Let Them Wander

Most of our outdoor time lately has been spent climbing on our plow-made snow mountain. This always provides a great place to burn a lot of energy and use a lot of muscles in a short period of time. There are always great imaginative games going on. Mountain climbing, rescuing, capturing and other adventurous ideas that naturally take place up high on a mountain. 

A couple days this week we were outside a little longer and the children started to do a lot of sitting and looking bored. I suggested that anybody who was interested could take "a hike" down to the woods, as long as they could still see me. The group on Thursday was especially adventurous and I eventually had to tell them they had gone far enough. 

"Given a chance, a child will bring the confusion of the world to the woods, wash it in the creek, turn it over to see what lives on the unseen side of that confusion. Nature can frighten a child, too, and this fright serves a purpose. In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy: a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace."

 — Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods

I love being able to zoom in from far away and get a better idea of interactions. 

Children need space away from adults to feel like they can have their own conversations. 

They feel grown up and trusted. 

Decades ago children were always outside in their neighborhoods exploring for at least half the day without adults. We have taken that away from children. Children are losing the opportunities to work things out with their peers without adults swooping in to "help" them solve their conflicts or give them the "right" words. 

Several times I saw one child turn and look back to make sure that I was still there. 

The world must seem so big out there with no adult. 

 For More of the Outdoor Play Party and these homemade Bird Feeders at 

Mud Mud Marvellous Mud.

Hidden Treasure: A Metal Playground

Many years ago I attended a conference where Lisa Murphy of Ooey Gooey Inc, was the keynote speaker. I enjoyed her keynote so much that I ditched the rest of my planned sessions for the day and attended only her sessions instead. 

One of the things she talked about was the old metal playgrounds and all the childhood experiences that are being taken away, because of adult concern for liability.  She often posts photos on her FB page about "spicy slides" she discovers in her travels. 

I don't usually share photos from my personal time, but this weekend on a mini-vacation to Campobello Island, New Brunswick, my family and I discovered one of these old playgrounds. 

We had so much fun. 

"When we strive to remove all risk from childhood we also remove the foundations of a rational adulthood, and we eliminate the very experiences that will help kids grow up to be the empowered, creative, brave problem-solvers that they can and must be. 

-Gever Tulley. Beware Dangerism!

Full sun: SO hot and spicy! Didn't stop them and nobody got hurt. 

For extra risk... the swinging metal ladder. :)

The evolution of playground equipment has been to this ever safer, less challenging, less interesting assemblies of equipment.

Gever Tulley

My kids love finding these on playgrounds. 

The Giant Metal Seesaw

Giant metal rocking horse, which was great for cooperation and teamwork. 

The shorter wider, Toddler slide?

Even if it isn't risky, my kids will find a way to make it so.

"Real protection means teaching children to manage risks on their own, not shielding them from every hazard."

 -Wendy Mogel (The Blessing of a Skinned Knee)

Mole Holes in the Snow.

I can't remember... Did the groundhog see his shadow in February?

The driveway is muddy. The snow mountain is brown and crusty. 

So last Friday we decided to explore the lower playground to get a different perspective on "Spring."

The preschoolers thought it was quite funny when I broke through the snow and sunk in as far as my hips. They were even more excited when it resulted in a giant hole for them to explore. 

Meanwhile....Last April

Of course one hole and several children was never going to work. Only because it was a warm sunny day and we are so very bored with snow, I willingly agreed to make more and more and more holes. 

Have you ever heard of a "pencil dive?"

"We are floating down the Lazy River"

We were having Snow Much Fun that an hour later 

I had to drag them inside for lunch.

Project 365: February 2014

February sure was a snowy month. 

The preschoolers started to lose interest in using the sleds when our snow mountain just kept growing bigger and bigger. 

Then we started to lose interest in winter all together.

By the end of the month (with a little help from a bucket loader that helped reclaim our parking lot) we had a giant cliff to climb and explore. 

The cold air also hardened the snow and we were able to walk on top of the snow back into the woods. 

I'm sure all this snow will be bringing us great mud and puddles in another month!

Our Science of Sledding

Our favorite winter activity at preschool is sliding down our "snow mountain."

Managing a small group of kids sledding seems to have become a science. Here's how we make it work.

We used to have classic plastic sleds, which are fun with a couple kids, but our new style sleds have proven to be amazing for a group of preschoolers. I get to spend a lot more time monitoring for safety and less time helping. We got ours from LL Bean, but I have seen similar sleds from other stores. It seems that people either really like these sleds or really dislike them. We have had nothing but success, but our hill is usually smooth. They really need a packed trail. 

These sleds are very light and easy to carry up the hill, which creates a lot of independence.

 It always takes a few sessions to create a smooth rhythm. 

To begin they have to master how to get on the sleds, which can be a little tricky at first for kids who haven't used them before. Scaffolding proves to be a great learning tool, with beginners observing the experts.

 We call them "horse sleds," which seems to help the kids understand that the handle needs to go in the front and that you can't let go!

Another great part about these sleds is the body control that they have to accomplish, it's practically yoga. They have to center themselves carefully on the sled and then lean back just enough and hold their feet up off the ground. It's amazing how fast the catch on. They also have a lot more control of stopping, because their feet are not in the sled. 

I usually have to prompt the children to hand their sleds over, but there is rarely a complaint. They know that the child will quickly be back to the top to hand it back again. Often, a couple children are off doing something else and there are enough sleds for everybody. I have considered getting more, but in some ways I think the turn taking is an important part of the experience.

There is a lot of opportunity to practice waiting, watching and being aware of others.The biggest challenge is helping them understand and remember that they have to walk up to the left of the sledding path. The kids waiting at the top also have to be aware and they do a great job waiting for kids and/or shouting out "look out below."

Of course, marching up the hill in their full winter gear is great exercise and usually yields a quiet nap time.

The Rope Game

On Thursday I heard a giggles echoing across the playground. I wasn't sure about the game I was seeing at first. Once I observed for a few minutes I realized it was full of cooperation.

 I love seeing the kids organize games on their own, by chance. I think this game started because there was not enough room for everyone to "swing." I was impressed by the give and take that was going on between a group of kids that aren't usually a unit. This game continued for at least fifteen minutes, with them switching places without even discussing it. 

Check out these videos to see it in action. 

Did you notice how in this video the kids are not even actually bumping the kids in back?

I'm sure this game will return in the future. 

We also had a lot of fun playing on a frozen puddle that we found.