Making Connections

A few weeks ago I took a course with two wonderful ladies, Roni Cahen and Bev Seperle at our local Early Years Centre. The course was all about lines. Lines, lines, lines. 

We were given the task between weeks of exploring lines with the children in a variety of capacities. We explored the lines over the course of the month on and off. The children didn't quite respond they way that I thought they would... most of that was my fault. I didn't facilitate in the ways that would have really captured their interest. That doesn't mean though that the children did not benefit in some ways from the exploration. In fact, I would say, we're just getting into it! 

We had a look at some different types of lines, and gave names to those lines. The children will often refer to lines with those names now. In addition to naming them, we gave them sounds. We've really taken to drawing lines in the air and giving them sounds. Fun sounds like 'whoop, whoop; vrrrr; zzzzzz; ck, ck; etc' This has really captured their interest, and you will often see us waving our arms around in the air and making funny sounds. In fact, it has increased the children's interest in their letters and numbers. They have given the letters and numbers some writing sounds (Future Kindergarten teachers I warn you that these children will provide a soundtrack to their writing). A three for example makes this sound...'whoop, whoop'. 

But our discovery of lines has not stopped there. The children have found lines in the room and linked them to the line names I mentioned earlier. 

One child discovered the 'squiggley wiggley' line in a shell on our science table (see the picture above for an example of a 'squiggly, wiggly line'). 

I asked him if he could draw that line for me somehow, and he said he could build it. I was curious to see how he could do that. I watched as he created this:

This is the explanation of how the squiggly wiggly looks like a drill and it can drill a tunnel. 

I thought that was a rather neat interpretation of a shell with a squiggly wiggly line.

Delight in Objects

My weekly trips to Value Village, nearly always pay off. I find all sorts of things, and I will be honest in saying that each time I go I am looking for one item in particular, and the other things are just bonuses! I go each week to see if I can spot a manual coffee grinder. A few months ago Danielle from Images of Learning had shared how she found a manual coffee grinder on a whim at Value Village, and I couldn't get it out of my head how many uses that tool would have in our classroom. So every weekend, I would waltz into my local Value Village in search of an illusive coffee grinder. Over the course of the last few months I would fail to find one, but find SO MANY other treasures instead. These treasures have become a regular part to our program, and has enhanced our classroom immensely. So I have to say... last weekend, I found one!!! I feel a huge sense of accomplishment, but can't help but feel a bit of a void. I'm sure my trips to good ole' VV have not finished yet, but i'm sure I don't have to go as often... good news for my bank account :)

So after that long lengthy introduction, I wanted to share with you a really neat treasure that I wasn't sure that would amount to anything. They were just sitting there hanging on the wall at Value Village. I'm not sure what they are called, perhaps Singing Balls? They are two metal balls that come in a little box and you are meant to roll them together in one hand as a meditative tool. I put them on the shelf, just curious to see what the children would do with them. One child spotted them late in the day, and was only able to play a short while before heading home that day. The next day, he was right there with them in his hand immediately. They make a beautiful jingling sound, so he just totted them around while playing with what ever item he chose to play at that time. Holding both balls in his hand all the while. 

I had set out some 'lazy susans' on the table that day to assist in creating our 3-D art project and turn our projects with ease. The child caring the balls placed one on a lazy susan and a discovery was made! I just couldn't get the full effect through photos, so we took videos of the delightful new way to play with the lazy susan and the singing balls. All the children lined up eagerly to get a chance to give it a try and excitement caught our classroom by storm!

Hopefully the videos work, this is my first time uploading videos, if they don't please let me know!

I love watching the children make connections and inventing new ways to look at objects!

Green Tubes

I can't get over how easily everyone has taken to our loose part program, and we have been donated some truly neat items. The green tubes are no exception to the things that, otherwise would be thrown away and we have made use of them. A few months ago when a friend of mine gave me six boxes of these green tubes I was so eager to see what we could do with them. They have been used in a variety of ways over the last few months, including the base for a carnival game for my church, but not really in the ways I thought they would be used, they mostly were mostly being used to throw around, and as little cups in the playhouse. I'll be honest in saying, I really was starting to think that maybe I had taken more than we could handle, but they still remained outside ready for a lightbulb moment. Today that happened!

We had a new child start today, and interestingly she gravitated immediately to these tubes, and pretty quickly all the children's eyes were open to the possibility of discovery!

Look at all the things that happened with these green tubes, it was awesome! It was everything from binoculars, to waterwings, to giant muscles, to socks, to a castle, all the way to a giant tunnel!

Boats

I just love the innocence of this photo and had to share it. On our way to our latest adventure.

Last time we took a trip to the forest we went exploring in the stream and two things happened. One: we hadn't had rain in a while, so the stream had dried up. Two: a homeowner yelled at the children through her window telling the children to stay away from her fence. That was embarrassing to say the least... especially since we weren't anywhere near her fence, plus her home backs onto a public green space!

This time around we decided to keep away from that area of the forest and knowing that it had rained quite a bit the last couple days, there was a pretty good chance that there would be water. Since the children eagerly race towards the stream each time we visit the forest, I wanted to ensure that the children stayed in one area of the stream (away from THAT end of the stream), so I brought along some styrofoam trays a grandparent had so graciously donated.

We quickly discovered that, although there had been quite a bit of rain, the stream did not hold as much water as we thought, and the 'boats' just kind of sat in the water. Not to worry though, it was neat to try out different areas, and to scoop the water with the trays... seriously, these children don't let anything stop them!

In the process we found ourselves soaked to the bone and loving every moment!

Some children tested out their boats with cargo to see if they could float as well 

In the end we discovered that nature has it's own way of making boats, we found a large cluster of pine needles that were able to float down the stream, this caused a lot of observing and a need to go collect our own needle boats... natural is always a better way anyhow! 

Those trays we useful in so many ways that day, and became a great carrying tray to bring forest treasures back to our school!

Caterpillars!

This is the first attempt we have made at hatching our own butterflies, and so far it's going well. So well that i'm pretty much jumping out of my skin in impatience, I can't imagine how the children are feeling... well actually they do seem to be handling it a lot better than I am! Funny that eh?

Initially we had them in a store bought butterfly enclosure, but quickly

realized that when it comes time for the little critters to make their

chrysalis' we wouldn't be able to open the top part to give the late 

bloomers their lunch, plus the holes in the netting seemed to be

just big enough that they could sneak out (yep, there were a few attempts!)

So then this beauty was conjured up. It used to be a guinea pig cage,

but serves our purpose. 

For a while the caterpillars did not seem to be interested in anything 

but food, and they grew rather large (I guess there was not need to really 

switch enclosures, because with the size they grew to, it would not be such a big issue)

*Just as an interesting side note, below you can see little yellow pebbles,

they are not to be confused as food, because it already was food... if you catch my drift*

I was away for the weekend, and was eager to check on the progress 

when I got in, and this is what I found!

(one of the big caterpillars snuck out somehow, and made himself 

a nice little chrysalis OUTSIDE of the enclosure!) 

6 more have made some chrysalis' (or on their way to)

nicely hanging INSIDE the enclosure

One even found our lilac leaves a great little place, nicely 

curling himself in to a little J.

So that's what we're up to right now, eagerly awaiting some butterflies. 

Stay tuned!!!

Value of Loose Parts

I've been observing some amazing play recently, and I think it's in part because of the loose parts play that the children have taken to! 

As you are all aware, Perfect Harmony has been in operation for only a few months, and right from the get go the children have been offered materials that, for the most part, do not some from any catologue, and generally have come from an appeal to our families to take a second look at the junk that would usually get tossed to the curb, junk that we would consider beautiful and inspiring!

In our modern age of technology children are exposed to so much and it can (not always, but usually) inhibit a child's right to play. Did you know that the United Nations actually made it an actual right for children to play? It's right there alongside the children's right to an adequate standard of living and health care, and even the right to be alive! Play is the way that children learn and I think it is so important that children are given access to items that promote play, and promote creative inventive play!

How often do you purchase a toy for your child that comes equipt with all the bells and whistles, and after two weeks of solid play it's left abandoned gathering dust (or even broken for that matter)? A box, on the other hand, has so many uses and can lead to some wonderful creative play. After two weeks of it being a rocket ship, it could turn into a house, or a giant bug, or a car, or a zoo, or a hospital, or an igloo... it's endless! And really do we care if it's not standing up on it's own anymore, do we care that it's drawn all over, or ripped to shreds (this is the best when we can stick it in some water and put it in the blender and make some paper from it!) 

Sometimes it takes a while for children to embrace the loose part play and with a little encouragement and provocations towards using their imaginations we could be looking at children creating an arcade!

I have been in the field of Early Education for 15 years and it's always the same, whatever action figure or Disney character is big at the time is usually incorporated into their play, it's natural, and it's also important. Because children mimic what they have seen or experienced, it usually reflects in their play somehow. Lately, with the group of children in the program it is directly reenacting Cars 2, this is typical and what the children know. 

The thing about the loose parts is that often the supplies are there for the children reenact these stories, it just takes imagination. BUT, the other wonderful thing that loose parts provide is the opportunity for children to think outside of the Pixar, Mattel, Disney world and look at their own world and their make believe world and make wonderful stories up themselves. It happens and it's neat to see. I've been really watching the children closely and writing down quite a bit of their dialogue and taking photos and I have seen some inventive things. When I have my clipboard out they often will shout out, 'I'm using my imagination!' And they certainly are!

 I love, love, love, love loose parts!