How do I get over there? How did you get where you are in the first place? I don’t know!
I’m so scared–this is so much fun!
“Moving and learning play is all about doing,” “As long as the child chooses it and is physically involved in it, fun and learning are bound to follow!” –A Moving Child is a Learning Child: How the Body Teaches the Brain to Think by Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy
Careful balance requires mindful focus.Estimating. Can we get onto this log?Moving our bodies against a current while wearing water-logged pants and boots is quite a challenge!“The vestibular system governs our internal sense of balance. Balance underpins all aspects of our daily lives. Balance is learned. Children aren’t born with a sense of balance. They learn it through movement. The vestibular system controls five aspects of everyday living: posture, balance, alertness, concentration, and stillness.” “Proprioception, or sense of intuition, manages our external sense of the world in which we move. (It) is made up of four navigation tools: body awareness, spatial awareness, body subconscious, and strength management.” ~A Moving Child is a Learning Child by Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy Mrs. Webb’s stunning photo of the hackberry tree!The kids love the challenges of the “Log-Jam Bridge.” Once they have mastered it, their interests will shift.Nature treasures don’t cost a thing! We just have to go exploring and use our nature eyes.The kids were so interesting in the many curious objects in my collection.Elbow-length mud gloves are the latest fashion!Making a splash!We all get a lot of creek water in our boots!Nothing like a head dunk in a cold creek on a hot day!
Session 2 started last Monday with a whole new set of young explorers. What completely different energy this group has! We have many more girls than boys this time, and far less prior experience among them compared to our Session 1 group. On Day 1 some weren’t sure at first, but within the first hour, “Actually, this is really fun!”
I won’t lie; it takes more energy, focus, and presence on the teachers’ part, but there is so much room for growth with these little adventurers! We already are excited and curious to watch them grow, learn, and change in their relationship with themselves, the natural world and each other.
For one thing there’s a lot more screaming, but it is with excitement and delight more than fear. We also notice that even physically strong and agile kiddos are less sure of their bodies when crossing a log or climbing out of the creek. They are working on their proprioceptive and vestibular systems! (Balance, sense of where their bodies are in space, etc.) A couple seem to have rarely, if ever, used their muscles in certain ways, and I will be interested to see how that may change by the end of our camp session, though, unfortunately, our 2-week camp will be split with a week off in-between for 4th of July week this session.
In any case, they are a lovable bunch and we are thoroughly enjoying supporting them as they explore and learn!
Just 4 days in and balance is already improving!They deconstructed one from the last group and built their own!Watching them figure out how to move something, how to navigate, and how to use their own bodies to make it all happen.Taking turns with the pocket microscope.Getting close to the ground has its rewards.Careful worm exchange with mud gloves.Logs at this height are just the perfect amount of risk for these adventurers!When tree-climbers can’t find low branches, they make do!
Below: Using puppets to role play is a wonderful way for young children to learn. They get to safely try out different roles and imagine what it might be like to be someone or something else, which helps build empathy! Not to mention the joy of whole-group belly-laughter that bonds us!
Michigan wildlife finger puppet greetings were so much fun!The kids loved making silly voices for their puppets.Mr. Porcupine helped out with Morning Meeting.On day 1 we always do a 5-senses, in-place, exploration.Noticing the scent of dry leaves.Getting familiar with our space.We offer time to journal or explore from a selected sit-spot. Writing and drawing helps us connect and remember.When adults read and write, children who see them doing so will try it too.Kids are natural scientists from the time they are born. The are endlessly curious and always ready to experiment!Drawing pictures of what we see and what we did.Slugs are surprisingly fascinating!The morning after it rained we found toads!Look what I found!Cold creek water doesn’t slow them down!Social skills are forged with play-based learning.“Tent” building with Mrs. Webb.Practicing patience with others.We love our 2-way magnifier!
I am an and outdoor educator with a master's in early childhood development. I taught elementary school for 20 years and now own Woods and Wetlands LLC, offering programs for local children to engage in nature study through play and exploration-based learning. My programs are all outdoors in whatever "wild" spaces are available. I live in Rockford, Michigan with my husband, dog, and three cats. My unique, therapeutic, one and a half hour programs help children to connect with the natural world and with themselves.
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