Head:
The children have enjoyed all the possibilities the rain has provided for cognitive development. The usual pouring and mixing experiments continue and when it’s time to warm up, or during our new “station” time between lunch and pickup, we’ve been offering the children various materials to explore. Kylie brought a memory game and knobbed cylinders to add to our activity offerings this week. Another possibility brought on by the rain and cool weather is learning about fire! This week Kylie caught a spark from flint and steel and gave a lesson on fire starting.
Heart:
We did more housebuilding this week! In his book, Children’s Special Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens, and Bush Houses in Middle Childhood, David Sobel says, “In these secret places, children develop and control environments of their own and enjoy freedom from the rules of the adult world.” Fort building can be seen as a practice of social competence, as these spaces involve child-created and managed rules and roles.
Ashley shared the story of the Apple Star Fairy. We’ve been cutting apples at snack time so the children have noticed the star shape inside the core. A retelling of this sweet story may be found here, should you like to tell it at home:
https://sugarspiceandglitter.com/our-waldorf-apple-story-with-a-montessori-twist/
Hands:
We found Puff Ball mushrooms on Friday, and a few friends loved sharing a discussion about the way these special fungi release their spores!
This week, we invited the children to participate in a bean sprouting activity. If you didn’t receive your child’s Ziploc bag of seeds on Friday, check their backpack! The students placed dried beans inside a damp paper towel. Hang the bag in a sunny window, and sprouts should emerge in a few days! We’ve been gardening regularly in our fall garden, and look forward to the children observing the beans sprouting as a visual understanding of what is happening beneath the soil in our garden beds.
Holism:
At circle time this week, we have been discussing the 4 directions. Kylie has demonstrated the sun rising over the field to the east, and explaining the way it sets in the west. No matter the season or time of year, this is always consistent. Directions and gardening are both beautiful examples of helping children to understand their sense of place in the world. These, as well as developing sense of place through revisiting consistent play sites in the forest, nurture a sense of connectedness, which helps build a strong social and emotional connection on which children thrive.
