Expressing ourselves through movement

I observed the children, during playtime in the forest, using sticks to pretend that they are riding horses. These ordinary moments, where the children shift their play into creative and imaginary activities, allow them to freely express their ideas and their thinking. 

The children each got to pick a stick from the forest and decorate it. With string, paper and paint, they each made their own horse. Some children used certain designs to decorate them, while others took the time to name their horses and ride them along the trail. Joy and sounds of happiness arose during these moments. 

We also watched these videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apXGSzStESI;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyHP24rJD7c) about how horses express themselves in nature and we all noticed how happy and excited they look. The joy of being free, running and galloping around. 

Esme looked at her horse and said: "Your name will be Rose Pretty." The roses that she painted on her horse match her name and the adjective "pretty" was added to the name to accentuate the feeling of beauty and happiness when riding her horse.


** more pictures of the children riding their horses to follow 

Expressing ourselves through words and pictures.

This week, the children were given the opportunity to express themselves in the forest. Pictures were taken and their comments recorded. A slideshow will be created and the children will be given the chance to revisit their experience.

Esme came up with the idea of drawing their play in the forest. We painted a tree and each child added some pictures that display their expression in the forest. The pictures show very define detail and most of them express their feelings or their movements in the forest. 

The video will give the children a chance to reflect on their play and by creating the opportunity for the children to draw their experience, allows them to express themselves through visual arts. 

"Patrick, did you hear that bird singing?"

"I am happy. Throwing leaves up in the air and watching them fall."  

"This looks just like the stump I drew this morning"

"We are riding a horse."

"Hold on tight!"

Build it!

Esme wanted to express her idea of a castle and a bride by building it. The children made puppet dolls to attend the wedding at the castle and then they each spent half an hour to build their castle. Some children built their own, while others got together to work in a group. 

At the end, they each had a turn to present their structure, but before, we discussed the importance of being a good listener. 

Esme "Make eye contact with the person that is talking." 

Janet "Keep your hands still" 

Damon "Keep your mouth closed. Put your hand up if you want to share your idea." 

Angela "Keep your body still. Moving around can be very distracting." 

Andrea "No talking while someone else is talking." 

Luca "Listen with your ears." 

Art on Fridays - Express yourself through art

Feeling happy? Worried? Excited? Sad and at a loss for words? The children in the wind group tried letting their feelings and expressions out on a piece of paper. They used different shapes and colors to draw their facial expressions and presented their pictures to the others through a story. 

Kesler " I feel happy. Playing at school makes me express happiness." 

Janet "Expressing myself through all these colours is what I feel right now. Happy. Happy!"

Luca "My family is my happiness." 

Angela "Going outside with my brother makes me feel excited. This is me being more than just happy." 

Express yourself

The new unit has started and the children are eager to express themselves and share their ideas. When I introduced the central idea - We express ourselves in many ways and this helps us connect with one another - to the children, Esme said "Does this mean, being yourself?" 

This question led us into deeper conversations. The children also shared ideas on what it means to be a good listener and speaker:

Grace "Making eye contact and listening quietly." 

Esme "Thinking about the environment you are in and using a softer voice if people are next to you." 

Kesler "Walk over to the person you are talking to instead of yelling across the room." 

Jacob "Listen first and talk after." 

Janet "Take turns while talking. Be nice." 

For the next few weeks, we will be looking into building connections with others while expressing ourselves through language, music, movement and visual arts.  

** Formative week - The new unit of inquiry is introduced to the children in the first week and the children are provided with opportunities to demonstrate their prior knowledge and current understanding. All the information gathered from the children will be used to guide and direct the next stage of teaching and learning.