a better place one step at a time.

Teaching our tiny humans that Earth Day isn’t just one day — it’s something we can practice every day and integrating our emotional teachings within this lesson was such a fun bonus.

04/21/2026

Today we explored what is “good for Earth” and what is “bad for Earth”

Through sorting and discussion, the toddlers learned how small choices—like planting trees, helping animals, and recycling—can make a big difference for our world.

Activities like this are so important because they build early critical thinking, vocabulary, problem-solving, and environmental awareness. By talking about caring for our planet at a young age, we are helping raise kind, thoughtful little humans who understand that their actions matter.

Learning through play always leaves the biggest impact.

#ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜᴘʟᴀʏ

04/20/2026

This bug counting activity is so much more than just matching pictures.

As toddlers search for the correct bugs and place them into the jar, they are building early math skills like counting, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence. They are also strengthening fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and visual discrimination as they carefully compare each card.

Activities like this encourage concentration, problem-solving, and confidence while keeping learning playful and hands-on—exactly how toddlers learn best. We went outside after this and found almost every insect that we saw in our learning activity today and the kids were pretty excited about it!

04/14/2026

This Montessori life cycle activity offers such a meaningful way for toddlers to connect with the natural world

By exploring life cycles in a hands-on, visual way, children begin to understand that living things grow, change, and transform over time. This builds early foundations for scientific thinking while nurturing a sense of wonder and respect for nature.

Working with the pieces supports fine motor development and sequencing skills as they begin to recognize patterns and order (what comes first, next, and last). It also encourages language development as they learn new vocabulary and start to describe what they see.

Paired up with our book Raindrop we explored more life cycles and understood rains part in growth of our world around us.

Most importantly, this type of setup fosters patience and curiosity. Toddlers learn that growth takes time—whether it’s a plant, an insect, or even themselves—which helps them develop a deeper appreciation for the world around them.

04/13/2026

Today we celebrated Vaisakhi — a day that marks a time of renewal, gratitude, and community. It’s a reminder of courage, equality, and standing up for what is right.

In Canada, Vaisakhi is also a beautiful reflection of who we are as a nation — diverse, multicultural, and strongest when we uplift one another. Celebrating days like this helps us learn, connect, and honour the traditions that shape our communities. You may see various Nagar Kirtan parades full of vibrant colors and cultural dances (plus tons of chips, popsicles and candy which is my kids favorite)- join in. May 17 it will be in Edmonton and I'd love to see everyone there enjoying ☺️

Inclusivity isn’t just a value — it’s a responsibility. When we take the time to recognize and respect each other’s cultures, we create spaces where everyone feels seen, welcomed, and valued. As someone who grew up masking it, I hope to bring open awareness so that my boys don't have to experience the limbo of fitting in.

Happy Vaisakhi to all who celebrate 🌾✨

04/07/2026

I did not expect this many questions regarding glass with young children! I agree that this is a scary one but such an important step in engaging children into my program. So here is a bit of the breakdown I use:

Introducing glass materials is a gradual, step-by-step process- it is very vital to building children's confidence when we step back. I begin by offering plastic and stainless steel items that children are already familiar with. For the sake of your viewing, I've placed all the items in the container with a fizzy color changing tablet. Once they are comfortable, I introduce a glass bottle so they can explore the difference in weight and texture compared to materials they’ve previously used. We've already explored plenty with our other materials so we are at the step of introducing the glass.

The first step is teaching them how to remove the lid and pour into the container. From there, I observe whether the child is ready to begin lifting and pouring from the glass bottle independently. During this stage, I provide close guidance and gently reinforce that glass is a breakable material that must be handled with care- two hands at all times.

Children are typically very receptive to this approach and quickly learn to handle the materials responsibly. I like to introduce this activity around age two after they've learned the Montessori structure and care. I take my time building that foundation, especially if they have to unlearn generic daycare behaviors or if they've never been in childcare prior. Starting with a deeper container to help contain any spills and support success building the children's confidence with these materials.

Within a week or so of consistent practice, most children are able to confidently use glass materials in the mud kitchen. Ongoing reminders—such as using two hands, placing items away from edges, and handling them gently—are key to building safe and respectful habits. Age 3 we see children confidently pour and understand the risks of these materials.

In all of the years I've taught, not a single glass material has broken on us. Children are very capable when they're given the tools and understand what they are for.

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Ferintosh, AB

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+17809654669

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