For the most part, recently we have been learning about what animals do to survive in the colder temperatures, where they live and what they eat. Through discussions we discovered that some animals hibernate to stay alive during the winter months. We read some books (both fiction and non-fiction) about hibernation and then together we brainstormed about types of animals that hibernate. The children came up with: Bears, worms, frogs, and bats. We learnt that some are deep sleepers and others wake up to eat sometimes!

One day after reading a book about hibernation, we sent the children off with the suggestion that they could choose an animal to be and build a home to hibernate in. The children put themselves in groups and went off to find a spot for their shelter or den. Most children chose an animal, collected materials, found a location, and made a plan. Many were worms, beavers, bears, bats and then there were some wood bugs! Over the next few days structures started to emerge, plans were made, discussions had, ideas changed, groups changed, animals changed and most of all the children changed. Working together in teams there were children drawing plans on clip boards, collecting branches larger then themselves, gathering pinecones and leaves, building and of course there were the children supervising! First the structures looked like branches placed around them or a whole dug in the ground.

 As the days passed Lisa and I offered some questions:

Will you fit in it?

Will you be safe from predators?

Will it be comfortable and warm?

Will you have enough food?

Will it last the whole winter?

 Is it water proof? Does it need to be?

 This is when the dens really took off. The children started to build their shelters higher, but soon realized with a roof they didn’t fit in. Working together one group moved all of their bark and branches over to the tree and leaned them up on against it.  Five teams and about five dens emerged. There were elaborate bear dens with toilets, air fresheners, decorations and doors. There were dens that 3-4 children could fit in at a time, with roofs that were actually pretty water proof. There were wood bug houses with long tunnels with bedrooms and of course a castle. The branches that the children were moving were very big, heavy, and awkward. They dragged them across the site to their shelter. When they had finished building it, they made bathrooms and bedrooms in their shelter. For some reason, it was imperative that every shelter needed a bathroom!

Over the winter break the dens held up in the weather. When we come back after two weeks the children went right back into their same groups and shelters, and engaged right back into the same dialogue as though no time had passed. Many children collected branches, mud, and small sticks to “fill the cracks” so that they were more water proof (It was really rainy the first few days back).

Lisa and I were both amazed how fast the children got into groups and started this project. How much teamwork there was as well as how the play progressed and developed. The children were constantly engaged in negotiating and dialogue about what they were doing. Some children were the planners, others the collectors and some the builders. We noticed new friendships bloom and children who normally don’t play together successfully, work together to create something magical.

 Children discovered that some branches work better than others, and that making it between and under fallen trees is a perfect dry place to build a den. They measured the branches and sorted the longer and shorter ones, and felt their weight differences. When they were building, we noticed the children figuring out which branches would fit where, and that the smaller ones were better for the door area. The climbed their dens to see if they were strong enough to last the winter. They hung cedar because it smelled good and helped them keep dry. They also discovered that bark made a good roof, and kept them the driest.

 From this we will start to go deeper into shapes and measurement concepts as the dens have made some interesting shapes and the children were able to engage with many weight and measurement concepts. The environment has allowed us to start to explore 3D shapes by finding materials around us and then using them to create new shapes. Another very fun time at Nature Kindergarten!

We had a good turn out for our first Nature Kindergarten Experience with Continuing Studies at Royal Roads University. There were thirteen enthusiastic and engaged participants who were eager to hear about the Nature Kindergarten.  We shared some of the history of the project and stories of the children’s participation from the beginning of September. It was valuable for us to hear what participants were the most interested in and what information was most valuable to them. Some of the comments were– “Thank you! Very inspiring!” “Thank you for this delightful morning.”

 A morning is a short time to share all we have learned over the past two years!  We will share further insights in April and try to build on suggestions from the participants from the December workshop.

(Prepared by Dr. Enid Elliot, Co-Facilitator of the Session)

Please visit the Royal Roads University website to learn more about upcoming sessions.

From the start we have focused on building respect, empathy and a community. With this foundation, we are focused on promoting interactions that foster care taking within the group and the environment that surrounds us.

An example of how this happens throughout the day starts with a child noticing and checking on a friend who is sitting by himself. That child then takes it further and asks if is ok, what they can do to help and then sits with him until the problem is resolved. Another example is a child getting a tissue from their own bag for a friend who is upset and then inviting them to play. They encourage and teach each other constantly. One child was having a difficult time climbing up a tree and another child said “Just take your time, that’s how I got good; if you hold up here you can pull yourself up higher. But it is hard because it is slippery”.  They notice what each other are doing and want to help out. One day a child was saving sticks for another child because she knew he was building a castle. When one child is trailing behind, another will notice, wait and walk with them until they catch up. They also help keep each other safe. One morning a child told another who was lifting a very large branch “I think you should put that down, that big stick isn’t safe”.

 We foster a lot of self regulation skills and we are constantly watching children helping each other self regulate. One child was getting very silly so another child went and gently placed her hand on that child’s head and whispered “stop and think”. This is a tool we have given them, we will often tell them to stop and touch their own heads and think about what they are doing. This little girl noticed that the other child hadn’t mastered this yet, so she helped him. Sure enough he touched his head and replied “Oh, ya” and then put down the rock, took a breath and carried on his way. You can guarantee if one child falls in the forest all twenty children will be there to help them up and make sure they are alright. This is something Lisa and I have focused on, and we attribute a lot of our success to the amount of time we spent on building a community of learners. A positive outcome from this is that they truly are a community of learners working in collaboration to create meaning and grow together.

This carries through to nature in many ways. They are always looking for garbage, and things that don’t belong in the forest. They know and will remind each other not to pick living things and are becoming aware of their impact in the forest. We don’t bring anything back with us from nature, and the children will tell you that it is because it belongs to nature and the creatures of the forest.

Recently the children discovered an owl that was no longer living sitting up on a rock. Having been interacting with the idea of living and non living things, the children understood pretty well what this meant. They sat with this owl for a few minutes every day for a week, learning about what kind of owl it was, why it was there, how it got here and what would happen to it next. The day that left the biggest impact was not the day we researched the owl but the moment the children’s respect and empathy for the owl shined though. This was the moment they decided to make a circle around it and each say something nice to the owl. “We care about you” one child said, another offered “I hope you had a nice life”. Another child told the owl it was beautiful while another sang it a song. These children are becoming emotionally and spiritually connected to this forest and have taken ownership over its well being. They can identify and name the invasive species and see human impact including their own. Care taking is such a simple thought, but is embedded in much of the daily interactions in Nature Kindergarten.

(Written by Erin Van Stone, Nature Kindergarten ECE)

More rain brought many more worms which lead to counting and exploring the wonderful world of worms more in depth! When it rains we have noticed many worms on our trail and in our site. We have been learning lots about worms such as what and how they eat, where they life, and how old they can grow and the names of their body parts. After a book and discussion about all about worms, the children set out to discover and find them on the field and in the sand pit. As the children explored the ground for worms, they noticed the many differences between worms. “Some are fat and come are skinny” a child reported. Other children reported that the best place to find worms were in “soft soil and sand”. Some children created homes for the worms incase it rains and another group created a boat for worms so they could sail the river and not drown! What amazing problems solvers they are. After spending some time exploring the worms they chose one to interview. With a clip board, pencil and measuring tape the children discovered how long and old the worms were. Many drew or traced the worms and wrote down the word “saddle” (the middle bump of the worm that holds the eggs) as well as the age of the worm.

The next day, Ms. Lockerbie introduced our new classroom worm compost! We had been saving our fruits and vegetables to feed to them. The best part is that the worm play didn’t stop there! For many days later the children, during play time dug for worms at our site as well! They figured out that any worms they collected should go into our compost bag! They also found out that is was sometimes difficult to get them out of the ground because their bodies anchored in. For the rest of the week the children counted, named, spelled and measured worms. They created conclusions about previous assumptions they had about what it was like to be a worm and discussed their findings with their classmates. These discussions lead them to discovering that worms hibernate! From there we introduced and discussed what other types of creatures hibernate… and that leads into our next week of learning and exploring.

The children’s ability to gather and retain facts on any subject of interest is remarkable. The most amazing part is that you provide them with these facts, ideas or questions and then they come in with their own. Then with ease and excitement they then get to see firsthand the life cycle of a worm, where the eggs are kept and which side is the head. They have the opportunity to notice where worms live and when you see them more. They are able to hold in their hand a small worm and a large fat one. The facts are then tangible and become alive in their hand.

Nature Kindergarten Parent Information sessions will be held:

Saturday, January 12th, 2013 from 10 am to 12 pm at Sangster School

Wednesday, January 16th, 2013 from 7 to 8:30 pm at Sangster School

Journeys of the Heart Program, Wishart Elementary,  Date and Time to be Announced

Please note that the same information will be shared at all sessions.  Application forms will only be available at the parent information sessions, and on the day of registration, February 5th, 2013 at 8 am.  There will be no other opportunities to obtain an application form.   Parents without an application form will be asked to wait in a separate line on the morning of February 5th.

Please read the updated Registration Process notes on this blog carefully.

In New Zealand, Kindergartens are for children who have not yet entered primary schools.  Most Kindergarten programs are moving away from half day programs to full day programs.  Mangere Bridge Kindergarten, outside of Auckland, is in the midst of this transition.  I had a chance to visit Mangere Bridge Kindergarten recently and was impressed by how they use their outside spaces for learning.  Hopefully, the photos will give a sense of some of the possibilities.  One of the ECE’s informed me that most equipment is placed in a different position outdoors every day.

The older Kindergarten students visit a local farm once per week.  They arrive at the site, rain or shine, and then walk across this educational farm and make their way back to their Kindergarten.  This experience was inspired by the forest preschool model that exists in northern Europe.

Wow! There have been so many amazing learning and exploring opportunities recently, it’s tough to decide what to report from the forest this week! Our new site has definitely become a favorite for us. It is a perfect walking distance and the children have created slides, swings, jungle gyms, climbing areas and even catapults! This week the children had the opportunity to show John Abbott, their Nature Kindergarten outdoor classroom! John Abbott is a UK presenter on education and is the president of the Century Learning Initiative which is an initiative that focuses on new approaches to learning. The children shared with him their favorite climbing spot and slide. He stayed for a snack and a story, and the children shared their favorite parts about learning in the forest.

This past week to get to know the trees in our forest better, each child picked a tree to interview! Equipped with a clip board and pencil the children asked their trees questions such as: How old are you? How tall are you? What type of tree are you? What types of animals live in you? What kinds of bugs like you? They recorded the answers in the form of letters and drawing on their paper. When they were done their interview, they drew a picture of their tree. I even over heard one child ask their tree “Tree, does this look like you?” The children are expert tree identifiers! They know most the plants and trees we see on our walk down. They have learned about Fir, Maple, Oak, Cedar, and Hemlock trees, and are learning how many of the trees we see are evergreen. They love to observe the changes in many plants. Currently, the children have noticed that the Oregon Grape plants, Daphne, Horse Tail, and Skunk Cabbage are changing the most. 

On Friday, we talked lots about the significance of Remembrance Day and we had our whole school Remembrance Day assembly. That day we also read a book about fairy houses and the children worked in collaboration to build fairy houses for the animals of the forest. The children learned that fairies want you to only use natural materials to create the houses and they work best at the base of a tree. Going with the theme of Remembrance Day, the children created houses, as well as a hospital for soldiers.

The children have a huge interest in letters and letter sounds recently. You can see their interest in all aspects of their play such as spontaneously making letters with their bodies, writing messages on the trail, writing letters in their nature detective books, sounding out nature words, finding letters in nature and practicing their letter sounds by creating silly stories.

One of the biggest successes we have found is the community that has been created within our class. The children are so caring, and take care of each other. They are constantly negotiating and working in collaboration to create and explore. The team work shines through when they are building, gathering sticks, counting and carrying stick heavy rocks. It is a common sight to see children breaking their sticks in half for another child who doesn’t have one. Helping a friend who has tripped or who is feeling unsure happens without a thought. Children encouraging each other and asking a friend for help is second nature now. It is such as great feeling to have children who are such great caretakers of the group and nature.

 (Prepared by Nature K ECE, Erin Van Stone)

Licensed Nature Preschool for 4 year olds at West Shore Parks and Recreation

Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:00 -11:30am,  January 8 – June 20, 2013

Registration begins on December 6^th at 6am at Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre.

Each day your child will create, explore and learn about nature through play and hands-on learning. Children will deepen their understanding of the world around them; build a lasting relationship with their community and the environment.

Program led by ECE Educators. For more information please call Lori Argyle 250-474-5825

Last week, Enid and I had an opportunity to present at the “Nurture by Nature” conference in Rotorua, New Zealand.  The conference was well-attended by early childhood educators from across New Zealand and several from Australia.  There were approximately 500 participants! 

In keeping with local customs, Enid and I delivered our presentation bare footed!  We were pleased to present to a large audience of about 60+ people during one of the break out sessions on Day 2 of the conference.

New Zealand is well ahead of Canada in terms of adapting the European forest preschool model to their southern hemisphere context.  In New Zealand, Kindergarten refers to programming that takes place before a child begins primary school on their 5th birthday.  It was exciting to hear about the successes New Zealand is experiencing with “Bush Kindy”.