This winter has brought us some snow and cold to experience in our outdoor play times. We have had crunchy, snowy forest walks and enjoyed finding ice wherever it may be. The children had a HUGE ice cube to hammer when their sandbox pump froze. Later, the melted snow gave us so much mud to use for "cooking" and "baking".
When it has been cold and windy, we've created a hay bale house to stay warm or eat lunch in while we hear a story.
Now that the snow is no longer with us, our sleds have been used inside to work our muscles pulling our friends around the wood floor.
When it has been cold and windy, we've created a hay bale house to stay warm or eat lunch in while we hear a story.
Now that the snow is no longer with us, our sleds have been used inside to work our muscles pulling our friends around the wood floor.
I had never thought I would say this, but I've been grateful for the abundance of concrete in the play area. We have been able to add all manner of riding toys that each work the body in a different way. We have three-wheelers, scooters, sit-down rollers that you pull yourself along using your legs, tricycles, a wagon, cars, and now a pedal-less bike. The latest endeavor by the children is to create ramps and to ride the different vehicles up and over the ramp. These ramps, being made by the kids, need to be frequently adjusted and they have to work to align the wheels up with the edges. Or, they use the slide as a ramp for the two wheeled bike. This type of play, though it has it's risks, aligns the brain with the body to carefully learn about the necessary movements and muscles required to do such tasks. I feel that it is my job as a child carer, to protect this time for their brain development.
I've been thinking lately about the children's relationships to their peers and how necessary it is that we allow them this time to work through difficulties with one another. One of my goals is to give them the overall sense that the world is good, and that their peers are good as well. This is difficult to obtain if we push a child through a day of worksheets and "stations". I think about how some children, when they get hurt, really are not interested in attention or comfort from myself, but reach out to hold tightly to one of their friends. I've watched these young children hold tightly to a crying friend, letting that child really pour out their tears, not letting go until they feel better. I think it's crucial that sometimes I allow the children to take over the comforting of their friends. I want their future selves to have a sense of brother and sisterhood with one another.
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