October/November 2023 Newsletter
These past few months the kids and I have been busy exploring nature, connecting to the changing season, as well as with each other as we adventure together. Here's a rundown of all of our activities thus far!
Expanding our Nature Awareness
This month has been packed with adventure and learning. Not only is nature the best teacher and classroom, always showing new things to observe and learn from, I have also been bringing back to the program a lot of what I've been learning at my 9-month-long wilderness training with the Living Earth School. So far this has included fire building, sit spots, animal tracking, plant and mushroom identification, and developing a respect for and connection with nature.
Sit Spots
Sit spots have been going really well! I frequently give a shout out or two for the kids who have really shown progress in this activity. I can always see them trying their best to sit comfortably in stillness. Our record has been 5 minutes! Usually, though, we only do about 2-3 minutes. But I have seen so much improvement in the kids' ability to sit and observe in nature, as well as the impact this has on the rest of our day. Some kids have even started asking for sit spots! I highly encourage you to develop this habit at home, too, starting with just a few minutes. It's such a nice grounding practice that leads to greater self-awareness, nature connection, and a calmer mindset.
Plant Identification and Animal Tracking
So far, we've learned more about spice bush, wild grape vines, and the individual trees we sit under during our sit spots. We frequently check the creek for any footprints left behind, and we're starting to look at trees for any signs of animal activity as well. Just last week we were surprised to find a beech tree with an incredible number of scratch marks left behind by an animal. Who scratched the tree this much? Why did they do this?
Nature Connection
I am also constantly reemphasizing that we don't harm animals, regardless of their size, and that we try our best to not disturb their natural habitats. We have our space to play and explore, but we try to leave nature relatively undisturbed when exploring. While this can seem hard to understand at first, I see improvement almost every day as the kids learn to explore and navigate the natural environment without disturbing the terrain too much. I also see them developing their empathy when they pick up bugs, observe them, and then safely place them back where they found them.
Coyotes
Coyotes have become a frequent topic of discussion. Our coyote calls that we practice often have gotten us talking more and more about this fascinating animal. My stories about camping and hearing them howling at night have also captured the children's fascination. This is obviously a "hook" for us to investigate this animal further. I invite you to research this animal at home with your child, too, to deepen their understanding. Also, ask your child to show you their coyote call! We frequently do this as a group. It fosters group cohesion, helps us be aware of our location at all times, and it's just fun!
We love books!
I have been going to the library once a week, which has helped us maintain an average of three books read per day. One of my biggest goals as a teacher is to instill in children a love of reading. I am always so excited to see how receptive the kids have been every time I pull out a new book. We typically read our books during snack time and lunch, which helps the kids focus on eating while listening to an interesting story!
Hide the Shoe
During our meals, we play a fun game called "Hide the Shoe," in which each child hides an imaginary shoe somewhere near us. They love guessing where this shoe might be hidden, and sometimes the location can be quite funny (like in someone's water bottle, or hat. This game, and "I spy" have become one of our favorite daily activities. I invite you to play Hide the Shoe with your kids on a car ride, or during mealtime! It can be pretty fun, and the whole family can really get into it.
Letter Identification
This month, I have focused on increasing the kids' awareness of the letters S, and T. I invite you to always point out these letters and their sounds whenever you see them with the kids, in books, on a drive somewhere, on signs, etc. Letter recognition is pure memorization, so the more we can remind them of these letters, the more the letters will sink in.
Portuguese
We have continued to integrate common words into our daily routine. This month I have focused on a few key words that we will use over and over again, particularly surrounding handwashing. These include the following:
-Sabao (soap)
-Lava as maos (wash hands)
-Toalha (pronounced toaleea)
- Counting, one to ten (um, dois, tres, quatro, cinco, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez).
Our newest word is Chocolate (pronounced "shocolaty"), as we've started enjoying some hot chocolate together!
Team Work!
Lastly, I have to give all the kids a huge "shout out," as they have been working together in such helpful, and respectful ways, through play. This is quite evident when there's a big activity they all want to see accomplished together (like when they wanted to make the hill slippery with water to slide down, or when they wanted to roll the compost tumbler down the hill and had to find ways of bringing it up the hill together).
The kids have also been remarkably helpful at clean up time. This is not an activity they have always enjoyed, but they have really started to contribute as a team when it's time to tidy up, often not hesitating to lend a hand.
