This week was our first week back from Fall break, and it's amazing how much children are growing and changing just in the span of a few weeks! We celebrated 2 birthdays this week, so we were all busy bakers. Our birthday celebrations are a wonderful time to hear more about what the birthday child was like as a baby and how those first days, months and years went by! It's a lovely time for me as a teacher to be able to celebrate with the parents and child, and the stories shared are another way I can know your child as a whole person! I feel lucky to share birthdays with you.
We harvested our Scarlet Runner beans this week. They have a beautiful pink and purple speckled bean that is a real treat too find. They were used in play for all kinds of "soups" and I have a feeling they were re-planted in various places. I'm sure we'll find bean vines all over the place come spring! Next week, we'll be planting carrots, kale, lettuce, and arugula, seeing as how my first batch never wound up coming up. I have a good team of waterers with me now, so I'm sure to have more success.
I was reminded of how important the role of self-directed pretend play is in creating a mind that is flexible and creative. Allowing children the freedom to play and pretend will give them greater capacity for abstract thought and creative thinking. Take for example this conversation, and imagine if more adults and leaders could do this:
A: I'm going to the beach (heads to sandbox)
B: There's no beach. Oh, THAT"S the beach!
A: Wait, let's get a truck.
B: And build a road!
A: Yes we're building a road. (Child B pours water on the road)
Wait, don't pour water on the road, it's not a...river...wait...yes it is. Let's make a river!
B: Yes, we're making a river, I'll get some water.
The sandbox was a beach, then a road, then a river. By having the freedom to play, children are able to allow their minds to flow through different possibilities. This can lead to potential conflict with other playmates, but when they both have the freedom and time, they can create ideas that allow them both to play and expand on that play. Think of how helpful this is in later relationships!
A: I'm going to the beach (heads to sandbox)
B: There's no beach. Oh, THAT"S the beach!
A: Wait, let's get a truck.
B: And build a road!
A: Yes we're building a road. (Child B pours water on the road)
Wait, don't pour water on the road, it's not a...river...wait...yes it is. Let's make a river!
B: Yes, we're making a river, I'll get some water.
The sandbox was a beach, then a road, then a river. By having the freedom to play, children are able to allow their minds to flow through different possibilities. This can lead to potential conflict with other playmates, but when they both have the freedom and time, they can create ideas that allow them both to play and expand on that play. Think of how helpful this is in later relationships!
Our story this week (though I only told it twice because we heard the birthday story on Monday and Thursday) is about a little mouse who has to look for a house because his leaf has blown away and the Autumn winds are making it impossible to sleep under the leaves. With the help of wise owl and an Autumn fairy, he finds a pumpkin to make his home in and curls up, cozy and warm. We are singing songs about plants that grow up and plants that grow down and plants that twine round and round. So we say "The corn grows UP!" (jump) "And the carrots grow down" (touch the ground). "And the green bean vines twine round and round" (crawl around). I'll be sharing more of our circle verses and you'll notice that I try to include crawling as part of the movements. This is because crawling is actually an important movement that strengthens the connections between both halves of the brain and prepares the brain itself for reading and writing later on down the road! Many children skip crawling or go quickly to walking in their babyhood, and sometimes have later trouble with reading and writing. By playing and moving while crawling, it helps to give the child some extra time to use this beneficial movement! This is also why tunnels are often a part of our morning play time. I'll be sharing more of our verses and songs next week, and we will continue to hear about "Sweetpea" the mouse and his little pumpkin house.
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