Willow Branch Nature Play

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, occurring when one of the Earth's poles is tilted closest to the Sun. It happens around June 21st in the Northern Hemisphere and December 21st in the Southern Hemisphere. This event marks the beginning of summer in the respective hemisphere.

We read “The Longest Day” and learned that culturally and historically, the summer solstice has been celebrated in various ways by different cultures, often involving festivals, rituals, and gatherings to mark the significance of this turning point in the year.

We concluded our study on creativity and celebrated by having an earth parade. We used the three B’s for bending, breaking, and blending to make our flower crowns and our personalized drums to create beats and rhythms for our parade. I love learning with you all!

In this lesson, we drew inspiration from the shapes and patterns of the natural world as we molded, stuck, and shaped clay into our own sculptures. Today, we combined divergent thinking and the 3 B's of creativity to bend putty into various forms, break apart treasures, and blend elements to create something new. We read the books “Wings, Waves & Webs: Patterns In Nature” and “Shapes & Patterns In Nature”, finding inspiration in the patterns found in nature. We explored fractals in nature, learning that these special shape patterns, like spirals or triangles, repeat over and over. They start out tiny but maintain the same shape as they repeat and grow larger!

"Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought."
-Albert Einstein

Today, we explored nature and discovered some objects that looked familiar but were not what they appeared to be. Together, we leaned into divergent thinking and explored the endless possibilities of what our 'not-a-objects' could become. We read the book "Not a Stick” by Antoinette Portis, which inspired us to use our imaginations to create different uses for the objects around us. It was so much fun learning with you today.

Inspired by the intricate work of birds in constructing their nests, today's activity invited us to explore the art of weaving by bending and blending various materials. As we engaged in this process, we collaborated, building upon each other's ideas.

Lesson Objectives:
- Creativity: Just as our minds flex and mold concepts, the children used homemade looms to manipulate different materials, weaving them together to craft unique creations. Together, they weaved a masterpiece!
- Added Benefits: This activity fostered the activation of behavioral schema, encouraged persistence, and practiced problem-solving skills.

Additionally, we learned all about the world of the weaver bird, learning about its nesting habits. Males of this species spend approximately a week weaving their nests, showcasing skill, including the rare ability to tie knots. We also explored themes of growth and connection, relating the process of nurturing a flower to the cultivation of strong friendships, inspired by the book "How to Grow a Friend."

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A collaborative team of scientists and artists has identified a "3 B's" framework, three thinking processes essential to human creativity: breaking, bending, and blending. What kids do physically forms a foundation for thinking processes they will use later on, so physically breaking objects now prepares kids to break concepts later. Plus, destruction is part of the creative process. Today, everyone broke down natural treasures to to create nature bracelets and to decorate our nature classroom! Inspired by the book "Perfect Square," which showcases inventive ways to deconstruct and reimagine squares, we explored the concept of transformation through creative destruction. Our featured creature, the beaver, exemplifies how destruction is inherent in the creative process. Together, we continue to learn and adapt, embracing the evolving nature of our creative journey.

Our Spring season jump started today and we welcomed in our new focus, CREATIVITY! We talked about expressing ourselves through creativity and using our imaginations. Our featured creature was the butterfly and we pretended to fly like them! Finding nectar along the way. Today for our play, we mixed, mashed, and stirred natural ingredients together to create our own "nature nectar." We used our imaginations to pretend about what our mixtures could become—we imagined a sweet treat for pollinating insects, a delicious soup or even a magical potion. 💚

Today is a day of joyful celebration and reflection. We earned our Persistence badges and made promises to persist in our efforts to care for the natural world that supports all creatures and living things. They worked to create art expressing their love for nature and our planet earth.

Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park was a fun story where Panda realized after a lot of trial and error how to make sure EVERYONE was invited to their party. Focusing on accepting and loving everyone exactly for who they are, we chose to embrace this story as we celebrated together.

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Similar to the resilient Alaskan Husky, today we engaged in tasks involving heavy lifting and exploring the effectiveness of various tools in easing the process. Initially, we relied on our own body parts, then progressed to using makeshift "dog sleds" crafted from materials such as boxes and rope.

To cultivate resilience in children when encountering tough situations, it's essential to provide them with real challenges. Today, they persevered and utilized specific physical materials to test their physical abilities as they maneuvered heavy objects (even each other) from one location to another.
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Today, we had the opportunity to emulate super hero animal woodpeckers by employing tools to chip away at different materials. Just as our steadfast friend the woodpecker demonstrates, today emphasized the significance and effectiveness of repetition and perseverance.

Literacy connection:
“Manjhi Moves a Mountain” by Nancy Churnin
A story about a man who had a dream to help his community by moving a mountain. He chipped away at his goal for over 22 years until he succeeded. The people did not see his vision at first, but as he got closer they understood. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it. ✨

We had our tea time ritual today! This special tradition makes the season feel special, builds community, and helps kids feel and understand that they can persist and thrive outdoors in all four seasons.

“Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he started.” —Coleman Cox

Hibernation Station -
Groundhogs hold a unique significance in a tradition linked to the onset of Spring, yet they possess a remarkable ability to hibernate and endure the winter. Today, we each received a groundhog in need of a warm, comfortable den for hibernation. How can we utilize the materials in our winter classroom to construct resting spaces for our dormant companions?

“When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero.”
—Fred Rogers

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Pinned over 150K times, see more inspirational nature quotes here: https://littlepinelearners.com/30-quotes-about-children-and-nature-that-will-inspire-outdoor-play/

"Outdoor play is essentially like a reset button." ❤