You can also talk about what types of plants are edible and even let them taste different things grown in the garden. Other ideas for a sensory bin include: Adding different leaves to explore and identify Adding mud, leaves, twigs, etc. for bird nest building Containers of water for washing fresh reduce Dirt with insects to bury/dig up Science in the garden can be as simple as exploring an old bird nest you find or broken eggshells, playing in mud and seeing what happens when mud sits out in the sun, or learning about garden helpers by exploring earthworms.

Other simple science activities include: Exploring the parts of an apple or cleaning out a pumpkin Comparing fresh and dried fruits, leaves, or flowers Using different pasta types to represent (along with discussing) the life cycle of a butterfly– watching one hatch if possible Observing different stages in a plant’s life cycle within the garden Arts and Crafts One thing all children love to do is arts and crafts, so this hands-on learning is definitely going to engage them. You can paint rocks to make them look like ladybugs or flowers, make papier-mâché watermelons, use Play-Doh to either construct your own items or add garden themed cookie cutters.

One neat project is to make 3D flowers. Use cupcake liners, coffee filters, and large paper doilies. Color or design them however you want and then layer them (doily on bottom, coffee filter middle, and cupcake liner on top) with glue. Also glue on a stem and add leaves. Spray just a dab of floral perfume or air freshener and you have a beautiful, 3D scented flower.

More art crafts to try are:

• Stuffed yarn leaves Leaf tracing Ink blot butterfly wings
• Using outdoor chalk to decorate garden areas (washes off when it rains)
• Plastic bottle bottoms to stamp flowers
• Paper lettuce using green circles of various sizes
• Garden Inspired Snacks

What kid doesn’t love a good snack? You can even relate gardening into snack time or let the kids get hands-on with garden-themed cooking activities.

Ideas to try:

• Taste honey (relate to activity on bees)
• Types of seeds you can eat Vegetable soup or fruit salad from the garden
• Taste parties to try various fruits, vegetables, or other edible plants that may be new to them

Picnic in the garden

Have “buggy snacks” with ants on a log/in the sand (raisins, celery, peanut butter, graham cracker), spiders (Oreos and pretzel sticks), butterflies (pretzel twists and celery or carrot sticks), and snails (celery, apple slices, pretzel pieces, chocolate chips, and peanut butter). Make snacks for the birds and other garden wildlife.

Just letting children get involved with watering plants or decorating their own pots can be enough to pique their interest in the gardening world. You can assist them with planting projects, there are several fun, kid-friendly planting projects out there.

To name a few:

• Plant seeds in sponges
• Plant seeds in ice cream cones
• Grow and observe what happens with popcorn kernels in baggies
• Grow in your name out of grass seed
• Plant a pretty flower or make a butterfly garden with wildflowers
• For St. Patrick’s Day, grow some shamrocks Grow a bean stalk

Encourage children to go on different types of “hunts” around the garden. You can go on an insect, color, clover/shamrock, flower, or leaf hunt. Count butterflies and bees and bring up pollination. The possibilities really are endless! Of course, another great way to help children learn about gardening and expand their knowledge of the topic is by reading garden related books to them regularly and assisting them with reading as they get older.

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Give them their own container full of soil, some sticks, and rakes to create a garden.

Here are some suggested foods for your edible garden:

• Lettuce
• Peas
• Carrots
• Cantaloupes
• Sweet corn
• Cucumbers
• Pumpkins
• Watermelons
• Blueberries
• Strawberries

This is just a small example of kid-friendly plants; there are many more. Let your child pick their favourite fruits or vegetables to grow, or look at seeds with you and choose some to plant.

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Activities can include, but are certainly not limited to, things like sensory play, special snacks or cooking activities, outdoor games, arts and crafts, and so much more!  Teach Gardening by Playing Pretend Dramatic play is a favorite type of play for young children and also very important for development. With this type of play they imitate things they see going on around them in their everyday life. To encourage them to learn about gardening, allow them to observe you in the garden and provide them with an area (it can be indoors, outdoors, or both) for dramatic play, garden themed.

Child-sized gardening tools is great for this. Provide gardening gloves, hats, miniature tools, aprons, empty seed packets, watering cans, plastic pots or other containers, fake flowers and let them imitate the act of gardening. You can even work together to create your very own DIY garden hat to wear outdoors

Legos or other types of building blocks can be used to construct pretend garden beds or, if children are a little older, you can help assist them to build garden or window boxes out of wood materials.

Other garden items that can be constructed or replicated include:

• Greenhouses Birdhouses/feeders
• Bug hotels Produce stands

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Many adults have fond memories of helping out in the garden as children. I can remember watching my grandfather plant gladiola bulbs while I sprinkled radish seeds by his side. In today’s busy world, a garden can seem like one more project, but a small plot offers rich learning opportunities.

Your preschooler will benefit in big ways from helping in a garden — with just a little extra effort on your part. From an emotional standpoint, preschoolers learn to be responsible and patient while caring for a tiny seed as it grows into a plant. They discover self-satisfaction in raising something beautiful. The simple act of digging and planting also helps physical development, strengthening both gross and fine motor skills.

Beyond what your child will naturally learn from being outdoors, there are ways to make the gardening experience more educational for him. Help him to make a chart of his plants and teach him to predict how the flowers will change each week. Then, work on basic math concepts by measuring the plants together every Saturday. Talk to him about the principle of cause and effect as he waters the seeds and they later sprout. As the summer wears on, the cycle of life unfolds magically in front of him, from sowing seeds to growing plants to harvesting flowers and veggies.

Most importantly, gardening is a great way to bond together in the great outdoors. As I can attest, the memories of planting flowers next to Mom are sure to be sweet.

• Give him a job. Put him in charge of certain tasks, like watering the plants. Use easy-to-grow veggies (squash, lettuce) and flowers (marigolds, petunias)
• Try a theme. Plant a “pizza garden” of tomatoes, peppers, and basil or a “rainbow garden” with flowers of each color in the spectrum

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A child’s formative years (from 0-7/8) are a period where they learn more quickly than any other time of their life. This means that language acquisition is far more easy for them than teens and adults.

During these formative years, a methodology that works very well is that of “one person one language: (OPOL). This method is useful for families wherein more than one language is spoken as a mother and father’s native language can be simultaneously developed in the child(ren) from birth. Children then are able to learn two (or more) languages from a native speaker which is especially important while perhaps living outside of the country where that language is spoken.

Studies have shown that bilingual children actually process information in a more effective way than children who speak just one language. This can help them in their school careers, with their socialisation skills, and can open up a vast world of travelling and knowledge.

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At that time, the whole educated world spoke Latin. Today, English is considered such an important language.

We at TIELC also understand that scientific books, articles and important research are mostly in English. The sooner your child learns to read English literature, the better for him or her. In the Florentinum Kindergarten children with reading instruction (according to the British teaching model) start at the age of 4. At this age, we will also prepare an individual preschool education plan for your child. Thanks to this personal approach to education, we can better focus on the strengths and weaknesses of your children and capture their potential talent at an early age.

From us, children continue to primary school at the age of five or six. Even if your child will study at a regular Czech elementary school, you do not have to worry that they will completely forget the English language. During a long stay in our kindergarten, children become naturally bilingual. They learn to read and write in Czech at the Czech primary school only in the first grade, but they can write and read simple words in English from us… It is therefore not difficult for these children to switch to secondary schools or universities with English as the language of instruction.

And how are children and pupils with a different mother tongue doing (DMT)? We also think of these children in our Florentinum Kindergarten! All children work in small groups. Children with DMT have the opportunity to visit our Czech club “AMOS”, where children with DMT learn to learn the Czech language better, so that the transition to a Czech elementary school and subsequent study at a Czech high school is not a problem even if their parents are, for example, both foreigners.

OUR EXPERIENCED TEAM OF TEACHERS WILL ALWAYS BE READY TO HELP YOU LOOKING FOR THE BEST PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR YOUR CHILD.

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How and when is it celebrated in the world

Today, Children’s Day can be found in the calendar of more than 145 countries around the world. Some countries left the date of the celebrations at the beginning of June, others moved the date of the celebrations to November (as recommended by the UN), and other countries have different dates due to their historical connotations.

It is celebrated in the Czech Republic and other post-socialist countries on June 1 (which is on Tuesday in 2021), as well as in China, Mongolia and other Southeast Asian countries.

How is it celebrated in the Czech Republic?

In the Czech Republic, this day is a very traditional celebration and in each city you can find some form of public celebration, which takes the form of a day full of games and competitions. In schools, they usually do not test or learn and events, trips or sports days are prepared for children. “Organized” celebrations also often take place over several days, so you can celebrate Children’s Day on the last weekend in May or, conversely, on the second weekend in June. However, many families prefer a home or family celebration, or celebrate with their friends. Parents buy their children small sweets or small gifts and, of course, prepare a non-traditional program, either in the form of trips and games or organize picnics and celebrations with friends.

What to do?

The children themselves do not care if this day is written on the calendar as an important day, what is its history and how long it is officially celebrated. For them, Children’s Day is a day spent with family, friends or classmates, a day full of fun, interesting activities and small gifts. It is up to us adults to prepare them such a day and enjoy it with them.

Sometimes we adults don’t even realize the value of the time we spend with our children. Let’s not forget that! We can visit one of the events taking place in Prague, organize a great day on your own, or combine both options. And of course we should not forget a little gift that belongs to such a day. It can be an ice cream, a book we buy – or rather read for them, a toy we play with together, or an experience we’ll talk about after.

The message of this day is the idea that all children have a happy childhood, a safe home and good parents. This is also the reason why charities also organize their events on this day, so if you come across such an event while wandering through Prague, do not hesitate and join. Not only are they well organized, but you will also help those children who were not as lucky as ours.

Program tips

Great application for trips with a story

For cache hunters

Parks in Prague

Playgrounds in Prague

Tracking games

Prague events

Walks in Prague

Other Prague options

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Offering legumes to children is not an easy task – most school cooks will tell you that pea porridge or lentils often end up in the trash. There are usually two factors behind this – either children are not used to legumes from home, or they may be improperly prepared. In general, children do not like to eat something they do not know. So if you don’t prepare legumes at home, you can’t want children to love them. Parents are simply leading by example. At the same time, if children are not used to consuming legumes, they may be less digestible for them.

You can see how we include legumes in the diet in our kindergarten and what the whole menu looks like HERE. We update the menus every week.

If you want to include legumes in your meal, you can either admit them or mix them into your meal. Some types of legumes are attractive to children, some you have to help a little or mix with something and you can hide some completely. You may be surprised at how legumes can taste. You can make them not only classically, but you can also enjoy them in cakes, biscuits, desserts, spreads, sauces, soups or salads.

So how to serve children?

• The visual side is important for children, do not be afraid to include colors: mottled beans, red lentils, yellow and green peas… Top up legumes with colorful vegetables.
• You can improve the look with different shapes: balls, pancakes, burgers, dips, spreads, etc.
• Lead by example and include legumes in your home diet on a regular basis. For start, combine them with the favorite dishes.
• Experiment and use them in soups, main courses and salads, learn how to prepare spreads, meatballs or sweet dishes from legumes.
• Do not give up after the first failure. It is said that we have to get used to food, so we like it until the sixth, and children even on the tenth, try.

Bean brownies with raspberries – not only good, but also healthy

The beans take away the calories of the dessert and increase the fiber and protein content, leaving the dessert smooth.

We need: 300 g of pre-cooked red or black beans (if you use canned beans, wash in clean water), 20 g of cocoa, 60 g of oatmeal, a pinch of salt, 130 g of honey, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 200 ml of semi-skimmed milk, 80 g of coarsely chopped chocolate, a handful of fresh raspberries (you can also use strawberries or bananas)

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Mix all ingredients except chocolate and fruit in a blender until smooth. Add pieces of chocolate and mix.

Pour the dough into a small mold (20×20 cm) lined with baking paper and spread. Sprinkle the dough with fruit. Bake in a preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes. You can tell if the dessert is ready with a skewer. After removing from the oven, let the brownies cool down and put them in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Fine chickpea spread suitable for children

We need: 100g of  boiled chickpeas (we use canned), 100g Lučina cheese, 4 larger radishes (we can use about 10 cm piece of finely chopped cucumber salad, but pour out excess water), chickpea infusion, a pinch of salt

Put chickpeas, Lučina and a little chickpea infusion in the container so that the mass mixes well. We mix the with a stick mixer until smooth. Finely grate the radishes into the spread, add salt and mix. Garnish with cucumber, radish, pepper or other vegetables.

Simple vegetable-lentil soup

The red lens is peeled, so it does not contain flatulent substances. Its advantage is that it does not have to be soaked and cooked for a long time, like other legumes.

We need: 2 small handfuls of red lentils, 2 large handfuls of diced potatoes, half an onion, half a handful of grated carrots, one tablespoon of grated celery, crushed cumin, ¾ l vegetable broth, a tablespoon of olive oil or butter

Very finely chopped onion, root vegetables and potatoes are stewed in olive oil, drizzled with water, add a little bit of cumin. When the potatoes have softened, pour the broth over the vegetables and add the lentils. We cook everything until the lens softens. We can decorate the soup with a spoonful of sour cream.

Fun pea cultivation

We need: pea seeds, water, later a flowerpot (box) with clay

Peas are best for children to plant – they are large and grow quickly. We place pea seeds on the soil surface together with children at a distance of 3-5 cm. Cover the laid seeds with a layer of additional soil and sprinkle with water. You can create a simple construction for peas (bamboo sticks are enough), along which they will crawl. After planting, the soil must be watered regularly. A small watering can will also serve this purpose for children. In a few weeks, the peas will germinate and the plants will begin to wrap around the prepared structure. Children can observe flowering, and then the formation of pods, in which they eventually find sweet pea balls. You have just aroused interest in legumes in your children…

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Some parts of the diagnostic assessment are not pertinent to every child and this is indicated on the “age” section of the forms. Similarly, the extent to which the child can achieve each activity or skill is indicated as “can manage”, “can manage with support”, and “can manage unsupported”.

The children are assessed in the autumn/winter term and then again in the spring/summer term, this allows our teachers to record the progress that children have made during their time with us.

Rather than being completed in order to compare children to each other, the assessments look at each individual child’s personal growth and improvement.

Should there be areas that are identified as needing improvement or special support, the teachers will deal with each individual instance accordingly. After receiving the assessment, parents, if necessary, may speak with their child’s teacher about any concerns and how they can help their child improve.

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An important part of children’s artistic activities are also motivational games that introduce the child better to a specific topic, acquaint him with art materials, techniques, etc. This motivation must not be artificial, but will naturally be based on the topic (integrated block) or a situation.

It is also important that the child:

• gains the ability to express their ideas in drawing, painting or modeling
• displays without prior drawing and directly draws or paints on paper or other substrate and uses entire surface of the substrate
• is acquainted with color mixing, is not afraid to work with detail
• gains interest in arts, architecture, design
• learns to perceive natural shapes, to work with natural materials
• is not afraid to work with atypical materials, aids and tools
• is acquainted with contemporary art, selected artists, artistic directions

What art techniques can we use with preschool children?

For example, drawing, painting, modeling, action tendencies (alternation of different tools, materials, modeling materials)

And what can we draw or create with children?

• the figure and its changes over the centuries – a demonstration of various styles of painting and drawing of the human figure from prehistory to the present
• try pencil, wax, charcoal, ore, chalk drawing, wash drawing, monotype, etc.
• try painting with a brush, toothbrush, dish sponge, etc.
• body-art – demonstration of various ways of creation – painting with hands, feet, whole body, imprints of body parts in sand, snow …
• land-art – drawing in nature with natural material – a twig in the sand, stone or carbon on concrete.

How can we develop artistic feeling and interest in art in children?

• direct observation of natural and cultural phenomena:
  • Visiting galleries, exhibitions, observing sculptures and other objects around the child and the school
  • observing nature – trees, plants, animals …, collecting natural materials in different seasons
• observation of common objects – acquaintance with proportions, colors, materials, shapes
• spontaneous play and experiments with materials, objects, tools, materials intended for artistic activity, acquaintance with various materials – natural, waste, residual
• specific art operations with materials, find out what I can do with the material, example – paper:
  • cut, tear, squeeze, fold
  • get to know different types of paper
  • examine the structure of paper
  • get acquainted with the production of handmade paper
  • make a thing out of paper – box, bag, envelope …
  • combinations of other materials with paper, etc.
• play games that support creativity, imagination, image memory: composing a specific shape from colored pieces of paper or fabric, decorating a natural or other object, various types of packaging objects
• activities aimed at recognizing figurative sign systems – letters, pictograms, symbols …

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