Dramatic expression

Since the children were so stimulated by the forest exploration, they were driven to express their interpretation of the animals in the forest.

Dramatizing is one way that the children in the Wind group chose to play out these topics. We worked as a group and prepared the background and materials needed for the presentation. We wanted the audience to get a better understanding of our perspective and connect to our ideas. All the children feel that being in the forest feels good; it makes them happy, more relaxed. The quiet environment gives them an opportunity to enjoy and observe the surroundings. 

The play took place in the forest (background painted by the wind group children). The characters wore costumes (individually hand-made) and expressed themselves in such a way that the audience would understand what character they had chosen to be. Sofia loves dogs and really wishes that she could have one. Her doggy costume was white with lots of colourful buttons. Emilie was a ballerina walking her dog in the forest (the picture will show the curtsy Emilie did in order to thank the audience for watching). Sofia wiggled her tail to express happiness. Howard was a red dragonfly, flying from tree to tree. He loves dragonflies because they are "… very fast and one time, a dragonfly flew close to me and it felt like a scratch." 

Simon was an excited squirrel, nibbling his peanuts.  

Trystan expressed himself through body movement and facial expression. He wanted to connect to the audience in a different way. He wanted the audience to feel scared; this is the way he feels when he thinks of bears. He is always asking everybody to "… care for bears and their environment. We share the forest with them and we need to protect their home."

Byron's presentation was on a different topic. He loves games, especially because they bring him together with his friends. He is very interested in cars. "I like that cars are fast". He is happy when he plays with his friends so this is the feeling that he wants to express.

 

What a delightful presentation, full of love, creativity, expression and audience appreciation. 

Individual assessment (“How will we know what they have learned?”)

Assessment is the process by which we determine what the children have learned throughout the unit. We employ different strategies to determine what connections they have made within the unit as well as making connections to previous units. 

The pictures show the children's individual assessments and their knowledge. 

 

Creative Expressions - Varying Environmental Context

Trystan really enjoys playing in the forest. "Climbing trees makes my heart jump up and down sometimes". All the children in the wind group felt a connection to Trystan's experience. They all agreed that the environment plays an important role in influencing our moods and feelings.

The children closed their eyes and focused their attention to the forest, the trees, and the animals. This is what they noticed: 

Emilie “I can hear the birds chirp”

Simon “I can hear the woodpeckers”

Sofia “I feel like dancing”

Byron and Howard “The sound of the cars passing by is what we can hear”

Trystan “I like bears, so I like to listen for a rumbling sound. Maybe we’ll see one”

Afterwards, the children explored the forest on and around the trail. Here are a few examples of how they connected with their environment:

Emilie was balancing on the logs. 

Simon, Byron and Howard were mesmerized by the trees and began to climb them.

Sofia was enjoying listening to the birds, dancing to their song and hugging trees.

After enjoying the serenity of the forest, the fresh air after the rain, and the birds singing, we moved to the playground. The playground is another place the children like to spend their time. 

At the playground, they all described the ways in which their actions and activities reflected their environment. Simon noticed, "We all do the same things at the playground". The equipment and the environment can put boundaries in people's lives and on their options of expression.

In the end, we all agreed that, the forest is a more open environment in which everybody can freely connect with and interpret the surroundings. At the playground, we feel that the structures place boundaries and guide people towards certain forms and styles of play, limiting their potential for free creative expression. "Magic" is how Sarah and Emilie described the forest after our exploration.