FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC This story demonstrates facets of social and emotional learning. These skills are not easily measured and therefore, sometimes less valued; yet, they are foundational for future academic learning. I hesitated to write about this event. This was a deeply personal time for our youngest group, but the understanding and the expression that […]
Author Archives: Denise Snyder
E-, Two Sticks, and His Friends
This is the story of E-, two sticks and his friends. One morning, just at the beginning of our day, some friends were seated at the picnic table. Despite the chill, they were writing letters and discussing initial letter sounds. I was supporting their interest when E- came running up with two sticks in his […]
Inch by Inch
Don’t eat me. I am an inchworm. I am useful. I measure things. from Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni On a Wednesday at the Farm, our youngest friends were captivated by an unexpected guest that joined us for morning gathering. “An inchworm!” I blurted out. Oh, how I wish I would have waited to […]
Winter! (?)
…I have found no exact duplicate. In this inexhaustible storehouse of crystal treasures, what a delight is in store for all future lovers of snowflakes and of the beautiful in nature. W. A. Bentley – “Snowflake” Bentley “It’s too early. I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January.” – Lucy Van Pelt “They […]
Weaving, Webs
This post follows a thread (pun intended) that upon reflection, had its beginning in the fall when one morning, we added the card game Into the Forest to the classroom offerings. It’s a simple card game. Each card has an illustration of a plant or animal. If the card represents an animal, it has a […]
Welcoming Winter
We have been noticing the changes occurring in nature and in our towns and homes as fall slips away and winter approaches. We pondered what we do to get ready for winter cold. “We wear coats!” “And mittens.” “We dress warm!” We discussed how our forest friends also prepare for winter, and we read books […]
BIG Loose Parts
The natural materials of our outdoor location offer an abundance of “loose parts” that friends can use, move, put together, and change to become whatever their play or imagination requires. Some of these loose parts are BIG. Friends have built big with logs and planks. The logs are not uniform. They are large, heavy, and […]
Three Sticks and Learning Together
“To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks.” – A. A. Milne I found this quote a few weeks ago while I was looking for something that might describe some of the magical stick play we were observing in the woods. While it wasn’t what I was looking for, it did get me thinking. […]
Water Water
A few weeks ago, the weather promised to be delightfully warm. We took advantage of our freedom and flexibility and traveled to R.B Winter State Park to experience the waters of Rapid Run and Halfway Lake. We began and ended our day with a song by Matthew John Dorman called simply, The Water Song. Here […]