The Environment as a Teacher: Gutters & Water

We recently added some new loose parts to the Outdoor Classroom: GUTTERS! I set up the gutters on the yard as shown, but we gave no specific instruction on how to use them. 

Our Pre-K students noticed the gutters right away and began pouring the water down the gutters and into a bucket. 

As the water spilled over and flowed into the hole, the students realized they could make a river. With enthusiasm, they grabbed small shovels from the crates and requested our "real" tool shovel so they could make trenches and rivers in the sandbox. 

They worked cooperatively for approximately 30 minutes with barely a word from the teachers. As the children dug their trenches, connecting several holes that had been built by multiple children, and as they watched water flow through the sandbox, I took a moment to reflect on the capability of children to create knowledge from their environment. In the 30 minutes they spent on this project, they learned about force, flow of water, angles, absorption, and so much more. Could we possibly have taught them all of that in circle time? I think not.

The well designed environment IS a remarkable teacher in and of itself. Don't you think?

Snowball Targets! SNOOOOOW FUN!

We don't get snow in Southern California, and so if we want to have the experience of throwing snowballs, we have to make it ourself. We were a little concerned with letting the children go all out with an unbridled snowball fight, so with a bit of prep, we created the most exciting dramatic play thus far - SNOWBALL TARGET PRACTICE!

With the help of some coworkers, we strung several lines of string from the school wall to our patio overhang. I then hung targets from the strings. I varied the heights and the depths of the string for added challenge. We draped a sheet at the back to catch the flying snowballs and prevent them from smashing into the Art and Language table. A flat wall would work, too, but I was pretty sure that my director would not have appreciated the thump, thump, thump of careening "snowballs" hitting her office window!

To create a defined space, we laid tires along the edge of the space. We put chairs behind the chairs to create a viewing and waiting area. Of course, we provided winter wear such as scarves, mittens and fluffy hats to get into the winter mood!

We provided a large crate filled with "snowballs" (see below) and allowed 2 children at a time to stand on the bales of hay and launch their snowballs at the targets. We allowed each set to empty the crate. The children all cheered for each other when someone hit a target and all of the children helped in the cleanup each time the crate was emptied.

The enthusiasm for this activity was so high and all of the children (and many of the parents!) wanted a turn. I even saw a few teachers practicing their aim with the targets. We did have one teacher stationed at the center to keep everyone in a "festive" mood and to regulate the queue.

The snowballs are Ziplock bags filled with packing peanuts. I used strong clear packing tape to seal each bag into the shape of a ball. The targets are simply laminated construction paper. We had a snowman die-cut, so I added the snowmen for extra appeal and told the children that the goal was to hit the snowman.

This is by far one of the most exciting events we have set up on the yard (there are many exciting things that arise on the yard, but this one was intentional). It was a hit with the children, parents and teachers! The snowballs could also be used for a controlled snowball toss, or even a {monitored} snowball fight.

And so, WINTER has officially arrived in SoCal! Yippee!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Boxes, Boxes and More Boxes!

You know, it always make me laugh how we feel the need to buy expensive toys for kids. It seems we fill that if we offer an expensive toy, their imaginations will be able to unfold like a butterfly's wings. We spend and we spend, and then we are frustrated that the children are not playing with the toys on end as we would hope. Well...out with the spending...grab some boxes for endless fun!

This week we added some painted boxes to our Outdoor Classroom. The children had painted them over the past week under the trees in our art center. They painted A LOT of boxes. They also painted the tires that we used as blockades from the bikes, the side walk, and the concrete around the garden bed. Hmmm...we'll have to work on that! Most of the children were also fairly covered in large blotches of paint as they forgot that leaning against a large, freshly painted box could be a slightly messy affair! I also saw a lot of the two year olds squishing the paint-filled rollers in their hands and watching as the bubbles of paint squeezed between their fingers. We did say it is the process that count, right???

Each day, we added new boxes of all shapes and sizes. We also changed up the colors and varied the painting tools each day, using brushes, rollers, etc. On one day, I only put out the color green. Our project focus was dinosaurs, so the big green box became a "Boxosaurus" (created by my imaginative coworker). We cut holes into the front and the kids had a go of throwing soft balls and beanbags into him.

This poor guy looks like he had a rough night...little did he know what he was REALLY in for!

 Of course, many of the kids did try to get into the holes, but hey, that's part of the fun. The kids had a blast!

Once all the boxes were painted, we put them into the block center for the kids to play with. I did tape some of the boxes shut, but left some open as well. This station was filled with children for the entire week. Many of the boxes had to be "retired" throughout the week, but somehow we managed to replenish our stock with other boxes we found lying around. The kids have asked to keep the boxes going for another week...perhaps we should add some extra fun and make a "whole body pendulum" like the one I saw on Teacher Tom's blog (check it out...it is quite a sight!)! Nice work, Tom!

Did you know? Painting boxes allows children to develop fine, gross and stabilizing muscles. Painting on vertical, flat, and horizontal surfaces forces the children to stand upright, bend down, reach, and change motions as they paint! 

The Outdoor Classroom Concept

There has been a lot of chatter lately regarding the Outdoor Classroom concept. This site will focus primarily on how the concept is being applied within the realm of early childhood, but it can be beneficial to elementary grades and beyond. The concept certainly isn't new...it simply seems forgotten and underused. 

The Outdoor Classroom (aka "the play yard") is a learning environment where teachers provide a selection of thoughtfully planned activities filled with social and cross-curricular learning opportunities. The yard is designed to support positive development of the whole child and allows for pockets of creative, cognitive, quiet, and active play. Included in the Outdoor Classroom would be experiences in dramatic play, sand, water play, sensory activities, nature art, music & movement, blocks & construction, gardening, caring for animals, and art (basically, everything you would find inside the doors of a typical preschool classroom!). 

According to the American Heart Association, children need 60+ minutes of physical activity per day. They need to develop motor skills such as running, climbing, dancing, hopping, jumping, swinging, and balance to gain the coordination needed for strong motor functions and self esteem. Safety is also a factor as children who are physically competent are less likely to get hurt when taking physical risks. However, in addition to physical activity, The Outdoor Classroom is a very unique opportunity to serve both active and quiet children alike. While outside, children can use their whole bodies to learn in a way that isn't possible in a confined indoor environment. Children can be louder, more physically active, messier (we all know that one is popular!), and they have increased feelings of independence. Children also benefit from being in nature and experiencing the natural beauty of the outdoors. This is particularly true for children who are depressed, angry, ADHD, or ADD as studies show that nature has a very calming and therapeutic effect on children (Louv, 2008). Try to think back to your favorite memories. Most often, positive memories will take place outside. In a world where children spend hours indoors and in front of screens, it is more crucial than ever to restore the joy and sense of wonder that comes from being outside.  Please enjoy browsing my website. I am the Outdoor Curriculum Coordinator at a preschool in Southern California and I have a passion for sharing and exchanging information with other educators. I hope you will find the photos and blogs informational and inspirational. Throughout the site you will find tips and ideas for yard design, activities, photos and practices from my own Outdoor Classroom, recipes, related research, and real-life experiences (both good and bad!). At times I will post an abundance of photos, representing an entire thematic unit. At other times I will post a single activity that was either really fun, strengthened a particular skill, or promoted creativity and problem solving. As much as possible, I have tried to include links to other great websites and blogs from fellow educators who have the same passion, creativity and inspiration to make the education of young children a priority. In my blog I have included thoughts, grumbles, and victories on various subjects. Please feel free to send your comments, ideas and questions...this site is for you! Welcome to the Exploring the Outdoor Classroom!