Your birth on April 18th 2015 was the happiest day of my life. You know, less than a year before your arrival, you had a big brother but he had the wings of an angel. So when I held you in my arms for the first time, it was both a relief and the culmination of a big dream; becoming a mother. You arrived 4 weeks earlier than expected after nearly 23 hours of labor.
Photo credit: Jessica Côté
When I saw you for the first time, I was ecstatic but this little voice inside my heart and my head was telling me that something wasn’t right. I guess we can call it intuition. When I changed your diaper for the first time, I noticed right away this little malformation on your skin in your lower back. I didn’t waste any time; I spoke to your doctor and from then on, a range of specialists entered your life and you have had to undergo a whole battery of tests that caused you to suffer more often than not. All the doctors seemed worried but nobody knew what was really going on so we were referred to different specialists. Continue reading
Little Monkey Calms Down is a colourful picture book that easily describes the actions that young children express when feeling frustrated or angry. In short simple phrases, the Monkey explores concrete strategies to help himself in calming both his mind and body. The phrases are short and easily relatable for preschool aged children. This book is the perfect tool to support teaching of emotions; children often enjoy sharing this book with a friend who may be feeling this way. Little Monkey Calms Down is the perfect addition to any calm down area. 
Dave is a 5-yo at your childcare centre. He can be very gentle and kind at times, but lately he’s been aggressive and wanting to fight with the other kids. You suspect he watches a lot of superhero movies, and he often comes in dressed like a superhero.
Many parents and child care providers have struggled during meal times. Unfortunately, some of us dread meal times on a daily basis. This may be due to a child’s aversion to specific foods; sensory and/or motor based eating challenges, behavioural implications and many more factors. Parents and child care providers can feel overwhelmed, pressured and at a loss on what to do. Our cultural roadblocks, expectations and lack of awareness on various potential reasons for such eating difficulties can create negative meal time environments which further strengthen its history. 
At Manotick Cooperative Nursery School, inclusion is an important part of our classroom. At the beginning of the school year we have activities to include the children and their families in the school. Every child takes home a blank piece of paper to create a unique piece of art to put up on display. The activity is special and unique to each child. One year we did a fish art with the saying… We May All Be Different Fish, But in This School We Swim Together! 