zella said purple: outside

Showing posts with label outside. Show all posts

telescope to mars in loose parts play

"I can really see the big trees but I am pretending to see Mars."

Loose parts play.
Isn't it wondrous? Rocks, boards, pvc pipe, gutters, cones, and more.

Children working with loose parts out in the sand area have the opportunity to invent and reinvent during their play. Everyday can be different or perhaps a follow up on previous play scenes - such as pirate islands or brewing up muddy water poison - and using boards for bridges or gutters for water delivery or boulders for islands.

This particular day in the sand area was interesting for me as I observed two distinct inventive uses of one particular loose part - a large pvc pipe that is basically a connector type pipe with three large holes that could be used for attaching straight tubing or end capes.

In our sand area, we have a wood play house structure with a small deck in front of it. Along the outside fence post, the pvc pipe was propped up on the corner post.

Making coffee with O's coffee machine.

My friend O came over, positioned the pvc pipe to suit her needs, then went off to get her two pitchers of muddy water. O came back, poured water through the top positioned hole with one large pitcher and caught what she could below in one of the two lowers openings with the second pitcher.
Me: O, I see you doing some pouring with your pitchers.
O: Yes, I am making some coffee. This is my coffee machine. Would you like some coffee?
Me: Yes, thank you!
O continued her coffee making for quite some time, making different brews with different amounts of water and mud.

When O was finished and had moved on from her coffee machine, two other girls went inside the wood house to do some cooking. One girl L came out onto the deck, turned the pvc pipe in a new direction, then peered out.

Me: L, I see you are using the white pipe.
L: Yes, I am looking out my telescope. I can really see the big trees but I am pretending to see Mars.

Other children then came over and also wanted to see Mars. L shared her telescope and the friends began inventing other things they could see from the telescope "the moon" "my house" "Disneyland".

The use of loose parts allows for FREEDOM for children to be completely in their own play, to see the world in the way they see the world at that very moment - a telescope or a coffee machine - and to engage in their world of play honestly and completely as themselves.

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?

children + movement from the ground up

The work of children to learn movement, to coordinate their arms and legs to move themselves forward, to gain muscle control, to keep their head up while in motion, to establish a sense of balance and .... well, there is so much learning going on in every moment for very young children.
Quite impressive, really.

Rowan on her own adventure in the park with dad John and pug Stella up ahead.

My college friend Jennie posted this photo on a social media site of 14 month old daughter Rowan. Jennie shared that Rowan, dad John and pug Stella were at a local park. When John went ahead to catch up with Stella, Rowan took the initiative to catch up with them. Jennie took this wonderful shot of Rowan's adventure forward.

Appreciate the WORK that Rowan initiated for herself to cross this field.

The photo struck me from an early childhood educator lens in 2 ways.
First, I was in awe of Jennie's perspective taking to give Rowan the focus, her left arm in grand reach motion, her back right leg seemingly just slightly in motion as well. Dad John and pug Stella are blurred in the background yet clearly the goal for Rowan as she tackles crawling one arm/leg combo at a time. How far does Dad and Stella look to Rowan - a football field away?

Arm, leg, head up, hat on, and In Motion.

Second, I was struck simply by Rowan. The photo really allows me to appreciate - to almost feel - the effort required by a 14 month old to move across the grass field. Think about what Rowan might be thinking: I want to be with my dad and dog. Think about what Rowan might be feeling: With every movement, her knees and shoes and hands FEEL the cool grass, the tiny flowers, the clumpy dirt, and any other obstacles that anyone who is not crawling would not feel. The smell of the grass deepens with every movement. Think about if your own head was merely a foot above the ground, straining to look up and forward, to keep that neck muscle working to keep the body in position to move forward. Wow. I am a little exhausted just thinking about attempting this in my 40+ year old body!

This photo made me think about how each young child is really on their own "independent study" as though in graduate level course work at a university:

Each child is on their own to feel motivated, to be allowed freedom to move, to test out their body's abilities, to engage in their family life in the way that they can at their age and developmental level.
No one can "teach" Rowan to crawl across this grass field nor motivate her to do so.
No one can teach Rowan to coordinate left arm with right leg, then the opposite.
I love that Rowan has her freedom to GO in order that she can do her own needed work from the ground up.

Quite impressive, really.

As Rowan moves forward in her abilities, she'll be able to establish more complicated ways of engaging with the ground. Here are "future" possibilities for Rowan as development and peers and tools are incorporated:

1. Maybe Rowan will want to stand and play with water and share with a friend.

2. Maybe Rowan will want to crawl under and across a parachute!

3. Maybe Rowan will run and capture a parachute in motion with friends!

4. Maybe Rowan will run with a hula hoop in motion and try to capture the hoop or even dive through it on the field!

5. Maybe Rowan will try on 2 hula hoops, put her hands in the air and put her whole body in motion to get both hoops in motion! [wow!]

BEING IN MOTION is amazing, complicated and healthy.
However, LEARNING TO BE IN MOTION is quite an incredible journey from a very young age and requires time and time and time to give it a GO.

MANY THANKS to Jennie, John and Stella the pug for being part of this blog post today. My special thanks to Rowan for inspiring me to appreciate the joy of learning to be in motion from the ground up.
Quite impressive, really.

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.

for the love of dirt

Mariana, age 25 months, helping with the gardening at home.

Where does the love of dirt begin for a child?

Are certain children more likely to love the FEEL, the coolness, the texture, the color, and the DIRTiness that comes from dirt?

Maybe it is learned? Maybe it is innate? Because - let's face it - dirt is so very dirty.

My friend and teaching colleague Vanessa posted a "hands-on, body-in" photo of her 25 month old daughter Mariana.
Mariana is focused in her garden at home, working at transplanting with the vigor and finesse of a two-year-old : hand in a fist and giving a good yank to the start up plant from the small container.

Gift #1: Mariana is dressed for getting into her work and contributing her efforts to the family garden.
Gift #2: Mariana is allowed by her parents to sit right in the middle of that garden patch - right in the middle or the corner or wherever she plopped herself down.
Gift #3: Mariana was offered the plants to grasp [good luck, little plants!] and had the opportunity to experience for herself the feeling of the dirt dirt dirt.

From the early childhood educator lens, I loved this photo so much that I had to ask for permission to use it for a blog post.

Consider: Many educators are in favor of offering no-mess experiences because - well - it is easier.
Consider: Many educators are in favor of directing children exactly "the right way" something needs to be done (whether 2 years old or older).
Consider: Many educators have a whole List Of Rules of how and when and why not and don't.

In YOUR classroom:
Can you allow for exploration?
Can you allow for the child to lead her own discovery?
Can you allow for a little dirt to be the source of an invaluable sensory experience?
Maybe the experience might look like this:

boys hands-on in the muddy sand.

outside mud kitchen

*Thank you to Vanessa and Mariana for inviting us into the middle of their garden to feel the wonder of dirt.

got dirt?

friday thank you notes 10.06

Reading other bloggers allows me to listen to children in new ways.

What a week.

(I am just saying).

Big things going on and - as always - amazing bloggers in the blogosphere that continually inspire me.

Big Thanks to 5 bloggers who made me think in new ways, made me think about children in new ways, and likely made me laugh a bit, too.

Check out these hot posts:

1. Documentation Gone Mad

Jenny from Let the Children Play posted a wonderful link on her Facebook page that addresses the role of Documentation for early childhood educators and how it often replaces the actual time spent to form relationships with children. Interesting perspective and reflection: click here to read about Documentation Gone Mad via Early Life Foundations.

2. Children are INTO Stuff
Do you know about Salt & Nectar? You must! Check out this post with guest writer Leslie Harper Foss who shares about children being Into Stuff - really really really Into Stuff - click here to read Let's be "INTO" Stuff

3. Cooperatively NOT Sharing

What if we leave young children to their own problem solving in their own time? What if adults - US - don't intervene to allow these very young to (cooperatively) NOT share? The ever-inspiring Janet Lansbury shares her perspective and a short real time video of Toddlers (cooperatively) NOT Sharing.

4. Grinding Coffee (he had me at COFFEE!)

Let's face it, sometimes you just cannot NOT read Teacher Tom's reflections, theories and matter-of-fact "this is our school" stories on his blog. Check out this post on simple machines, hand-ground coffee and treasures found at estate sales. Click here for "Grinding Coffee" from Teacher Tom

5. Using Your Fingers to Guide Your Reading

Gill Connell is masterful at making connections between physical development and any other curricular area for young children. Click here and check out this post that answers a parent's question regarding a child's use of fingers to help guide their early reading. Wonderful support for children using their bodies - hands, eyes - as they journey to become a reader!

Cheers to diverse, thoughtful, and respectful bloggers who continually uplift the life and learning of young children.
what do YOU think? do you have a favorite read?

parachute juggling

(This looks just too happy not to share...)

"Hold on...lean down with your edge...1 -2 -3...explode UP!!"

a team of 16 four-year-olds and one teacher were able to make this gorgeous shot happen!

1. YOU can do mini-parachutes using scarves or blankets or beach towels! You can find light weight objects to "explode" together - ping pong balls, little stuffed animals, hats, sponges...you get the idea!

2. IF you have a few extra people, you could use an old flat bed sheet...
and IF you have a few EXTRA EXTRA people, you could use TWO bed sheets for two teams and try to toss objects from one sheet to the other - Parachute Volleyball game :) (** water balloons are pretty fun to use for this game!!)

3. IF you really do have a parachute - or great big sheet - you can do some SCRAMBLING UNDER the parachute when it is up in the air and try to get to the opposite side of the 'chute!

a boy in mid-scramble to get to the other side of the parachute!!

Have a
wonderful, outdoors,
laughter-filled weekend.

children in motion

Children MOVING is such a lovely sight...

Have you ever tried to RACE AND CATCH a parachute??!

Get your MOVE ON with your students!


Hoop ROLLING and a student trying to CATCH it to DIVE through!

This student is about to dive THROUGH the hoop IN MOTION! Very impressive!

We always have to TEST RUN our self-made kites right outside of our classroom to make sure that FLIGHT works!

Do you think this SHOT went THROUGH THE HOOP? ... Swish!

A favorite photo of a student TWISTING and SWIRLING with DOUBLE HOOPS!

And, sometimes, being on THE MOVE

means taking some quiet time with friends...

Taking a NATURE WALK with friends can be a wonderful ADVENTURE!

Get MOVING with colorful parachutes, hula hoops, kites, basketballs, nature and friends!

Get YOUR move on!

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.