An Outing

I have been running a summer preschool for the past seven weeks, and it has been such a learning experience for me. I am playing the role of educator, director, accountant, mentor, nurse, and more. These photographs are from a trip to the park at the beginning of July, when the Seattle weather finally became summery.

A trip to the park (two blocks away) includes the gross motor activities offered by the equipment and the green spaces, but if we are staying for a while, it has to accommodate children who are tired, hot, uninterested, or looking for some quiet time. This meant bubbles, books, crayons and paper, and card games on this particular trip.

Going to the park is a special experience, and I like to try and make it more than just gross motor time. Cooperative games are usually a part of the day, as well as a picnic snack. I would like to help the children expand on the experience even more, though, the next time we go to the park. For that, it would be important for me to watch and note what interests the children as they play independently at the park, and to listen more carefully to and record what they are saying.

Also, I have never talked with the class about the experience as a group afterwards. What would it be like to reflect on the trip? The experiences? The activities? Does the park interest a group of the children deeply enough to explore the topic more deeply?