In February, we acknowledge all the crossing guards who work tirelessly in all types of weather to keep our children safe on their way to and from school. Perhaps you have been fortunate enough to meet Karen, a wonderful crossing guard who works at the intersection of Scottsdale Drive and Ironwood Road. She is helpful and friendly, and cares very deeply for our students. To recognize Karen, the children made a poster and invited her to our class to receive our gratitude. Merci, Karen!
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Many thanks to all the families who assisted their children in assembling a container of 100 items to help us celebrate the 100th Day of School in February! The children were thrilled to share and tell about their objects. We have been using these items in a wide variety of activities. First, we brainstormed ways that we could make the task of counting to 100 more manageable. The children took turns counting out 10 items from a pile, and we made 10 groups of 10. Counting and grouping the items provided an authentic opportunity to introduce addition and multiplication skills that the children will master in subsequent years of school.
Several students contributed different varieties of dry pasta. We noticed that the tiny orzo noodles occupied much less space in a container than the penne noodles. Items of similar size took up approximately the same amount of space. Several children were very interested in the bags of coloured paperclips contributed by classmates. They enjoyed sorting the paperclips by colour and linking the paperclips to create long chains. Another group of children worked with a bag of jewels. They sorted the jewels by colour and also by shape. At a different table, students created and extended patterns with raisins and Cheerios. Soon, items were moved between stations, and the students began threading Cheerios, raisins, and pasta pieces onto toothpicks. We really appreciate your contributions to this activity. A lot of great discussions and learning have taken place with your support! Bonjour !
The children have managed to fill up the French Speaking Vase - three times now! What an accomplishment! Each time they make a big effort to use newly acquired French vocabulary or create great sentences, they get to put a jewel into this vase. With two recent vases filled, we will celebrate twice as much! Next Tuesday, will make mini pizzas (English muffiin, tomato sauce, cheese, and veggies) and for dessert a frozen treat (frozen berries)! If your child can not eat dairy, we will either omit the cheese or you may choose to send in an alternate form of cheese. Have a wonderful afternoon! Bonjour !
Although our week was short, we certainly did have a wonderful time with a lot of great learning! Thank you for working with your child by helping them understand the value of 100. We received quite a number of packages containing 100 objects. Not only did this activity allow the children to count to 100, it also demonstrated that 100 things takes up more or less space depending on the size of the object. Leading up to the 100th Day of School, the children each created a paper chain of 10 rings. They had a choice of a few different colours and were instructed to count out 10 pieces of paper, sort them into colour, and then create their paper chain. With their chains we have been working on composing and decomposing 10. They are getting quite good at this activity! To further solidify this math concept, the children continue to engage in simple math fun (e.g., Valentine's Math board, 10 groups of 10 to make 100, and balancing up to 10 beans bags on our head). Bravo, les amis ! We continue to build structures with our science buddies! Oh what creative children we have! Our SK's were able to use their impressive problem-solving skills to work together with their grade three buddies, to build some pretty amazing structures. They have taken these experiences and continue to build with the recycled items found in our classroom. Un gros merci to our school council for the purchase of the new Huskie t-shirts! Don't they look great!!!!! We ended the week with a fun Google freeze dance. Have a wonderful night! Opportunities to experience risk are an integral part of children’s learning and healthy development. In play, risk does not mean looking for danger or being careless or reckless. Risky play involves thrilling and exciting forms of physical play that involve uncertainty and a slight chance of physical injury. Risky play provides opportunities for challenge, testing limits, exploring boundaries, and assessing injury risk. In his article, “The Risks and Benefits of Nature Play,” Ken Finch notes that, “Kids are not born with the gift of informed judgement, nor with awareness of their own abilities and weaknesses. Instead, they must learn their capabilities, their vulnerabilities, and their good decision-making skills through real-life experiences – sometimes happy, sometimes harsh, but always instructive.” Therefore, keeping children safe involves letting them take and manage risks in well-supported, age-appropriate ways. Our students seem to possess an innate sense of self-preservation. Through climbing trees, hanging from branches, balancing on logs, playing near the creek, exploring the woods, etc., they have become very good at recognizing and evaluating challenges for themselves according to their own abilities.
A slippery trail that winds down a small slope in the forest continues to be a favourite destination during walks. Sliding down the hill is both exhilarating and scary at the same time, and feeling on the borderline of being out of control are parts of what makes the “Penguin Slide” attractive to the children. Experiencing these contrasting feelings is exciting. Children want to be trusted with decisions in respect to managing risks and safety. Our students were able to recognize and evaluate the risks associated with sliding down the hill. They suggested and agreed to follow this set of guidelines that made the experience less dangerous, but that still involved an element of risk: • Someone should be at the top of the hill and give the “all clear” for sliding. • Only one person should slide at a time. (After a while, the children expressed a desire to go down the hill as a “train,” so we had to revisit, discuss, and amend our group rules.) • Only foot-first sliding should be allowed. • After sliding, move quickly and safely from the bottom of the hill. • Walk back up the hill along a side route rather than up the centre of the sliding path. When children generate their own ideas about keeping safe, they are invested in them. We, as adults, don’t have to work as hard to enforce arbitrary, extrinsic rules. After implementing some parameters that made the sliding safe enough for the experience to continue, we noticed that the students appeared to understand their personal competencies and the levels of risk they were comfortable with. They adjusted their risky play to these internal boundaries. After evaluating the situation for themselves, some children opted not to slide, or to slide from only partway up the hill. A child’s personality plays a significant role in the child’s risk-taking decisions. We take into account individual temperaments and we strive to meet children “where they are at” in terms of their approach to experiencing and navigating risk. Personal resilience, development of self-esteem and confidence for those overcoming fears, group communication, negotiating turn taking, and a growing understanding of physics are just a few of the positive benefits resulting from our visits to the “Penguin Slide.” According to Tim Gill in his article, “The End of Zero Risk in Childhood,” “Children learn a great deal from their own efforts and from their mistakes. If we try too hard to keep them safe, we starve them of the very experiences that they need if they are to learn how to deal with the ups and downs of life.” And the ups and downs of the “Penguin Slide.” In our learning groups this week, we have been using Stuart J. Murphy’s book, Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom, to practise and reinforce several math and language concepts. In the story, Molly loves to play with her big brother’s red, yellow, and blue toy cars when he leaves the room. After repeated attempts, Molly manages to line up the cars in just the right order before Kevin returns. As we read the story, the children described the patterns in which Molly places the cars on the shelf. As well as recognizing a colour pattern, the students also pointed out patterns in the shapes of cars and the sounds that each type makes. Bravo!
After reading, we used unifix cubes to reproduce the different patterns from the story. We predicted what would come next when the patterns were continued. Recognizing and extending patterns are early and essential math skills that are important in the development of logical thinking. On a mild day when the snow was melting quickly and the frozen ground could not absorb the extra water, a stream of runoff meandered across our schoolyard toward a stormwater catch basin at the edge of the property. The students were very interested in throwing snowballs into the running water to watch them melt. They also constructed dams to obstruct and redirect the water’s flow.
We talked about how the catch basin was placed at a low lying location so that gravity could drain the stream of water away from buildings, and prevent water from pooling on our tarmac or yard. We also learned that when rainfall and melted snow run off roof tops, driveways, and roads, the water can collect pollutants like dirt, oil, fertilizer, grass clippings, pet waste, litter, etc. and carry them to our rivers and waterways. The children understood that all water eventually flows out to the oceans, so we must work together to prevent pollutants from entering our sewers. In Guelph, stormwater management ponds (like the ones we see on our walks through Hanlon Creek and Preservation Parks) temporarily hold water runoff to control flooding and reduce pollution in our waterways. The water that is collected from the storm sewers is treated to remove large pollutants, and then slowly released back into our watershed. Another opportunity for spontaneous and authentic learning courtesy of Mother Nature! A “Sit Spot” is a place in nature to practice observation, patience, and mindfulness. Sit spotting is similar to meditation in the sense that they both involve sitting alone and quietly, and concentrating without any outward activity. Not too many five-year-olds are happy sitting silently, still, and alone for long periods of time, but spending quiet time outdoors allows children to relax their bodies and minds, concentrate on their inner selves, observe of what’s going on around them, and connect with nature using all of their senses.
Our students are a force of nature unto themselves when we play in the forest. They are busy, creative, enthusiastic, engaged, and inquisitive. When we first introduced the idea of sit spots, we decided to select a time at the end of one of our forest play sessions when we felt we could expect greater focus from them. We commended them for the wonderful ‘work’ they had just done moving their bodies, working through imaginative play scenarios, building forts, collaborating, and solving problems. We wondered aloud if our amazing, through-the-roof energy, activity, and volume levels ever prevent us from really absorbing our surroundings with all our senses. I invited us to find a space all our own, to calm our bodies and quiet our brains, and just be. At first, a few children were apprehensive and resistant, questioning whether this was a “time out.” We assured them that there was nothing punitive about this! The invitation to take some solo time to quiet their bodies and open their eyes and ears and minds was, in fact, a gift rather than a punishment. From my own spot at the base of a tree, I could see students gazing at the clouds, listening for birds and animals, watching an airplane pass overhead, playing with twigs, and picking at loose bark. For our first attempt, we released them after a few minutes; before the experience could feel tedious and the children could become restless and chatty. When we reconvened, we sat in a circle so that we could connect with each other as well as our surroundings. A collective sense of calm was tangible in our group. Since that first attempt a few months ago, we have repeated the experience about a dozen times. In fact, the students have started to ask to visit our sit spots! We always return to the same site in the pine forest on the other side of the Magic Hole. Most children instinctually return to their own self-selected spaces which now feel familiar and comfortable. Some students choose to lie on their backs and look up at the sky and the tree canopy. Others lie on their bellies, smell the grass, soil, or snow, and look at what’s happening under their noses. Some students simply lean against a tree and close their eyes. Just like any new activity, sit spotting took practice. Over time, the children’s “stillness stamina” has increased tremendously. It is not uncommon that they will choose to spend 10-15 minutes completely quiet in deep observation. When we regroup, I usually ask, “What did you notice?” Students respond with, “A bird, a siren, the wind, etc.” We talk about what is from nature and what people have made. When we ask the children how they feel, they always say, “Calm. Peaceful. Relaxed. Happy. Comfortable. Free. Quiet.” If the moment feels right, we sometimes offer words of gratitude at the end. Visiting the same site many times, in all kinds of weather, at various times of the day, and throughout the transition from autumn to winter has led to a feeling of connection with the land. Quite possibly, our amazing kindergartners might know this small sliver of the universe better than anyone else. Learning how to entertain themselves or just relax without help or input from others is important for the development of independence. Modern life often moves too quickly for young children. Taking opportunities to slow down and engage with their environment, their peers, and their own thoughts is important. As noted by Brené Brown, “It takes courage to say, ‘Yes’ to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.” Despite the cold and snow, we try very hard to take the children outside, even briefly, in all types of weather. Of course, the safety of our students is always of primary importance. In our small groups, we are able to closely monitor the children’s fingers, toes, and cheeks. Today, we waited until the afternoon when the frigid temperatures of the morning eased slightly. We sought shelter deep in the forest where the trees provided a barrier against the wind.
Although our time outside was brief, we had a wonderful afternoon filled with play and learning. The new snow provided a fresh canvas for our fun. We followed animal tracks and selected places to hang our popcorn birdfeeders. The children really enjoyed sliding down the big hill and taking turns on the vine swing. A group of students unearthed a long, white pipe buried in the snow. They worked together to carry the pipe to another spot in the forest. They wedged one end of the pipe between two tree branches, creating a tunnel that we could yell into to hear our echoes. They asked for a ball and took turns dropping the ball through the tunnel. Their curiosity, concentration, and collaboration were amazing! Our interesting find of the afternoon was a “sapsicle” hanging from a broken tree branch. The children were fascinated by how the golden sap dripped slowly from the cut end of the branch and solidified into ice due to the cold temperature. Nous sommes des scientifiques ! Walking back up the schoolyard from the forest, we encountered gusty winds and large snow drifts. What a workout! After a few months of long forest walks and strenuous play and exercise, we are definitely noticing increases in the children’s stamina and physical fitness. Bravo, les amis! Thank you for always sending your children to school in appropriate winter clothing! Being dressed for the weather makes our outside time safe and enjoyable for everyone. On recent forest walks, we noticed that the pinecone birdfeeders we hung in the forest last week have been nibbled! In some cases, the birdseed and lard was stripped away and the pinecones were left behind. In other instances, the entire pinecone was consumed and only the string remained. Tiny footprints were often seen at the base of the trees. The children really enjoyed checking on the status of their pinecones, and were thrilled to know they had helped the birds and animals who remain active in our forest during the cold winter months.
On a subsequent day, we made strings of popcorn, Cheerios, and cranberries to hang in the forest. This activity turned into an opportunity to practice our fine motor skills as we used blunt needles to thread the small berries and cereal pieces. We discussed patterning, and encouraged the children to thread a combination of popcorn, Cheerios, and cranberries in an order that repeated and remained consistent. Some students extended patterns started by one of the educators, while others students decided to create and continue their own patterns. Bravo, les amis ! |
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