Outdoor Exploration

Our students love to be outdoors! And so do we. Following are some of the observations we have made as we explore our outdoor environment together through the seasons.

The Great

Outdoors:

What can we do outside?

-play hide and seek

-jump off the rocks

-climb on the logs

-play on the dirt hill

-look at the trees

When this question was first posed to the students, their answers were very typical given their observations of the environmental surroundings. Beginning the first week of school, we visited the “neighbourhood forest” which consists of the treed area in the middle of the schoolyard. Having been corralled in the Kindergarten area the first few days of the school year, the “oohs and aahs” of the children was wonderful to see as they ran happily to explore this new territory open to them.

Teacher observations focused around how the dispositions and behaviours of the students changed as they freely played outside. Rather than the crying and hesitation noted inside the classroom as the kids began to get their bearings, there was excitement and laughter as they called to their fellow classmates to come and see some new discovery. Right then and there, we decided this extended time outside was a must-do of our day. After lunch as the older students went inside for the afternoon, we lined up, took attendance and headed to the forest.

About three weeks into our program, we were enjoying the warm fall weather we were experiencing and decided to take our activity-centre time outside also. Thankfully, we had a number of resources available to us that we could set up a mock classroom environment, outdoors. The students loved it! There was a paint easel, a dollhouse (made a treehouse once placed near the stumps), some huge appliance boxes, big and small blocks and cars and trucks. Also, we brought out musical instruments so the kids could sing, play and create their bands at whatever volume they wished (and we didn't get headaches!).

We continue to have extended outdoor playtime because we see the value of kids experiencing nature. We have gone on discovery walks to make nature bracelets, imaginary safari adventures to find wild animals and visit African villages, tried the art of weaving with rope and chain-link fencing and created new games amid trees, rocks and logs. These activities have provided times of great learning and we know the Great Outdoors will be an integral part of the children's education this year.

Now when you ask the students, “What can we do outside?” their answers are much more far-reaching than at the beginning of the school year.

-be in a marching band

-get exercise

-play “Lava Monster”

-pretend to go camping

-write letters (in the dirt) to the big kids

-play school

-find bugs, leaves, acorns and berries

-walk on the moon

-play Shadow Tag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Colours Of Us!

During first term as our students are getting to know one another, we like to read texts that foster a sense of community in the classroom. Some of our favorite titles are: Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud, The Colours of Us by Karen Katz, Whoever You Are by Mem Fox and Shades of People by Sheila M. Kelly and Shelley Rotner. Throughout these stories is the recurrent theme that each person is a unique and valuable human being. However, with that being said, there are many similarities that we each experience simply because we are all human.
Many people think that these concepts are much too complex for our young students to grasp, but through the observations we have made, we disagree. As we read, students recognize the importance of getting to know a person beyond his/her outer appearance. Our students are quite matter of fact about noticing the different shades of skin that are represented in our classroom and we promote the idea that they be proud of their particular colours. We encourage them to form strong identities about who they are, what special gifts they contribute to our class and also to recognize how their family units are unique.
As an art extension, students are invited to explore colour, specifically how to mix a variety of colours that will enable them to create their own skin tone to paint a paper plate that represents their face. Each year the children embrace this challenge and enjoy choosing and mixing colours that match their individual features, all in the way that they see themselves. This activity also gives us so much information about the students' developmental phase, which allows us to target specific skills in follow-up lessons. Identity exploration and creativity set the stage for the creation of a collection of their faces for us to post around the room, further sending a message that this space belongs to all of us. We are a community of friends and learners!