I added some new "loose parts" to our play yard this week. Loose parts are open-ended objects such as rocks, pine cones, boxes, tubes, etc. that can be used in a variety of ways, and most importantly, moved all over the play area. We had the pvc pipes brought to us last week by a family doing some home improvement, but this week I've added some crates and plastic cones with holes in them. These were used in all kinds of way by the kids. They work their large muscles in moving our heavier items around to build, and then experiment with sand and water to create pipelines, car ramps, or anything they may think up. Because all of these parts must be carefully balanced, the children must exercise patience in their experimental buildings. 

We also brought out some chalk this week. The children loved drawing on the concrete, the garden stones, the wood blocks, the fence, and marking their territory in the play house. They soon discovered that the chalk had a different effect if used on damp surfaces, and not only that, they discovered that if they swept it with a broom, it blended the colors! 

In the sandbox, I heard a group working together to decide whether they wanted a hole deeper or wider. Several children tried their hand at making it deeper and then they all decided they really wanted it BIGGER, and so they discussed with eachother what that meant and explained to the younger ones what they were looking for. It's so interesting to hear them working out these concepts with one another. 

Inside, we introduced some more "loose parts" in the form of some heavy duty cardboard tubes and cones. They were used primarily for stacking and balancing on one another. It will be interesting to see what else the kids think up! I also brought out an interesting play-dough made with corn starch and hair conditioner. The result is a super silky play dough, but somewhat crumbly texture. It was a hit however and the children enjoyed squishing, rolling, and cutting it. We'll experiment with different play doughs and textures over the next few weeks. We also read "Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy" by Lynley Dodd. We had read it once last Thursday and the children requested it again. They enjoy when I let them finish the sentences of the pages. 

Now that our afternoons are hot and the sun bakes our play yard in the afternoon, we are starting our mornings outside to take advantage of the shade and cooler air. This week, we were able to add some new "loose parts" to our play. One child's family is working on some electrical work and brought in leftover lengths of pvc pipe, which the children have been using for their own "electrical work". We also dug the hardened soil in our mud kitchen and added some fresh potting soil and water to keep it soft and malleable. The sun had baked our mud kitchen solid! We play for the morning, then wash hands and have a snack. After children finish eating, they begin to clean up the play yard. When everyone is done eating and cleaning, we all join together for a mini circle time where we play traditional circle games like "The Farmer in the Dell". Today, I introduced them to "London Bridge is Falling Down" which no one wanted to end, but it was time to go inside to cool down. These kind of circle games really work at the child's ability for self control. They learn to move together while holding one another's hands, not pulling too hard, but also holding on tight enough so as not to let go and break the circle. They learn to both sing and move at the same time which works on the child's co-ordination. They learn to take turns and also that sometimes, they have to accept not being chosen to be "The cheese" or "the farmer" and that we'll play again next time. These are important skills for the human task of working and playing with others. 

After coming in from outside, the children use the bathroom and wash their hands (and feet!) before coming to our circle. We start our inside time after snack with our usual circle followed by a story and if there is a project or it's bread day, we head to the table for that activity. This week I read some stories that I felt went along with some of their pretend play. One book was "Princess Sylvie" by Elsa Beskow about a princess who goes exploring in the woods with her father. Today, because we always have pretend play that involves our cats and dogs, we read "Hairy MacLary from Donaldson's Dairy" and "Hairy Maclary Scattercat" by Lynley Dodd. The language in the Hairy Maclary is very rhythmical and the characters have delightfully fun to pronounce names. I find these books are excellent for language development in children. They were originally recommended to me during my Montessori training. 

May has started and the smell of honeysuckle is all around us. The children have helped me plant some black eyed peas, squash, and zucchini and each day we pull weeds and water the seedlings. Our climbing spinach is working it's way up our tee pee and the children have begun to spot butterflies in the yard as well! Our circle movement time is all about a great big caterpillar who creeps and crawls around before turning into a butterfly, so it's nice to have a few actual butterflies join our play time! 

Inside we have been continuing to experiment with scissors and cutting different materials. We experimented this week with some yarn hanging down, to ease the difficulty of trying to hold floppy bits in the other hand. The children used the kite paper they had snipped last week to stick onto contact paper to make their own "sun catchers". The children have asked repeatedly for the story of "The Little Red Hen" and they have been using the props I used last week to tell the story themselves during their playtime. This week I read "The Little Red Hen" by Paul Galdone. They still loved hearing it. Sometimes you just hit on a story that they really enjoy, and ones with animals are always a hit. Having stories repeated to them, engages rather than bores them. They love being able to memorize the words and use them in their own play.