Room 1 - Let's have FUN!
Ahmed / Abadalrahim - JK/SK
"To leave the world a better place than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people's trash."
- Bill Nye
"To leave the world a better place than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people's trash."
- Bill Nye
Pitching in to Put Trash in it's Place!
Every now and then, Ms. Kathleen will bring out a few garbage pickers and a reuseable garbage bag to help keep our outdoor learning space free from litter. It's a voluntary activity that helps foster awareness of the prevalence of litter, how we can take responsibility for our own garbage, feel a sense of responsibility and belonging to our school space, and gives us an opportunity to work together and build our fine motor skills. Win-win-win-win-win!
Pitching in to Put Trash in it's Place!
Every now and then, Ms. Kathleen will bring out a few garbage pickers and a reuseable garbage bag to help keep our outdoor learning space free from litter. It's a voluntary activity that helps foster awareness of the prevalence of litter, how we can take responsibility for our own garbage, feel a sense of responsibility and belonging to our school space, and gives us an opportunity to work together and build our fine motor skills. Win-win-win-win-win!
Found snow - will play.
- Room 1 Kindie Superstars
Found snow - will play.
- Room 1 Kindie Superstars
It's been snow hard to find snow this winter!
We were gifted a white OPAL yard and enjoyed all the endless play, movement, and creative options that opened up to us. It was snow wonderful! Snowriffic! Snowtastic!
It's been snow hard to find snow this winter!
We were gifted a white OPAL yard and enjoyed all the endless play, movement, and creative options that opened up to us. It was snow wonderful! Snowriffic! Snowtastic!
"Maple Syrup: a delicious reminder of the beauty and richness of nature."
- unknown
"Maple Syrup: a delicious reminder of the beauty and richness of nature."
- unknown
Marvels of the Maple
This year at Wilkinson, we decided to celebrate this special time of year (sometimes referred to as the Maple Moon or Sugar Moon) by tapping two maples! What better way to learn about this amazing natural occurrence then to participate ourselves right here at school?!
Marvels of the Maple
This year at Wilkinson, we decided to celebrate this special time of year (sometimes referred to as the Maple Moon or Sugar Moon) by tapping two maples! What better way to learn about this amazing natural occurrence then to participate ourselves right here at school?!
It's Maple Syrup Time (Dance Edition) 🎶
This class spent two weeks connecting with our maples! We enjoyed an Indigenous legend about why maple trees have sap instead of syrup; learned how the sap is only at this time of year and acts as food for the buds in the late winter; how it is a 40:1 ratio for sap:syrup; and how boiling away water is the way to make syrup out of sap - you don't add anything! One day we passed things around to learn about the tools and watched a video about Indigenous ways of tapping. We got to check out what sap looked and tasted like compared to syrup too! We also danced to some music (Move It Move It) to flow like the sap that was movin' it through the maples and then danced our joy out around the maple trees where the taps were to a great song called "It's Maple Syrup Time" that you can listen to here. I tweeted about our maple syrup learning here and here too. It really is such a special time that provides a great learning opportunity!🍁
It's Maple Syrup Time (Dance Edition) 🎶
This class spent two weeks connecting with our maples! We enjoyed an Indigenous legend about why maple trees have sap instead of syrup; learned how the sap is only at this time of year and acts as food for the buds in the late winter; how it is a 40:1 ratio for sap:syrup; and how boiling away water is the way to make syrup out of sap - you don't add anything! One day we passed things around to learn about the tools and watched a video about Indigenous ways of tapping. We got to check out what sap looked and tasted like compared to syrup too! We also danced to some music (Move It Move It) to flow like the sap that was movin' it through the maples and then danced our joy out around the maple trees where the taps were to a great song called "It's Maple Syrup Time" that you can listen to here. I tweeted about our maple syrup learning here and here too. It really is such a special time that provides a great learning opportunity!🍁
"It's not what we do for children, but what they are taught they can do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings."
- Ann Landers
"It's not what we do for children, but what they are taught they can do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings."
- Ann Landers
Independent Play and Taking Care of our Space
We went to a whole new space to explore together - the balance beams! Everything they did was independent. No helping them up, or down - no pressure to do anything. The pride and sense of accomplishment was amazing. This is the goal: independence, choosing your own challenge, and supporting one another. It was fun and full of growth. ❤️
Independent Play and Taking Care of our Space
We went to a whole new space to explore together - the balance beams! Everything they did was independent. No helping them up, or down - no pressure to do anything. The pride and sense of accomplishment was amazing. This is the goal: independence, choosing your own challenge, and supporting one another. It was fun and full of growth. ❤️
"The colour brown...is anything but nondescript. It comes in as many hues as there are colours of the Earth, which is commonly presumed infinite."
- Barbara Kingsolver
"The colour brown...is anything but nondescript. It comes in as many hues as there are colours of the Earth, which is commonly presumed infinite."
- Barbara Kingsolver
Brown is Beautiful
This story is an empowering book about recognizing the beauty around you and within you. While on a hike with her grandparents, a young girl takes note of all the things that are brown in nature and she collects beautiful brown things for a scrapbook to share with her new baby brother. She shares that "brown is you - brown is me".
Brown is Beautiful
This story is an empowering book about recognizing the beauty around you and within you. While on a hike with her grandparents, a young girl takes note of all the things that are brown in nature and she collects beautiful brown things for a scrapbook to share with her new baby brother. She shares that "brown is you - brown is me".
Connecting to Colour
After enjoying this wonderful story with lovely illustrations, we learned some great new vocabulary (i.e. expanse, vast, mustang, shimmering, freight, transport, stable, nurturing, potential) and indicated when we heard rhymes in the story. Then, we set out to find the many beautiful browns that are abundant around us both in the Learning Garden and all around Wilkinson! We matched the brown coloured pieces of paper to the natural objects we found around us and were surprised with the variety of colours and the beauty that is so abundant in shades of brown!
Connecting to Colour
After enjoying this wonderful story with lovely illustrations, we learned some great new vocabulary (i.e. expanse, vast, mustang, shimmering, freight, transport, stable, nurturing, potential) and indicated when we heard rhymes in the story. Then, we set out to find the many beautiful browns that are abundant around us both in the Learning Garden and all around Wilkinson! We matched the brown coloured pieces of paper to the natural objects we found around us and were surprised with the variety of colours and the beauty that is so abundant in shades of brown!
"Creativity is the art of creating nothing into a joyful something!"
- Vince Gowmon
"Creativity is the art of creating nothing into a joyful something!"
- Vince Gowmon
Imagination and Innovation for the Win!
Witnessing the growth and development of creativity and collaboration with these Kinder Superstars is inspiring. When we head to the OPAL yard, these kiddos get to making something out of what starts out as nothing. They build together, they play together, the put everything away together and the best part is that there are some very helpful souls in this class supporting each other while they do it! Sometimes they play as a big group, sometimes they naturally gravitate into smaller groups based on their interests that day. By truly allowing them the space to move and innovate, their imaginations take over and what they create is fun! Sometimes, a few clean-up keeners will workout their fine motor hand skills and use the garbage picker tool Ms. Kathleen has to tidy up this awesome space. Cleaning and playing add up to learning and fun!
Imagination and Innovation for the Win!
Witnessing the growth and development of creativity and collaboration with these Kinder Superstars is inspiring. When we head to the OPAL yard, these kiddos get to making something out of what starts out as nothing. They build together, they play together, the put everything away together and the best part is that there are some very helpful souls in this class supporting each other while they do it! Sometimes they play as a big group, sometimes they naturally gravitate into smaller groups based on their interests that day. By truly allowing them the space to move and innovate, their imaginations take over and what they create is fun! Sometimes, a few clean-up keeners will workout their fine motor hand skills and use the garbage picker tool Ms. Kathleen has to tidy up this awesome space. Cleaning and playing add up to learning and fun!
Let your heart emerge, as all the wild things do, with the return of the light... HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!
Let your heart emerge, as all the wild things do, with the return of the light... HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!
Winter: A Solstice Story
This story is a sweet celebration of the the Winter Solstice. A group of animal friends gather in a quiet forest to celebrate the longest night of the year, each bringing something to share in decorating a beautiful tree and sharing the light of the season.
Winter: A Solstice Story
This story is a sweet celebration of the the Winter Solstice. A group of animal friends gather in a quiet forest to celebrate the longest night of the year, each bringing something to share in decorating a beautiful tree and sharing the light of the season.
Wilkinson's Winter Solstice Tree
After learning about what solstice is and how we were heading into the day with the longest amount of darkness,we even took a moment to check out our SUPER tall shadows! Then, we took inspiration from the Kelsey E. Gross book we read and decided to honour and acknowledge this amazing pattern of nature by creating gifts of hope for a mulberry tree in the Learning Garden that we dubbed "The Solistice Tree". Using only natural objects found in the Learning Garden and without causing any harm to the plants, students got creative! A number of classes contributed and if you happened past the Learning Garden on the Solstice, you would have been treated to flickering tea lights and nature decorations. You can see my tweet about it here.
Wilkinson's Winter Solstice Tree
After learning about what solstice is and how we were heading into the day with the longest amount of darkness,we even took a moment to check out our SUPER tall shadows! Then, we took inspiration from the Kelsey E. Gross book we read and decided to honour and acknowledge this amazing pattern of nature by creating gifts of hope for a mulberry tree in the Learning Garden that we dubbed "The Solistice Tree". Using only natural objects found in the Learning Garden and without causing any harm to the plants, students got creative! A number of classes contributed and if you happened past the Learning Garden on the Solstice, you would have been treated to flickering tea lights and nature decorations. You can see my tweet about it here.
"The greatest invention in the world is the mind of a child."
- Thomas Edison
"The greatest invention in the world is the mind of a child."
- Thomas Edison
OPAL & S.I.F
The space at the front of the school yard is referred to as "The OPAL yard".
OPAL = Outdoor Play And Learning.
OPAL & S.I.F
The space at the front of the school yard is referred to as "The OPAL yard".
OPAL = Outdoor Play And Learning.
It's a great space offering open, free, loose parts for students to take charge of following their interests and learning. Kids can be active in this environment that supports creative expression and provides endless opportunity to create and challenge themselves. Play is the way to learn all of the things they need to know that aren't taught like cooperation, imagination, initiative, collaboration, resilience, and risk-taking.
It's a great space offering open, free, loose parts for students to take charge of following their interests and learning. Kids can be active in this environment that supports creative expression and provides endless opportunity to create and challenge themselves. Play is the way to learn all of the things they need to know that aren't taught like cooperation, imagination, initiative, collaboration, resilience, and risk-taking.
Free Play and Lots of Learning Outside!
This class is growing and learning in a play-based social context. They innovate, create, collaborate, and are working to be flexible in their thinking while they do it. They are given the space and freedom to follow their interests and wonderings which results in new ideas, insightful thought sharing, and jovial problem solving. I do tweet about time in the OPAL yard, feel free to check it out here.
Free Play and Lots of Learning Outside!
This class is growing and learning in a play-based social context. They innovate, create, collaborate, and are working to be flexible in their thinking while they do it. They are given the space and freedom to follow their interests and wonderings which results in new ideas, insightful thought sharing, and jovial problem solving. I do tweet about time in the OPAL yard, feel free to check it out here.
The only rule is to be SIF
Safe with our words, hands, land.
Inclusive of others.
Fun - lots of it!
"I found I could say things with colours and shapes that I couldn't say any other way."
- Georgia O'Keefe
"I found I could say things with colours and shapes that I couldn't say any other way."
- Georgia O'Keefe
Story: The OK Book is a clever book with a fun play on words as "OK" is turned on its side, upside down, and right side up to show that being OK can actually be really great! Don't know what OK will be when they grow up, maybe they'll be really excellent at something some day, but OK sure is having fun figuring it out!
Colourful Scarf Play that Really Was OK!
We really LOVE the story Ms. Kathleen read - the pictures are super fun. We even acted some of them out and joined in the song Ms. Kathleen made up too! Ask your child to sing (with the actions): I'm OK! You're OK! We're all O-K!
Colourful Scarf Play that Really Was OK!
We really LOVE the story Ms. Kathleen read - the pictures are super fun. We even acted some of them out and joined in the song Ms. Kathleen made up too! Ask your child to sing (with the actions): I'm OK! You're OK! We're all O-K!
Then we took our OK skills to the field with our colourful scarves. We were OK pancake flippers, catchers, kite flyers, and all sorts of hilarious things!
"Tell me a fact and I'll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever."
- North American Indigenous Proverb
"Tell me a fact and I'll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever."
- North American Indigenous Proverb
The Year the Roses Died
This story is from a book about Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings called "Plants have so Much to Give Us, All We have to do is Ask" by Mary Siisip Geniusz. We even heard Anishinaabemowin words for different animals including:
- waawaashkeshiwag (deer), bineshiinyag (little birds), aamoog (bees), memengwaag (butterflies), waabooz (rabbit), makwa (black bear) and more...
This story shares the Anishinaabe explanation for why roses have thorns (and why rabbits look the way they do)!
The Year the Roses Died
This story is from a book about Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings called "Plants have so Much to Give Us, All We have to do is Ask" by Mary Siisip Geniusz. We even heard Anishinaabemowin words for different animals including:
- waawaashkeshiwag (deer), bineshiinyag (little birds), aamoog (bees), memengwaag (butterflies), waabooz (rabbit), makwa (black bear) and more...
This story shares the Anishinaabe explanation for why roses have thorns (and why rabbits look the way they do)!
Learning, Moving, Listening, Creating
The story is worth retelling, ask you child what they remember! Plus, the lessons in the story are many: a caution against blame, only take what you need, be gentle with your hands, remember to keep things in balance, and much more. We used our bodies to add to the story because this story has no pictures!
Learning, Moving, Listening, Creating
The story is worth retelling, ask you child what they remember! Plus, the lessons in the story are many: a caution against blame, only take what you need, be gentle with your hands, remember to keep things in balance, and much more. We used our bodies to add to the story because this story has no pictures!
After reading this story, Ms. Kathleen sent us in search of the wild roses growing in the Learning Garden. Without flowers, we had to search for the thorns! We also found rose hips and learned all about this wild rose plant growing here!
"Don't worry, tree. I've got your leaf. I'll fix you."
- Fletcher from "Fox and the Falling Leaves" by Julia Rawlinson
"Don't worry, tree. I've got your leaf. I'll fix you."
- Fletcher from "Fox and the Falling Leaves" by Julia Rawlinson
Story: Fox and the Falling Leaves is a great story about Fletcher the Fox and his worries about the leaves falling from his favourite tree. He is concerned about nature and about his tree during the changing of the seasons. He tries to catch the leaves that the wind blows off, stop animals from taking the fallen leaves, tries to put the leaves back, but ends up learning that the tree is okay! It encompasses empathy, wonder, and joy.
Leaf Play
This week, we played and played and played with leaves, just like Fletcher the Fox. We enjoyed Fletcher learning that 'autumn' isn't an illness! We know the trees that loose their leaves are doing good things for the soil and for animals! We crinkled leaves, we tossed and caught leaves, we made 'leaf kebabs', we tried to put leaves back on trees knowing they wouldn't stay and some of us played memory with leaves and other natural objects! We also got to meet Ms. Kathleen's son because one of the days was "Take Your Kid to Work" day! He helped us with our leaf kebabs!
Leaf Play
This week, we played and played and played with leaves, just like Fletcher the Fox. We enjoyed Fletcher learning that 'autumn' isn't an illness! We know the trees that loose their leaves are doing good things for the soil and for animals! We crinkled leaves, we tossed and caught leaves, we made 'leaf kebabs', we tried to put leaves back on trees knowing they wouldn't stay and some of us played memory with leaves and other natural objects! We also got to meet Ms. Kathleen's son because one of the days was "Take Your Kid to Work" day! He helped us with our leaf kebabs!
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers" - L.M Montgomery
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers" - L.M Montgomery
Story: Full of Fall explores the changes trees undergo during the fall. We see amazing photos as the leaves begin to change from greed to red, yellow, orange, and a mixture of all the colours, to the shedding of the leaves as winter approaches.
Fabulous Fall
We just love all of the beautiful colours and loose parts that we can access all around us in the Learning Garden to make our own fall masterpieces! Some of us used shapes that Ms. Kathleen had, while others made our own creations from scratch. 🍁
Fabulous Fall
We just love all of the beautiful colours and loose parts that we can access all around us in the Learning Garden to make our own fall masterpieces! Some of us used shapes that Ms. Kathleen had, while others made our own creations from scratch. 🍁
"In some Native languages, the term for plants translates to 'those who take care of us'." - Robin Wall Kimmerer
"In some Native languages, the term for plants translates to 'those who take care of us'." - Robin Wall Kimmerer
Story: The First Blade of Sweetgrass is an 'Own Voice' Indigenous picture book story about Musquon who learns to distinguish sweetgrass from other grasses when going with her Grandmother for the first time to harvest sweetgrass for basket making. She learns that her ancestors have done this for centuries and she's careful to leave the first blade she sees for future generations.
Breathing it all in
We all listened to the stories, moved our bodies like sweetgrass dancing in the breeze that 'let go' with just a light pull when it was harvest time. We learned to be careful to leave the first blade of sweetgrass. We smelled braided sweetgrass from the Learning Garden because this is such a sweet grass! We are learning so many new things!
Breathing it all in
We all listened to the stories, moved our bodies like sweetgrass dancing in the breeze that 'let go' with just a light pull when it was harvest time. We learned to be careful to leave the first blade of sweetgrass. We smelled braided sweetgrass from the Learning Garden because this is such a sweet grass! We are learning so many new things!
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene
Wet, Dancing, Joy!
When Ms. Kathleen came to get us in the Kindie Yard, it was already raining. So, we played in the rain for a bit, then, we moved under the tree-brellas and the tunes came on! We started with some ABBA "Dancing Queen" then moved to songs to show how we feel ("Happy" by Pharrell Williams, "Better When I'm Dancing" by Meghan Trainer, "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake, and ended with our room 1 favourite, "You're Welcome" by Dwayne Johnson)! Sure, we were wet but we barely noticed because we were having too much fun dancing in the rain!
Wet, Dancing, Joy!
When Ms. Kathleen came to get us in the Kindie Yard, it was already raining. So, we played in the rain for a bit, then, we moved under the tree-brellas and the tunes came on! We started with some ABBA "Dancing Queen" then moved to songs to show how we feel ("Happy" by Pharrell Williams, "Better When I'm Dancing" by Meghan Trainer, "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake, and ended with our room 1 favourite, "You're Welcome" by Dwayne Johnson)! Sure, we were wet but we barely noticed because we were having too much fun dancing in the rain!
"Art takes nature as its model." - Aristotle
"Art takes nature as its model." - Aristotle
Artistic Knowledge!
We have become better acquainted with the Learning Garden plants so wanted a creative way to show what we know through some nature art we made. Some made art with the plant colours, others made a representation of the plants to teach others with, while others did a blend of both or something entirely of their own creation! What they all had in common is how lovely they are. Using nature as our model and inspiration, we made art. I tweeted about it on "X" here. We also spent some extra time with the sweet smell of cedar!
Artistic Knowledge!
We have become better acquainted with the Learning Garden plants so wanted a creative way to show what we know through some nature art we made. Some made art with the plant colours, others made a representation of the plants to teach others with, while others did a blend of both or something entirely of their own creation! What they all had in common is how lovely they are. Using nature as our model and inspiration, we made art. I tweeted about it on "X" here. We also spent some extra time with the sweet smell of cedar!
"Nature is not just a place to visit. It is home." - Gary Snyder
"Nature is not just a place to visit. It is home." - Gary Snyder
Story: Shi-shi-etko is a story about a young girl who leaves for residential school in 4 days and takes us on her journey as she counts the days down. Shi-shi-etko means she loves to play in the water .In the story, we see how she connects with her family who share valuable teachings with her and how she treasures the beauty of her world which she gathers bits of to remember while she is gone away. The illustrations let us know that it is the fall and we relate to the beauty around her while we look around our own school yard. I tweeted about it here.
Learning Garden Plants
We were inspired by how Shi-shi-etko wanted to know the plants that were in her familiar space. Ms. Kathleen gave out boards with a photo on it and we set out to find them in Wilkinson's Learning Garden! Like Shi-shi-etko, we also wanted to know: are these plants used for medicine? Can they be food? We also learned some interesting facts about the plants here in the Learning Garden. Over a few visits, we made a reference card of a few of them for our classroom! Ask your child, they just might impress you with their plant knowledge!
Learning Garden Plants
We were inspired by how Shi-shi-etko wanted to know the plants that were in her familiar space. Ms. Kathleen gave out boards with a photo on it and we set out to find them in Wilkinson's Learning Garden! Like Shi-shi-etko, we also wanted to know: are these plants used for medicine? Can they be food? We also learned some interesting facts about the plants here in the Learning Garden. Over a few visits, we made a reference card of a few of them for our classroom! Ask your child, they just might impress you with their plant knowledge!
"It is in the still silence of nature where one will find true bliss." - unknown
"It is in the still silence of nature where one will find true bliss." - unknown
Story
A little shrew had wonderful news - he wanted to tell the whole world, but it was too noisy! No one could hear him because they were busy making noise! This story is a beautiful plea for peace in a way that reminds us that we can make a difference by being present. Maybe, just maybe, if everyone, for just a moment, counted to three and listened, we would hear him share how to have peace on earth. Shhhh!
Story
A little shrew had wonderful news - he wanted to tell the whole world, but it was too noisy! No one could hear him because they were busy making noise! This story is a beautiful plea for peace in a way that reminds us that we can make a difference by being present. Maybe, just maybe, if everyone, for just a moment, counted to three and listened, we would hear him share how to have peace on earth. Shhhh!
Creating Our Peace in the Learning Garden
This book is perfect for us budding nature lovers! We took some time to really look at the Learning Garden. Being the great guests that we are, we said thank you for visiting this place and were sure to treat it well: leave nothing behind, take nothing with us, be gentle, and curious! We enjoyed time under the green leaves, finding all sorts of things, and stopping to smell the flowers.
Creating Our Peace in the Learning Garden
This book is perfect for us budding nature lovers! We took some time to really look at the Learning Garden. Being the great guests that we are, we said thank you for visiting this place and were sure to treat it well: leave nothing behind, take nothing with us, be gentle, and curious! We enjoyed time under the green leaves, finding all sorts of things, and stopping to smell the flowers.