Sometimes things don't always go the way we plan. This was our reality on Wednesday when not just one, but two of our activities posed some challenges.
I've been wanting to give the children more opportunities to explore color, and that morning they were each given a large block of ice and three dropper bottles full of colored water: red, blue and yellow. The idea was to drip the water onto the ice and watch what happened. But the droppers were hard for the children to manipulate, and it was apparent that this had the potential to be more frustration than fun. I then suggested dripping the water from the bottles, and soon everyone had a nice brown puddle on their tray. Later, I'd planned an "What happens when we spray the ice?" activity with spray bottles for our time outside. While the children enjoyed looking at the now-frozen 'soups' from the day before, the new spray bottles were a problem for the children; the bottles pushed all the air out with the water and ended up collapsing and not working. The children lost interest and moved on to working with tools in the dirt patch.
In my opinion, our activities needed a do-over. On Thursday morning we approached our blocks of ice with colored water and paintbrushes, which was more fun (although we learned that wet paintbrushes can sometimes get stuck on the ice!) and lots more dripping was done. The children were happier because they felt more competent, and we talked about the colors we saw forming on the ice. Outdoors, we took the sculptures from home over to the dirt patch and the children were given containers of salt and small spoons. They poured and piled the salt onto the ice. The ice with food color began to change the color of the salt. "What made the salt turn blue? Yellow?" They had fun scraping the salt off and piling it back on, and we compared the salted ice, now with rough edges and gullies down its sides, with the unsalted and still smooth ice. They also enjoyed sharing about the objects they'd chosen to freeze and pointing them out to each other. The children were far more engaged with this, now that they had materials which worked for them, then added pine cones to the ice sculptures as decorations.
Another example of "If first we don't succeed, try, try again."
The rest of this week's play was extremely engaging and fun. When I reminded one child to be careful with the handle of the play broom, they asked me what a handle was. "The handle is the place you put your hand so that you can make something work or use it safely" was my reply, and we spent a few minutes identifying handles around the house. The kitchen is full of handles, for teapots, refrigerator doors, pans and so much more. Perhaps one day soon we can try out the handles on such machines like the food mill or the pasta maker.
What else might you have seen if you'd peeked in this week?...
...children spontaneously moving the puzzle table and chair out of that area to 'mop. They asked for water, so I dribbled water onto the floor and they used the mops from the Housekeeping area. I was impressed at the cooperative nature as they maneuvered the furniture into the kitchen together without much discussion but a sense of single-minded purpose.
...one child 'reading' to another from a naturalists book on moths and butterflies.
...children gathered around the big tub of rice, pretending the rice is "milk" and pouring it into each other's bowls and cups. Also, a conversation about the numbers on the measuring cups and what they mean.
...lots of stories about rainbows, rain, and umbrellas. We made rainbows spin all over the walls and floor when we wound up a crystal hanging in the window on a sunny morning.
...Hide and seek play is still going strong!
...children sitting down to "write" mail to each other, then stuffing the paper into their friend's mailbox. Interestingly, the children didn't bother to check their own mail, they were so engaged in the process.
...House play outdoors. The space under the plum tree, near the fence, is the house so far, and the children peered over the low branches. "I'm looking out the window!" they exclaimed.
...a "campfire" outdoors. We gathered up sticks to build a pile, which the children located in their "house", and now we've picked the yard clean and will need more sticks soon.
Do you have budded branches for forcing? We'll be bringing in some forsythia next week, to see what happens, and if you have any potential blooms to add, we can find room for those too! We'll see you next week!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Giggly Games, "Soup", and our new Block Area
Last week found us playing various Hide and Seek games. We started off with the more traditional One Person hiding, which age-appropriately ended up with all the children choosing the same place to hide as the last person. Then the game moved outdoors and the children took turns hiding a ceramic bird, each child hiding it in the same place near the plum tree. It's astonishing how they craft their activity toward mastery; although they each had opportunities to hide it in a new spot (I modeled this more than once) the choice to hide it in a place where it would be found was interesting to me. We also tried a few rounds of "Doggie, Doggie, Where's Your Bone": the children take turns hiding a pebble in their hands; the 'doggie' is called out from the other room and must guess who is holding the pebble. We rotate turns as a matter of course, which is a bit different from the competitive original game. It was a great dramatic opportunity and fun to see the characters of the "doggies" as they came back to the group to find the pebble.
Much of our time outdoors has lately been spent digging. The treasures in the sandbox have sparked a lot of conversations; the children want to know what sorts of shells they are discovering. I've been doing a lot of naming and now hear quick identification as they play. "Oh, it's a clam shell" is most common, and I seem to get a lot of questions about the mussel shell. We've taken time to look at the wildlife field guide cards made for nature enthusiasts, which children naturally are. Otherwise, we have been moving amazing amounts of sand, most especially in their boots! I can't believe how much comes out every time I shake them out as we come back in from our outdoor play.
Today we planted calendula seeds; prepared the space by pulling out the grass roots (the children were not interested in this process at all until we found some dormant cutworms, which the children woke and played with), planted the seeds and marked the space so that we will know not to play there. This is, by the way, quite an experiment. No, it's not the optimum time for planting, but I think it's okay to try this and just watch. Whether our crop fails or not, it will have been a fun process and certainly something to discuss.
Water play is a huge draw. Last week we had water available outdoors; this week, we are using water to make ice. The children were given plastic containers, food color,punched out paper holes, crayon shavings and dried flower petals and commenced to making 'soup', stirring it with chopsticks and noticing which things sank and which floated. This was big fun and we're sure to bring this activity back in a few days or so. Tomorrow we'll take our colorful ice outside and give the children spray bottles of water. We'll also be using droppers of colored water to drip onto blocks of clear ice. What will happen? There's only one way to find out...
Our block play underwent some improvement over the weekend. Our unit blocks now have shelving with silhouettes to mark the places where the blocks rest to help keep them organized. "This way, you will know where to find the blocks you want" is the reason for keeping them tidy when we're done. Today we found some random stacking being done, then blocks became cheese and we created an enclosure to become the refrigerator. For a time the blocks were designated by one creator as "a place for people to play" and the dollhouse people were added to the space. We became cranes and helicopters to fly the blocks back to the shelves for the Block Show, which is far more fun than just cleaning up. I'm excited to see how the play will grow over the coming months.
Over the next weeks I will be using cooperative games at our Morning Gathering to help reinforce our skills with taking turns. One of these games is a set of several two-piece puzzles. Each child is given a variety of pieces, few which match, and must ask their friends for other pieces to finish the puzzle pictures. This involve some give and take in the form of trading. We are also working hard to identify how it is that we know someone is using something. Is their hand on it, is it in their space, or is this a time to ask a question because we're just not sure? While we practice asking "I want a turn when you are done, please," the question "How will she know when you are done with it?" in particular invites momentary reflection on the entire subject.
I am tickled to see the happy faces in the morning and just to follow the children's enthusiasm where it leads. The children play what they are wanting to learn, and to me, this is one of the best ways to learn. I look forward to seeing what sorts of ice will be coming to school in the next few days for our ice sculptures--I hear fruit popsicles are coming our way! As we tiptoe around the green tips of the bluebells, I think of the Frog and Toad stories, of Spring being just around the corner, and of seeds being afraid to grow and just know that we have so much more fun ahead.
Much of our time outdoors has lately been spent digging. The treasures in the sandbox have sparked a lot of conversations; the children want to know what sorts of shells they are discovering. I've been doing a lot of naming and now hear quick identification as they play. "Oh, it's a clam shell" is most common, and I seem to get a lot of questions about the mussel shell. We've taken time to look at the wildlife field guide cards made for nature enthusiasts, which children naturally are. Otherwise, we have been moving amazing amounts of sand, most especially in their boots! I can't believe how much comes out every time I shake them out as we come back in from our outdoor play.
Today we planted calendula seeds; prepared the space by pulling out the grass roots (the children were not interested in this process at all until we found some dormant cutworms, which the children woke and played with), planted the seeds and marked the space so that we will know not to play there. This is, by the way, quite an experiment. No, it's not the optimum time for planting, but I think it's okay to try this and just watch. Whether our crop fails or not, it will have been a fun process and certainly something to discuss.
Water play is a huge draw. Last week we had water available outdoors; this week, we are using water to make ice. The children were given plastic containers, food color,punched out paper holes, crayon shavings and dried flower petals and commenced to making 'soup', stirring it with chopsticks and noticing which things sank and which floated. This was big fun and we're sure to bring this activity back in a few days or so. Tomorrow we'll take our colorful ice outside and give the children spray bottles of water. We'll also be using droppers of colored water to drip onto blocks of clear ice. What will happen? There's only one way to find out...
Our block play underwent some improvement over the weekend. Our unit blocks now have shelving with silhouettes to mark the places where the blocks rest to help keep them organized. "This way, you will know where to find the blocks you want" is the reason for keeping them tidy when we're done. Today we found some random stacking being done, then blocks became cheese and we created an enclosure to become the refrigerator. For a time the blocks were designated by one creator as "a place for people to play" and the dollhouse people were added to the space. We became cranes and helicopters to fly the blocks back to the shelves for the Block Show, which is far more fun than just cleaning up. I'm excited to see how the play will grow over the coming months.
Over the next weeks I will be using cooperative games at our Morning Gathering to help reinforce our skills with taking turns. One of these games is a set of several two-piece puzzles. Each child is given a variety of pieces, few which match, and must ask their friends for other pieces to finish the puzzle pictures. This involve some give and take in the form of trading. We are also working hard to identify how it is that we know someone is using something. Is their hand on it, is it in their space, or is this a time to ask a question because we're just not sure? While we practice asking "I want a turn when you are done, please," the question "How will she know when you are done with it?" in particular invites momentary reflection on the entire subject.
I am tickled to see the happy faces in the morning and just to follow the children's enthusiasm where it leads. The children play what they are wanting to learn, and to me, this is one of the best ways to learn. I look forward to seeing what sorts of ice will be coming to school in the next few days for our ice sculptures--I hear fruit popsicles are coming our way! As we tiptoe around the green tips of the bluebells, I think of the Frog and Toad stories, of Spring being just around the corner, and of seeds being afraid to grow and just know that we have so much more fun ahead.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
What are we learning right now?
I thought of this question as the children and I moved through our day. Here are some things our group is learning:
We are learning our daily routine. The children have begun to anticipate the Morning Gathering, and now move toward the rug for our songs, activity and stories instead of wandering around to explore the school.
We are learning self-care, slowly. A large piece of this is about feeling comfortable enough to ask for help with runny noses or toileting or washing hands. The children are learning to trust that adults other than their immediate family can be depended upon to assist in a friendly way, and that I believe they can learn how to do new things, even ones which seem unfamiliar or daunting.
We are learning how to care for our friends by coughing and sneezing into our elbow. This takes a lot of practice!
We are learning that a good question deserves exploration. Today as we read "The Snowy Day" one child asked why Peter's snowball melted when he brought it into the warm house. We took an ice cube from the cold freezer and placed it in a bowl, then checked on it throughout the morning. Seeing the incremental melt gave the children some things to notice, and then we placed the bowl full of water back into the freezer. We'll check it again tomorrow to see what's happened.
We are learning that everyone has different levels of comfort in regard to personal space and that we need to ask before we hug someone. Not everyone wants a hug!
We are learning that there are no bugs to be found in the yard right now, aside from worms and slugs. Where did they go? It will be interesting to see if the children remember this in a few months, when the garden becomes more fertile and full of creepy-crawlies.
I'll be interested to visit with families in a month or so and find out what sorts of bits and pieces of our discussions your children are sharing with you at home.
Our schedule has become more fluid and settled. This is what our day is looking like:
9:30--Arrival at school
9:35-40-- Setting down to Morning Gathering
9:55ish--Free Play/Morning Activity offered
10:30--Cleaning up/Bathrooms/Handwashing
10:40- Snack
11:00--Head outdoors to play
11:45--Come back in; handwashing
12:00--Lunchtime
12:25-30--Free Play time with group games, puzzles, songs and stories woven into our playtime.
1:10--Cleanup time
1:15--End of Day gathering
1:25--Shoes and coats on, ready to go home!
I had originally designated specific times for group games, puzzles, journaling, etc. Watching the children, however, I came to two realizations. First, the times for these activities can happen more organically by watching the children at their play; when their interest starts to wane or wander, when they seem to be needing direction, it is much easier to introduce these activities than it would be to pull them from their natural inclination to play at something they are interested in. Second, as the children are required to be in a group several times during the day (esp. at gatherings and meals), it seems respectful to them that they have a choice in participating in the activities that pop up. Not every child wants to build a puzzle or sing a song, and giving the children room to join in when they are ready makes the newness and work of mornings at preschool easier to adjust to and, I believe, less tiring than a more heavily-scheduled day.
As for me, I'm looking forward to another fun, busy morning tomorrow!
We are learning our daily routine. The children have begun to anticipate the Morning Gathering, and now move toward the rug for our songs, activity and stories instead of wandering around to explore the school.
We are learning self-care, slowly. A large piece of this is about feeling comfortable enough to ask for help with runny noses or toileting or washing hands. The children are learning to trust that adults other than their immediate family can be depended upon to assist in a friendly way, and that I believe they can learn how to do new things, even ones which seem unfamiliar or daunting.
We are learning how to care for our friends by coughing and sneezing into our elbow. This takes a lot of practice!
We are learning that a good question deserves exploration. Today as we read "The Snowy Day" one child asked why Peter's snowball melted when he brought it into the warm house. We took an ice cube from the cold freezer and placed it in a bowl, then checked on it throughout the morning. Seeing the incremental melt gave the children some things to notice, and then we placed the bowl full of water back into the freezer. We'll check it again tomorrow to see what's happened.
We are learning that everyone has different levels of comfort in regard to personal space and that we need to ask before we hug someone. Not everyone wants a hug!
We are learning that there are no bugs to be found in the yard right now, aside from worms and slugs. Where did they go? It will be interesting to see if the children remember this in a few months, when the garden becomes more fertile and full of creepy-crawlies.
I'll be interested to visit with families in a month or so and find out what sorts of bits and pieces of our discussions your children are sharing with you at home.
Our schedule has become more fluid and settled. This is what our day is looking like:
9:30--Arrival at school
9:35-40-- Setting down to Morning Gathering
9:55ish--Free Play/Morning Activity offered
10:30--Cleaning up/Bathrooms/Handwashing
10:40- Snack
11:00--Head outdoors to play
11:45--Come back in; handwashing
12:00--Lunchtime
12:25-30--Free Play time with group games, puzzles, songs and stories woven into our playtime.
1:10--Cleanup time
1:15--End of Day gathering
1:25--Shoes and coats on, ready to go home!
I had originally designated specific times for group games, puzzles, journaling, etc. Watching the children, however, I came to two realizations. First, the times for these activities can happen more organically by watching the children at their play; when their interest starts to wane or wander, when they seem to be needing direction, it is much easier to introduce these activities than it would be to pull them from their natural inclination to play at something they are interested in. Second, as the children are required to be in a group several times during the day (esp. at gatherings and meals), it seems respectful to them that they have a choice in participating in the activities that pop up. Not every child wants to build a puzzle or sing a song, and giving the children room to join in when they are ready makes the newness and work of mornings at preschool easier to adjust to and, I believe, less tiring than a more heavily-scheduled day.
As for me, I'm looking forward to another fun, busy morning tomorrow!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Hooray for Rainy Days!
This lovely, happy shout resounded from the backyard as we poked sticks in the sand and dug out a wheelbarrow full of dirt. I am sure there will be a powerful puddle there tomorrow, just beckoning some small person to jump into it.
We noticed the suet cage was empty. The plants are at rest, last summer's grapevines brown and barren. We poked some long bamboo poles into the earth in a circle shape and added a few sticks at the bottom. Tomorrow we will start the weaving of a little shelter out there. In the spring, perhaps, we will plant some fun vine-like plants to crawl up its sides.
Our second week has been very pleasant. The approach to the schedule is still relaxed as the children are so busy learning how to be at school and be together. What's been lovely to see is the willingness of the children to practice the language of taking turns. Further negotiation skills will eventually follow, but for now, just recognizing that something is being used by another person is the first step. Coaching language includes phrases like "I'm using it now" and "Can I have a turn when you are done?" as well as suggesting they offer another, similar option to their playmate. When a child has a collection of things and seems reluctant to share, they are asked to choose one or two of these items that the other child may use. This is working out very well.
One of the conversation starters we have at our Morning Gathering is a foam puzzle of shapes. Each shape has a front and back in two different colors, and the children are given pieces to take turns putting into the puzzle frame. The children named the shapes in their own ways: A star was dubbed a "starfish" and a circle an "o", and the colors were called out.
Children need invitations to explore writing, and today we started creating our mailboxes. The children were delighted to "write" their names in scribble on name cards to label their boxes; I included a second tag in "my writing" as I told them, and we sprinkled bright and colorful crayon shavings onto clear Con-Tact paper to complete the decoration. The looks on their faces at the end of the day as they discovered a little note in their boxes was quite satisfying, and I have the feeling these will be checked regularly.
If you had peeked in at our school today, here's what you might have seen:
~ a dollhouse with the doll family all seated at table
~ shapes in tape all over the floor to create a 'hopping' course
~ children decorating felt cookies for our kitchen with markers, including a "blue cranberry" cookie...and "cooking" them in a plastic mailbox-cum-oven
~ children gathered close to hear stories
~ a variety of nuts being rolled down ramps onto the floor
~ busy, busy children!
Next week: Ice sculptures
We noticed the suet cage was empty. The plants are at rest, last summer's grapevines brown and barren. We poked some long bamboo poles into the earth in a circle shape and added a few sticks at the bottom. Tomorrow we will start the weaving of a little shelter out there. In the spring, perhaps, we will plant some fun vine-like plants to crawl up its sides.
Our second week has been very pleasant. The approach to the schedule is still relaxed as the children are so busy learning how to be at school and be together. What's been lovely to see is the willingness of the children to practice the language of taking turns. Further negotiation skills will eventually follow, but for now, just recognizing that something is being used by another person is the first step. Coaching language includes phrases like "I'm using it now" and "Can I have a turn when you are done?" as well as suggesting they offer another, similar option to their playmate. When a child has a collection of things and seems reluctant to share, they are asked to choose one or two of these items that the other child may use. This is working out very well.
One of the conversation starters we have at our Morning Gathering is a foam puzzle of shapes. Each shape has a front and back in two different colors, and the children are given pieces to take turns putting into the puzzle frame. The children named the shapes in their own ways: A star was dubbed a "starfish" and a circle an "o", and the colors were called out.
Children need invitations to explore writing, and today we started creating our mailboxes. The children were delighted to "write" their names in scribble on name cards to label their boxes; I included a second tag in "my writing" as I told them, and we sprinkled bright and colorful crayon shavings onto clear Con-Tact paper to complete the decoration. The looks on their faces at the end of the day as they discovered a little note in their boxes was quite satisfying, and I have the feeling these will be checked regularly.
If you had peeked in at our school today, here's what you might have seen:
~ a dollhouse with the doll family all seated at table
~ shapes in tape all over the floor to create a 'hopping' course
~ children decorating felt cookies for our kitchen with markers, including a "blue cranberry" cookie...and "cooking" them in a plastic mailbox-cum-oven
~ children gathered close to hear stories
~ a variety of nuts being rolled down ramps onto the floor
~ busy, busy children!
Next week: Ice sculptures
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Our First Week
Judging from our first week, many fun days lie ahead for our preschool!
In keeping with the change of morning start time (we begin at 9:30 instead of 9 a.m.), our prospective schedule has been revised. Because our lunch time could not be pushed later, and with a careful eye to transitions, our morning includes Free Play time and Time Outdoors and our afternoon features some of the shorter segments including music and movement activities, games and journaling. The rhythm of our day is to provide structure and predictability, but I've also found that in these first few days, the children are just discovering the school and each other. To that end, I've been a bit more relaxed about the afternoon and am actively listening to their conversations in order to best follow their lead and introduce activities which are meaningful to them.
One example of this is a discussion we had this morning at snack about camping. One child shared her impressions about 'camping at the river'. After lunch while the children were playing in the bean bin I brought out the Kid Tent and put it up. Lo and behold, they turned it into a 'tent car' and we all drove together through the sky. While we never seemed to land anywhere, we all had fun driving.
Our time outdoors in the sandbox was so much fun. I had hidden bits of seashells under the sand--some pieces were very large, others quite small, and let the children dig for "treasures". They were repeatedly collected and then returned to the sandbox for hiding once more. Yesterday we took a tour of the garden at rest and planted a little patch of crocus bulbs. We'll see what becomes of our work.
In keeping with the change of morning start time (we begin at 9:30 instead of 9 a.m.), our prospective schedule has been revised. Because our lunch time could not be pushed later, and with a careful eye to transitions, our morning includes Free Play time and Time Outdoors and our afternoon features some of the shorter segments including music and movement activities, games and journaling. The rhythm of our day is to provide structure and predictability, but I've also found that in these first few days, the children are just discovering the school and each other. To that end, I've been a bit more relaxed about the afternoon and am actively listening to their conversations in order to best follow their lead and introduce activities which are meaningful to them.
One example of this is a discussion we had this morning at snack about camping. One child shared her impressions about 'camping at the river'. After lunch while the children were playing in the bean bin I brought out the Kid Tent and put it up. Lo and behold, they turned it into a 'tent car' and we all drove together through the sky. While we never seemed to land anywhere, we all had fun driving.
Our time outdoors in the sandbox was so much fun. I had hidden bits of seashells under the sand--some pieces were very large, others quite small, and let the children dig for "treasures". They were repeatedly collected and then returned to the sandbox for hiding once more. Yesterday we took a tour of the garden at rest and planted a little patch of crocus bulbs. We'll see what becomes of our work.
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