Meet the Teacher

I met a new student today, and he brought a card along with him to give to me.  He dictated a message that his Mom wrote inside (translated into English by her):

Allie,

We start our path together...TODAY...the first day of school...TODAY...How exciting, how fun...okay...okay...okay...

A

This is my favorite time of year.  But I'll probably say that in 2 months.

seattle times / cedarsong

I was wondering about outdoor preschools that use the ocean the other day, and in my poking around online this evening, I found this wonderful video from Cedarsong Nature School, which Pamela had mentioned might use the ocean as a nature resource for the children.  This is a really nice little piece about the children's activities in this outdoor school in Washington.

Go learn about Cedarsong on their website.

Goodbye school year!

*Images from our last day of school*

The children are gone; the artwork is down from the walls; the last glass of wine has been drank with co-workers. Cheers to a wonderful year, and wonderful children, and wonderful teachers; and to a new year in August!

I am off to my own holiday on Tuesday...China, the Pacific Northwest, Connecticut, and then back to Belgium in mid-August. I have so much to share that I have already planned and created, but I may not be around to respond to comments. I'll do my best! Have a wonderful summer, if you are a teacher or not!

Recycled Alphabet Accordion Book

So beautiful! And a wonderful way to experience the alphabet, too...





See every letter here!

From Making Books with Children via Playful Learning

Bye-bye classroom...

One of the first grade teachers just dropped the Sunday edition of the London Times into my lap after reading this article. The information isn't new, but it is good to see the concept becoming more popular. The article mentions the Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery, where I attended a workshop in January.

It is an interesting article...I will disagree with the "bye bye classroom" title, though -- It may not be your traditional classroom, but there is no less learning going on.

Castles

On the day we worked in small groups with the overhead projector, another station was block building. It is a very boy dominated area in our classroom, so I thought we should get some girls in, and have the children work cooperatively with some new people.

Out of the six groups, four built castles.





As each new group entered, I said, "Before you build, talk together about what you will make as a group." For the groups that built a castle, it was the first idea shouted out by a child. Two of the groups built their castle in just a few minutes and then began playing with it, using small cylinders as people. The castles had slides and pools and stairs and rooms - they were well planned. I had not heard so many "I have an idea!!" moments in such a short span of time in a while.

And I'm also noticing the pictures now. In our journals, at the writing table...

"It has so many rooms!" - Je

And, as to be expected, we're writing about castles. Tales of princes and princesses who marry each other and move into a castle are the subject of at least one book written in the classroom each day.

The girls are interested...the boys are interested...

Playtime!

It is officially the winter break, and, just two days into it, I am already satisfied. Making bread, watching Woody Allen movies, taking naps, and knowing that I do not have to wake up at 6 am on Monday morning -- all good things so far.

But thinking about education, and learning more about it, is inevitable. As soon as I switch on my computer, I'm looking for more. And, in the spirit of vacation, we should play games!

The Invention Playhouse at the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation is a neat spot from the Smithsonian Institute with a few interactive games.

After playing Cloud Dreamer for a little longer than I should have, I watched Does Play Matter?, a great piece on children's play and how important it is to development. This is always coming up in early childhood education, of course, but I feel like it has been really present for me lately. It may be the visit to the forest preschool that really set me off -- I'm not sure. But it really does matter, and I always love reading and seeing what other people have to say about it.

What do you have to say about play?

Lately,

at choice time...

Supporting Painting

I just read this post over at UNIFORM studio about supporting a child making a painting. She talks about fewer color choices, a large canvas, using neutral colors...

Four- and five-year-olds create amazing pieces of art, and for them it is simply part of their daily routine. In my classroom, we do not really do what I define as "crafts" -- where everyone ends up with the same product. Children are presented with materials to explore and use as they see fit. They also know that they can ask for something more to make their vision a reality.

Lately, one boy has been making mobiles and hanging them from the ceiling of our classroom; he also makes them for his classmates to take home. I especially like the fruit mobile that is hanging over the art table.

Their art, their writing, and their block structures are natural and authentic because they are creating for themselves. Oftentimes adults create with the intention of sharing their product. Children do no have that pressure. Some of the most amazing things I have seen in the classroom have been in the recycling bin, or I have just caught a glimpse before it was ceremoniously knocked over in a crash of unit blocks.

Authenticity! I should write that in BIG letters and put it above my desk.

The Running Stitch

Right now, each child is preparing to make their own sewing project. I mentioned before that we were learning the running stitch. Everyone is doing quite well! I captured one girl in particular doing some practice sewing.



Their plans are going smoothly, and tomorrow, they will choose their fabrics; then Friday, they will make their patterns. They are all very excited about it...we do have a lot of work to do, though!

*The photo above is from my class in Seattle last year, when we were sewing on burlap.

Moving along...

I cannot believe I was so lazy in December and January! But I'm back with the goal of posting every weekday during February. Some may be short, but there is still a lot that happened in and out of the classroom that I'm looking forward to sharing.

Come back for photos and ideas from my outdoor preschool visit.

We're nuts

I am taking a moment off from projects and curriculum and the like to mention something that has been incredibly prevalent in my life as a teacher: the nut-free school. I am in my fifth year of teaching, and every school has been nut-free. It is not hard to adapt, and I am not fighting for the right to have nuts in our cooking activities. But there has to be something unhealthy about a generation of children who are not exposed to peanuts and tree nuts. It is akin to parents not letting their children play outside in the cold or jump in a puddle or eat a handful of dirt.

There are children who have extreme reactions to nuts, and those children should be able to have a classroom environment where there are no nuts and the precautions are taken. But I sit here on a 40 acre nut-free campus. Are we being a little extreme?

This rant was inspired by this article in the New York Times.

Forest Preschool

While searching for a teaching position at an international school last winter, I came upon the outdoor preschool at Lakeside School in Zurich. My interest was sparked, and I spent a few hours google translating with my jaw dropped, reading about outdoor schools in Europe. In the states, one might think of outdoor education, but this is different. And so so wonderful.

A Wood Kindergarten (or outdoor preschool / waldkindergarten / forest kindergarten) is a school concept that began in Scandinavia, and, as wonderful ideas do, it travelled. These schools can be found in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and now in the UK. I'm sure there are more countries...but I feel so lucky because I get to go to The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery...the first outdoor preschool in the UK. I'll be attending a workshop there in January.

Working with children in the forest for the past few months has shown me how nature can engage children. When we go into the forest, everyone is happy, cooperative, and focused on the task at hand -- exploring nature. In my work in Seattle, we would walk around the block once a week, or take a field trip to one of the many beautiful parks, but that is not quite the same as spending all day, every day, out of doors. Last spring, I took my class on a field trip to Discovery Park, and the children had an amazing time with their arms in the sand, mud all over their pants, and sea slugs in their hands. I wish that could have been every day. Beach preschool!

I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and I can hardly wait to share what I see and hear.

photo by tillwe