Being a nature kindergarten teacher in a public school takes a good dose of creativity and a healthy amount of flexibility. Lesson planning, risk assessing, and cat herding are all part of the job. However, someday no matter how much you plan, it goes in a different direction. And that is not only OK, it's wonderful.
When the kids arrived Monday morning to a blanket of snow covering the ground and fluffy, feather flakes falling peacefully from above, I knew I had to seize the day and take advantage of the situation. So the scheduled plans were off and the snowshoes were on.
Some might say watching kindergartners work through the process of getting geared up and putting on snowshoes offers more problem-solving, patience, and resiliency than any traditional lesson. After witnessing it, I would agree.
That being said, while we worked through the struggle of strapping on the shoes, did we have fun AND learn? Please see the photo below for your answer.
Since our snowshoeing took over our regularly scheduled Phonics and Writing Workshop time, I made sure to practice these same skills in a new way. We worked writing out initial and ending sounds with by stepping through the snow.
Then, after taking a hike and enjoying the beautiful winter scenery, we chatted about what we loved about winter, gathering potential ideas for future writing sessions.
Of course, hard work leads to even harder play, so we climbed trees,
redecorated the woods,
practiced our penguin slides,
and enjoyed our very own winter wonderland. I encourage you to take a break fro your routine, be flexible, and see where Mother Nature takes you.
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