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Going on a lion, cheetah, turtle, coyote, tiger,cat, dog, snail, pig hunt: Animal Investigations.5/21/2017 Our animal investigation officially started in Feb when I asked the children what they know about animals. But it really started before that. This is a class of animal lovers. Last fall there was a lot of play surrounding the “stuffies,” most of which were cats. We took care of them, created a stuffy clubhouse for them in our loft, and even made our own stuffies. Animal play continued and I brought in a lot of animal toys and we created a vet office. Soon, their love for animal play was more “whole body.” That is, they wanted to be animals—mostly cats and dogs, with the occasional “teenage cheetah.” Springboarding off this love of animals, I decided to embark on an animal investigation. The first step was discussing what we already know about animals. Next we thought about ways in which we could learn more. As with any investigation, there are multiple ways to proceed. We could have learned about animals in general (mammals vs. reptiles, habitats, etc.), and we did a little of that. But what the children wanted to talk most about was their favorite animals, so we listed our favorites and decided everyone would learn about all the favorites together. While our favorites list leaned heavily on mammals, it was a nice variety with one reptile and a mollusk thrown in as well. Now the question became, how to learn about these favorites? We decided to get some books about each favorite animal. Off to the library I went. The day I came with books about everyone’s favorite was such an exciting day! We poured over them, soaked them in, and shared them with each other. Then, On Feb. 28th, we started learning about our first animal—turtles! Initially I thought we’d learn about a new animal each day, getting through our list in just a few short weeks. But it became clear that learning about each individual animal delivered such joy: joy in the discovery (turtles don’t have teeth!), joy in sharing knowledge (did you know, cheetahs have grips on their paws!), joy in hypothesizing (I think coyotes have bushy tails so they can wack predators), and joy in extending our learning into our other languages (songs/dances, artwork, etc.). So, we took our time exploring each and every favorite. We learned facts about the animals, we noticed the animals' bodies, we documented them through drawing, we re-created them through art, we became them through movement and dance. We noticed similarities and differences (lots of similarities in the cat family!) But something was missing—with all investigations I undertake with children I feel it is important to see the subject first hand. Where would we go to see animals? The zoo was suggested, but unfortunately, we don’t have one in Iowa City. And then, someone said, “I know, there’s a museum with dead animals (they still have their skin and fur, we were assured) in Iowa City!! ” And so, the letter was written and sent to the “Museum People” from the “human children at Preucil Preschool.” The response came back that yes, we could go, but we’d have to wait a few weeks. We made a calendar and counted down the days. We made plans about how to get there (the city bus!). And then the day finally arrived. 21 human 5-day children and 15 friends from the other class boarded the city bus and made our way to the museum. We split into small groups and each group took their time to look at the animals, to notice the animals, to see the details. Our weeks of study had prepared us to not just walk by, but to stop and look—really look—at the whiskers on the walrus, the hooves on the buffalo, the spots on the peacock tail, the shape and length of the monkey tail. We documented what we saw through drawings. We discussed with our groups, and later as a whole class, what we saw, what we noticed. And then, just like that, our animal study was over. We have a wealth of knowledge about animals that we didn’t have before. It’s hard to say how long those facts will be remembered. But what I hope will carry through into future school years is the joy we felt with the discovery, the surprise as we turned each page in our books to find out something new, the wonder we felt as we looked up at the enormous walrus. It’s never about the destination, it’s always about the journey.
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Can kids be protectors?
"Kids can be protectors. They can start out small, and when they get older, they can do bigger and bigger stuff. We can pick up trash from our yards, and when we are older we can clean trash out of lakes and rivers." --Louisa Pollution, water conservation, energy consumption—these are all complicated issues. But protection is something small children can relate to, so when our Earth Day discussions started focusing on protecting the Earth, I was not surprised. “We’re helping the world so it doesn’t die.” --Freida How do we do that? --with our hands! --turn off water when you brush your teeth. --don't chase animals. --don't kill the grass. --pick up garbage. --turn the water off when you're not using it. --put bird nests back if they blow down. --put paper scraps in the recycle box. --turn off the lights when we go outside. --don't break leaves and branches on trees. --give trees water. --if a giant picks up a tree, then plant a new one. In their world of monsters, superheroes, villains, and heroines, children quickly strap on their capes and become protectors of the world. My belief is that these young Earth protectors will indeed grow up to do bigger and bigger things They’ve got the world in their hands. The long winter brought us little snow, bleak landscape, and many indoor days, so it’s been awhile since we’ve thought about nature. But with the new growth and green-ness emerging everywhere we look, we have once again been viewing the wonder of nature. Again, there is a logic in the children’s thoughts mixed with magical thinking. It makes sense that leaves would have prickles to protect them from animals who might want to eat them, and of course, the wizards put them there. But best of all, the tiny leaves like children and that’s why they are fuzzy. --The leaves have prickles to protect them if animals want to eat them. --In the fall and winter the wizards put poky things on the branches and when the animals come and touch them, they dart away. In the spring, the poky things fall off and the wizards put new ones on. Then they grow. -- The pokys are poking me. They are for poking people and making them go away. The ridges are so the branches can get up higher. -- It has spots like cheetahs! The fairies make the seeds then the flowers grow. -- There’s some bumps, that means sometimes they wiggle when the wind comes. -- The poky ridges scratch the deer to keep them defended and also wasps and bees. -- The ridges on the stems protect the plant from leaf eaters. -- The little fuzzy leaves like children and they want to feel good for children to touch them and children love fuzzy things. But the poky branches don’t like people. -- That’s just how the world grew it. The child Is made of one hundred. The child has a hundred languages a hundred hands a hundred thoughts a hundred ways of thinking of playing, of speaking. As we were going along with our animal study this week, something else was happening in afternoon music. Lauren has been song-writing with the afternooners, completely unrelated to our study--until this week. Harper had a song she wanted to write about cheetahs. When asked what she knows about cheetahs, she told about how they hunt. You see, we had just learned from a book prior in the day that when cheetahs hunt, they first creep slowly and quietly, then run, then leap/pounce upon their prey. Lauren, however, was unaware of any of this. When Lauren asked Harper what words she wanted in her song, she said, “I want to move to it.” Lauren worked with Harper to get it just right. “She dreamed up the concept, picked the chord, and determined the necessity of different strums for different moments.” Returning to the classroom, Lauren excitedly told me about a song Harper wrote and how it was a different process than the others she’d worked with so far--preschool teachers often talk excitedly about such things! She had her own reasons for her interest as a music teacher/songwriter. As she was telling me about the song, I saw our somewhat abstract philosophy being played out in a very concrete way. There are a hundred languages and a hundred ways to express learning—speaking, writing, drawing, painting, dancing, singing , moving, and creating songs/music. We’ve been learning a lot about our favorite animals as we’ve been moving along in our animal study. We have a stockpile of books from the library and every couple of days we read about a new animal. I ask the children to tell me what they remember about the animal, and we make a list. Sometimes the facts spark lively discussions (is it fair that the female lions do the hunting, but the males get to eat first?); other times the facts elicit gasps of surprise (did you know that turtles don't have teeth?). I then throw out a question to hypothesize about—why do coyotes have bushy tails? why do horses have manes? why do turtles have shells? Etc. I am again reminded how important the concept of protection is among small children by the answers they formulate—bushy tails on coyotes are so they can protect their babies by whacking bad animals; horse manes, because they are so beautiful, distract lions who might otherwise want to chase them. Their hypotheses are very logical and there has been far less magical thinking than earlier in the year, which leaves me curious. Then we get to work at “drawing club” to draw the animal. We look at pictures and discuss the fine features. In the past we've heard a lot of “I don’t know how” at drawing club, but the children are getting used to thinking about where to start (usually the head) and what kind of shape is needed. The rest seems to follow. We will continue along in this way until all of our favorite animals are covered, but I am interested in more than fact-learning. I wanted to get input from the class, so I went back to the list we generated about how to learn about animals. I reminded them that they thought we could learn about animals by looking at them. I asked if they had any ideas for how to do that:
Me: Where could we look at animals? The Zoo! Me: Oh yes, there are a lot of animals at the zoo. Is there a zoo in Iowa City? I went to a zoo, but you have to drive to get there. There’s a zoo in Des Moines. Me: Hmmm, since there is no zoo in Iowa City, I wonder if there is another place in Iowa City we could see animals? I’ve been to the Natural History Museum and there are animals there. The animals are dead, but they used to be alive. Yeah, the animals lived long ago and now they are dead behind glass so all the kids and the people can see them. They are dead, but they aren’t lying down, they are like real, but dead. Me: Where is this museum? It’s downtown by the buildings What followed was an exciting discussion about a possible field trip the Natural History Museum. Ideas were thrown around about how to get there. The idea of a bus came up, but some were concerned about car seats; a plane was suggested, but Jack told us there is nowhere to land a plane there; then we remembered when we went to the apple orchard and we took cars. We decided to think about either taking the bus or our cars. Our next steps will be to write a letter to the museum asking if we can come. Stay tuned! Children are fascinated with animals. Perhaps they can relate to the vulnerability of the small animals they come into contact with; maybe pretending to be a cheetah or lion makes them feel fierce and powerful--feelings that many small children crave. Stories and shows are abundant with animal characters—some cute and furry while others quite scary (ask any child what the scariest animal is and they will likely say a wolf). So I’m not surprised by the level of animal play in our preschool, but this class is particularly interested. Every day we have children pretending to be kitties or cheetahs or caring for dinosaurs in the art room dino hospital. Our animal “stuffies” and our little animal figure toys are well loved and often make their way into pockets and backpacks. Searching for bugs and frogs was a favorite activity in the fall and I expect it to resume in the spring. Given this interest, we are embarking on a class animal study. The study began by listing everything we think about animals, then we brainstormed ideas for how to learn more. We are just a couple of weeks into the study. I’ll be documenting our theories, learning, and conclusions along the way.
In the fall, it was suggested by our plant group that we make our plants happy by giving them some grass. We decorated our tiny pots with gems, jewels, and glass shapes. Then we carefully filled our pots with dirt, sprinkled seeds, and sprayed with water. Initially, our grass did not grow. Clayton had brought his pot home and reported that his was indeed growing. After some comparing and brainstorming, we concluded that we were not watering ours enough, so we changed our watering technique. And IT GREW!!! But sadly, when we came back after Winter Break, our grass was “laying down, it’s not up, it’s like it got tired.”
Me: what do you think happened to our grass? C: It didn’t get enough water. V: It was lonely when we were gone. A: Yeah, and sad. I can sing to it. Maybe that will make it feel better. C: Yeah, and it needs more water. Me: Do you think the grass got any water when we were gone? L: We should give it more water. So we continued with our watering schedule and Aliya sang to it, but the grass did not improve. Me: we’ve been doing a lot of watering and singing, has the grass changed? N: No. Me: Do you still think it’s lonely and sad? We’ve been back to school for awhile now. N: I saw what happened. When some kids were making their pots, they put a jewel in the inside, under the dirt. The jewel made it so the water couldn’t get in. Me: Did the water get in when we first watered the grass, when it grew? N: Yes, but then it got bigger and then the water couldn’t get in anymore. Me: Hmmm, what do you think we should do? N: Take the jewels out and do it again. Me: Start over with new seeds? N: Yes. C: But we can’t use those pots. We need new pots. Me: Why do we need new pots? C: Because those pots have the germs of the dead grass, and it will go to our new grass and make them dead too. And so, we began the process again, taking care not to put any jewels into the dirt this time. We watered every day, and our grass is growing again! The wonderful things about Valentine's Day in preschool: 1. a day filled with paper hearts, a lollipop or two, some stickers, a heart pencil, and whatever else can be taped on to a 2 x3 inch card. 2. classmates names scrawled unintelligibly on the cards, but the giver knowing exactly which valentine is meant for each particular child. 3. the joy and delight shown not only when receiving a paper heart, but also in giving them. I've found that there are very few expectations with preschoolers concerning Valentine's Day, unlike in the adult world. No one is really expecting the light-up bracelet or the batman tatoo, so when it is discovered in the depths of the Valentine bag, it's as if the Valentine fairy herself jumped out! And lollipops taste so much better when attached to sparkly hearts or Paw Patrol cards.
I didn’t know what to expect when I set up the puppet theater two weeks ago—whether it would be popular or sit unattended. I have always been interested in children’s storytelling and have incorporated some form of story-making into my curriculum year after year. But this has become more than storytelling--it is an evolving experience complete with intermission, theater coaches, light handlers, and ticket makers/takers. I have not directed any of this—it has completely evolved from the children. Several times each day someone says, “I have a puppet show.” If Jack is around, his ears perk up and he jumps into action as our “coach.” I’m not sure how it came to be that he would be the theater coach—I think it was self-proclaimed. But what is interesting to me is that it is accepted and has not once been disputed that indeed, Jack is our coach. Coaching involves making sure the puppeteers are ready and have what they need, swiping tickets, telling everyone when the show is starting, and having a special seat in the loft where he can oversee the production. If Jack is not around or is busy, the show goes on without him, albeit a little less organized. Tickets are quickly cut and “swiped,” the classroom lights are turned off and the theater lights are turned on. There is usually an audience of about 5-7. The curtains are opened, and the show begins. When it is over, we repeat the process. Here is the interesting part—so far, the stories have not been extremely captivating, yet the storytellers hold the attention of their peers as if they were showing a Disney movie. I have been “invited” into this world not as a teacher, but as a participant, and I too am mesmerized by the mundane stories. I am grateful to have been brought into this world. The storytelling is often very simple 5 liners, or so completely complicated that it’s hard to keep track of the characters and plot. But they almost always start with “Once upon a time” and end with “They lived happily ever after,” and something magical happens during the middle. During these shows, time is suspended. We are a group, a community of tellers and watchers linked together by the fuzzy little creatures on the end of our hands.
“There is no one right way,” can often be heard at Preucil. You want to paint a blue dog, go for it. You want to draw your house as a circle, fine. You want to pretend the baby dolls are evil robots, ok. You don’t know how to draw a penguin, well, there’s no right way. For we believe in Loris Malaguzzi's 100 languages (maybe more)—“a hundred thoughts, a hundred ways of thinking, of playing, of speaking…” But as I’m reflecting on my favorite Martin Luther King Jr. quote today, “The time is always right to do what is right,” I’m challenged with the task of teaching children there is a right way of treating other people. I value kindness, empathy, and community in my classroom. We talk a great deal about opening our hearts and taking care of each other. What does doing the right thing mean to 3, 4, and 5 year olds? Does it mean doing what adults tell them to do? Conformity? My challenge as a teacher is to teach children that it’s ok to paint a blue dog, but not to exclude a classmate. Round houses are just fine, but bullying is not. Evil baby robots are scary-fun, but chasing someone who doesn’t want to be chased is not. The biggest challenge is to foster this value within their own hearts. I don’t want to create a list of rules to follow because the teacher said so. I don’t want there to be consequences of lost privileges imposed upon by adults. My goal is that when they are interacting with others, they simply have a feeling inside that can’t really be put into words other than “do the right thing.” Perhaps there are 100 ways doing the right thing; perhaps there is no one right way to treat each other in the right way. “…A hundred always a hundred ways of listening…of loving, a hundred joys for singing and understanding” (Loris Malaguzzi).
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Tricia Windschitl
5 day teacher |