Seneca Arts & Learning Center hosts Week of the Young Child
By Liz Tucker
Pictured above: Councillor Tim Waterman visited the Toddler Room on Friends & Family Friday to read “Mr. Scruff” by Simon James.
Seneca Arts and Learning Center (SALC) was excited for another fun-filled week celebrating young children and their families with hands-on, collaborative activities encouraging movement and healthy lifestyles through music, food, and art. SALC celebrated our “Week of the Young Child” (WOYC) starting April 18, 2022 through April 22, 2022. The WOYC is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), it is a time to recognize that children’s opportunities are our responsibilities, and to recommit ourselves to ensuring that each and every child experiences the type of early learning environment, at home, child care programs, school, and in the community. SALC staff, children, and families will be participating in various activities to celebrate this exciting week of learning.
This year SALC’s Administrative team and the classroom lead teachers met multiple times to discuss the key components that we collectively felt go into a successful and positive early learning environment for children. We knew that the basis of our week was going to stem around the children, the families, and our wonderful community. Our fun filled week consisted of:
Music Monday – The children and families were invited to walk the front entryway and some hallways of SALC that were filled with displays of music instruments from around the world, with a center spotlight table of instruments played right here in our culture. The hallways were filled with the sounds of music’s of all different cultures around the world. The families were given parent education on all of the benefits that music and movement provide in our early education years. Each family also received an SALC 2022 Family Sing A Long song book to promote family engagement and music at home!
Tasty Tuesday – Each classroom joined SALC’s Administrative team up front to view all of the different fruit and vegetable choices available. The children heard the names of the options in Seneca and then again in English. Once they selected what they wanted to plant they worked independently to scoop the dirt and plant their seeds, the children really seemed to love this hands-on experience and were very proud of their hard work. The children were offered a tasting bar to try the different fruits and vegetables that they had learned about earlier, some were sweet and some were just a little sour! But the children really loved the new tastes and smells. With snack on Tasty Tuesday the children were given samples of our favorite traditional foods. They were sampled Fry Bread, Corn soup, and Strawberry water. All of the families received parent education on healthy eating, and SALC Traditional Foods Recipe Books for their homes!
Wellness Wednesday – SALC devoted this day to complete and total wellness. Children practiced mindfulness in their classrooms, and they also took extended walking trips outside of our building to enjoy nature and the peace it brings. The children and families were invited back in Wednesday night for our ‘Yoga for Families’ event hosted by Andrea Spako. The turnout was wonderful and every single yoga mat was full. There was families with children ranging from 12 months old up to 11 years old! The children learned emotion regulation, mindful breathing techniques, and also joined in on a ‘Kindness Superhero’ Meditation session. Parents were provided education on mindful parenting, children’s yoga resources, and adult yoga resources and benefits.
Artsy Thursday – Art is such an important factor in successful early education! The children worked hard all day long, and they had no idea because ART IS FUN! The classrooms focused on process art which focuses on the process and not the final product. The younger friends at SALC created sensory art and our oldest SALC friends strategically designed their pieces of art and then brought it to life! The children in Pre-k and Head Start enjoyed having their face painted while talking about creative art and being a super hero of course!! All classrooms collaborated to make a beautiful canvas WOYC (Week of the Young Child) wall art display for our building! Parents were provided education on the many benefits that art plays in all ages and all stages of child development.
Friends & Family Friday – Friday was a day devoted to our community, our friends, and our families. SALC proudly hosted volunteer readers to join in each classroom, the children absolutely loved having the familiar faces host circle time! A huge thank you to, Tina Abrams, Tim Waterman, Christian Reiller Sr., Joshua Becker, and the SALC Administrative Team. All of you play key roles in providing our children leadership within our community, you are a true Öëdöshö. Friday concluded with ‘Children’s Book Day’, our friends at Salamanca Save-A-Lot donated paper bags to each child in the center, the classrooms took the time to allow the children to design and beautify their bags, then at pick up the families filled their ‘Book-Bags’ together for a family reading collection to have at home. Parents received education on the importance of reading to children, and the benefits of spending quality time engaging with children for literacy. Thank you, Salamanca Save-A-Lot, for supporting early literacy within our community.
All in all, SALC’s Week of the Young Child was one for the books, literally! SALC strives to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families while recognizing SALC’s wonderful staff, community leaders, and community partners who all make sure that these components are happening every single day for the children within the care of Seneca Arts and Learning Center.
Nya:wëh,
Seneca Arts and Learning Center
