Tuesday 28 June 2016

Feather painting

Today is our second day of our 2 weeks outdoors, and it is a beautiful day. I brought out some paint and paper with me when I started my shift at 9 am. Immediately some children asked me what I had and asked me where the paintbrushes were. 
I explained that since yesterday we used a nature item as paint (mud), that today in our nature classroom we would have to use nature items as the brushes. 
I had feathers, sticks, and pieces of pine branches for them to chose from. 
Most children chose to try feather first. I thought this might be because it comes the closest to resembling a paintbrush.
At first this child tried to use the stick end of the feather, after seeing how a child next to her was using the feather she turned her feather around and exclaimed "why didn't anybody tell me to use it like this? It works ways easier!" 
The pine branch left lots of scratchy marks but didn't pick up the paint very well so was put back fast by many children. 
"I made a rainbow"
"I made a big guy"
"Oh what is he doing?"
"I don't know... Nothing." 

Painting is a great way to get the creative juices flowing, and using something unique like the nature items we used today helps children to realize that there's not only one right way to do things! 

By: Mrs.Thiele 

Monday 27 June 2016

Mud painting

Today is the first day of our outdoor week.
Some children joined in an art activity where we used mud as paint.
A lot of children asked why we were using mud... To hear some of there thoughts about it I asked the question back to them, why do you think we have mud as paint?

"I like the mud, I have to crush these hard parts"
"I like the mud too."
"My mud has bubbles in it, why is there bubbles?"
"Mrs.Thiele did you forget to buy the paint?"
"My painting has a story, these are the foot prints of all the animals that went to the lake."

I explained to the children that before paint was created people probably used mud and other natural materials for their art. I asked them what other naturals items they thought people might have used for art back then and some of the ideas they had were berries, rocks that can make marks, dandelions, flowers, tomatoes, and puddles. 

By: Mrs.Thiele 









Friday 24 June 2016

Snapshots

Here's a few snap shots of what your children were up to today in Adventure Playground...
Hiding each other toes in the sand.
Throwing the ball as high over their heads as they could. 
Spending time with an old friend, and being creative with loose parts.
Helping each other out of the hole.
Practicing their climbing skills.
Returning a hat to a friend, so thoughtful! 
Creating a house. He's looking through the window.
Catching fish... And a boot... AGAIN???
















Wednesday 22 June 2016

I did it!

In the play garden today I observed two children sitting on top of a large rock. As another child approached and tried to get on the other children noticed she was having some difficulty.
"I can't get up there"
"I can help you!"
"Yeah me too... You pull and I'll push" one child directed.
"Hmm it's not working"
"Here this is how I do it" the child said showing how she used the smaller side of the rock to climb up. The other child followed her and copied her movements.

"I did it!" 😄
What an example of kindness, teamwork, and perseverance. Keep up the good work XP children!

By: Mrs.Thiele 

Something wonderful is happening

As an adult it can be hard to watch as children take risks. Something like a simple jump from a high object can make you cringe or even rush over to protect the child. But what you may not realize is the wonderful thing happening in the child's mind as he or she completes something they once were afraid of or couldn't do. The message we see as teachers is simple; taking risks builds confidence and confident children can take on the world.

So the next time your tempted to shout "be careful!" Stop yourself, watch, and wait. You may just be surprised or even amazed at what your child is capable of. 

By : Mrs.Thiele 


Monday 20 June 2016

My Dinosaur!

Child: Mr. Tooshkenig, I got to get my dinosaur out of those sticks.

Mr. T: How did you dinosaur get in the sticks?

Child: I don't know. It just did.

Mr.T: Okay. What do we need to do to get the dinosaur free?

Child: We need to put these sticks in that pile (pointing to a near by pile of sticks).

Mr. T: Do you think it might be a good Idea to sort the sticks? We can put the skinny ones here and the medium one here and the boards over here and the very bigs ones over here (pointing to various places for each pile).

Child: Yeah! 

A couple more children came over and asked the child what he was doing. He told them about the dinosaur in the sticks and that he was getting him out. The other children asked if they could help and their help was welcomed.


"That don't go there. It goes over there."







"I found them."


"This rabbit lost his fur in the sticks."


After sorting the loose parts into categories, these areas became new play areas. 


"This is for my prizes." 


And the play carried on...

The initial activity was to find the lost dinosaur amongst the sticks. With an adult suggestion it turned into an activity of categorization. Other children had become involved which then made it a social happening. Cooperation amongst the children accomplished the initial endeavour.

By: Mr.Tooshkenig 

Friday 17 June 2016

Sweater weather

A kind moment in XP.....

A child runs up to me as I'm tying another child's sweater around her waist.
"Mrs.Thiele I'm a little bit chilly" says the one child. Upon hearing this the other child looks at me and says "she could borrow my sweater Mrs.Thiele I don't mind, I'm not cold"


Moments of selflessness like this are so special especially for young children who are just learning about other people's feelings. Way to go!

Wednesday 15 June 2016

Juggle N' Catchin



Today is a good day to help Mrs. Thiele discover  her new talent in juggling ang catching the balls at the same time. The children had an amazing time playing with her. It was fun watching her as she tried to catch all incoming balls. 

By: Mrs. Cruz