The changing weather over the last month has provided us with new and exciting outdoor learning opportunities, and the Preschool 2 children have been particularly intrigued by the rain.
One day, the children watched out the classroom window as rain fell down over the playground, and they began to make plans to play and splash in the puddles. When we arrived outside to put the children’s plans into action, we quickly realized that the sun had dried up most of the puddles! We decided to bring out a few buckets of water to add to the environment so that the children could carry out their ideas. The children got straight to work incorporating the water into their learning and play. We brought out a bucket of red water and a bucket of blue water, and the children filled containers, transported the water, mixed the water colours, added sand to the water, poured the water down ramps, created puddles with the water, and worked together to explore and experiment. There were plenty of meaningful conversations happening among the group as they worked. “I’m making red soup!”, one child announced as they used a spoon to stir a jug full of red water. “This is chocolate milk!”, another child replied as they observed the sand transform their water into a brown colour. “I’m making purple!”, a child explained as they used a small scoop to add both red and blue water to a large container. Some children worked independently, while others collaborated towards a common goal.
As educators, we always enjoy seeing the joy on children’s faces and hearing the excitement in their voices as they interact with materials that they are genuinely interested and curious about. This wet outdoor adventure opened our eyes to many individual wonders, theories, and passions that we can’t wait to extend on in our program!
“Through play and inquiry, young children practise ways of learning and interacting with the world around them that they will apply throughout their lives. Problem solving and critical thinking, communication and collaboration, creativity and imagination, initiative and citizenship are all capacities vital for success throughout school and beyond” (How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years, Page 15).
