More Lessons From the Forest
On our last walk to the forest, the children learned that the new paint markings were indeed the precedent to roadwork as they predicted, but specifically it was for a new sidewalk not road, that led them down the hill. They learned that the vine charcoal that they made on the fire the week before worked perfectly for drawing new maps. They learned about a fascinating phenomenon that only happens in the Spring — the oak pollen, dogwood and tulip poplar petals collect in the eddies on the creek and fool the eye (but not the hand, foot, or stick) into thinking that there is solid ground that can be stepped on. They learned that they could follow the deer path and not get lost. The children also learned that if you fall in the water, you will get wet.
Scaffolded Social Dramatic Play
In our current Tracks class (4 and 5-year olds) we have pulled out all the stops to build up their social language and connections expressed through play. We started with quite basic of ideas, “pretend you are a…” and progressed through to more complex overtures for play. The progress they have made is quite astounding.
Gaining a Sense Of Wonder. It Takes Time.
There are times over the course of the year, but especially towards the end of the school year, when a teacher can sit back and simply watch the children’s stories unfold. Resting easy, without intervention or instruction, trusting that all the supports are in place to be able to simply listen as the children’s individual stories sing, little melodies woven into great bursts of joyous song.
Out On A Limb: Practicing Mind-Body Integration
Andrea stepped up and reminded the parents gathered for the membership meeting to breathe. She also told me to let them breathe, but I couldn’t, just wouldn’t stop, I kept going…something very important had happened earlier during the school day and I needed to share it. It was so relevant to the evening’s topic, “Mind-Body Integration” (see note below). The problem was I had not fully processed it, or more specifically, had not worked it through with the children, so it was just coming out scary rather than instructional.
The Campfire Arc
It was the magic of Jiffy Pop that changed the whole thing.
It has been my experience that a campfire at school is one of those activities that does not require an anticipatory set or a bunch of “Hey, won’t this be fun!” We do go over safety and the co-oping parents know about our fire safety kit, what’s in it and what to do in case…, but with those gathered, there is an instant quiescence that settles when the first flame makes its appearance.