Toddler Tales and Trails December

After a brief opening activity of threading cereal on string for bird/ tree decorations we moved into
today's focus: How do we know it is nearly winter? We talked about signs such as colder temperatures, frost, and also noted what are birds and animals doing at this time of the year.

I read two books,  Frisky Brisky Hippity Hop  based on a poem by Alexina B. White with photos by Murray Head and the story of The Longest Night by Marion Dane Bauer.  Then we sang a couple of songs including Little Bird Come to my Window & Mr. Sun and headed out on a hike.

Hiking in December is wonderful because most of the leaves are off of the trees- so you can notice things that might not have stood out in the summertime.  Right away we noticed a special bird: A Red Bellied Sapsucker pecking in circles around a tree.  This led to instant engagement & we were off.  We looked around for signs of winter.  We noticed how most leaves had fallen- making a perfect brown blanket for the earth.  We used spoons to look under the leaf litter and found springtails, slugs, and a beetle. We also found pine cones which we then used to make bird seed feeders.

A little further along the trail the other naturalist noticed a bushtit nest!  She told the group about how small the bushtit is - and that at one time this nest probably held ten little birds! Then as we were doing a listening and looking activity an eagle flew overhead.  The naturalist guided us to a view point where we could see that the eagle was already building a nest.  It is huge!  While noticing something like a nest in the distance may be hard for the littlest ones- the adults were fascinated!

We played "squirrel tag" a game which mostly involves running around chasing one another and laughing.  The rules evolve for different ages.

All in all it was a wonderfully fun day!  I am already thinking of activities to do in January.  A few ideas: Owls & Eagles

Salt Dough Nature Activities

My newest simple activity with the kids is doing salt dough.  I have found various recipes online, but basically it is 1 cup salt, 1 cup flour and up to a cup of water.  So far this fall we have made model hummingbird nests in the boys' first grade class, which I did as an activity to go along with my last months hummingbird lesson.  We also made cookie cutter ornaments that the boys then painted and are using for decorations.  Finally, I just read about a family that makes leaf print salt dough leaves and then colors them in with colored pencil once they dry.  I was thinking that next Thanksgiving this would be a wonderful table decoration.

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds

In honor of the Audubon’s Citizen Science Project Hummingbirds at Home I focused today's Toddler Trails and Tales on Hummingbirds.  We started the class making play dough nests about the size of a real hummingbird nest which they decorated with string, wool and two puffy balls for the eggs. We talked about how in reality hummingbirds use lichen, moss and spiderwebs to  make their nests.  Then I read some poetry from the book Hummingbird Nest: A journal of proems by Kristine O’COnnell George and Barry Moser.  Later I read the story About Hummingbirds: A Guide for Children.   

Our walk was looking for hummingbirds and with the help of the Audubon Director, Joey, we saw some!  Of course, for the littlest one a hummingbird can be hard to follow so after milling around the hummingbird garden we went to some leaves and played and sang in them.  Then we played some other games and hunted for more plants and birds, played squirrel tag and everyone went off on their way!

Fun addition to todays lesson: bubbles to show iridescent colors.  Bubble and the feathers of our hummingbirds both have a wonderful display of color when the light hits then just right. 

I had checked out some other great books on hummingbirds so perhaps we will revisit them in the spring during nesting time.  I particularly enjoyed reading the folk tales about hummingbirds in the book Hummingbirds Facts and Folklore from the Americas written by Jeanette Larson and Adrienne Yorinks as well as some of the facts and information in Hummingbirds by Melissa Gish.

Autumn Leaves

It is always a joy to get a specific compliment.  Today after teaching Toddler Tales and Trails a mother told me that she will come back and that she especially liked the activity with scarves.  Yeah! It is just a reninder that with 2 year olds- the simplest things bring joy.  I had just taught the song, “Autumn leaves are  falling down, falling down, falling down. Autumn leaves are falling down, red orange yellow and brown…” to the tune of London Bridges.  We then took out scarves and threw them in the air while singing. Smiles and community followed. 

The art of teaching is a dance.   It often is best to work on the simplest level.  Try to develop relationships.  Be playful.  Sing lots!

Here are the stories we read today: The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger, Fall Leaves by Loretta Holland and a book in Haiku One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mannis with pictures y Susan Kathleen Hartung.

Toddler Tales and Trails October

Today's focus was: Who lives in the autumn forest and What do they Eat.  We started out with an activity where you glue cut out shapes on paper in the shape of birds.  For the preschool age kids this worked great, for the younger kids it was just an opportunity to chew on markers and paste down shapes.  It is hard to reach the developmental stage of each child, but I call it a success just giving kids access to art materials.  They will develop comfort at their own pace. The activity was also just a time when parents / caregivers could connect.  Then we began our session.

Since it was a rainy day we started with a song called “Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter, The Rain is Coming Down.  Then I shared a poem by Langston Hughes called April Rain Song although today I suggested we call it October Rain Song.  Then we read Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale.  Followed by singing Little Bird Come to my window…recalling the birds from the book.   Next we read Earl the Squirrel by Don Freeman and then acted out the Grey Squirrel Song before heading out on our nature hike where we looked for food in the autumn forest.

We found Douglas Fir Cones, lichen, and many insects during our bug hunt.

We played a game of “everybody’s it” but called it squirrel tag and when I said home you had to find a tree to rest on and be safe.

It was a lovely day in the rain. 

Woodpecker Trail

This morning my Toddler group saw this tree with a Pileated Woodpecker in it.   Although the woodpecker was gone by the time I returned to take the picture you can still see the signs of it: missing bark and a pile of wood chips at the base of it.   You often hear the Pileated Woodpecker before seeing it- so listen up.  The woodpecker loves insects and grubs and uses its long sticky tongue to grab insects.  Last week's story was "Peck, Peck, Peck" by Lucy Cousins...there must be other great woodpecker stories.  I will look into it.  For now I can only think of The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward as having a woodpecker.  The library suggests, Owl and the Woodpecker by Brian Wildsmith and also Woodpecker Wham by April Pulley Sayre. 

A Vision Almost Realized

Today I felt a sigh of relief when the huge rucks came and lowered gravel and stepping stones onto the Orca Playground- more tangible signs the nature council ring and our rain garden will be built at tomorrow’s work party. There have been three years of playground meetings and emails trying to organize a vision, get grants, and finally build this first phase of the playground. Finally phase one is almost achieved, including some naturalization.

When the building began this summer I still felt a bit concerned that the fruits of our labor had mostly yielded more concrete and a small new play structure; however today I realized it has been and will be much more than that.  First of all, the meetings have built community, trust, and friendships that otherwise would not be cultivated. Secondly, the added concrete which has included a path around the field has meant that the playground is much more accessible to all people, including our students in wheel chairs, our neighborhood kids on bikes and scooters kickball and foursquare players and even pedestrians.  The work has actually activated the playground just by giving access and safe passage.  Finally with the green plantings and rain garden going in and an added outdoor council ring there will be more opportunities for learning in nature.  The council will be a wonderful place for classrooms to go out and explore and write.  It will be a place for families to gather as they watch their children play.  It is will be a connection to the land and community and it has added to our play field's own ecological story by sourcing local logs and boulders. 

The research continues to be sound that time in nature is beneficial to student learning. I believe it will be beneficial to our community's future.  Thank you to all of the people and companies who have helped get us this far including but not limited to the Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Schools and WA Green Schools.  I am looking forward to tomorrow's work party!

Apple Season

The other day we had a glorious day trying to pick the apples that were way up high in our apple tree so we could make a pie.  A friend came over and the kids invented an apple picker, using a window washing stick, a stick, a colander, coat hanger, and tape.  Then one of the boys got his baseball mits and the real fun began as they worked together to bring down the apples.   I finally found the words to a poem I remember teaching my students:

Two Red Apples
Way up high, in an apple tree (raise hands over head)
Two red apples smiled at me (smile)
So I shook that tree as har-r-d as I could (Pretend to shake tree)
Down came the apples, M-m-m-m, they were good! (Rub tummy)

Family Nature Class

It is so fun to be leading parent/ nature hikes again.  I love the opportunity to be out in the woods connecting children and their parents to their local park.

This week we started class with three station activities:
Books on a blanket
Making Nature Crowns
Mystery Bags with (acorns, an apple, rocks, )

Then on our hike we find three different types of trees:  Can you tell them by their bark? It was a tactile investigation search. This is an activity to work on observation skills and develop language.

We also did a Bingo game where we found different plants and animals along our trail.

We stopped in a grassy grove for Story Time and Snack.  I read Subway Sparrow by Leyla Torres  a book in three languages and a story about how a community can come together to rescue a bird.  A resource on what to do if you actually find a baby bird is on the Portland Audubon's website.

I also read Birds by Kevin Henkes....a natural followup activity art activity to this story would be to actually draw a picture of what the flight of birds would look like if their flight pattern actually left "tracks across a sky." It is a simple story, but with bright and vivid pictures it is great for sharing with groups.

Songs we did included:

Cheep, Cheep Little Bird will you tell your name to me? an intro song...

Little Bird Little Bird Fly to my Window as learned from Elizabeth Mitchell.

A Poem: Five Feathered Birds

Five Feathered birds sitting by the door;
One flew away and then there were four.
Four feathered friends singing in the tree,
One flew away and then there were three
Three feathered birds looking at you,
one flew away and then there were two
Two feathered birds sitting in the sun
One flew away and then there was one.
One feathered bird looking like a hero
He flew away and now there are zero.

A song about the Birds sung to the tune of the Mulberry Bush.
This is the way we fly like birds. (pretend to fly around).

An Extra Week of Summer

This fall the students in Seattle did not go back to school in early September- as our teachers and the school district worked on a contract.  We have made the best of it: The boys played with friends. They rode scooters and biked.  We relished the beginning of autumn by hiking and picnicking in the forest, identifying new birds in our backyard- a Western Scrub Jay, and playing baseball.  We baked bread.   We picked apples and  made fresh pies and crisp to share with friends and neighbors.  Now that school will start again in a day we must make the most of our last day of extended summer:  The boys will help me with my Family Nature Program at the Audubon where I lead the Tiny Trips for Tots program:  More practicing the art of wandering, noticing, & feeling the fall air. 

Two years ago I wrote these words about September and it is still true. 

I want my children to learn fall by the light of it.  We look out in the morning before we are even dressed.  We eat a hot breakfast outside in the crisp cold morning and we play outside until the sunset.  We walk to market through the wild gusts that blow clouds and occasional storms overhead.  The leaves and seed pods twirl down from trees.  We watch squirrels gathering seeds, the chickadees and sparrows flocking to feeders, and the crows heading home to roost at the end of day. 

Fall is child sized.  Days can truly be experienced by children from sunset to sundown. 

Send children outside: Nature is the best training ground for STEM careers - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I get many links from the Children and Nature Network. This one shows that STEM learning/ preparation can happen naturally when we allow students to explore with wonder and creativity outside.

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2015/08/23/Send-children-outside-Nature-is-the-best-training-ground-for-STEM-careers/stories/201506170016

Hiking with sticks

It has been a while since we have gone on a nice out if the city nature hike. Today we headed to Franklin Falls. It was hot in the city. The woods, river and mountain air felt good.

It is not a long hike, however the boys seemed a bit tired. They complained more than I had ever heard them- saying "we're tired, we're hungry, can we go home now?"

The falls didn't even enchant them until after a hearty lunch in the shade. Then the rocks, pools of water and the waterfall spray rejuvenated them. They were happy all the way down the path: investigating trees. Looking up and down. Wanting to visit the river- which we did.

Sticks were a wonderful aid to their explorations. They poked, they swung, They skipped. They watched them float down the river.

Forest has a Song

Forest has a Song is a book by Amy Ludwig Vanderwater and Illustrated by Robbin Gourley. I checked it out from the library and am excited to explore these simple poems more with my children and my Tiny Tots adventurers.  

The poems are similar to the Joyful Noise:poems for two voices  that I have used by Paul Fleischman in my intermediate grades classrooms. Within each poem are often two perspectives...the a child noticing fall and some leaves, a child and a chickadee, a child and a squirrel. 

These poems might be a nice springboard for writing poems with children. I can also imagine a parent and a child reading them together. 

Some books are a completed work of art .. Others are art that inspires. I think this book may be the latter. 

Rain, Thunder and Happiness!

This week we have finally had rain.  We have all hungered for this water.  We feel full again.  We are happy to know that the trees can drink their fill.  We are happy to note that maybe the grass will grow again.  We are happy to see little rivers of water running from the gutters- reminding me that we should get rain barrels.  But for now: The boys are carrying and collecting water..building dams..and I am content to listen to their voices & hums mingling with rain sounds out the open window. 

Our culture likes to measure things, but it is the subtle things that tell us the most. As Rachel Carson wrote about in Silent Spring sometimes it is the silences (or the sounds) that tell us the most.  Such as passing a classroom with a roomful of engaged and excited students.  My children humming tells me that they are growing and doing just fine.  At age six they know exactly how to dress and prepare for the rain and mud.  Pulling on old clothes, rain jackets and boots.  Ready to stomp and play with bright eyes.  Puttering. They are off!

How have we gotten here: 

TIme.

The open spaces of summertime have allowed the boys to be able to play.

A safe backyard- despite the hourly sounds of sirens. 

Sticks and mud piles.  

No tv til age 6 and now only minimal. 

Books, museums, and blessings.

Parks 

Community

Family

Thank you.

Toddler Tales and Trails August: Moles, Insects, & Spiders

Today’s T&T was on insects, spiders & moles.  It was quite the broad topic, but this once a month class at our local Audubon Environmental Education Center is an introduction to young people and their families to getting out and exploring.   By having such a broad topic it allowed us to think about how insects & worms in the soil also feed the moles underground as well as birds aboveground. 

For a warm-up we made fingerprint insects and spiders with ink pads and colored pencils.  If kids and their adult wanted to make up a story to go with it they could. 

One of my six year old son's had made a model of the activity with me before hand.  He had dictated words to go along with his fingerprint pictures.  Here is his story.  

Once there were three spiders and one ant. 

They found a hole in a house. 

They climbed through it. 

They slept in it.  

And the next morning they woke up.  They got out of the hole and then they ate the food on the ground by the kitchen table. Then 3 more spiders and 2 more ants came with a sandwich. 

The End. 

Books we read were: Itsy Bitsy Spider- A Classic Book Illustrated by Nora Hlib, Be Nice to Spiders by Margaret Bloy Graham and Underground by Denise Fleming.  

Then we headed outside and pretended we were moles. The trails were our tunnels.  My twin boys and I had hid string worms, which we had the kids search for- as well as search for mole holes.  After collecting the worms I encouraged the kids to take them home and make worm trail art with paint or mud and make up stories about their worms. 

We went on a very short hike to a relatively open area in the woods where we played a game where the adults pretended they were birds and the children pretended they were insects.  Kids could choose how to move. Flutter like a butterfly, Squirm like a worm.  If the insect/ creepy crawly froze we said they were safe.

Finally we searched for bugs in the leaf litter.  It was tough finding them as it is very dry. However we found a few & many signs of decomposers such as holes in leaves. 

Seward Park Tree Walk Full with Map.pdf

I was happy to find this tree guide/ walk of a local park. I am always asking questions after hiking in the park. There is always more to learn. This is a guide to get started asking even more questions.

http://www.seattle.gov/trees/docs/Seward%20Park%20Tree%20Walk%20Full%20with%20Map.pdf

Sharing the Harvest

Today I took a load of fresh greens and berries from our school garden to the Food Bank. They were so thankful.

I will be back for another load ASAP! They also asked me to spread the word that they love neighborhood giving gardens and that if you grow food for the food bank -that some of the best cooks in the world will know exactly how to prepare what you grow! They will even give you seeds in exchange.

Mud pies and green spaces – why children do better when they can get outdoors

Time to get out and water the trees in our neighborhood- we need them to keep us healthy in so many ways.
Seattle Releaf program suggests 15-20 gallons two times a week. When I read articles such as this one I am reminded why we are going up and down the block with gallons of water for the street trees! Join us!

https://theconversation.com/mud-pies-and-green-spaces-why-children-do-better-when-they-can-get-outdoors-43151

Toddler Tales and Trails Butterflies: July

The boys and I led an hour class at a our local nature center yesterday.  We focused on Butterflies and Birds and a scavenger hunt for our walk.  Butterflies turned out to be the perfect theme as monarch butterflies have been sighted right at the park and we have seen many swallowtails in the gardens as well.

 We started the day with a short, simple activity of putting dot stickers on cut out butterflies.  If kids finished early they could color, but mainly this was just an activity to build fine motor skills and get the theme into kids minds.  I just remembered that there is a way that you can fold a piece of paper so that it looks like a caterpillar and then open it for a butterfly.  That would have been fun too. 

Our stories for the day were The Caterpillar and the Pollywog by Jack Kent and Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle and Julie Paschkis. Although I changed the words a bit, we did a poem with hand actions called The Caterpillar from a book called Hand Rhymes collected by Marc Brown.  

Along the hike we looked for butterflies and also places where they might leave eggs or gather food and pollen.  We also just had fun finding signs of animals in the forest.  We stopped in a few places and put up our “deer ears” to listen to birds and see if we could spot them.  After spotting a gray squirrel we recited the Gray Squirrel shake your bushy tale poem…and in closure we sang Shake your Sillies Out accompanied by a picture book by Raffi.  

The idea I have behind a once a month Toddler Tales and Trails class is to just to get children outside and to bring in new concepts to explore and focus on.  Butterflies will be one of our explorations as a family this month.  One of my children has already asked if we can raise butterflies again & so I will look into it as well as perhaps we will go to a plant store and find out what plants we could add to our garden to attract more butterflies.  Also later in the month I will be setting out a booth with a butterfly focus in our local P-Patch.

WELCOME TO THE NATURAL LIBRARY: The Essential Role of Libraries in Creating Nature-Rich

I was excited to see this post about "natural libraries" the day after I wrote about the importance of books and libraries. This is a positive approach to reading, learning, and connecting in all communities to nature.

Nature, Books and Summer

I just read this National Education Association article on the importance of summer reading in preventing academic slide.  The article reminded me how last summer I was very  disappointed that the Library Summer Reading Program in our city had turned into a Summer of Learning program where you wrote down experiences rather than books.  The reason I was disappointed was because while experiences are very important I feel the library should promote books to extend and expand learning experiences as well as give us a common language and reference. 

As a mother I regularly pay attention to what my children are interested in. Then I reserve books on the library website so that we can read them at all times of the day and night.  If the rock collection on our front porch becomes of interest again - I look for books that we may read to raise questions and inspire wonder.  Quiet times of reading are cozy and fun. We just delight in holding the books in our hands.  A few books we own, but mostly we check out books a dozen at a time.  Some make a rotation in our lives as I order them again and again from the library at different seasons of the year and during different years in my children’s lives. 

I have made a few book lists with the Seattle Public Library (see side bar), but I encourage everyone to make their own.  You and your children will discover your own favorites.  The goal is that everyone loves reading and learning happens.

Throughout early childhood it is fine to just have experiences and read books.  Kids might not realize they are learning, but they are!

This year it turns out the library does once again have a place for listing books.  It is in the back of a workbook of science and critical thinking activities.  I didn't think my kids would be into it, but they have truly enjoyed it.  Maybe there is a way for libraries to expand on the opportunity they providing for children.  I just hope that within that they don't leave behind books!

Family Camp

This past weekend my family had the privilege of attending the Nature Bridge Family Camp.  It was an amazing opportunity to get out of the city and into nature as well as get some environmental and science education.  The whole family loved it.  However it was the boys request to go again that made me thrilled!

Our weekend was embedded in the theme of the Elwha River which is now running free!  We were able to see the now dry lake beds that are now being restored as the Elwha finds its natural pathway again.  We were also able to go to the mouth of the river to see the delta- where the river meets the ocean. We searched for macro-invertebrates and did other water quality tests as well.  Back on campus the kids did land and water models- all this leading to a rich understanding of the topic!

The educators were fabulous and led a multi-generation experience fabulously.   Our educator connected with all the children within minutes of our arrival and by the end of the experience our group of three families had all connected to one another and to several of the unique ecosystems on the Olympic Peninsula.

Flickers in the neighborhood

Last week I saw four Northern Flickers within one block and on a bike ride today I saw two on one block.  I have since been trying to learn more about them.  Flickers make cavity nests and also love ants- so you often find them on the ground.

I am thinking that it is nesting time. I heard one busy flicker pecking aways at a telephone post. One pair was doing a 'dueling dance' making a cacophony of calls and fluttering their wings and tail feathers as they danced in around the wires extending from a telephone pole.

Urban nature exists and it is a joy to watch it and learn from it.

Outdoors Before School

Every morning I am thankful that my children walk to school.  I know that whether or not there is indoor recess all day- my boys will have experienced the outdoors for a few (15 minutes) and that by the end of the day they will get another opportunity. We talk.  We play and sometimes we dawdle.  But, overall we check in and transition from the world of our home to the world of school.

I have written about this before & even provided links to research that show the benefits of walking, but reading an article about a boys before school gardening club, has me really excited.  I love knowing that other children are getting this out of door experience, nutrition, and bonding.  My bet is that they are having more success in school as well.

It has been many many years since I ran cross country or track, however it was the 6 a.m. runs, four days a week, that I remember most keenly from high school.  It was during those times that in tired delirium my teammates and I shared joys, fears and dreams.  It was a time when we connected even if during the day cliques and class schedules kept us apart.  I remember the bliss of seeing a gorgeous sunrise and the curious awakenings of the city.  We even were able to run to a bakery on Thursday mornings where they would give us hot out of the oven fresh donuts.   A garden club is different, but to greet the morning, each other and a garden- what a wonderful start!

Reflections on Hiking with Big Groups

Leading 25, 5-6 year old, students and their chaperones on a nature hike has many  joys and challenges.  One challenge is finding the right noise level. Hiking the majestic forest of Seward Park we do a few quiet listening activities but we also explore with glee.  If the students are quiet they may hear a woodpecker and yet it is hard to stop the students from merrily counting out…”18 , 19…20  slugs!” 

The goal is not just what we can discover in a single day, but rather a connection to the forest for life.   We do this by engaging our senses in myriads of ways.  Besides listening and pointing in the directions we hear I also have students touch  and hear stories about the numerous plants along the paths.  I remind them to look up look, down and all around.  I also try to have them compare and contrast different plants and  trees and I incorporate pair share as often as possible. 

Nonetheless at the end of a hike it is sometimes hard to know what each student has experienced in the forest.  Reflecting on this makes me realize that I should ask:  What was one thing that was most exciting for you as we experienced the forest?  Maybe I could make it a ritual goodbye as each child leaves the forest have them say, “thank you forest for …”

Quick Notes on a May Toddler Tales and Trails

Today’s theme was birds and their nests and how to watch for signs of birds nesting.  At this time of the year slow down and watch around you.  Do you notice birds flying back and forth to one tree, a bird house or to nest you may have just noticed in the eave of a house?  Use your ears: Listen.  Are little birds tweeting?  Are the parent birds and perhaps supporting family members busily bringing food back to their babies? 

I was unable to get a hold of the story I had planned on reading today Have You Heard the Nesting Bird however we did read a few fun non-fiction stories  Birds by Kevin Henkes and Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton.  We also looked at pictures of birds nests in the book Urban Roosts: Where Birds Nest in the City by Barbara Nash. Then as we hiked we did a short nest making activity and game where we made paper bag nests.  We hid them in nearby bushes and pretended they were our nests and we needed to feed our babies- gathering pretend worms and insects.  Finally we went on a hike looking for bugs. We looked in the bark of several trees.  We shook the low branches of a fir tree onto a sheet.  

So many books.  So many trails. So many birds.  So many songs.  So many activities. I am looking forward to next month already!

Maintaining Creative Play in a Society of Sports and Asphalt

I have been working on a local playground renovation project for the past three years.  I went into it believing that we could create a school playground with natural play elements that fostered nature connection and creative play.  It turns out that we will add more asphalt and the natural aspects of the playground will be “add ons”- only if we have enough money.    

In my ordering of things I would say lets do the most “green” infrastructure to the field and playground as we can.  Then "add on" the extra asphalt.  But community process takes precedence and a track and concrete is what the people want.  In fact when we walked door to door surveying people many said, "fill the field holes, add a track, get new play equipment." We have gotten generous grants to achieve these but I can help but feel a little bit disappointed that we will not be creating a playground that is a leader in naturalization. 

Meanwhile, our twin boys are now in kindergarten playing on concrete daily.  They are also getting older and their play has moved from merely tactile curiosity and simple play to much more complex rule based play.   School has meant that the boys are also into sports.  Not that the whole school does sports, however sports are giving them an avenue to connect with their classmates. As a family we are supporting of this new endeavor.  They have joined a  great and fun T-ball team.  Also, our hours of outdoor play each day now include at least an hour or basketball, soccer, or baseball. 

  

I try to keep our sports play slightly creative by using non standard equipment.  Our basketball court is a dirt patch.  Our baseball field is on the slope of a hill and sliding into second, means you really are sliding downhill.  We use all sorts of balls: soft, plastic, leather, wool, hollow and empty…whatever we can find and which makes the most sense for the conditions.  Weather is a big factor, but rain doesn’t stop us.   In our own way I think this play is actually fostering flexibility, creativity, strength and connection to nature- as the boys often need to climb the plum tree to retrieve their whiffle ball.  Or perhaps they need to hop through the mint and sage to retrieve a ball.   Our yard allows this- although their playground at school where they spend another hour outside a day doesn’t- and probably won’t ever allow this non- formal play.  

My boys also have drifted from the puttering and open ended play they once did regularly.  They now need more assistance in getting into the flow of merely creative play activities such as playing restaurant, exploring mud pits, sustained story making with friends and minimal toys. I realize that our society isn’t set to practice this play- although in some children may carry it forth better than others.   So I am working on it. I am trying to add quiet elements of intrigue to the yard: piles of sticks, mounds of soil, a hammock for lounging, and most importantly I am trying to give the boys time.   The urban-life surrounds us & a small yard is not going to be able to keep the kids engaged for long- but I am striving for that.  I am also striving to help with nearby green spaces becoming areas that our children can explore & keep connected to nature & creativity.  

Activities for Spring Festivities

I wanted to share a collection of ideas for spring gatherings.  I am an advocate of getting children outside as much as possible & I love to provide opportunities for open ended play some children appreciate having activities to get them started in their outdoor explorations.   So ways to get the children in to offbeat parts of the yard or garden is to add art to playtime.

Here are some activities that we have had success with recently:

• painting bird houses (actual ones or garden decorations)
• pine cone bird feeders and then give kids an opportunity to hang them
• scavenger hunts that lead from clue to clue 
• chalk time- can the kids make a giant sidewalk mural
• bird nest “cookies” which are little rings filled with natural items that birds might want to incorporate into their nests. 
• loose parts for inventing games - these may be, plastic lids, balls, or pinecones & other natural materials given time kids will surely invent ways to play with them 

First Day of Spring:

Today I was an Talking Oak Tree for the Seward Park Audubon.  I love being a “talking tree” and taking students into the woods to experience the forest.  Of course, I only was able to do a small number of the activities I had planned for as the school bus was late as well as in nature you have to plan for discovery that may lead you in new directions.

After starting off with an opening song.  We walked the nature trail and looked for signs of spring. We also discussed different ways to identify trees: by their bark and by their leaves.  We noticed the properties of the trees and described them with color words and texture words.  Later I read them a poem about who lives in an Oak Tree- found in the Growing Up Wild Curriculum.  We also looked at the seeds of an oak tree and seeds of a douglas fir tree. In order to explore the woods as much as possible we played “run and touch.”  It was beautiful to see the kindergarten teacher add to our activities.  When we got up from the mat she had the kids sing a song about an acorn that becomes a tree.  The class was all smiles and wonder.  

Finally we gathered around a young sapling and I told the children that this tree may have been planted by a young child and that they could come with their families to plant trees in the park.  If I had more time I might of shared my latest favorite oak tree story: Jaime y las bellotas by Tim Bowley and Ines Vilipi. Or in a longer unit: Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson, ill. by Sonia Lynn Sadler  which is a book about Wangari Maathai.

What a lovely way to celebrate the first day of spring!

Bird notes: nesting time

A chickadee was flying in and out of our birdhouse today. If a pair chooses to nest in our birdhouse- this will be the third year in a row. I do clean it out after each season, hoping to keep it a healthy home. Our birdfeeder seems to keep a healthy invitation to visit our yard and lately the sunflower seeds have been enjoyed by a steady stream of juncos, goldfinches, chickadees and a towhee bird.

This seems a bit early for nesting, but the sun had been out for weeks and bird activity very high. Plus the cherry trees that surround our front yard have buds that look like they could at any moment burst open. Daffodils have been out for two weeks and tulips that get full sun are flowering already.

‘Salamander Search’ a success at West Seattle’s Camp Long

I love that we have salamanders in our urban parks. I want to learn more about them.  It reminds me to pull out some of my favorite salamander books. The Salamander Room and Big Night for Salamanders. 

http://www.seattletimes.com/photo-video/salamander-search-a-success-at-west-seattles-camp-long/

School Gardens

The Reason for Gardens at Schools.

There are so many reasons that every school should have a garden, but perhaps the most important is that it takes learning outside and makes it absolutely meaningful.  Today the Garden Teacher at our school had an excellent lesson of searching through leaf litter for critters/ bugs!  The children loved it.  They loved lifting up leaves and searching for what had been hidden from their eye.  Then they used their observation skills to make scientific drawings.  

The classroom was abuzz with excitement as the kids went about uncovering hidden creatures, sharing their finds with one another, asking questions and trying to identify what it was they had discovered.  Then they drew their pictures for the classroom display.  It was joyful learning.

I taught life science units many years, however no terrarium or aquarium seems to compare to what we find outside in healthy garden beds or a healthy forest.  Time and time again I have led kids to just peek at what is undercover and they are amazed.  Some kids identify with the pill bug, others like the snails,worms,  the centipedes or millipedes, but whatever it is they are excited!

I am so thankful for our school garden and garden teacher. 

Four things to improve recess- news article

Here is a recent article on recess... and simple tips to improve it it. I love the idea that you can give kids a bit more freedom- but with clear intentionality so that you know what you are trying to achieve: healthier, happier, more focused students who learn to have sustained play and be problem solvers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/04/how-schools-ruined-recess-and-four-things-needed-to-fix-it/