We've had a very warm winter, though it was nice to have a short taste of snow this winter. Our outdoor time has still been filled with turning on the hose, taking off jackets, and changes of clothes. One thing that the children have absolutely loved has been learning to do "under dogs" on the big swing, and pulling and pushing one another in the wagons. While of course it is the adult who is the go-to swing pusher, I like encouraging kids to ask their friends to push them instead. This may seem like laziness on the adult's part, but there are so many more benefits to children helping other children. The four year olds are proud of their unique ability to do an "under dog", and the younger ones just get a huge thrill each time a big friend does this for them. This encourages the older child to do it some more, and to get gratification from their hard work. There have certainly been some bumps as children learn that they must back up as a swing comes back towards them, but their growing delight in helping one another and learning to trust their peers is so much longer lasting than any bump.
The ground has stayed soft enough to continue to dig into it, and so water is hauled all around the play area, from sand box to mud kitchen, to experiment with different concoctions. While the poison ivy is away, we are also continuing our hikes as best we can. Picking vinca from the forest and using it to decorate mud cakes has been a favorite activity, as is nibbling some of the bitter greens and onion grass in the garden. It's even been warm enough to bring out the guinea pigs. Franny shuffled back up the rainbow bridge at the end of February, but she has a little spot beneath some parsley in our garden, and the other girls are enjoying having more clover to nibble all to themselves.
I like to say that February was a Valentine's month, as we spent the second half of January and the first two weeks of February actually making the Valentine's, and we weren't able to finish and pass them all out until the week after February 14th! Nevertheless, it was such fun to craft these Valentines together, and really, what else are you going to do in February? The children loved passing out their cards, and I loved thinking up different card ideas.
We've also added a few more story props and these children are always sharing a little story with one another.
We've also added a few more story props and these children are always sharing a little story with one another.
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