Skip to main content

Moments of interest...

There was a lot of productive play today as children explored a few new materials. We had two clear bins filled with gigantic multi- coloured  pom poms and two bowls. This new activity was captivating for many children and I sat back and watched Colin and Cash for quite a while as they interacted with the pom poms. They initially began their play by sorting the pom poms by colour. Then Cash started to count the pom poms but quickly moved onto hiding them underneath the big container. He then turned the container over and declared that he was "The pom pom delivery man." and walked towards Colin. Cash dumped them out and Colin exclaimed "The pom poms are jumping out." They continued to play with the idea of the pom poms "jumping" out for a long time, at times spilling them all over their heads and then frantically picking them up and putting them back into the container. Soon, the two of them were holding one lid on top of the other and hiding them. Then the idea of hiding took on a new form as they transferred the pom poms to the small bowl and again inverted one on top of the other. This action was done repeatedly and I wondered about what they think about the idea of concealing something. What it means to conceal something tangible, like a pom pom. Also, what it means to conceal something more abstruse, like information. I wonder if these concepts could be explored in class. Children, from a young age, enjoy the game of hiding objects so how can we build on this idea?

 








There were straws and connectors on the large carpet and this area was very busy with children coming and going. Many children played with making abstract designs while others made a shape of something they knew.

Bryn said  " I am making a sun. It has to be a circle and have spikes."

 


















Other things made:
Wayne: a fan
Zev: a helicopter ( he then said to me " Can you write that down?" Interesting that he wanted me to write it down- validation?)
Niko: a bicycle pedal
Cole: the letter "X"
Loreli: a rainbow stick





Emily


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mosaic Garden Stones

Today our children had an amazing opportunity to work with Glen Anderson, a local artist specializing in mosaics. You can see his work at http://www.mosaicplanet.net . I met Glen last year at Urban Weavers Studio in Strathcona. I asked him many, many questions about mosaics, all of which he patiently answered with expertise. I was gearing up for an art project in our preschool class so I really wanted to get any pointers I could from him. The plan was to have our students make mosaic tiles to place along our fence at the garden plot at Terra Nova Farm. They worked out very well, thanks to Glen's great advice and it was a beautiful moment when child and parent hung the stones at the farm on our last day of school. It was a moment of great pride for all of us. The garden that they cared for with their own hands- tended to its needs in sunshine and in rain. They will always remain part of that space, that land and their stone will remind them of this connection. Even though they turne...

3 Year Old Class - Westham Island Herb Farm Field Trip

Our threes class recently visited the Pumpkin Patch at Westham Island Herb Farm in Delta. After a relatively short and scenic drive through Ladner en-route to the farm, we crossed a small, one-lane bridge that remarkably has been in place since 1911.    Westham Island Bridge We arrived at the farm in the early morning, before the school buses appeared. It was a very peaceful time of the day, and the morning mist floating over the fields only enhanced the feeling. Westham Island Herb Farm is a community oriented farm that promotes buying fruits and vegetables from local sources. This farm is part of the Ellis family farm and they have been in this location since 1916! Upon arrival at the farm, we were greeted by a beautiful display of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes. Prior to the tour of the farm, we visited the general store, which showcased a large variety of homemade jellies and honey selections such as wild flower, raspberry, pumpkin and ...

A Day at the Farm... with a twist

We were all looking forward to heading to the farm. We had not been in two whole weeks so we were all experiencing farm deprivation disorder! We craved outdoor time, running on the paths, and checking out our favourite spots. We had no particular agenda- nothing to plant, nothing to weed, nothing to harvest and literally nothing to do! Perfect!!  Actually, we did have one special thing happening there but I will get to that in a moment. The children could not get off the bus fast enough, bounding down the tall stairs. Jackets on, zipped up, hats and mitts on, ready to face the chill of December. The children tossed their knapsacks onto the picnic table with abandon, and began to run around the courtyard area, obediently staying on the paths  ( finally, four months later they have learnt to stay out of the garden beds). They shouted, they chased and fell down! Once our initial burst of energy was out (only slightly), we walked over to the compost to see what the worms w...