No two children are exactly the same, and neither are any two early childhood educators. Each offers their own unique teaching style & philosophy – and what might be one’s strength could be another one’s weakness.

Written by Lorrie Holmes

We decided to start off the New Year with a story about how it is our wish that everyone who works in this industry has found a place where they can reach their full potential and fill their hearts with happiness – much in keeping with the way we want all the children to feel when they are growing and developing in our care. Of course, the more fulfilled our educators are, the more they have to give to our children and what could be more ideal than that?

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.”

Fred Rogers

Interviewed by Lorrie Holmes

Give a child an open ended toy and they will find ways to create magic with it. Throw in some time and space for them to explore and this play now becomes an opportunity to practice their language, motor, cognitive and even social-emotional skills. The exciting part of all this is that there are so many ways we can help set up such play for our children to learn and grow.

Felt Story Created by Meg Felt Stories

Featuring early learning themes was something I struggled with and pondered about for quite some time, until I thought about how powerful it could be for preschool aged children to be able to explore strong concepts in many different ways. This all felt potentially positive as long as after the initial introduction, children were invited to take this learning where they wanted it to go as us educators stood by, ready to support any teachable moments – especially guiding and caring them through the social-emotional ones. Considering all of this, starting off with the theme All Around The World seemed a perfect choice as there is so much diversity here to explore. Throughout the unfolding of this unit in the Junior Kindergarten classroom at Bright Horizons Early Learning Centre in South Delta, BC, it proved to be a wonderful place to begin to help support our children to embrace both their differences and similarities.

We can’t go over it.

We can’t go under it.

We have to go through it.

Written by Lorrie Holmes

This is a musical story that I am so excited to be using and also adapting for young learners in my Creative Arts classes. Whether it be the original story concept of the bear hunt, or something a little bit different such as a dino tour, the premise of having to go through obstacles instead of around or over them remains the same along with the message that this is the only way to work through many of those unexpected challenges that life throws at us.

Reviewed by Lorrie Holmes

For me, Christmas is a magical time that happens once a year, when we can come together, from every diverse corner of the world, and share our love with each other – and never stay separated.

Rainbow Mosho, Author/Artist

Written by Lorrie Holmes

As an early childhood educator and preschool teacher, I am thrilled to be introducing TekyGo! to young children, their families, and anyone else who Guides & Cares for them. TekyGo! is the perfect platform to bring children inside these stories in a very magical, interactive way. Within these fun, energetic and educational games, children are gifted with the opportunity to practice important age appropriate skills: from gross and fine motor skills to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and even creative arts (music & movement and visual arts).

Interviewed by Lorrie Holmes

Meet Hollis. She’s 16 years old and the founder of Juggling For Jude where she raises a lot of money an awareness for cancer research using her talents juggling soccer balls. That’s not all she does, she also spends a lot of her time at appearances at special events and public speaking where she inspires a lot of other youth and adults to join in her cause. To date, she’s raised $496,000 with more than 3,000 different individuals donating to her cause.

If you have a story to tell, then tell it, and never give up until the world hears it.

-Esabella Strickland, Award Winning Author, 15 years old

If you told me at age 10 that I would write and have a novel published by the time I was 15, I would have laughed at you. When I was 10 years old, I hated reading because of my Dyslexia; also, because I was being bullied and socially alienated at my old school because of the way I learned. I was often separated from the class to get “extra help”. As a result, my confidence was so low, and I felt so alone and sad.

Created by Young Adventurer, Oliver, Aged 9

From ice hockey to snowshoeing, tobogganing to snowboarding – today a young adventurer named Oliver shares with us how his winters are not unlike any of his other childhood experiences – full of wonder and adventure. Oliver is so excited to speak to us as our young adventure ambassador, sharing with other kids all the ideas he came up with using his imagination, thoughts, and even his own creations. He does all of this with the encouragement and support of his family, who so eagerly follow his lead with skis and show shoes, sleighs and ice skates – through the snowy landscapes of Kelowna’s winter wonderland.

So, let’s take this winter adventure with Oliver as he leads us through his recommended winter activities with his family by his side, and the extra support of our story sponsor – Play It Again Sports.

From installing buddy benches at schools and other local spots to recycling plastics to saving vulnerable animals – on land and in water – these kids are changing the world one act at a time. They are taking their future into their own hands and improving our world on a global level. We are so excited to be launching our Global Youth Change-Makers Directory before Christmas so you can be aware of what these selfless youth are up to and decide if you would like to support a youth change-maker cause this holiday season or to get involved in their programs.

The choices below include kids who have started and run their own registered charities or represent a registered charity. We are starting off with the kids we have featured this year and including a few extras who have stories scheduled for early next year. We hope you find this resource useful and will be activity updating it every month moving forward. If you are a youth change-maker and would like to be featured with us in our blog and included in our directory, please contact our editor, Lorrie Holmes, at lyricalnote@me.com.