Tree Climbing!

"If you are missing out on the natural joy and wisdom of life, it is because you have been taught to ignore it....Reconnecting with nature consists of bringing into your consciousness a sensory way of thinking and relating with which you are born."
Michael J. Cohen, Ed.D
Reconnecting with Nature

First off, let me apologize for the little 'vacation' from blogging. It's been a busy summer so far, and it's been long awaited, but... the SUN is here! So we've been out as much as possible soaking up every ounce of Vitamin D that we can! So blogging has taken second fiddle to the great outdoors. That doesn't mean there isn't a lot to share, because there is, it's all there just milling about in my brain.
It has become that time again to re certify my first aid certificate, so last night I participated in part 1 of the first aid course. It always leaves you feeling a bit nervous and anxious, doesn't it. It's never nice to hear the horror stories of children eating balloons, getting tangled in a rope swing, etc. Of course you learn that every injury can be prevented, and that we need to take precautions to prevent accidents. While I agree that we don't want to see people injured or hurt, we also need to be careful to not get too caught up in the 'bubble wrapped' society that we are in.
So with that being said did it make me nervous to be on the ground watching the children climb higher in the tree today? Yes, of course it did. But I saw them as confident and capable children. I was there to support them and give them words of encouragement when they got to a tricky spot, but they did it. Not all the children chose to participate, and some were not quite able to reach the 'starting branch,' so they found a practice tree. As much as I was nervous, I was excited to watch the children's expressions change from nervous excitement to confidence in their abilities. 

I did not have my camera with me today, but I did the last time we were in the forest, so I was able to capture a couple of the children honing their skills.

Climbing trees is so important for children because it increases the development of the signal that goes between their muscles and their brain. They are fully aware of their bodies during this process, and have to concentrate hard on the task at hand. They are learning what their body is capable of, and they are developing a sense of risk, and how to problem solve. All these skills are skills that prepare a child for school. 

So again, while we don't ever want to see someone hurt or injured, we also need to allow children to experience risk and learn how to assess it. Knowing how to assess risk teaches a child how to be prepared in the event they find themselves in a situation where they need to make decisions quickly. This lesson is priceless, and only one that a child can learn him/herself.

So if my First Aid instructor is reading, please know that the lessons you teach are also priceless, but please understand that children still need to be children, and I will still be there to ensure that they are safe but confident!

If you want to read more on the benefits of tree climbing here are some great reads:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/aug/03/schools.children

http://admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/jumbo-talk/post/the-benefits-of-tree-climbing/

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.ca/2012/02/built-to-code.html

http://progressiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.ca/2010/06/let-them-climb-trees.html

http://progressiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.ca/2010/06/let-them-climb-trees-part-2.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jun/05/nature-deficit-disorder-richard-louv

YEP, there's a lot of them... and there's even more, just do a quick search!

"Not everyone wants to climb Mount Everest, but almost everybody can ascend with ropes and harness and experience in new ways our life-giving exchanges with trees and the natural world."
Genevieve

Canada Day for the Children!

*PHOTO OVERLOAD!!!*
Over the weekend Canada turned 125 years old! It was a weekend of celebrations all over the country. This year I spent it flipping donuts at the mini donut stand at the Canada Day celebration in Abbotsford. It was packed and it was busy, and it was a lot of fun. I want to make sure that I give a little plug to the Little Donut Factory. If you're ever in the area and at a community event check and see if they're there, i've heard the donuts are AMAZING (yep, never tried them)!!!!

Because my shift started a bit more into the day I was able to check out some of the activities that the day was to hold. Boy, was I impressed! It was the best Canada Day Celebration that I had seen. It had a little of everything, but what amazed me the most was the activities geared to the children and families. Rather than a field filled with amusement park rides, the field was filled with unique and creative things that everyone could enjoy. The theme of the day was circus, and their were plenty of booths set up to encourage a budding circus performer, something that i'd never seen before. Even the performances throughout the day, on the mainstage, were done by local dance troops and entertainers, that rivaled the talents of those in Cirque Du Soleil.
What i'm saying is, if you are ever looking for a fun family oriented activity for Canada Day, this would be one to remember for the future. Abbotsford is a family oriented community, and the festivities reflect that. The activities were unique and creative. Yes, there were bouncy castles, and I didn't get a chance to see if they were popular, but it really did see, that the other events were very well utilized!

I was able to get a few photos of the day, just to give our readers an idea of the types of activities there were!

A GIANT Sandpit

Curling

Milking Demo... these were the calves, the milking cows were on the other side of the vehicle!

Tumble Mats

Music Station!!! LOVED THIS!!!!

Mini Golf

Painting Station

Wheelchair basketball

GIANT slip and slide *before the sun came out!*

Space Tent (I didn't look to closely at it, so I didn't really get an idea of what it was)

Back to that Music Station

The Search and Rescue Department was there doing demos

 

Fencing Demonstration

The Search and Rescue Team's Hovercraft. There were hay rides, but this was so much more attracting!

Decorating a van for a museum art piece. Everyone was encouraged to participate.

The materials for the van decorating

The finished product

And of course.... fireworks.

Random Acts of Kindness

I sat down to blog earlier this morning, but stopped because I ran out of time. I was going to share what I experienced at the Canada Day celebration on Sunday, but it will be postponed until tomorrow and shelved like the rest of the hundreds of posts I have running through my head right now. I want to share something else with our readers!

You see, we were the recipients of a random act of kindness today!

We took a trip to the recycling depot in our six seater stroller... IN THE POURING RAIN!! Our stroller has no cover, so as usual we were dressed head to toe in our rain gear. It was on our way back that a car pulled up beside us, and the driver rolled down her window and asked if we would like an umbrella. You see, she had purchased a bunch of umbrellas and was driving around the neighbourhood looking for people stuck in the rain with no umbrella! So she proceeded to give each child an umbrella. It was so kind of her, and it brought a smile to each child's face!

Along the way back to the centre we talked about Random Acts of Kindness' and how they brighten people's days. This act has instigated the children's interest in wanting to do Random Acts for other people. We discussed some ideas and we plan to follow through on those ideas. A couple the children thought of were: 

Drawing pictures and giving them to people walking past us on our walks

Picking a WHOLE BUNCH of blackberries and giving them to someone

Visiting the grandmas and the grandpas in the nursing home down the road

Singing songs really loud on our walks

Thank you kind lady for the umbrellas. You BRIGHTENED our day!

Water Balloons

What can you do with left over water balloons? Here's a start:

AND WE STILL HAVE MORE!!!!

A Little Bit of Animal

So i'm all for animal play, I mean that's pretty fun right? It gets us in touch with our carefree side, but this took it to a whole new level!

like little cats sleeping in the sun.... looks cozy doesn't it?

Changing things up... again!

Okay children, your voices have been heard! The photo below is one of the very few times that the children actually played in the 'block room'. 

Before

The children tend to gravitate to the constructing materials, and really enjoy building and creating with the blocks and the cars, but quite often the entire room of materials gravitate towards the 'big room'. The children are most welcome to blend the materials together. The play that the children engage in when this happens is wonderful to see, and explodes into creative, open-ended, imaginative play. I love seeing the lightbulbs click, and the whole group engaging in play that was created right from their imaginations! So on that note, over the last few weeks I had been mulling over a major change in the environment. I had been observing, more and more, the children taking nearly every piece out of the block room into the big room and I wondered why. I had my theories, I thought it had something to do with the lack of natural light, and the lack of space. I asked the children in a group meeting last week, and I wasn't too far off the track. The children told me that they like playing near the windows (lack of natural light). They also told me that they didn't like it when others knocked over their towers (lack of space). SO, on Friday morning the children helped me move the block room into the big room. Since Friday, the centre has continued to transform to where it is now. I cannot wait to see the reaction of the children tomorrow! I'm interested to see how it flows and how it functions!

After- the block room is now an atelier (workshop of an artist), with a little more softened lighting. 

a little inspiration from Van Gogh and Monet, with space for the 'real artists' down below!

Before- this was our art space/ sensory/ eating area

after- Tinkering table

Block area (this was where our eating tables used to be). Lots of space to create, build, plan, and construct!

Murals hanging from the ceiling (it's double sided- well... two murals hung back to back), and some flowy material hanging from the ceiling.

Display shelf for all our creations

A table for illustrating plans/ clay table!

The environment has gone through changes over the last few months. It's important to listen to the children's voices, and to understand their needs. Because the children in this program are really into constructing and building, it is important for them to have the space to create! It is also important to give the children a change of scenery every once in a while. Our environment has undergone quite a few changes over the last few months, we are still new, so we still have bugs to work out! It's been a wonderful learning experience to learn from the children. The layout of the environment may work for the here and now because of the dynamics of the children, but come a few years down the road the dynamics of the children may change the environment again. It's all about listening to the children's needs!

Now it's time for bed... need to be ready to play!