Playgroup Party with Santa and Preschool "Fete de Noel"

5 year old's dance floor moves!

Preschool Artwork

Preschool Art Autumn/Winter 2013
created by a 4 year old (who has just turned 5)

It's almost Christmas ... arriving at Preschool

A 5-year old friend's "Pirate" Party

5-year old Birthday Party

As soon as the boys started arriving at my son's 5th Birthday Party they started to move and run, so BE PREPARED... have a list of 10-12 games to keep them occupied.  

At this age everyone wants to be running around together, squealing and laughing.

Games that worked well for my son's 5th Birthday Party!

• Construct something from toothpicks and mini-marshmallows (could be as simple as building a house or more complex like a hexagon, octagon etc)
• Straw and cotton ball race (give every child a cotton ball and straw; line them up and let them race by blowing the cotton ball along the floor)
• Pass the parcel (go round the circle, each child unwraps a layer, so that every child gets a turn) - after they had lots of fun throwing the wrapping paper around
• Duck, Duck, Goose or drop the handkerchief - kids love this game and play it at school a lot!
• Egg and spoon race (I used plastic eggs left over from Easter; after the race the child who opened their egg and found the chicken received the prize)
• Something to jump up and down on ... trampoline or bouncy castle

Games that don't work so well at this age ... anything that requires waiting or just one person participating at a time ... they all want to be doing the same thing at the same time!

We played for an hour, ending with a quiet game before eating cake.  While seated at the table my son opened his gifts.  Then it was off outside to play for the last 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Picking

Picking pumpkins in October, apples in September along with blueberries and strawberries (a little earlier in season) is an annual event in the province of Quebec ...

pumpkin picking time is also an opportunity to feed the farm animals ...

rabbits, pigs, goats, chickens

Autumn Geese Migration

the snow geese migration path passes close to Quebec City

so we took a trip to see and hear them, out on the water

then off to Baie Saint-Paul

Autumn changes

Last days of Summer ... now it's BACK TO PRESCHOOL!

a friend turned 4 ...

with a cool construction party

sitting on the deck with a new friend who came to stay

"Bienvenue" ... Welcome back to Preschool!

"Les Fetes de la Nouvelle France" ... on a beautiful Sunday afternoon

The annual Festival of New France commemorates the history of the French colony in North America from 1534 to 1760, and is celebrated annually in Old Québec.

Today, after church, my son and I took part in Les Fetes de la Nouvelle France 

we stopped for a picnic at the park inside Old Québec

 

climb aboard one of the many canons atop of the walled city

took a peek at the summer crowds on a usually quiet street

met a solider ...

... aka probably a student in costume

watched REAL gun powder fire!

and chatted with the Filles du Roy, sent from France to settle here

and we dressed up too!

playing in the park

A little history from the 16th century:

"... In the growing colony, tradesmen and small farmers made up the bulk of the French population, along with merchants, soldiers, laborers, members of the middle class, several nobles and clergymen, the Filles du Roy, coureurs des bois, and a few slaves.

French North America reached its peak in the 18th century. By this time, its boundaries had expanded considerably to encompass over half of the continent, extending all the way from Hudson Bay to Louisiana, and including a goodly portion of the present-day Maritime provinces, the entire St. Lawrence Valley, the Great Lakes Basin, and the Mississippi Valley. Like the other European powers of the time, France hoped to find a route across the continent to the Western Sea, and on to Asia.

However, the British colonies, already a threat, became too populous and encircled New France. In 1713, France ceded Newfoundland, Acadia, and Hudson Bay to England under the Treaty of Utrecht. In the time of peace that followed, New France’s economy took off once more, allowing France to prepare for war.

And it was not long before war came. New France was conquered in 1760 and handed over to England once and for all three years later under the Treaty of Paris. Only Louisiana remained in French hands,  

but it too was ultimately ceded to the United States in 1803." ... to read more of the history visit

Les Fetes de la Nouvelle France

Trains to Transformers

the Lego handiwork of a 4 year old!

Summer in Québec City

Marais Leon Provancher is a family friendly place to take the kids exploring.  They'll enjoy looking for frogs in the wetland ponds, as well as spending time on a little beach close to the St. Lawrence River.  We even spotted a Bald Eagle sitting on a sand bar. The marshland is open year round and has a covered shelter spot with picnic tables.

day-trip to local wetland on the St. Lawrence River

Preschool Farm Visit

Summer is here, and school is almost over for the year!