As some friends left; others arrived. The best thing about a chalk mural is that you can even dance and run around it... But please not while someone is still working on it requested the boys.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Community mural
As some friends left; others arrived. The best thing about a chalk mural is that you can even dance and run around it... But please not while someone is still working on it requested the boys.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Stayed Awake to Finish this book
I just finished reading In Defense of Childhood: Protecting Kids' Inner Wilderness by Chris Mercogliano. It seems as the author has been influenced by almost all of the same researchers that I have been inspired by in these last few years of studying the benefits of nature, what schooling should look like, and the dangers of a society that is too plugged into electronic media. Although, my own personal conclusions may not always be the same as the authors. I do agree that we can do a much better job giving children a childhood that prepares them for adolescence and then adulthood as separate stages in life. It all begins in the basis of unstructured play, letting children follow their "inner voice" - which he calls wildness, and more time outside.
Something that really resonated with me was were when he described some of the memories he had of biking through huge piles of leaves with his friends, seeing who could get the farthest through them. It reminded me of how my children have recently taken to riding their bikes into the bushes at the bottom of our hillside. I feel so lucky that my children have the opportunity to play: that they have a safe yard. That they have balance bikes in good safe condition, and that they have adults around them who are able to find time to be with them.
Chris Mercogliano also has a chapter on the importance of solitude. This is something I value and yet have not always given my children. They are so often the direct focus of my attention that it is a practice to give them that space. I am trying more and more often to leave my children to have their own experiences, often in the peace of our own yard. I must admit that I still watch from behind the bushes or I leave the door open enough so that I can hear their banter while I wash dishes inside the house- but I try to leave them in peace so they can find their own passions and imagine without interruption.
In all I highly recommend this book. He has wonderful research. He writes in an honest way that shows he has been working with youth most of his life.
Something that really resonated with me was were when he described some of the memories he had of biking through huge piles of leaves with his friends, seeing who could get the farthest through them. It reminded me of how my children have recently taken to riding their bikes into the bushes at the bottom of our hillside. I feel so lucky that my children have the opportunity to play: that they have a safe yard. That they have balance bikes in good safe condition, and that they have adults around them who are able to find time to be with them.
Chris Mercogliano also has a chapter on the importance of solitude. This is something I value and yet have not always given my children. They are so often the direct focus of my attention that it is a practice to give them that space. I am trying more and more often to leave my children to have their own experiences, often in the peace of our own yard. I must admit that I still watch from behind the bushes or I leave the door open enough so that I can hear their banter while I wash dishes inside the house- but I try to leave them in peace so they can find their own passions and imagine without interruption.
In all I highly recommend this book. He has wonderful research. He writes in an honest way that shows he has been working with youth most of his life.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Kids Learning to Play
The twins are four years old and it seems like there is less time for writing and more time of doing. It also seems like of late we have been doing more urban outdoor adventures than "natural" settings. We live in a neighborhood with a great walk score. It means that within a mile the boys and I can do most everything we want and not even need to get in the car.
My contemplations these days are: how to make great unstructured play for kids work. Lately one place we have been going to for unstructured play is the neighborhood farmer's market. I have noticed that many young children are either in school group clusters already or they are kids who are hoping to connect with others, but may not have great social skills or know how to have appropriate play on their own.
For example, some children I have noticed will immediately use sword play and play fighting as their way to connect. Although, I applaud the outreach of those children I really think that it has often been influenced by too much tv/ possibly video game violence and it is not creative or even friendly. It is certainly not appropriate around young children which the market is full of or my children who have not yet had screen time.
So far my antidote to troublesome play has been to start some creative play. Last week I taught the kids a game of "everybody's it" and then a variation of "hospital" tag. It worked for a while and in fact there were probably fifteen children running around playing at once, but for the youngest children they didn't necessarily understand when to stop or when to go. "It" is still a new concept & more appropriate for slightly older children.
Play then gravitated to playing in our wagon, which was fine until the child pulling the others decided to "let go" while passengers were on a hill. We may be "helicopter" parents in that we are very attentive, but it was a good thing as my husband was able to run and "catch" the wagon. This is when I helped coordinate the play by being the train engineer. I would let two children on at a time and the rest would follow behind. When we would get to the next stop- which the kids named as California, and Chicago, Seattle and China, the two riders would get off and two more would board the train. Meanwhile all the rest of the line of kids was pushing the wagon or holding onto each others' waists as freight trains.
I realize that allowing children their own space and voice is very important. As a parent I want to give my children tools to find their independence successfully. I want them to know it is great to meet all sorts of friends, but that they make their own choices about what types of play they do and that they feel heard and valued when they have ideas. My boys' preschool practices this on a daily basis as the kids learn to play together. Larger public spheres are harder to maneuver, but my children are learning- and so am I about what role we each have in making unstructured play work.
As the boys fell asleep last night T was explaining a game he wished he could have played with the kids at the park the other day. It was a game involving a couple of wildflowers that he had gathered from the field. In the game he would give the flowers to someone and then they would hide holding the flowers. He would find them. They were not supposed to crush the flowers.
His game sounds simple and sweet. I hope that he can find friends with whom to play it!
My contemplations these days are: how to make great unstructured play for kids work. Lately one place we have been going to for unstructured play is the neighborhood farmer's market. I have noticed that many young children are either in school group clusters already or they are kids who are hoping to connect with others, but may not have great social skills or know how to have appropriate play on their own.
For example, some children I have noticed will immediately use sword play and play fighting as their way to connect. Although, I applaud the outreach of those children I really think that it has often been influenced by too much tv/ possibly video game violence and it is not creative or even friendly. It is certainly not appropriate around young children which the market is full of or my children who have not yet had screen time.
So far my antidote to troublesome play has been to start some creative play. Last week I taught the kids a game of "everybody's it" and then a variation of "hospital" tag. It worked for a while and in fact there were probably fifteen children running around playing at once, but for the youngest children they didn't necessarily understand when to stop or when to go. "It" is still a new concept & more appropriate for slightly older children.
Play then gravitated to playing in our wagon, which was fine until the child pulling the others decided to "let go" while passengers were on a hill. We may be "helicopter" parents in that we are very attentive, but it was a good thing as my husband was able to run and "catch" the wagon. This is when I helped coordinate the play by being the train engineer. I would let two children on at a time and the rest would follow behind. When we would get to the next stop- which the kids named as California, and Chicago, Seattle and China, the two riders would get off and two more would board the train. Meanwhile all the rest of the line of kids was pushing the wagon or holding onto each others' waists as freight trains.
I realize that allowing children their own space and voice is very important. As a parent I want to give my children tools to find their independence successfully. I want them to know it is great to meet all sorts of friends, but that they make their own choices about what types of play they do and that they feel heard and valued when they have ideas. My boys' preschool practices this on a daily basis as the kids learn to play together. Larger public spheres are harder to maneuver, but my children are learning- and so am I about what role we each have in making unstructured play work.
As the boys fell asleep last night T was explaining a game he wished he could have played with the kids at the park the other day. It was a game involving a couple of wildflowers that he had gathered from the field. In the game he would give the flowers to someone and then they would hide holding the flowers. He would find them. They were not supposed to crush the flowers.
His game sounds simple and sweet. I hope that he can find friends with whom to play it!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
What are the best experiences for children?
All children learn differently. My boys like to observe before jumping in. Sometimes the first time they see an activity they do not want to take part. However, they are learning by observing. I realize this by the way they bring things up over the dinner table. For example tonight T said, "Rot is good. It is good for the plants because it shows that there a bugs breaking things down."
Yesterday we did a Fiddleheads session at the Arboretum: the theme was decomposition. Teacher Sarah always plans wonderful activities and today she had set out stations at the start of class and at one of them were some books. The boys saw a "Magic School Bus" book and that was what they wanted to read. Today part of what the boys were talking about came from that book. They actually retold the story. Yet, I know that it was also the hands on experiences in the aboretum that they took into their explorations in the yard. I know I certainly did-- gardening today was filled with more attention to all the bugs, millipedes, and centipedes
A few of the activities from the class were:
Yesterday we did a Fiddleheads session at the Arboretum: the theme was decomposition. Teacher Sarah always plans wonderful activities and today she had set out stations at the start of class and at one of them were some books. The boys saw a "Magic School Bus" book and that was what they wanted to read. Today part of what the boys were talking about came from that book. They actually retold the story. Yet, I know that it was also the hands on experiences in the aboretum that they took into their explorations in the yard. I know I certainly did-- gardening today was filled with more attention to all the bugs, millipedes, and centipedes
A few of the activities from the class were:
- make a worm tunnel: the adults stood with their legs apart and the kids all faced them and then crawled through their legs.
- dig in the dirt off the main paths looking for bugs, place them in a white bowl to observe then set them free
- making a segmented worm out of a hosiery stocking, cotton filler, and rubber bands for the segments
As always it was just getting out to a regularly visited place that caused the most excitement for my boys. They were especially thrilled when they found how the skunk flower had changed next to the stream.
I enjoyed seeing how the winter garden had transformed into azeala way. It was a bright pathway. The boys wondered if their paths that they had taken in the winter were still there. They were there, just narrower.
I wonder what learning will stick. All these outdoor experiences that my boys experience. Some structured- as in the arboretum classes, some unstructured- just play in the backyard with the neighbors, some laden with vocabulary- while they walk the gardens with mama, and other experiences just filled with wonder. Some experiences mediated by story, folklore, and silly songs, and other just their own imaginary play.
My guess is: whenever there are smiles and true awe- there will be a deep bodily memory.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Nature Inspiration for Young Children
I have been creating lists of books that our my favorite at the public library.
Hope you and your young children enjoy them as much as I do.
Nature Inspiration for Young Children | The Seattle Public Library | BiblioCommons
Nature Inspiration for Young Children 2 | The Seattle Public Library | BiblioCommons
Hope you and your young children enjoy them as much as I do.
Nature Inspiration for Young Children | The Seattle Public Library | BiblioCommons
Nature Inspiration for Young Children 2 | The Seattle Public Library | BiblioCommons
An Appreciation
Just wanted to write an appreciation to the Growing up Wild curriculum. It will be taught in a class at the Tacoma Nature Center in July and I highly recommend it.
Today I shared a song from the Bird Beak Adaptation lesson with the naturalist at our local park. It was about birds and their specials skills and is sung to the tune of all around the mulberry bush. She incorporated it into her lesson and it was a nice success at the Toddler Tales and Trails session.
The Growing Up Wild curriculum is also helping in developing a Family Nature Program to be hosted at the local library. Hope to be able to post more details as this develops. We are focusing our outreach to the ELL community and we will be integrating Somalli tales and activities into the playtime.
Today I shared a song from the Bird Beak Adaptation lesson with the naturalist at our local park. It was about birds and their specials skills and is sung to the tune of all around the mulberry bush. She incorporated it into her lesson and it was a nice success at the Toddler Tales and Trails session.
The Growing Up Wild curriculum is also helping in developing a Family Nature Program to be hosted at the local library. Hope to be able to post more details as this develops. We are focusing our outreach to the ELL community and we will be integrating Somalli tales and activities into the playtime.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Family Hike
Yesterday we went on a Family Hike. It was a joy to see so many mothers and children heading into the woods on a cloudy day. It was an experience to get to be with many children who are so comfortable in the woods. Many of them have been a part of the Vashon Wilderness School and have a nature connection due to spending days weekly in the woods at Camp Long. These children headed immediately off trail and found challenges and adventures throughout the forest. This program is one of several that aims to teach children about nature from safety, to exploring, to honoring and respecting. It is an organization inspired by Wilderness Awareness and the children who attend it definitely feel comfortable in the wilderness.
I realize however that all families do not always have the same background or comfort in this "off trail" exploration. I also realize that different parks have a different tolerance of off trail exploration. So in leading a family nature hike I realize that in general it is particularly important to set ground rules that everyone can follow and feel good about that journey.
When I was at a camp in Minnesota leading teenagers into the woods, the counselors followed the belief that you had to respect the boundaries of the leader most restrictive. Therefore, if one counselor said, "these rapids are too dangerous" then the whole group would go around the rapids. This motto existed after a few particularly scary runs down rivers: when canoes capsized, luggage was lost, and boats needed to be repaired. No one had been hurt, but the lesson had been learned to respect the wild river and the skills and comfort level of the counselors.
Yesterday I had inspired this group of families to get out into the woods, but I realized that I did not fully understand my role. For the future it made me realize I need to clarify what role I am to have when I plan future hikes so I know whether it is just an informal event where everyone does sort of their own thing or if it is something that I am guiding, leading and therefore setting parameters and expectations. The Children and Nature Network has a Family Nature Hike program that has somewhat formalized this role of facilitating Family Nature Hikes and while I never felt it necessary to use it, I can see its place especially when you are getting groups of people together who you may not know.
I plan to lead many more groups into nature. Each experience I have gives me new insight and reminds me to feel confident in my own gift of teaching nature. I have a unique perspective as a mother of twin boys and over 20 years as an educator and urban naturalist. I have much to learn and much to share.
A few activities that I did do on this hike was at the start of the hike get us prepared for animals we may see by having children pull stuffed animal puppets out of a bag.
An group art project where we looked for different colors of green.
A group game of imaginary ball toss where you pass a ball to one another...1st it might be a tennis ball, then a watermelon, a feather ecetera....
When I was at a camp in Minnesota leading teenagers into the woods, the counselors followed the belief that you had to respect the boundaries of the leader most restrictive. Therefore, if one counselor said, "these rapids are too dangerous" then the whole group would go around the rapids. This motto existed after a few particularly scary runs down rivers: when canoes capsized, luggage was lost, and boats needed to be repaired. No one had been hurt, but the lesson had been learned to respect the wild river and the skills and comfort level of the counselors.
Yesterday I had inspired this group of families to get out into the woods, but I realized that I did not fully understand my role. For the future it made me realize I need to clarify what role I am to have when I plan future hikes so I know whether it is just an informal event where everyone does sort of their own thing or if it is something that I am guiding, leading and therefore setting parameters and expectations. The Children and Nature Network has a Family Nature Hike program that has somewhat formalized this role of facilitating Family Nature Hikes and while I never felt it necessary to use it, I can see its place especially when you are getting groups of people together who you may not know.
I plan to lead many more groups into nature. Each experience I have gives me new insight and reminds me to feel confident in my own gift of teaching nature. I have a unique perspective as a mother of twin boys and over 20 years as an educator and urban naturalist. I have much to learn and much to share.
A few activities that I did do on this hike was at the start of the hike get us prepared for animals we may see by having children pull stuffed animal puppets out of a bag.
An group art project where we looked for different colors of green.
A group game of imaginary ball toss where you pass a ball to one another...1st it might be a tennis ball, then a watermelon, a feather ecetera....
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