Wednesday, September 19, 2023

Nature in the Neighborhood

When we had our home visit with Seon and her mom, we asked how she would spend the rest of her day.  She said, "I'm going to hop around in nature."

​This sounded like a wonderful idea.  Brigitte and Jill both grew up on farms and have an affinity for natural materials and being outside.  We planned to incorporate some natural materials in our work this week.  As we often do, we started with a conversation. 
   "What is nature?"
    Ellie - Leaves, acorns, trees with leaves, snakes, mulch.  I know a lot about nature because I went on a hike.  
    Fay - Me too!  I went on a hike a long time ago, but I still remember.
    Seon - I know what nature is.  Nature is things that aren't made by people.
    Isabelle - (Nature is) leaves, pine cones, sticks.
    Whit - Trees, grasshoppers.
    Rawls - A ladybug.
   Cal - I'm going to see if we can find any caterpillars.  My symbol is a bug.  
    Isabelle - And Emma's symbol is a bug.  
   Ellie - People can walk in nature and play in nature.
     Will - Like the forest is nature.  
    Pierce - I want on a hike with rocks.
    Jill - Do you need to go on a hike to find nature?  
     Ford - No.  Grass is nature.  

A Pivot

When we went looking for natural materials, we also found some other cool things.  There was an old comb, a plastic lens from some sunglasses, small pieces of metal, a tiny screw, and some plastic items.  Seeing that these items sparked the children's interest and reflected the context of our neighborhood, we decided we could collect these items as well.  Children still seemed to prefer filling their bags with sticks and beautiful leaves, but our collections are now a bit more diverse.

Sorting Materials

Eliza was intrigued by the table full of materials collected by her friends.  She walked over and, without prompting, immediately began sorting the materials.  
   Eliza - I'm putting all the wood things (bark, branches, sticks) here.  This pile is for leaves and ginkgo leaves over here.  Feathers can go over here. 

From today:
    Seon - (Looking at the materials from the collection bag)
I have so many natures!
    Adaline - I don't want to get poked by this spiky leaf.
    Zari - (With a thin piece of bark) This isn't really stable (showing how it could easily be torn).  I like this leaf...it has holes.  It's so soft.
    Adaline - (Running her fingers along the comb that was found yesterday) It makes a funny sound.
    Zari - Ginkgo leaves!  I have a lot of these by my house.  (With a feather) This reminds me of my cat.  It's so soft.

​Children were eager to use the materials in compositions and collages.  While working:
   Adaline - How come more people don't want to do this?  We're making something really, really beautiful!
    Seon - I'm choosing bark from my collection.
    Zari - I'm done!
    Adaline - That's super beautiful!

Natural Materials in Construction

We also placed mostly natural materials in our construction area, eager to see what play scenarios they inspired.

On Tuesday:  
    Ford - I'm making a place for hedgehogs. 
   Charlton - I'm bringing the monkeys.  Now I'm bringing some foxes.
    Charlton and Ford add small pieces of fabric to be used as blankets for the animals.  
     Charlton - The blankets are for protection.
     Ford - I'll put the blanket all around him, so he's nice and cozy and no one can see them.

Both children asked if we could have "the woods" again in construction area.  Of course we can!

Pierce worked in the area today, carefully choosing materials fro the construction shelf.
 
    Pierce - I made a long bridge for the grownups to walk on.  Under the bridge, it's where the kids play...it's a rock playground.  I'm making stairs and another bridge.

Small World Scenarios

Environments were being created and story lines developed in small world as well.
   Seon - We all (small animal figures) live together.  
   Zari - The spiders are in the family, but they live outside.
   Ava - They are friendly spiders.
   Zari - They're going to have some wedding cake.
   Seon - And even some wine!
   Ava - (Moving a spider close to the campfire) Oh no!  He's going to burn!

A little bit of everything else...

• The weather has been beautiful and we are enjoying our time in the outdoor classroom.
• Message making is always a popular choice.
• Children began mixing paints and using them at the easel.  More about this in Friday's blog!