In early Spring the children were
eager to go outside and explore the garden grounds.
Near our "thinking tree". They found a variety of rocks.
They counted and sorted by texture, shape, color and size.
They eagerly brought them inside to continue their exploratory play.
The Exploration
The children added their rocks to our "treasures from nature" shelf alongside collections of sea glass and shells. I brought in a variety of polished rocks and together we began our study of the earth's surface that was meaningful and curious to the children.
They created shapes
like stars and the
first letters of their names.
They used their senses of touch, sight and hearing as they studied the shapes, textures, colors and compositions.
It's a.....
"h"
horse
of
course!
Language of Painting
Black felt markers, earthy tones of paint, brushes and hands were ready at the easel to create "representations" of their experiences, observations and sensual perspectives of stones.
(ed. Gandini, Hill, Cadwell and Schwall, 2005. In the Spirit of the Studio).
Language of Words
The children repeated the elements of the earth that most intrigued them as they worked and played.
What emerged was a community of friends poem that was chanted each new day as they joyfully learned about the earth's surface.
"Rocks, dirt, sand and water
Rocks, dirt, sand and water
Rocks, dirt, sand and water
That's what the earth is.... made of! "
Documentation Panels
Making our learning visible was the last step, but not the final frontier! Photos, anecdotes, dialogues and expressions of the learning and joyful social experiences were documented on panels that hung in the classroom for children, families and school community.
These were very simple, with large photos and few words, but as a result, the children asked if they could use my digital camera to take their own photos of what they found outside and explored the next time.
And so... we did!
