The preschool classroom has made it a mission to take full advantage of the magical learning opportunities that our natural surroundings can provide us. We have spent the first weeks of school building a thriving classroom community and solidifying our sense of place. The majority of our days have been spent outside - playing amongst the trees.
Recently, we’ve noticed all of the changes on our FSP playgrounds - ushered in by the new season. Preschoolers have observed these changes during our nature walks. We have been noticing that more leaves seem to be falling daily and that our paths look different than they used to look. These observations have become the underpinnings of some really excellent conversations, and these conversations have led us down some great learning paths.
To extend our learning, we have referenced a handful of books. Preschoolers have worked to notice similar illustrations and find their own literacy links to what we’ve been seeing each day. Children have been able to make group and independent connections. We have shared collective excitement when we have noticed similarities between our reference books and our own FSP playgrounds.
The leaves, acorns, and pinecones have proven to be wonderful materials to sharpen other skills as well. Preschoolers have used these natural materials to create and extend patterns, to count within counting collections, to sort with and to classify, to order by size, and much more. The leaves have been used to decorate elaborate fairy houses. We’ve taken pinecones and used our fingers to thread pipe cleaners onto them, exercising our fine motor skills.
We’ve experienced much peace and simplicity in the rhythm of our days. It, undoubtedly, has stemmed from the preschool’s extensive time spent exploring and appreciating our natural world. We have been able to seamlessly weave into each day mathematical learning, literacy extensions, scientific inquiry, and more - all through the lens of the forest.
We look forward to more joyful, intentional, and peaceful learning adventures this year.