We had a few planned activities and songs but then the children were given freedom to roam and explore the green space. We brought out magnifying glasses, clip-boards, paper and coloured pencils and let the children decide what they wanted to use them for.
Giving children freedom to take risks and chances in a safe environment is crucial for developing self-confidence and decision making skills. Natural materials and environments encourage expressive language, social interaction, critical thinking and imagination. Children blossom in this learning environment.
A couple of times the children were refering to the higher path as "upstairs." One child looked up and said "I love this place. This is like our home."
The girls exploring "upstairs".
We hid letters around the yard as a treasure hunt. Some of the letters were in obvious places, but some were strategically camouflaged into the background scenery.
She decided she would do some bark rubbings. We discovered that because the paper was so thick the best rubbings came from the wooden benches!
There is nothing more inspiring than nature itself.
She found a stick that was wrapped in vine tendrils and was inspired to do some sketching.
The girls snuggled up and did some drawings together.
He was one of the first to notice that the rubbings worked best on the benches. The benches are not finished so the knots and lines show up really well through our thick paper.
She was really excited about this little piece of rotting wood. It broke apart with even the slightest rub.
Showing us all of his findings from his investigating.
It's hard to tell in this photograph, but this was his rubbing that really turned out. If you look closely you can see a knot.
The girls sharing a tree stump to use as their table.
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