OUT!

We were outside today in the cold, but we were so happy to get there! The children were actually rolling down the hill on the soft pine needles as soon as we got into the woods!  One child asked me "Michele, can we have five more minutes?" and I said "Sure!"  When it was time to go inside, that child said "What about five more minutes?!"  I thought he meant he wanted to go in soon, but it turns out that he wanted to stay out longer! 

Until Next Time,
Michele

What Do I Learn From Playing Outside?!

Until Next Time,
Michele

Winter Woods

There were bridges to cross and trails to follow and then a lot of dirt to dig today.
The children gathered their sticks and found their familiar spaces to enjoy some time in the woods, unstructured but well supervised play for an extended length of time. The benefits of outdoor time for children are well documented:

"Free and unstructured play in the outdoors boosts problem-solving skills, focus and self-discipline. Socially, it improves cooperation, flexibility, and self-awareness. Emotional benefits include reduced aggression and increased happiness. "Children will be smarter, better able to get along with others, healthier and happier when they have regular opportunities for free and unstructured play in the out-of-doors," concluded one authoritative study published by the American Medical Association in 2005." ( http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/16/)


Sometimes it takes a while for us to get outfitted for our time outdoors-but once we have made it to our destination, the children embrace their time and space and are completely engaged for the hour or so  that we are outside. 

Until Next Time,
Michele

there was a lot of work happening here-scraping away the dirt from the roots of the tree-would it collapse?

Winter Cold!

 We headed out for an extended time of play in the snowy woods. Enjoy!

A Little Less Winter

 The PreK's look forward to their time in the woods when they can pick up sticks and hit  sticks with sticks and dig with sticks and walk with sticks. The woods were especially inviting today despite the lack of snow. There was a lot of climbing, digging for treasure, and sitting together on logs and branches. But, mostly, there were sticks.

Until Next Time,
Michele