I have lots of ideas in my head from this past week! Ideas about making space, play, friendships, independence, power, and communication. In fact, the ideas are all swirling in my head, in a somewhat disorganized fashion. This happens to me, and other educators and I am sure to you too! It is sometimes a hard place to be as it seems unsettling and chaotic. But it is part of the journey of teaching. So, I will spend the next while sorting through these thoughts, making sense of some, discarding others and sharing interesting ones with our team for support.
Creativity with outdoor blocks, hoses and tubes…
How amazing is it that children are given tubes and stuff their little bodies into them to play rolling and crashing games?
Finn makes a car, designing the components carefully so he doesn’t roll off. Soon, tubes are carried over and children are filling up his car with gas. I think Hayden says something about “diesel”!
Lorraine and Annabelle make a perfect seat for themselves but then do not know what to do with it afterwards. Annabelle soon decides she wants to relax even more and looks for ways to make this structure into a bed!
Keaton builds a train and soon Elsa and Finn hop on as passengers. There is a lot of negotiating to be the driver- a perfect opportunity to practice turn taking skills.
Connor and Nicholas are gathering pieces to make their own car. Nicholas is trying to fit the steering wheel into the longer block but it is tricky with mittens on!
Zoya uses the blocks as a bed, most likely stemming from Annabelle’s bed idea.
Other moments…
The Eagles walk along the narrow, sometimes prickly and frozen trail to the Beaver Dam. This is a place we will visit frequently as there is a tree slowly been chewed on by a beaver so we are beginning an ongoing inquiry. More to come…
The children instigate a game of “Eagle” all by themselves. Mason, Esuh and Nathan are hiding from the Eagle. It is so wonderful to see them manage games by themselves now!
The 3 smallest Eagles insist on pulling the heavy wagon.
Children explore making a 3D piece of work and then try to capture the design one dimensionally.
Brianna and Zoë focus on a new game which invites deep critical thinking skills. They are solving this puzzle by trial and error. How will they approach this activity next time?
Ezra and Andy enjoy playing “Labyrinth” , a rather complex board game. It seems they are making up their own rules, which is working for both of them. A lovely moment of cooperation and friendship!
The Eagles draw their ideas about ‘how to catch a star’- something that both Eagles and Owls are currently working on in response to a story “How to Catch a Star”. We have only read half the book so that children have space to invent their own ideas before anything is answered for them. At Nature School, we do our best to leave questions unanswered as much as we can so that children can develop their own theories. There is a time and pace for answers- it is not easy knowing when is the right time; we struggle with this all the time.
Avery draws a picture of her family.
Nell is copying the bird field guide. I love to see her focus so carefully on the attributes of each bird.
Ella confidently approaches this challenging puzzle and takes 2 days to finish it. She works with patience and uses spatial discrimination to complete the puzzle.
Barry reads a story about a bear to the Eagles. A beautiful book that will be sure to spark further readings and conversation. Thanks Barry!
Practising their balance and social skills, Yohan and Ayleen move blocks from one end of the driveway to the other.
It was another buddy week( sorry, no photos due to photo release); The Eagles had a fabulous day with their Quilchena buddies. Divided into two groups, each group was tasked with either putting up a shelter or cooking with ingredients from a basket on the Coleman stove. Teams were ecstatic as they creatively made nachos with hot cheesy dip, a veggie salad, mashed potatoes and 8 layer dip. Shelters were planned, thinking about rain and wind. The Owls enjoyed time with their caring and thoughtful buddies from Thompson; playing fun games outdoors and creating art at an imagination market. As always, we leave our buddies filled up with adoration and gratitude!
Heidi teaches the children a new game called “Owls and Crows”. The children listen attentively; it is important for the children to learn to stop, listen and pay attention even during our seemingly free outdoor playtimes.
Good friends!
‘Till the next post,
Emily