Tag: play based learning

Professional Development, Uncategorized, Woods and Wetlands 2022

Play IS School Readiness!

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Meet Bev Bos

“If it hasn’t been in the hand and the body… it can’t be in the brain.” ~Bev Bos (1934-2016)

For many years one of my best friends and college classmates has raved about Bev Bos, an incredible early childhood expert whom my friend had the privilege to know personally. Despite earning two degrees in early childhood development, I recently realized I did not actually know much about Bev’s work and contributions. Mid-way through the master’s class I am currently taking on play and learning, I now find myself diving head-first into Bev’s beliefs and practices, all of which fully support and validate what Woods and Wetlands is all about, and which also offer enrichment to the preschool age program I teach at our local zoo.

Bev Bos was a passionate teacher, author, singer, and mentor to countless early childhood educators. All that Bev declared about how young children learn has been proven to be best practice all these decades later. She spent more than 40 years as an advocate for children learning through play, and she published multiple, wonderful books in which she offers her philosophy, examples, methods, and supporting evidence.

Bev began as a parent volunteer in 1965 and later served as director of Roseville Community Preschool in Roseville California. She attended and spoke at over 6,000 conferences and workshops both nationally and internationally. Her published books include the following: Don’t Move the Muffin Tins: A Hands-Off Guide to Art for the Young Child, Tumbling Over the Edge: A Rant for Children’s Play, Before the Basics, and Chants, Fingerplays & Stories. She was adored by all who met, read, or listened to her as she spoke clear truths about the critical role of PLAY in children’s learning.

It is incredible that this 1991 video, of Bev Bos, made the year I graduated from high school, contains her unapologetic philosophy which has been 100% confirmed by recent research into early childhood learning. Put aside the (now) hilarious hair, clothing, and accessory styles and you will find yourself nodding and thinking, “Yes! Yes; kids need to be allowed to be kids! THIS is RIGHT! We NEED this! Schools must change!” Bev Bos had a favorite quote: Our challenge is not to prepare children for school, but to prepare schools for children. ~Docia Zavitskovsky

“All Learning Involves Risk.”

In Bev’s preschool, (and my dream preschool!) children had access to real tools- hammers and nails- and they learned to use them safely. Rather than providing experiences that were, “as safe as possible,” she provided opportunities for age-appropriate risk-taking that were, “as safe as necessary.” Bev was committed to children having access to mess and repetition because children learn through their bodies and whatever interests them will naturally be repeated until the child has truly learned it. We will know when it is time to move on because the child will decide when they are ready!

Bev firmly and unflinchingly spoke out about her belief that young children should not be treated, nor thought of, as little adults. She promoted age-appropriate learning and her preschool featured the most joyous, child-centered FUN learning activities I have ever seen. I am humbled by her deep understanding of what children need. Preschoolers in her program were free to BE CHILDREN. Children were painting on the walls, floor, and even furniture. Messy play was allowed and encouraged. Outdoor learning and nature-play happened every day. There was some structure in that the preschool day offered free choice time, snack time, read aloud,

“We made a mistake calling it preschool.”

As for “early readers,” just because children CAN learn something doesn’t mean we should be teaching it. Bev knew they needed to move, be loud, interrupt read-alouds with questions and stories and connections, and that “learning doesn’t happen when they are sitting on their bottoms!” Letters and numbers were available in her preschool, but only used if the children initiated the learning. Rather than pushing early readers, Bev insisted on reading TO them frequently, and she bravely STOPPED reading and cast aside a book if the children weren’t all that into it. She said, “Today, this is not the book they need.” Bev Bos understood that we should be waiting to teach reading to children only when they are ready for it. When their brains, their eyes, and their experiences in life converged to create a child who WANTS to read. The country with the highest literacy rate (by far outranking the U.S.) doesn’t even begin teaching reading until children are around 7 or 8 years of age! Bev knew that adults reading TO children was the literacy and “school readiness” they needed most if they were to become readers who go on to become adults who read more than just a newspaper or magazine. Adults who read for joy, for knowledge, for life!

Bev’s Impact

I love knowing there are thousands of teachers who have had the benefit of hearing one of Bev’s keynote speeches, attending one of her workshops, reading her books, watching her interviews, singing her songs, observing her ideal preschool, or having any contact at all with one of the most tremendously influential and important women ever to grace the world of early childhood education. I wish I had seen her in person when I had the chance.

As I typed Bev’s name into Google I was astonished by how many early childhood educators, even now, follow her practices and continue to be inspired and guided by Bev’s example and leadership. In fact, there are so many current blogs and articles featuring her methods and philosophy as well as accounting of her work and contributions, I find myself hard-pressed to write this post with originality! Countless teachers before me have already shared their adoration of and commitment to her early childhood learning philosophy. No wonder my friend spoke her name with hero-worship on her face and in her voice!

I could use this opportunity to kick myself for all of the times I didn’t do everything right as a teacher, but, instead, I am going to use Bev’s inspiration to validate all I have been doing right, and to inform and change how I go forward from this moment. I can’t do it all at once, and I can’t do it all just right. I am human. I don’t always have all of the control over every situation. There are the unfortunate realities of time limits, but I’m working on pushing those boundaries a little farther wherever I can.

There are so many Bev Bos quotes I would love to memorize, but this one really stands out as I think about my Woods and Wetlands programs: “If you go home from school without dirt under your nails, I haven’t done my job.” For two years now I have encouraged my explorers to intentionally get their hands as dirty or muddy as possible, ostensibly for handling small creatures such as frogs, toads, or salamanders. But I also did it because I want them to know it is okay to get dirty. Not only is it okay, it is actually healthy for them! Exposure to soil microbes is proving to positively impact our physical and mental health! Watching one of Bev’s videos just reinforced and validated what I have been promoting. Children should be focused on playful learning without worrying about dirty hands or wet clothing! Last week a fourth grade boy happily splashed into the little creek at Townsend Park where we were having a Woods and Wetlands adventure, and a few minutes later he stood before me with worried eyes and said, “My mom is gonna kill me. She told me not to get these boots wet.” This made me so very sad. Boots shouldn’t matter more than fun learning. (Not to mention I made certain the parents were told their children should wear clothes that can get muddy and wet!)

Just yesterday I read aloud from two different books to my ZOOLittles and when a few of my Littles inevitably interrupted when I hadn’t invited them to say something, I found myself shutting that down so I could finish the book. I see this was unnecessary and even damaging! Today Bev Bos has put an end to that for me. She trusted and respected children enough to know that they process out-loud, and if they are asking questions, sharing connections and stories, then they are engaged with the book and I must honor that by allowing those interruptions and using them as opportunities to engage in conversation. She said, “Life is a conversation.” Sometimes I doggedly keep reading aloud, even when it is clear the kids aren’t into it or they are ready to be done. Why do I do that? Bev validates the times I have wisely abandoned a book when I see the kids aren’t engaged. She said, “Today, this is not the book they need.” After all, I don’t force myself to keep reading a book I don’t like or I’m not into!

Going forward, I am committed to the following:

  • I will be more flexible.
  • I will refuse to worry about what other adults may think of my teaching choices, but will happily share my reasons when I can.
  • I will post Bev Bos quotes near my desk and around my ZooLittles classroom so as to remind myself and possibly educate other adults in the area.
  • I will abandon books when kids aren’t engaged. (Get my ego and need for control out of the picture!)
  • I will refer to the kind of learning I promote as, “age-appropriate learning.”
  • I will remember that life should be fun for children!
  • I will be firm and unapologetic with other adults when I am called to explain why free exploration and play is such a huge part of what I offer to my students.
  • I will try to remember that I am not doing what I do, neither at the zoo nor in Woods and Wetlands, for the benefit of adults. Yet the children I work with will one day become adults, and I know they will need all of the creative thinking, problem solving, confidence-building, real-life experiences they can get while they are still young, in order to become our future inventors, leaders, and thinkers.

T.

A Few Bev Bos-related Sources

NAEYC Remembering Bev Bos

Progressive Early Learning

PlayVolution

Pondering Preschool

Let the Playing Commence!

Camp Rockford 2022, Uncategorized, Woods and Wetlands 2022

May I please borrow your slug?

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Oh, the gems I overhear between children! The overlap of absolutely lovely manners with the texture and images of a slug, not to mention how bizarre this request would be in nearly any other context, just cracked me up!

Some people collect interesting rocks. Others collect slugs. To each his/her own!

More than meets the eye.

Using our pocket microscope and cell phone a few of the kids got to see these glimpses into a world beyond our vision capabilities. From left to right: decomposing wood, the underside of a leaf, the top side of the same leaf.

Leaf Learning

Each explorer received a different kind of tree leaf (or needles). We noticed the shapes, textures, colors, and patterns of each leaf. Then we used them for our greeting; the kids had to find the person with the matching leaf and then go look for a tree nearby that has the same kind of leaves. We used oak, maple, wild cherry, white pine, red pine, and beech tree leaves/needles and I explained that one reason leafy trees drop their leaves before winter is so the snow doesn’t weigh them down and break their branches.

Wildlife, Teamwork, and STEAM work

A dead cicada to add to my nature treasure box. Now I can show the life cycle of the cicada.
This lovely spider web makes a silky roof for a possible animal den beneath a tree. Thank you to spiders for making it so we can play outside without being inundated by bugs!
Thinking from the point of view of a tiny creature as we built an animal home. Developing empathy takes practice.
Whoooo might live in this hole?
These girls are all about teamwork and engineering!
An opossum track in the mud by the creek. Thank you, ‘possums, for eating thousands of ticks every summer!
Bird tracks along with raccoon, deer, and opossum tracks show us what wildlife is nearby and reminds us that where there is water, there is life!
A deer hip bone?
Raccoons wash their food in the creek.
If you listen in as they build, you hear STEAM talk! They decide where to build, what kinds of animals might live here, how to keep the walls from collapsing, ways animals might get in and out, and what makes it look nice. Best of all, no one had to tell them to do this. They got the idea from an Exploration and Conversation card I made, and it caught their interest. Each time it fell or failed to live up to t heir expectations, they tried again until they were ready to do something else.

Never Bored

Notice the huge variety of activities they choose. Nature play and play-based learning are naturally differentiated. As long as they understand that we expect them to listen to themselves and only do what they feel comfortable (enough) doing, they will take risks and seek out learning that is developmentally just-right for them as individuals!

They use their whole bodies to navigate the creek.
Learning to use the pocket microscope.
She decided this tree needed bandaids where it had sap oozing out. Leaf bandaids are the solution!
The Meeting Log is classroom seating.
Turkey Tail mushrooms!
He created this beautiful loft “nest” carefully wedged between tree trunks of a split tree. He explained how it evolved as he worked on it.
I love that they can choose to work independently or with others. There are no walls or clusters of desks to force collaboration when it is not wanted.
Imagining being a little animal all cozied up inside a tree.

Physical Education is not the same thing as Sports.

These days (in the privileged world) most kids who want to learn a sport will do so with or without P.E. class, but most kids do not have regular access to unstructured, independent, child-led but teacher-guided, nature play or nature study. If we bring children to a wild space we have only to teach them a few safety practices and then get out of the way because they will seek out activities that build strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, turn-taking, collaboration, spatial awareness, aim, body awareness, and body confidence. They learn to listen to and trust their bodies. Just look.

Aim and jump from just high enough to take a little risk. Children will repeat these kinds of challenges until they master them and then move on to the next level.
No branches? No problem. At this age the girls are stronger than the boys and they could climb higher!
After watching how one of the other kids did it, he decides to try. Think about all of the muscles and coordination this takes!
Where there is a way, there is a will!
Too many well-meaning adults get scared and prevent children from taking risks, even when they are ready to take them.
Using hands, knees, and feet to coordinate climbing while enjoying the scents of green leaves, fresh water, and rich, muddy, soil while the sun dapples us from above.
Climbing is an exciting challenge!
Figuring out how to walk through sticky muck without falling takes effort and concentration.
Balancing while also being aware of people nearby.

We Never Want it to End. Classroom Programs this Year?

What do you know now (about nature or yourself) that you did not know before Woods and Wetlands?
Seed sketching.
Some of the kids loved sharing their journal entries.
Our last meeting of the summer.
As a parting gift I gave everyone 3 nature treasures in the form of 3 differently fascinating tree seeds.
15 is the perfect class size.

Woods and Wetlands All Year Round

Woods and Wetlands programs for classrooms are wonderful class gifts from parents and caregivers to your child’s teacher. If the school has a wild space nearby we will use it. If not, they only have to come up with funding for busing to a local place such as Luton Park or a West Michigan Land Conservancy location. I also offer private programs for small groups of children such as those who are home schooled or students who are attending virtual school during the ongoing pandemic.

T.

Camp Rockford 2022, Uncategorized, Woods and Wetlands 2022

Session 3, Week 1: Hard at Work

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Our new group includes 9 explorers from last year’s Woods and Wetlands summer adventures. Add to that a wide developmental range and we have a hodge-podge of personalities, abilities, and experience! Compared to our last two groups this one got off to what felt like an awkward start, at least for the teachers. But after four mornings together, we have settled in nicely. It’s fun to watch the kids with prior experience because they are more independent, confident, and they are able to deepen and broaden their explorations. Nature-play and Play-Based Learning naturally lend themselves to scaffolding as children instinctively challenge themselves at that “just right” level at which they take appropriate risks and set themselves to learning and growing by pursuing their own interests. We offer support in the form of thinking questions and encouragement, stepping back when possible and stepping in when needed.

Social Skills

Taking turns
Greeting with names, eye contact, and physically passing a relevant nature object.
Learning by watching others.
Waiting for a turn.
Using Michigan wildlife finger puppets for our greeting..
Laughter builds social bonds.
Kids need to have opportunities to be silly while learning.
Mr. Porcupine took charge for our greeting.
Pretending to be someone or something different builds empathy.
Giggling + eye contact.
Building a fort takes teamwork.
Arms up while we pass by some nettles. Kids are also holding branches for each other and watching out for one another.
Connecting with oneself can help us be better, more mindful friends to ourselves and each other.
“Hiding” behind a different persona than their own gives young children a chance to “try on” and identify with those who are different from us.
Learning we can also just be silent with a friend sometimes.

Do-Overs

Childhood is the best time to learn from mistakes. One of our new explorers had a rough start, socially speaking. Some poor choices were made. But we don’t use loss of participating as a consequence. Instead we try to always offer chances for “do-overs,” in conjunction with giving children specific words and strategies they need for round 2. How else can we learn unless we get to try again?

Patterns and Treasures

I usually introduce a theme of sorts during Morning Meeting. Sometimes I plan it but often the kids’ energy and/or interests prompt me to modify it on the spot. Teaching and earning without blocking the natural flow always works better for me and for the kids. During our first week we introduced Nature Treasures and Patterns in Nature. These two “lessons” are intertwined and next week we will blend them in with learning about different trees based on leaf recognition.

Some treasures are only kept long enough to observe before releasing.
Our Nature Treasure Museum is growing.
Noticing leaf patterns led to trying out leaf rubbings.
We asked the kids to try drawing at least one of the 8 nature patterns I introduced.
Most of our explorers drew more than one of the patterns.
Two great books for introducing fractals (patterns) are Spin Flow Grow and Nothing to Do.
Looking at a picture or an actual subject makes drawing it much easier.
Tree bark is patterned too. Hugging “Mama Oak.” Thank you to trees for their cool shade and air-making!
Mushrooms have interesting patterns.
Introducing Nature Treasures.
We intentionally teach them how to handle fragile things carefully. This builds trust both ways.
Letter Y treasure was added to our museum.
Beetles make what looks like a secret language on logs.
Animal tracks are patterns too.
Ordinary beetle by day, magical fairy lantern by night.
This little guy knows a LOT about nature and is an intrepid explorer! (The child, not the toad.)
Translation: “Baby deer jaw.” (found in the woods)
Two damselflies alighted on his arm.
Being gentle with wildlife is a good sign for the adult he will become one day.
Some mushrooms have gills, others have pores.
They discovered clay rocks which led to painting.
Fancy fungi!
This lovely girl made a beautiful web to trap our least favorite bugs.
Finding treasure on the bottom of the creek.
Experimenting with ways to harmlessly affect the world around us.
Clay painting.
Galls on a leaf.
A wildflower called “Indian Pipe,” is unable to make its own food, but is not a fungi.
Snail shells have the spiral pattern.
We broke open this oak gall to find out what was inside.
Great Blue Heron tracks?
No one is ever bored when I bring out the treasure box!

Sensory Experiences

Exploring in nature during Woods and Wetlands is a full, sensory experience. Children learn best by using their bodies. “Move to learn and learn to move.”

Mud gloves for safe handling of small creatures.
They worked really hard to get this dead tree trunk detached.Purposeful? Maybe not, but much was learned in the process!
Looking up into the branching patterns against a blue sky. Noticing our breath. Getting in touch with our own bodies.
There’s nothing like a cold river on a hot day.
Measuring and estimating water depth. “Ms. T, why is the water not as high up on you?” (Informal math discussion followed.)
Noticing places where the water is warmer or cooler. Wondering and hypothesizing.
Brain Gym: Criss Cross
Though the neighbor cut down most of our Logjam Bridge, we didn’t let that stop us. This group is more careful about getting their boots stuck in the muck.
I teach stick usage and safety so I can trust everyone with sticks. Offering trust helps children learn to be trustworthy.
I like to draw attention to noticing the scents when we enter the woods. Humans forget to use their sniffers as much as we could.
A “dead” log is full of more life than a living tree!
The texture of rich, dark, muddy soil is a novelty for most kids. It is easy to rinse right off in the river.
High five!
Slugs are fascinating. Doctors have worked to replicate slug slime to use in places of internal stitches for surgery.
Resisting the current or allowing it to push them helps develop their vestibular systems.
Sniffing the skunk cabbage.
There is much to see and learn when we get close to the earth.
Some of us enjoy nature quietly.
We make time for either journaling or investigating at our own Sit Spots.
Only do what you feel safe doing. Find your way across in the way that works for you.
Feeling the surface of the water without immersing our hands.
Coordination and strength building.
finding our balance.
Brain Gym helps both of our brain hemispheres to work together and can shift us into using our prefrontal cortex which calms us and makes reasoning possible.
Half the group went adventuring with me along the river’s edge where we encountered a fallen, but still living and strong, maple tree.
Some were experienced climbers while others were a little scared but still ready to try to navigate horizontal tree climbing.
She has grown so much since last summer! Brave explorer!

T.

P.S. Mini-rant:
I so wish that nature play and play based learning were woven into school curriculums at every level. Teachers need to be trained so that they can feel safe and comfortable taking their kids out into the wild. Time to do so ought to be guaranteed and protected as a necessary part of the school day or week. Funding programs like Woods and Wetlands throughout the school year would make such a positive impact on the mental, physical, social, emotional, and academic health of every student AND their teachers! Yet schools are, instead, adding MORE testing and MORE curriculum, while cutting back on recess and continuing outdated models of schooling that clearly are not working for the majority of children. The scientific evidence demonstrating what works is being largely ignored by those who control the curriculums, testing regimes, and school day structure in this country.

Camp Rockford 2022, Uncategorized, Woods and Wetlands 2022

Crayfish, Nymphs, and Fairy Shrimp! Last Day of Session 2.

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The last day is always hard. None of us want to say goodbye! I am hoping that I can continue bringing Woods and Wetlands to local schools this fall, so I plan to reach out to as many educators as possible to get these programs scheduled. One of my dreams would be to offer repeat programs for the same classes in the same, wild, space throughout a school year, whether once a month or even 4 times a (school) year. Imagine the kids getting to bond with a natural area that they can access whenever their adults can get them there, where they would benefit from seeing nature change throughout the seasons! School curriculum would be supported as we learn naturally about local plants, animals, fungi, geology, history, and geography. Woods and Wetlands programs support physical education related to strength, balance, coordination, teamwork, spatial awareness, and self-confidence. The arts can be woven into repeat programs as well. Nature-play and play-based learning offers health and wellness to all of us, even those who don’t enjoy the outdoors. We become more resilient to the stresses of life and better able to heal and grow our spirits when the world gets to be too much.

On the last day I give everyone 3 little nature treasures along with getting to keep their journals and colored pencils. This year the 3 treasures are types of beautiful tree seeds: sweet gum tree, hemlock tree, horse chestnut tree. The seeds from the sweet gum and the hemlock not only connect with our ongoing tree-lessons, but also with the nature patterns we learned about and drew in our journals. The horse chestnut seed feels smooth and pleasant in our hands. We talked about some of the many ways trees spread their seeds around.
Learning how to use dip nets to scoop up muck from under the water, dump it on the edge of the water, look for moving life, and pop those little creatures into a jar or bucket of water for observation.
Little crayfish
I never knew they were kind of pretty!
FAIRY SHRIMP
DRAGONFLY NYMPH & CRAYFISH
No one has to make them “do science.” It comes naturally!
Big dreams of tiny creatures.
Found a feather!
A new island.
We went down to the main river channel and discovered a multitude of living things in the water under the “muck,” (a.k.a. decomposing organic matter that is packed with nutrients!) We found: crayfish big and small, fairy shrimp, dragonfly nymphs, and fish.

Imagine you have spent your childhood living down deep in the warm mud of a wetland, swimming around and breathing with gills. One day when you are anywhere from 3 months to 5 years old, you crawl out of the muck, up onto a cattail or blade of grass, your back splits open, and you crawl right out of your “skin” (exoskeleton), but you are no longer a creepy crawler; you are an iridescent, shimmery, winged creature who can now FLY! You have lovely fairy-like wings and amazing eyesight. No more dark, muddy days. You are a DRAGONFLY!

Happy explorer.
Always more to discover.
The river’s edge is nice and shallow.
A slew of snails were creeping around in the grass and logs.
It’s so interesting to see which kids had a hard time with Brain Gym at first but have no problem now!
Last day of Brain Gym. I wonder if anyone will remember to do it on their own?
A dragon head shaped piece of bark.
Root wrapped around a trunk.
Photo taken of a pine tree catkin on bark through a pocket microscope with phone camera attachment!
Noticing bark differences between trees.
Observing ants and their busy highway.
Since we were the ones to go to the ants’ home, we respected them by simply observing and keeping our feet and hands out of their space. No need to hurt or kill them when they were minding their own business!
Camp Rockford 2022, Uncategorized, Woods and Wetlands 2022

Change is hard. Life and Death. Adventures to New Lands.

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This week we learned to adapt to an unwelcome change, observed the cycle of life and death in nature, discovered a new land, and learned from our mistakes. (And the kids renamed me, “Ms. Tree.” I kinda like it!)

Unwelcome Change

After a week away from “our” woods and creek the kids were so excited to get back to their adventures. Can we go to the creek???!!! is the question pelting me from all directions the moment we reach our Meeting Log and begin to set up our mobile classroom each morning. But on this morning I heard cries of shock and distress when they reached the bank where our beloved Log Jam Bridge should have been waiting for us. What happened?! Someone cut it down! Where is our bridge? Why is it gone? A chorus of dismay rose from our little group of explorers as they found that the neighbor to the west of Camp Rockford had clearly taken a chainsaw to all but one of the logs that formed “our” bridge. Without the other logs and a living tree that was growing out of one, there was now nothing to hold on to when crossing the only remaining log. Not only that, but the water now flowed much faster and deeper, making it an unsafe place for us to explore, at least until drought conditions reduce the level of the creek at some point. Mrs. Webb and I looked at each other and a great deal of thoughts and feelings passed silently between us. It was impossible to completely conceal our own dismay. The kids wanted answers and we are the people who usually have them. But this time we could only make assumptions.

Unfortunately, our first assumption was that the neighbor had intentionally tried to ruin something for our campers because we had heard in the past that he was not a fan of children using the RPS property separated from his only by the creek. Not only that, but the week prior I had sent him a letter with the intention of reassuring him about any concerns he might have about us damaging his property or causing problems for nature, because he mentioned to the other camp’s teacher that some rocks from his side of the creek bank had been moved. Could it have been my letter that somehow prompted this removal of our favorite place of all? As we processed what had happened and moved upstream to find other places to explore, I heard some of the kids talking about how mean that man was to do what he did, and I realized we were in a teachable moment. After getting the attention of the little group closest to me, I told them this: We don’t actually know why he cut those logs, and so we need to be careful not to start telling people he did it to be mean. The kids asked me why. Because when we don’t know the truth of a situation, we shouldn’t assume. We should get more information. Otherwise, we are starting and spreading a rumor, and rumors can be very hurtful.

In Which We Go On An Adventure to New Lands.

Unexpected changes are usually hard for most of us. But as I’m sure many can attest since the changes of 2020, if we allow ourselves to adapt, there is usually something good that comes from change, and at the very least, we learn from it. So, despite how bummed we were to lose our Log Jam Bridge, we decided on Tuesday to strike out in a new direction for lands unknown. One group headed upstream and into the woods with Mrs. Webb, and the other intrepid explorers chose to come with me on an Adventure Expedition to New Lands. (Adding lots of fun language and dramatic voices makes it so much more fun and the kids catch the tone and pick up new vocabulary this way.) We blazed a new trail where none of us (including last year’s groups) had ever gone before! We stomped down some nettles, walked along logs, jumped to the ground, and stopped frequently to reassure and support those who were being extra brave when they were just a little bit scared. When the vegetation opened up we found ourselves at the corner of where “our” creek flowed into the Rogue River. By the time we left, the kids were calling it “Mud Island,” and its new, part-time inhabitants were, “Mudlanders.”

Learning that there are no such things as nettle trees.
It’s more fun when you have to climb over and under things to get where you’re going. It’s the journey, not the destination.
Making and throwing mud balls is a science lesson no teacher needs to prompt.
What makes mud? How do we keep from getting stuck in it?
I made a little mud lady.
Making mud people.
They were so excited to find worms! Worms are a sign of healthy soil.
Aim, eye-hand coordination, trajectory, experimentation. How far can you throw the mud ball in the river?
Mud paintings. Manipulating the world around them is an important part of childhood.
Sharing worms…

Life to Death to Life Again

Another less-than-pleasant, but also fascinating, discovery this week were the remains of a very tiny, probably premature, fawn. We faced it with not only acknowledgement of sad feelings, but also with the interest and curiosity of scientists. The finding was a perfect time to notice how decomposers were already doing their work of recycling what used to be alive, turning it into rich soil from which new life will grow. The next morning we followed up with a conversation about how every single food we eat is part of that cycle of life and death. All of our food depends on plants, and plants depend on soil and pollinators. Dead things and bodily waste (poop/scat/dung) do not recycle on their own. They depend on soil microbes and other decomposers to do that work. And one day, new plants will grow where that tiny fawn died, and a living fawn might eat those plants. The parts of the fawn we could not find became food for larger animals that need meat to survive. More recycling! Even if our “Littles,” don’t fully grasp all of that, it was a hands-on, meaningful and memorable experience upon which future learning can build!

Before we found the foreleg with the tiny hoof, we examined a jaw with tiny, flat, teeth that told us it was a plant-eater. The kids wondered about the triangular, flat bone and I helped them find their own scapulas (shoulder blades.) The hair was the right color for a deer, but the bones were so small I didn’t initially think it could be a deer, forgetting that there are fawns that would have tiny bones. See? Gruesome, sad, and fascinating!
Before we found the foreleg with the tiny hoof, we examined a jaw with tiny, flat, teeth that told us it was a plant-eater. The kids wondered about the triangular, flat bone and I helped them find their own scapulas (shoulder blades.) The hair was the right color for a deer, but the bones were so small I didn’t initially think it could be a deer, forgetting that there are fawns that would have tiny bones. See? Gruesome, sad, and fascinating!
Crayfish sketch and leaf rubbing
There is so much to learn about the tiniest of animals!
There is more life in a dead log than a living tree!
Children NEED to climb!
Some sort of bug was doing amazing art on this leaf!
Enjoying my favorite tree book!
Holding toads.
Wild apples are turning up in the creek.
She collects wild ginger almost every day!

There are more magical moments with our explorers than I could ever recall or write about, but this week the experiences of one, particular camper filled me with pure joy. To appreciate it, you need to know that when she began Woods and Wetlands two weeks ago, she was so clearly inexperienced in every way. She was terrified of everything. Her body didn’t yet seem to belong to her, in that she hadn’t developed her vestibular and proprioceptive systems as I would have expected by her age. (Her sense of her body in space and her balance, strength, coordination, etc.) She fell a LOT. She cried a lot and easily. But I am proud to say we met her where she was, and some of the other kids began developing a sense of protectiveness of her. We did a lot of coaxing, hand-holding, reassuring, and one-on-one explicit teaching of small, critical skills and information.

Two days ago when a group of us went on our Adventure to New Lands, she chose to come with us. (Bravery indeed!!) She stayed close to me and we moved inch by inch along a slippery log. I’m scared! Can I touch that? Is it a nettle tree? We slowly created a path as I showed her nettle after nettle so she could begin to recognize them on her own. I trampled them down ahead and beside us as we crept along. With the other explorers coming patiently behind us, I identified each tree branch and showed them how to move them out of their way without letting them swing back on the person behind them. Are those nettles? Those are just wet tree leaves. We kept going. Only once she let her fear overwhelm her and she wanted to go back. We stopped and did some calming breathing. She chose to keep going. Every moment of that short hike (a 1-minute hike for an experienced adult, just to give you context,) was packed with new, frightening, interesting, experiences for her. Her mind and body were fully engaged. After navigating 2 more slippery logs, we made it to the Mudlands. On our way back she was still scared, but slightly more confident. Then, today, she chose to go again, but this time she could point out the nettles all by herself. This time she knew how to bend her knees when she jumped off a log and landed. This time she taught OTHER kids about their surroundings. There’s no such thing as nettle trees, so you can hold on to trees to help you! She couldn’t wait to get back and tell Mrs. Webb, “I wasn’t scared today!”

She did fall once. And she did cry a little.

But don’t we all?

T.

Without prompting she noticed that her leaf matched the tree above our Morning Meeting circle!
Matching oak leaves.
They greeted the person with the matching leaf.
Brain Gym has become easy now that the two sides of their brains are syncing!
Brain Gym helps teachers too!
5 slow, deep breaths through your nose and out sloooow through your mouth.
Maple leaves have an “M” for Maple!
She saw the tree shape in the leaf when she held it up to the sky and let the light shine through. (Fractals!)
First we Noticed our leaves. “One side is dry and one side is wet.” “One side is dark and the other is light.” “This one has tiny teeth along the edge.” “Mine has big teeth.”
The plan was to have them greet each other by finding the person with the matching leaf, but the kids’ minds went to the step I intended for later. We went with it! All on their own they figured out they wanted to go find the tree their leaf came from! I was astounded!

We had a little tree lesson, after which one of the kids accidentally called me, “Ms. Tree,” rather than, “Ms. T.” It caught on quickly!

Looking out for each other.
Mud ball with Virginia Creeper. (The arts are important too!)
We stayed away from the middle of the river.
Before our tracks arrived we saw raccoon, opossum, and deer tracks.
So happy!
It’s never too cold for them!
This tree is getting a bark mud makeover mask.
We paid attention to how hard the current was pulling or pushing us.
Logs make nice furniture if you need a little rest.
Throwing mud is safer than throwing darts. And no one threw it at anyone else. No one even tried it. These kids look out for each other. Meanwhile, they are practicing using their bodies to manipulate their environment. Finding footing in slippery mud while aiming and hitting their target.
Camp Rockford 2022, Uncategorized, Woods and Wetlands 2022

Excuse us, Toad, while we rub your armpits…

woodsandwetlands

“My good thing is that we got to go to a nature center and I learned how to tell the difference between a boy or a girl toad is you massage their armpit and if they make noises it’s a boy, but if it’s quiet it’s a girl.”

So we tried it. She, (if, indeed, this method is reliable,) was silent but without a doubt highly offended by our rude invasion of her amphibious armpits! We may have scarred that poor toad for life. In hindsight, we probably should have asked her first.

Below: After trying out a few of the Exploration and Conversation cards I gave them, most of the kids found their own preferred methods. I loved watching them work and play together, learning social skills as they navigated how to make suggestions, how to get what they wanted, ways to negotiate, and making space for everyone to participate.

A collection of greenery includes snake grass (horse tails)
Why is this old barrel here?
Building an animal motel together in the hollow of this tree.

Wouldn’t this be the ideal P.E. class???

Whose scat is that?
Feeling the balance.
Hackberry Tree
This ant was declared to be doing, “butt-lifts.”
The kids noticed an ant highway so we took some time to investigate and observe.
A mysterious gall from an oak leaf.
Tadpoles galore!
The magical damselfly
Kids in the know announced that these were trout.

Woods and Wetlands 2022

A Three-Hour Adventure

woodsandwetlands

Way back last summer during Woods and Wetlands camp, our last day rolled around and one of our little guys was inconsolable about it ending. Big, fat tears rolled down his cheeks because he didn’t want it to be the last day. When Christmas came around, his grandparents gave him a Woods and Wetlands gift certificate as a gift, and TODAY we used it!

Above: “Be a Tree,” takes on a whole new meaning!

Above: Foraging for and tasting wild food is in our DNA. The kids loved the tiny, green, sour, wild apples just as much as I did when I was a kid. Sassafras roots are always a hit, and we also sniffed the lemony scent of its leaves. The two siblings went home with a pocket full of wintergreen leaves as well.

The Vine Playground is always a hit! From there we could hear the gulps of bullfrogs and smell the rich, dark, decomposing “muck” in the nearby swamp, while birds sang, flitted, and drummed in the branches above us. And so three hours flew by without anyone noticing them.

T.

Camp Rockford 2022, Uncategorized, Woods and Wetlands 2022

Letting the Seeds Grow.

woodsandwetlands

This is the best camp ever! I wish I wouldn’t get older and not be able to do it again!

What if you had tree branches growing out of your ear holes?

We used our pocket microscope to look up close at this rock she found.
Having a sturdy stick helps when one gets stuck in the muck!
A physics lesson involving the suction of mud and how it acts upon one’s boots!

Summer Woods and Wetlands Camp at Camp Rockford has begun! Our first group has only been with us three days and already there is a definite sense of bonding between all of us. Already these kids have filled my heart and gained my trust. It may be 90+°F out where the paved and treeless places swelter in the sun, but we are right where our bodies are adapted to be, playing and learning in the deep shade of oaks, maples, and hickories, as well as wading around through the cold, flowing water of a local creek. We watch slimy slugs staying cool tucked into the grooves of wet oak bark, while toads abound in the soft, dark leaf litter and rich forest soil.

Day 1 we went over a lot of safety info and then explored the creek. We introduced the journals toward the end of our morning and were pleasantly surprised by how well the kids took to them this time. Of course, each group and individual differs, but my theory is that starting out with journals last year felt too much like school, hence, more resistance. This time the kids welcomed a chance, after exploring, to plop down, tired but happy, and draw and/or write about what they experienced. I also have the benefit of having read more of Anna Botsford Comstock’s, Handbook of Nature Study, in which she states her observation that, “The child might rather never had this experience than be forced to write about it.” Instead, she encouraged students to write about it only “because I am curious to know what you discovered,” and only if they wanted to. I was very struck by this! It seems wise to me and fits with my philosophy about the importance of nature-play-based learning to build a sense of love, connection, and ownership with nature on Earth that may later lead to more reading, writing, and more formal study of the natural world.

Of course it also makes perfect sense that it is silly to ask someone to write BEFORE they have the experience! Especially when those “someones” are still so new to written communication, when their verbal expression is still developing. And, as I told my students’ parents each year on Curriculum Night, the only way children will be able to make connections to what they read, or to even HAVE something to write about, is if they are having real life experiences! On-screen experiences happen on a screen, but we know that children’s bodies are what they use for real learning. If it is in the body, it is in the brain.

Day 1 also included the standing sensory exploration I began implementing in the spring with all of the classroom programs I did. On Day 2 we introduced Brain Gym and mindful breathing. When we focus on and are aware of our breath, we cannot help but be present in the moment. I recently learned a new breath-work technique that has significantly improved my own anxiety, and I now teach it to children to use for calming themselves as needed. It felt so amazing to observe these kids who I only just met on Monday, trusting me to guide them through trying some bizarre, new, movements and breathing strategies! I simply explained that the movements help the two sides of their brains work together better, and the breath helps us notice how we are feeling on the inside. What I did not say is, with near-constant external stimulation of today’s world of technology, it takes intention to remember to check in with our bodies. As a culture, we are losing touch with being able to feel/notice our own sensations and to recognize and name them. How can we trust and hear our bodies and minds if we never stop the busy-ness and put away the screens in order to turn inward now and then throughout our day?

Sniffing and tasting wild chives.
Time for mud gloves!
Wild onion/garlic flowers.
So much to look at in every direction.
Sticks make excellent tools for learning about levers and fulcrums. They provide ways to extend body awareness and develop coordination. We learn how to use them safely.
This was in our path. Some went over and others went under. How to decide? Check in with yourself. What feels right?
Every day we practice recognizing poison ivy. Eventually they will notice it without even trying.
The creek edges are particularly sticky this year!
We need a whole set of these 2 way viewers!
There’s fungus among-us!
They climb what is available.
Balance, strength, estimation, and just-enough risk.
Mrs. Webb is the best fort-building guide! She engages without pressure and knows just when to step in or step back.
Spontaneous team work.
Adults should play too!
Engineering in action.
Taking and waiting for turns is no small feat. The self-control and patience involved are life skills we all need. This group already has sharing down cold!
Being gentle with smaller creatures.
Some of us choose solitude in nature.
Slug, snail, or toad magnified.
Kids noticed this odd growth on a wild berry plant. I guessed it was a gall and cut it open. Sure enough, we saw the pockets where the larva were before they bored their way out.
Examining nature treasures.
Seriously happy campers!
We assist when needed.
It’s not as deep as it looks. Nevertheless, we moved to an even shallower area after this.
Finding friends.

When I got home after camp today, I noticed a note I had made to myself earlier this morning. It said, “greeting with info about what they Know, Notice, or Wonder about a nature treasure.” My initial thought when I spotted the note was, “Darn! I forgot to do that!” Then I paused and laughed at myself. Any teacher of my generation will know I was plugged into the old, “KWL,” strategy. It has morphed into any number of different permutations over the years, but the point of it is essentially the same. But what struck me as funny today was it hit me that when children are engaged in learning through nature play, no one needs to prompt them to ask questions, share observations, or tell about what they already know. Because it is their nature to do all of these things on their own! In fact, a teacher would be lucky to get a word in edgewise between the questions, stories, and exclamations!

Our Morning Meeting is held beneath the shady arms of a single tree in a tamed expanse of mowed grass. Today the tree was raining seeds down upon us, which precipitated a mini lesson about how seeds that land in places where humans have stifled or destroyed the natural order of life, death, decomposition, soil, and new growth, cannot grow to make new trees. We began imagining aloud what if the seeds landing upon us took root and we grew trees out of our heads!? Always open to silliness, our imaginings expanded. The kids had us all laughing over the idea of acorns for eyes and branches growing from our noses or ears. As I reflect on this now, I see an analogy. Too often we adults get in the way of children’s natural interests and learning abilities. We have good intentions, like mowing under a tree, but maybe we need to get out of the way a bit more. Mow a lot less. Let the kids’ “seeds” land where they will, and grow in a place we have not prepared for them, and in ways that work for each individual. Let learning be organic and messy. Follow their lead and offer enrichment when needed, but step back too. When we force every seed to land in the same place, a place we have interfered with so much that nothing can grow there except grass that is never allowed to flower and drop its own seeds, there will be little to learn in that monotonous place. Our children grow rich in mind, body, and spirit when they are surrounded by diverse, natural, spaces where their seeds can all take root.

T.

Uncategorized, Woods and Wetlands 2022

Why Are There All These Trees in This Woods?

woodsandwetlands

Why are there all these trees in this woods?
~Kindergarten student while walking a path through a narrow, sparse, band of trees bordered by a tree-less swamp and a tree-deprived school playground.

I can’t find a stick. Will you get me a stick?
~Kindergarten student, surrounded by sticks after my “How to use sticks,” demo.

I used to think it was bad to get dirty, but now I know it’s okay!
-Kindergarten student happily applying “mud gloves” in hopes of holding an amphibian.

There’s bears out here.
-Kindergarten student who refused my assurance that there are NOT, in fact, bears out there.

What is a beaver?
Kindergarten student when a classmate guessed that a woodpecker hole in a tree was made by beavers.

I didn’t find any moss.
Kindergarten student upon looking around the moss-carpeted wetland where nothing but moss was green yet.

I love it out here! I want to stay out here all day. I want to stay out here all of the time. I want to sleep out here!
-Kindergarten student just before it was time to leave.

Over the past two weeks I thoroughly enjoyed 4 kindergarten programs in the wetland behind Lakes Elementary, and one of two first-grade programs along Rum Creek near Parkside Elementary. All three programs resulted in some very wet feet and legs for a few students, but the adventure was well worth the wet! (It didn’t hurt that the temps were reasonably warm and the sun was shining.) The quotes (above) were indications to me that these kids need to have a lot more nature play in their lives.

I can’t find a stick.

The context around the “can’t find a stick,” comment was that we were quite literally surrounded by sticks on all sides. There were new sticks that had been branches only yesterday. There were a couple dozen sticks cast-aside by other two kindergarten classes the week prior. No shortage of sticks. Not only that, but the children asking us to help them find a stick had not actually gone looking for a stick at all. And yes, I did strongly suggest to them that having a “good stick,” would be helpful.

Part of my safety spiel is always showing students how to safely use sticks. We practice how to look around us before swinging or waving a stick so as to notice whether we should move away from other people first. I model how to use a stick to measure and estimate how deep the water or muck might be before stepping into it. I demonstrate using a stick to help with balance as we walk along logs or hop from hummock to hummock. I encourage them to use sticks to dig or to gently poke at something if they aren’t sure about touching it with their fingers. Sticks are good for building forts or nature-art. Should we allow pretend weapon play with sticks? This may surprise you, but I think we should, in certain circumstances. Playing pretend anything helps children (with relative safety) get a feel for what it might be like in real life. “Role play helps the brain transform ‘what is’ to ‘what if’ and opens the gates to make-believe.” (A Moving Child is a Learning Child, by Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy,) and role-play also contributes to developing empathy.

Frankly? Sticks can be plain, old, fun to play with for no particular purpose and most, modern-day children have not had the opportunity to learn how to do so safely. They have always been told, “Put down the stick!” “No sticks allowed!” How would they have learned about sticks without actually using them? How would they learn how it feels to accidentally whack a nearby friend or to be bonked with a stick themselves? (This may hurt but is quite survivable! Valuable lessons learned!) Every mistake is a chance to learn and do better next time. What a fun way to learn the mathematical thinking that comes into play when determining which stick will break when leaned-upon, which sticks will crumble into decomposed soil, which sticks have the right length-to-height ratio? And the discovery that some sticks are large but very light-weight and others are heavy, and some float in water while others do not? Which stick will flow under the bridge faster than another and why? What made that stick stop under the bridge while the other one sailed freely right through? These are all activities that young children must be allowed to try. No adult needs force these activities or present purpose statements or learning targets. When turned out into a natural wild-space, kids will just do these sorts of things for the fun of it, but WE know they are learning valuable lessons about the natural world and their place in it. But I digress. (As usual.)

Back to my assumptions about what they already knew. What I evidently failed to intentionally point out or describe about my stick of choice included the following: its length relative to my height, its sturdiness that allowed me to lean my weight on it, and how to transform a too-long stick to a just-right stick.

After delivering my usual safety suggestions, I turned the explorers loose for about 20 minutes of just getting to know the space and how they could move around in it before I introduced our Exploration and Conversation cards. Instantly, I saw the results/consequences of my erroneous, basic assumptions. A few children had selected sticks no longer than their own forearms and thin as a whip. These “sticks” were carried firmly in one hand but served absolutely no purpose that I could see, unless it was as imaginary magic wands, (which is another valid use for a stick!) Other children hauled branches longer than they were tall, and these merely had an unbalancing effect or waved dangerously near the head of nearby explorers. Then there were those who either heard not a word I said about sticks or decided that they had no need for such things, and these intrepid adventurers went splashing happily off into the watery woodland with what was either blind confidence or complete disregard for possible consequences. And more than a few simply stood in place and announced that they couldn’t find a stick. In a word? Inexperienced. Even more inexperienced than I had ever supposed was possible.

Nature Deficit Symptoms?

I tell you all of this not to criticize nor to condescend. Yes, I was a bit flabbergasted. And I won’t pretend I wasn’t also amused and even a bit charmed by their innocence. But I also understood these little explorers would be okay out there, and I also understood how and why most kids don’t have these kinds of experiences anymore. I saw and heard that they were having fun. I knew they would learn some valuable lessons for the next time. I knew they were out there doing what kids naturally do if we get out of the way and we shut up long enough to let them do it- LEARN through nature play.

These young scientists were unwittingly hypothesizing and experimenting. They were developing their sense of their own bodies in space. These were kids without devices in hand nor in front of their faces. They were breathing fresh air and practicing balance, focus, coordination, perseverance, problem-solving, and determination. If allowed to do this daily or even weekly, they would quickly begin growing their self-confidence, strength, self-assurance, curiosity, and self-reliance. What would they lose? They would begin to lose some of the effects of stresses that modern life, particularly during these past 2 years, has placed heavily upon them. They would become more resilient in response to future stresses. They would build a sense of connection with something bigger than themselves. What teacher or parent wouldn’t want all of that for their children on a regular basis?

What’s a Beaver?

Me: “What do you think made that hole in the tree?”

Student: “A beaver.”

Another student: “What’s a beaver?”

Me: “A brown, furry animal with a big, flat tail that lives in the water and makes a big house out of sticks. They have a secret underwater tunnel up into their cozy home. They-“(interruption)

Student: “What is it?”

Me: “What is what?”

Student: “That you were talking about?”

Me: “A beaver.”

Student: “What’s a beaver?”

Me: “ummm. Never mind. A woodpecker made that hole, anyway.”

Student: “What’s a woodpecker?”

T.