Fishing, tasting, and working our way into our new groove!
In our weekly faculty meeting Kylie and Ashley reported that one of the highlights of their week was seeing the children try new foods! They noticed even more interest in the special food that Kim prepared as the week went on! We know that the more we can make meals a social and sensory experience, the more engaging children find them. Discussion about the beautiful colors in our quinoa this week brought children into a curious mindset. Sylvan tested his hypothesis that the “white” foods would taste the same and then reported his findings: “This stuff is tang-dy, and this stuff is not!”
Every year as we watch children fall in love with beloved and new play sites throughout the forest, they find their own groove in play. This class is VERY into pretend fishing off of the bridge! They’ve also named the area under the bridge “the hole”. Seeing play patterns and naming procedures happen so quickly during our short three-day week is so affirming!
Week 2’s new addition, the AFK “adventure vest”
A big part of our work this week was establishing procedures and jobs - Educators and children alike! At check-in, we have been so proud to to see the children get familiar with their three “jobs”, 1) have their temperature taken 2) put their backpack in the wagon 3) put their water bottle in the basket. This week we will add a fourth and fifth job —putting their “adventure vest” on before they go to play AND washing their hands! The children have been so eager to help with pushing wagons, getting things set up at the site, helping to get the full load of supplies back to the pavilion at the end of the day by carrying their own backpacks for the final day’s hike!
Oliver is such a beloved part of the group already! His deep connection with nature and his “big kid” presence is such a calming force for the children. Here Luca observes him doing some homeschool work that he lovingly describes to his young friend.
The children also loved having our substitute Hamlin with us for all three days this week. Hamlin is a music teacher and brought instruments to share! It was prompted by Luca’s love of drums, and led to some jam sessions and impromptu song sharing. We love that Hamlin formed some strong bonds with the students and we will miss having him daily but we know that easing back into the hands-on portion of our parent-cooperative model will bring so many benefits!
The game “Fire in the Forest” was a hit this week. Cooperative games and familiar outdoor activities such as sidewalk chalk are such a great way to get our group dynamics and general comfort in the outdoors established. This group of children is highly sociable and nature-connected already. They are going to have a great year together!