"the hug came flying at me"

"The hug came flying at me. All I saw was thin blue and white stripes and a flash of brown hair. Then, there he was - attached to my side, grappling to me like he belongs there. This is the daily ritual of one 4 year old boy named Alex. He loves people like that everyday, not just me. He loves people with his whole heart and full body. Often, he has some extra wisdom to share while wrapped to me. Today, I learned about snake venom and also candles that super-heroes use at night time. I wish I could live like Alex for one glimmering moment yet I am most grateful to not only be witness to it but be a recipient of that kind of life power joy. All bundled in 40+ pounds of happiness."

If this energy could be harnessed, we could change the world in a blink.

called to teach, called to play

I was thinking about Teacher Tom and Jenny at Let the Children Play. I was thinking about how teachers we know in the blogosphere are teachers We Know, I mean Really Know. We know what they believe in (children's right to play), we know their mission (uplifting children's play) and we know they each have been called to their work (being educators who Play alongside children). Tom and Jenny certainly Chose their work, but they really were called to it. Thankfully. Their voices in the blogosphere have changed educators and parents perspectives on Play as THE WAY for children to truly, authentically learn.

I was thinking about how each of us have a calling, really, even in the tiniest of moments. For me, when I think of children, I am pulled toward the word Choice. I realize I have written about Choice before, such as I NEED to Do This and Following Emily . I value it maybe more than most other elements of early childhood education because without it the other elements would likely fail.

Here are a few photo examples of Choices being made in children's Play. Each fascinate me in their own way as it seems these children were Called to this specific Play, at this specific moment, and remained engaged in their Choice for lengthy periods of time.

This 4yo girl starting swinging these four swings. She began at one end, gave the first one a push, then moved to the next, next, next. She then circled her way back to the first one to keep them all in motion. She worked here for nearly 15 minutes, alone, keeping all swings swinging.

Two 3yo girls collecting bark and sticks, sitting on tree seats, holding pine cones, magnifiers and - of course - one saw.

3 children with 3 ladders looking in - perhaps - 3 different directions at our neighbor classroom yard.

I observed one 3 yo girl working with a crate full of dinosaurs. First, she arranged them this way, with tails touching in a circle. Then, she aligned them in two rows. Then, partnered them up. Very intentional work.

This 3 yo boy worked for over 20 minutes in the sand area. He dug a deep hole first. Then, he spotted the tires amid the sand and - one by one -rolled and hauled them to layer over his sand hole. After 3 tires high, he peered in, asked me to look in, also, then ran off.   

This 4 year old girl worked for over an hour in the sand and water area, most of the time by herself. She became engrossed in testing out the floating properties of the pine cones. Did you know that some float and some sink? (It's true!). She also tested trying to attach a sinking pine cone to one that did float to see if they would float together. (Any guesses?)

What have you been Called to do?
Did you have a Choice?
Do you get to Play alongside Children?

 

choosing joy looks like this

I hope you have a day like this today,

or maybe tomorrow,

or maybe everyday if you are lucky.

Do you have a caption idea for this photo?

What do you know about this 4 year old girl?

can you hear me now? "la la la la la!"

At the heart of my commitment to early childhood is my commitment to documentation and photography to capture learning as it unfolds. 
It is a special experience when I discover a photo from a friend that sparks something in me to write a blog post that connects with child development in a specific way.
My high school friend Laura posted a photo of her husband and daughter on a social networking site. The photo caught my attention because - to me - it was clear that the child was making a statement, her own Very Deliberate statement.
It made me think about how some children instinctively Want To Be Heard and Have Something To Say from a very early age.

Can you hear Ella? "la la la la la!"

Mom Laura shared with me that Ella, 22 months, had been attending her big sister's school play. Ella was a bit too disruptive during rehearsal and was 'asked to leave' til the show started. As she left rehearsal, Ella shared her disappointment  "Oh, man!" for all to hear.
After the show, Ella ran right up to the stage and straight to the microphone to sing "la la la la la...!" Dad Isaac was right there with Ella to enjoy her vocals and likely to swoop her away when her solo was completed.
Laura shared that Ella loves to sing and dance and has an extensive vocabulary in English, Spanish and Hebrew. It seems "la la la la" is universal for toddler singing in all languages.

From the educator lens:
1. Children develop their own sense of self, their own sense of wanting to share information or not, their own comfort level in having attention or not.
2. Children have their own motivation to "go straight to the microphone" and yet also it can be something that has been supported by family or school where children have had opportunities to talk and/or share in a trusted group.
3. Children might learn to embrace that role of Sharer or Teller of Information. Some children might not like it still and prefer to have a quieter role.
4. Ensuring the children have opportunities to share their opinions, be an expert (drawing circles, singing La La La, standing on one foot), lead a nature walk, explain their artwork, tell about a favorite book - all these afford authentic contexts for children to speak, lead or explain something. 
5. The "Having Of A Voice" won't always be natural like for Ella yet allowing chances for celebrating what children DO have to say is an absolute gift.

 Here are a few ways that children have a Voice in our classroom:





My 3 year old friend Z created this easel painting and dictated this exciting story.
"This is a rainbow crocodile name Popcorn. She likes to snap and eat people!"






 






My 5 year old friend K created this wood puppet who is holding a paper bouquet of flowers. Here is her story:
"Once upon a time, the puppet went to the forest to get some wood from a tree. It was scary and she saw a ghost but it was really her friend Bear. Then she saw her friend Rabbit.
The End." 










This 4 year old friend climbed one of the ladders in our grove area, spotted something important and made her announcement: "Look! I see my friends way over there!"

This 4 year old friend had private time with all the swings. She kept going from swing to swing to keep them each in motion, round and round, over and over.
She never said a word.

Sometimes, there is nothing to say. Finding an alone space and being with yourself is a beautiful message. Of course, this 5 year old just might be singing or talking to herself in this red tube, we can only imagine.


Thank you to Laura, Isaac and especially Ella for the inspiration for this post on the many many Voices of Children...La la la la la la la!

mud muffins from the outdoor kitchen

Oh, to bake in a muddy sandy outdoor kitchen.
Oh, to collect the sand,
bucket up the water,
sprinkle it all into a muffin pan,
smash it and stir it with a long blue spoon, and - don't forget - add a dash more water with a metal teapot...

Oh, to bake in a muddy sandy outdoor kitchen.
Come on in, order up a muffin and have a chat with this 4-year-old baker..there will likely be some magical ingredients in this clever recipe.

What are some of YOUR favorite tools to have available in your sand/mud area? 

what if the beach was your classroom?

My husband and I just returned from vacation to Kauai, Hawaii. While of course we did our own adult exploring, dining, surfing, boating and such, my eye was never too far to observe children at play. I find it fascinating to see how parents 'allow' play (or don't) when in a vacation setting. 

Free Play? What if the beach - the idea of the beach - was the mentality of how you ran your classroom and determined your role along with the children's roles?

When we were walking along the beaches of Poipu on the south shore, I observed these children playing on the rocks, holding various nets. There was a male adult standing just off the water's edge and as the children would run up the beach, the adult would casually follow to be nearby yet never interfered or directed where the children 'should be.' 
[I must admit, I took some photos trying to look like I was taking a photo of the shoreline - not wanting to appear oddly stalker-ish - yet I was trying desperately to get some shots of the children (no faces) as they embraced their rich play at the water's edge.]

The children would do their own independent searching for treasure of one kind or another then return to their huddle to share their findings.

The adult supported the very youngest child to join the four explorers.

 So, what IF you set the tone of your classroom in the spirit of beach exploration and the adult who was nearby yet not involved directly in the children's play?
So, what IF you set your environment with the basic needs for exploration - blocks, paint, sand, peers - and then you yourself faded into the background ever so sleekly?
So, what IF?
So, why not?
You can YOU CAN allow the environment - the beach, the mountains, the desert, the city - to be your inspiration for exploring in the classroom. Give the children their space and time and - Zella's motto - the children will show you the rest.

get out and play [maybe] like this...

gotta cross these bars...

Being amid children AT PLAY is one of the best parts of being an early childhood educator. 

See the energy.
See the joy.
See the way the body can move when... 
the - body - JUST - HAS - TO - move...

gotta get under this rope...

gotta drive this truck...

gotta parade with my friends...

gotta go up and down and up and down the twirly ladder...

gotta slide down the bumpy zig-zag slide...

gotta make an announcement...

gotta check on the chickens...

gotta work on a few green green green paintings...

gotta get ready TO GO OUTSIDE...

gotta stand on one foot like THIS...

gotta try for this soccer shot...

gotta have time with double hula hoops and a friend...

OUTSIDE is a huge, marvelous, special place to get your body - and your mind and your friendships and your laughter - going and going and going.
Play should look [maybe] like this: It should like like joy.

scarf catchers

photo of the day.

happiness.

Children of all ages LOVE catching scarves!

Try other floaty items, as well...

or bubbles or streamers or...

anything that makes children
move, laugh, run, & giggle!

fudge brownies for $99

Two four-year-old boys are working in the sandbox during outside Exploration time. James and Sean have collected buckets and shovels and are quite focused in their cooperative work in one shady corner near the double slide.

James and Sean working together to create their fudge brownies.

I hears a few words about 'brownies' and 'for sale' and am curious to know more about their work together. As I get a bit closer, James quickly informs me that they are, indeed, making fudge brownies...

Tchr J: So, tell me more about those fudge brownies, James.
James: They are 99 Dollars.
Tchr J: They are $99?! Sean, what's in the brownies? What do you use to make them?
James: Oh, there are sprinkles in them, rainbow sprinkles!
Tchr J: Oh, yumm. And then, do you have to cook them?
Sean: Yes.
James: Yes. You have to get them all into that bucket – all this wet sand into that bucket – then you have to put it into that oven then we put sprinkles in it then people can eat it for 99 Dollars.
Tchr J: How hot is the oven when you put the brownies in?
Sean: 99, umm...
James: No, one...one millimeter!
Tchr J: One millimeter for hotness? And then how many minutes or hours do you cook it?
James: One.
Tchr J: One what?
James: One minute.
Tchr J: One minute for cooking then it is all set?
James: Yea.

Working and talking about their business plan for $99 brownies.

Tchr J: Nice. Thank you. Oh, how many brownies are you making to sell?
James: Oh, one hundred and two probably...
Tchr J: Oh, 102 probably?
James: No, one hundred and nine actually.





Tchr J: 109, ok.  Sean, what do you think?
Sean: There are a lot of cavities in here.
Tchr J: There are a lot of cavities in it?
Sean: Yea, there are like a trillion and one in here.
Tchr J: Oh, so people shouldn't eat a lot because they will get cavities?
Sean: Yea...
Tchr J: Oh, ok...
Sean: Actually, there are a trillion and two...
Tchr J: Oh my gosh...
Sean: That's a lot...
Tchr J: So how many should people eat so that their teeth are ok?
James: One, probably...
Sean: No, this is the best...Zero!...Save some.  [smiles].

Sean and James continue their brownie business discussion.

Please admire the boys' rich social interaction as they invest time in using sandbox tools, friendly dialogue and an invented scenario of making and selling brownies.
Interestingly, the boys' number use in terms of money, degrees, time and quantities are age appropriate as they apply various figures in their brownies baking business.
For this age group, playing with and applying language on their own terms is part of their connection and social function  - agreeing and disagreeing with each other, thinking out what numbers to apply
for an explanation, and changing their decisions as they speak.
Wonderful.

the color yellow

Sam.

It is like the color yellow, I suppose, how memorable moments arrive. Even if you don't like the color yellow, sometimes things are just so bright - like an entrance or an announcement. Yes, the color yellow is like an announcement.

The day Sam came for a special visit was my first yellow day. It was the day that Sam was to leave our school and he brought me flowers.

There I was, eating lunch with the other teachers in the break room. Noise and laughter were at the table yet I could hear some voices down the hallway. My four-year-old friend Sam and his father were whispering as they neared the door: "Yes, Sam, it's o.k. ... let's see if she is in here..."

Footsteps. I can still hear them. Sam and his father approach the open break room door. As I turned my chair to look toward the door, they were already there. Sam is standing still, bowl haircut just above his eyes, bouquet of colorful flowers in his hand. "These are for you," says Sam. His father tells me it was Sam's idea, that he needed to bring me flowers. Sam had told his dad that is what people do when they love people.

The color yellow, bright and memorable.

Being a teacher is like that: It is like being handed the color yellow.

Kat.

She is upside-down on the pyramid climber. Her tangled hair and glasses are all intertwined. Today is skirt with pants, long shirt with colored sweater, missing buttons, high socks and orange shoes.

Four-year-old Kat is upside-down when she sees me coming into the play yard. Her smile is bright and I begin my funny greeting to her. We like to make rhymes together and invent silly words. I begin a funny trail of ideas and I watch Kat become right-side-up, sitting atop the pyramid. I believe my wit is quite fantastic, perhaps my best ever, yet Kat is looking straight at me, focused with a slight grin.

All of a sudden, she interrupts me: 

"I have a gift for you. I brought you flowers today."

Yellow. Oh yes, the color yellow.

The two stories of Yellow are not about getting flowers. The two stories represent something deeper than that for me in the moments in which they occurred. Both events stopped me in my tracks, made me think different about these children, and made me realize that the relationships we build with children are true relationships with real attachments for children AND teachers. The flowers themselves don't matter. The idea of the flowers is the treasure.