I am a Reggio Emilia inspired Full Day Kindergarten teacher and mother to three young children. This blog is meant as a communication tool for the families of our children and as a learning tool for the many educators who follow us. Please feel free to comment on posts and participate in our collective understanding of emergent curriculum.
"Exploring trees outdoors is an enjoyable experience that children
love to do! Swinging from a branch, exploring leaves and bark, and
observing gnarled roots are all favourite activities that also integrate
rich learning. Heading outside to explore the yard uses children's
excitement and enthusiasm for sensory and nature experiences to inspire
rich mathematical and scientific inquiries about what they are seeing
and experiencing."
I was excited to see a review of my book Tree Math in the MAMT Spring Journal! You can access the review here!
"Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky."
-Khalil Gibran
During outdoor play children are drawn to the trees in the school yard. They love to feel bark with their hands and wrap their arms around the trunk. They collect artifacts for exploration including sticks and leaves and search for insects in the bark's crevices. Trees offer so many rich opportunities for wonder and discovery as children notice how they change with the weather and seasons.
To help supplement my book Tree Math (available from Amazon and Indigo) here are five easy, free printables that can be used to support children's work in nature!
Encourage children to spend time in nature and observe the tree they like best. Ask them to consider what it is they appreciate about this tree? Children can then sketch the tree on this page and compare their tree with others.
Over time children can observe the same tree and draw what they notice changing during the four seasons. This page can be kept over time and added to as the months change. Children can also draw on it at one sitting and hypothesize what the tree might look like in each season, especially after conducting research about how trees adapt to the weather.
Children can use a variety of materials to measure how big around a tree's trunk is (e.g., measuring tape, hand spans, links) and record it on this tracking page. Drawing a picture can help explain their math thinking.
Exploring the texture of bark appeals to many children who enjoy sensory experiences. Children can use magnifying glasses to examine the patterns in bark up close, or place a paper on top of the bark and use crayons to create a rubbing. Children can then describe what they see and compare their rubbings to others.
Encourage children to explore many trees in the school yard and neighbourhood. Ask children to observe what living things they observe on and in the trees (e.g., birds, insects, mould) and record their observations on the tracking paper. They can hypothesize how the tree might be a home for many living things at the same time.
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
John Muir
In our program we spend at least one hour outside each day exploring our play yard and interacting with nature rain or shine (excluding dangerous weather). Although we are fortunate to have an ample collection of materials to use, there are many days that we bring nothing extra outdoors with us. We ask children to interact with the world around them and spend time immersed in nature. Challenged to create play opportunities using only natural elements encourages children to pay close attention to what the world offers and they often wonder about objects and phenomena that they might not otherwise have noticed (e.g., the strength of the wind, an interesting insect, the size of leaves). It's also a great way to encourage children to become resourceful and use their imaginations. In land-based learning knowledge is shared and a respect for nature is encouraged.
Curious about the size and colours of leaves, the children were encouraged to gather a leaf collection on a stick. This helped them practice fine motor skills and they were eager to quantify the leaves they collected.
Much of what the children discover is mathematical. Mother Nature tends to be a beautiful mathematician offering a variety of sizes, shapes and patterns in natural objects. Children are curious as they describe, classify and sort what they find into collections. How many times have you found an assortment of rocks in a child's pocket? Being outdoors without toys also facilitates amazing risky play and children are eager to quantify their achievements (e.g., how fast/high/far can my body move compared to my friend's?). Risky play is an amazing way to encourage math learning in kids (see this post for more information).
I'm often asked by others how children become so attuned with their surroundings and invested in their work in the natural world. I believe that it is because we spend so much time outdoors that children are so immersed and excited. As educators we act as play partners with the children and explore together. We use a 'notice and wonder' thinking routine where we think aloud about something we are curious about (e.g., "I see the leaves swirling in a circle on the pavement. I wonder what is causing them to move that way.") and model for children how we might go about exploring this further (e.g., "I think I'm going to record what I see using my device so I can watch the leaves moving again and think about why this is happening."). I also really enjoy standing away from children and just listening to their observations and theories about the world around them. The things they notice, and the questions they ask, provoke some of the deepest math learning experienced in our program. Children are deeply invested in their work.
Since children become so aware of their surroundings, they are often quick to notice changes. The landscape evolves as the weather and seasons shift and these patterns offer many mathematical learning opportunities. Knowing the land so well also means that children become invested in caring for it and understanding how and why we need to be sustainable learners.
The children were proud of their abilities to balance on a wiggly log. They decided to count as they stood on it, and see if they could beat their 'time' with each subsequent try.
After finding a pair of ladybugs in the grass the children created a 'home' for them using natural loose parts. Interesting discussion occurred regarding what the ladybugs would need in their home, and what size would be best for each feature (e.g., bed, kitchen).
The children enjoyed picking dandelions one spring day. We challenged them to see who could find the longest and shortest stems. Without measuring tools the children had to figure out how to fairly measure each stem.
Although we are lucky to have a lovely, large play yard to use, exploring nature can happen anywhere. Even a puddle has the potential to spark children's imaginations and facilitate rich discovery and discussion. If your space is limited, consider going on nature walks around the community in which your school is located. Perhaps a trail or garden can be visited nearby. Field trips are also a fun option (e.g., orchard, farm). Bringing natural objects into the classroom is another way to help children connect with nature (e.g., pumpkins, sticks, acorns) and continue their explorations after outdoor time has ended.
The children marvelled at the circumference of the large trees located near our school. We asked them how they might measure and compare the trunks in order to find the largest one.
After making snowballs on a winter day the children thought it would be fun to see how many they could stack inside angled branches of a tree.
Prints in the snow always spark rich conversation about who (or what) might have visited the yard.
Dew drops on a web discovered early one morning led to fascinating theories about how strong a web must be.
Finding fossilized rocks and identifying shapes and patterns leads to some great imaginative thinking about what might have lived within the rock long ago.
Some tips for getting started:
Learn more about your local habitat so that you can facilitate discussions with children regarding interesting objects and events that occur in your area (e.g., native plants, migration patterns).
Go on guided walks to help children practice using their senses to observe the world around them. Scavenger hunts focused on the senses can be fun and spark inquiries (e.g., listening walks, bird hunts).
Start collections of objects found outdoors that can be displayed in classroom (e.g., feathers, seeds, dried flowers).
Provide challenges for children that will help them interact with natural materials (e.g., Can you build a house for the ladybug? Can you find and order ten sticks from largest to smallest?).
Use tech to support your work outdoors. There are many great apps that can help you identify leaves and insects. Posting ideas and questions on social media can facilitate discussions with others from different areas.
Take photos and videos of children's work outdoors and share this for reflection during a consolidation circle. Use the discussion to help spark future work outdoors (e.g., Today we found many flower patterns in the garden. I wonder if there are patterns on other living things in our yard.).
It's rare that we don't visit the outdoor space. On the days when it is too stormy or cold to head out, we often find children watching the outside world through the windows. In a time when children may suffer from a Vitamin N(ature) deficit, spending unstructured time outdoors without the distraction of toys or teacher-prepared materials may spark a deep love of nature and facilitate rich math learning that would not be possible otherwise.
"Look at me!" Kyle called as he stood on his tiptoes. "I can reach so high. If I jump I can reach even higher!"
"That's nothing. I bet I can reach higher," Asher responded.
"Ok, let's see you do it!" Kyle laughed. "I can reach this high." He jumped and slapped a spot on the tree.
Asher copied the movements, jumping and tapping the tree in a different place.
"Who was higher?" they called to me.
"I'm not sure," I answered. "It's hard to tell where you each touched and compare the spots. You'll have to think of a way to mark and measure to be accurate."
Harper had been standing next to me watching the boys.
"I know," she said. "What if you each hold a piece of chalk in your hand. When you jump you can touch the tree and leave a mark."
"Oh good idea!" I answered. "And we can check our wonder wagon to see if we have any tools that measure."
"Like a measuring stick!" Harper answered.
Spending time outside in nature each day is important for children's growth and development. There is a misconception that a robust outdoor program needs numerous tools and materials in order to be successful. However in my practice I have found that often the best inquiries spark from examining and exploring natural elements in our play yard. One of the most intriguing artifacts that children love to explore is a tree. Trees are usually easy to find, diverse, and offer endless possibilities for child-centred inquiry. Responding to children's observations and wonderings about trees can inspire rich math, literacy and science work.
Interested in exploring the trees in your surroundings with children? Here are some ideas for getting started.
Tell stories about the interesting markings you find on trees. Children love to hypothesize about unique things. Ask children to imagine how a spot ended upon a tree, or look for the math within the markings (here the knot on the tree appears to be made from concentric circles).
Explore the different textures you feel on trees. Many children are sensory learners who enjoy exploring their surroundings through touch. Encourage children to feel different parts of a tree (e.g., bark, leaves, blossoms) and describe what they feel. Sensations can be categorized and sorted (e.g., making a pile of smooth leaves).
Research the different objects that grow on trees. The life cycle of trees often results in the creation of flowers and fruit. This growth pattern can be observed and tracked over time.
Inquire about what living things make their homes in trees. Each area is unique with specific animals and insects using trees as shelters. Nests can be observed and described (e.g., a robin's nest is perfectly circular). Children can be encouraged to draw pictures detailing what they see.
Hypothesize the age of a tree using different clues. The rings on a stump can help determine the age of a tree as well as its type and size. Look for stumps and ask children to count as many of the concentric circles as they can see. They can estimate the age of the tree. If a tree is still standing children can estimate how tall or old it might be.
Build gross motor skills and perseverance by climbing trees. Building resiliency, grit and perseverance helps children in all aspects of their learning. Climbing trees encourages these skills as well as being a great physical experience that many children enjoy.
Investigate how trees change over time by exploring decomposition. Logs left over time provide a wonderful opportunity for children to become curious about how it has transitioned from tree to rotting wood. Many insects make their homes in and under logs. Ask children to tell stories about what they think might have happened to fell the tree, or investigate who has been using it as shelter.
Search for clues on the tree to guess who might have visited before you. Holes in the bark can tell stories of what animals have been searching for food in the bark, or using the tree as shelter. Children can observe bark for changes over time and conduct research.
Ponder why some trees stay green all year while others lose their leaves. Coniferous trees do not usually drop their needles. Ask children to describe and categorize the trees in the yard or neighbourhood, and observe them over the course of several weeks or months.
Use materials gathered from the tree as loose parts for imaginative play. Pinecones, twigs, leaves, needles and acorns are great manipulatives for math or creative work outdoors. These can be collected from the yard or donated by families, adding variety and interest to process-based play.
Measure, record and compare the sizes and shapes of different trees. Find the largest or smallest tree in your area and challenge children to find different ways to measure the trunk's circumference. Keep track of the measurements by recording them in a nature notebook or chart paper.
These suggestions are just a starting point for using trees as the basis for rich inquiry during outdoor learning. Listening to the observations and wonderings of children can spark amazing projects. Children often have the best ideas!
It was a pleasure to chat with Chris dela Torre about my award winning paper 'The Beautiful Tree Project" on CBC's Afternoon Drive! To listen to our interview check out the link:
"Emergent curriculum allows teachers to collaborate with children around their ideas, questions, development, and topics of interest. It is a continuous cycle that requires teachers to observe children and to listen closely for their ideas. Observation and listening are followed by the teacher's thoughtful response, which builds on what the children are doing and thinking."
Susan Stacey, The Unscripted Classroom, p. 5
We are really fortunate to have a big, beautiful school yard that the children enjoy playing in. We have at least one hour each day in our 'outdoor classroom' so the children can experience the joys and wonder of nature in both structured and unstructured activities. As spring marches forward we have been spending much time outside.
The trees in our yard are strong and tall; we call our students 'the little acorns that will grow into mighty oaks' because of the beauty and diversity of life in our yard and because we want to emphasize the eco-nature of our school. Last week the children were drawn to one tree in particular. This tree towers over the others and has brilliant green leaves. When you stand under it you feel enclosed in a safe place and can appreciate the sun streaming its rays through the foliage.
And although there are many other fun and interesting places to visit in our yard...
...the children keep returning back to this one tree.
I've been asked by a number of teachers recently about how we encourage such robust, deep thinking regarding math in our classroom and how we negotiate a balance between teacher guided and child led activities. Do we explicitly teach concepts to children? Do we engage them in whole group circle time lessons and discussions? Do we use complex tools and terminology even if we are unsure that all of the children in the group are interested in the topic? The answer to these questions is yes, and I'm hoping that by sharing our current tree inquiry our process will be transparent so others might be inspired to engage their kindergarten children in robust, low floor high ceiling math tasks.
Wanting to encourage the children to think more deeply about the
physical structure and beauty of trees we placed some interesting loose
parts on the light table along with a book we've read together (A Leaf
Can Be by Salas and Dabija) and a photo of our tree. Each morning after our first open play block (the children enter our classroom, put their personal belongings away, sign in and then have an open play block for approximately 40 minutes) we have an opening circle that all children attend. During this time we share news, read a morning message, and discuss some of the new materials that have been placed in the room. Today we reminded children of their interest in the trees by reviewing pictures of their play and explorations from Friday, and introduced the new loose parts available at the light table. We asked the children for suggestions for what the materials might be used for, and invited those children who visited the area to share their ideas with us during the play block. Many children were
quite eager to explore the materials today and represented their
interpretations of the tree in interesting ways.
Some friends felt that their tree needed birds and incorporated materials from other centres.
During the play we noticed and named the math that emerged including the interesting sorting of the green gems together with the involved children. We discussed sorting rules, symmetry, and length.
After our second play block we have a sharing circle where children can volunteer to discuss their ideas and experiences from play. Today we showed the children digital pictures of the loose parts creations and engaged them in a discussion about the math they noticed. We explicitly named the sorting, symmetry, and measurement and asked for the children ideas regarding what they knew about these concepts, what they have done in the room similar to these, and where they might go next in their work. Many children were quite interested in the pictures and this sparked additional interest in the centre later on in the day with more children visiting.
During our outdoor exploration we invited the children as a group to visit the large tree that had captured their attention and engage in some mindful observation and drawing. Each child used their drawing/writing clipboard to carefully sketch the tree. Although every child was asked to participate, when they were finished they were encouraged to move onto another outdoor play activity of their choice. One of the educators remained with the children who wanted more time to sketch. Throughout the year we have engaged children in many still life art activities. We believe that drawing is a language that children use to express their ideas and theories about life and the world around them. Drawing the tree might inspire them to consider just how big the tree was, and spark additional questions and ideas about our play yard. We felt this was important for all children to experience, and it also ensured that each had engaged in daily writing/drawing today.
Outdoor drawing is a quiet and reflective experience as children mindfully work on best representing their ideas in their chosen medium. Most children chose to use pencil to sketch today.
Visitors to our room often notice the skill and careful attention our children use in the arts. We know it's practice, patience and perseverance that cultivates the observation and commitment to detail within the art form. We communicate through the language of art on a very regular basis.
After drawing some children wondered just how big around the tree actually was. We asked them how they might find out. The children had some really interesting ideas for how to measure this big tree. First they thought wrapping masking tape around the trunk would be effective.
Some children wanted to standardize this tool and quantify it so they worked together to write numbers on the tape.
According to their measurements the tree was 140 around.
This inspired another child to measure a neighbouring tree in the same way! The focus and dedication needed for this task is most impressive!
A group of other children decided to use links to see how long around the trunk was. They got to work connecting links and worked together to tightly wrap the chain around the trunk.
It took 90 links!
A few other children wanted to use measuring tape. One wasn't long enough so they problem solved by taping two together.
We discovered that the tapes totaled 300 centimetres long!
Once each strategy for measuring was used we discussed which seemed easiest and most effective. We introduced the term 'circumference' to the children. At this point in the afternoon there was a small group of dedicated children working on the measuring; uninterested children had moved on to other outdoor play activities. We consider this a small grouping of children working on a dedicated exploration.
At some point other children became interested again and wanted to see how many children it took to go around the tree. It took five children to measure around!
After the children had measured the tree in the many different ways, most moved on to other activities. During the next whole group discussion we brought documentation from the measuring experience (photos, videos, the actually links/tape/measuring tapes) to our whole group circle for all children to observe and discuss. We wanted to engage all children in a discussion about measurement, introduce the word 'circumference' and ask them for any other ideas they might have for how to measure the big tree. This sparked additional interest in the trees in the yard, and our plan became to challenge the children to explore the play yard again and see if they might locate a tree with a bigger circumference than the one we have already measured. As the reflexive educators in the space we are attempting to heighten the explorations by building upon the children's prior knowledge and seeing if they can apply and extend their ideas in a new and more difficult experience.
The next day we introduced a fiction book to the class that involved some of our favourite characters. In 'Stella Fairy of the Forest' Stella, Sam and Fred explore a treed area and discuss all the wonderful things that might live there, including fairies.
On one page Stella points out how big and old the trees in the forest are. At this point we engaged the children in a text-to-group (self) connection and asked them to reflect upon the similarities between our yard and Stella's forest. The children made the connection that we also have big trees and that must mean they are old. We discussed our challenge from morning message and wondered how we might go about finding the biggest (and maybe oldest) tree in the yard. The children suggested using the chain of links to see if there are bigger trees.
"If we wrap it around another tree and it's too small, that means the tree is bigger than our tree."
During playtime many children were captivated by the ideas of fairies and decided to turn our sensory table into a forest playscape. They problem solved with some of the recycled materials that have been donated to the program and worked diligently to craft their own trees to be included in the 'forest'. This was a multi-step process and involved extensive planning and building to get the trees to stand and look just right.
This is what our magical forest looks like and our next step will be to design and create our own fairies in the art studio tomorrow.
During outdoor play time many children were eager to bring the links outside and discover if there was a bigger tree in the yard. We started at one end and moved from tree to tree, holding up the link and comparing whether or not the tree was bigger. This was a rich opportunity full of math language and connection as the children mentally compared size and worked together to manipulate the long chain in an efficient and meaningful way.
They knew that an overlapping meant the tree was smaller and that they needed to be looking for gaps in the ends of the chain where the ends could not meet.
Some friends remembered that the big tree required many children to stand around it and hold hands. They used their own arms to see if trees were bigger or smaller. It was interesting to see how quickly the children could compare similar trees and bypass them without measuring because they just knew the tree was smaller than the big one. They were become efficient in the task.
Finally we found a tree that the chain could not fit around!
Walking back to the classroom I overheard an interesting exchange happen between two children.
"The new tree is bigger, but I wonder just how old it is!"
"We could cut it down. If you look inside a tree you can see how old it is."
"How?"
"Count the number of circles inside."
"But then the tree will be dead. If it's dead, no one can see it again. It won't be in our yard anymore."
"I don't know how to figure it out then."
And with that one statement, our inquiry sparked forward and we wondered how to engage the children in continued explorations about the age of the tree and the preservation of our beautiful nature reserve. We decided to include a question in our morning message to provoke some discussion in this area. We asked "Why do we need to care for our yard?" The children were quite interested in the question and had many different ideas regarding why. We tried to capture their thinking in the fast paced discussion (which can sometimes be challenging when many in the group are interested in what is being discussed).
"Why do we need to care for our yard? What's special about the Dr. David Suzuki Wilderness Reserve?" (Mrs. M)
"It's called that?"
"Yes, it has a very special name. Our yard is a space where we try to respect and preserve nature. Why do you think this important?" (Mrs. M.)
"We have a lot of plants. Plants make clean air for us."
"No, plants don't make clean air...plants make oxygen...not air!"
"We need air to breathe!"
"Plants and animals need each other to eat and breathe. We need it too to stay alive."
"Do you think the biggest tree gives the most oxygen?"
"Our yard is special because animals and insects live in our yard."
"Some trees grow food for us too!"
"We need to keep it looking beautiful!"
"Yes, other people do enjoy our space too, even when we are not here at school." (Mrs. M.)
"Other children will come here too one day."
As an educator I found the discussion incredibly exciting and interesting; the children appeared to have a solid understanding of why taking care of nature (our yard) was important and were highly interested and engaged in the conversation. They respectfully took turns sharing their ideas and actively listening to their peers. I knew that this was a topic that was of great interest to them. I was captivated by the idea that the children felt the yard was important to care for so others in our community and future students could enjoy it too. We spend at least one hour each day in our outdoor space and the children had become quite familiar with the living things and nuances of the yard. They loved exploring the hill, the dry riverbeds, the prickly bushes and the treed spots. I suggested that the next time we head outside the children pay careful attention to the things they really felt were important in our wilderness reserve...things that others would want to know more about and take care around.
At this point in our inquiry we have been working to document our learning together with the children. We like to use digital forms of recording photos, videos, student voice along with teacher observations and interpretations. These are merged together in an aesthetic document (I like Pages) and displayed together to tell the story of what has happened.
When reading the panels from left to right, they tell the entire story of the inquiry to date. Student work is woven within and also posted in the photos on each page. Each page is also written as an independent page so that a certain event or activity in the inquiry can be explored by itself. When the inquiry concludes we will take all pages and student artifacts down and assemble them in an inquiry binder for safekeeping and future reference. We also will include any other artifacts of learning and insert our inquiry planning pages to help show how the curriculum was fulfilled.
We are fortunate to have the support of our families. On May 20 Miss Nadine joined us to help support our initial research into learning more about the plants, insects and animals that live in our wilderness reserve. After brainstorming an initial list, Miss Nadine used a variety of information sources to help the children learn more about specific living things. Each child either read (or was read) information and helped Miss Nadine isolate the important information. They also added in their own observations from prior experiences seeing that living thing in our yard. Each child who visited the centre also drew a picture of their living thing.
We have also noticed the children taking special interest in continuing to look for living things and creepy crawlies in our yard during outside time. Today they found a millipede and it was interesting to listen to their conversation and how their discussions have evolved with our new focus on the yard.
"Look! Look! What is this?"
"It's a centipede!"
"No, centipedes have long hairy legs. That's a millipede. Millipedes are cool!"
"Be careful with it! Don't let it fall from your hand!"
"I want a turn, give him to me."
"If I give him to you, you need to be careful."
"We need to take care of him and make sure he doesn't get hurt."
"I think we should put him back with nature where he belongs."
It's clear from the children's conversations that they are aware of how to carefully handle items from nature in a respectful way. They are eager and excited to explore what might have once been frightening, and are working together to ensure everyone has access to the experience. Would these conversations had been as rich if we had not followed the children's lead and interest in exploring the outdoor space?
This was also evident in their outdoor play. The children noticed what they thought was a nest tucked in the grass on Friday afternoon. The mysterious collection of dried grass caused quite an interest in children and they debated who made it.
"Look! What it is?"
"It's a rabbit hole! There are babies in there!"
"No, it's a snake hole!"
"I think it's for a bird."
"How should we find out what it is?"
"Let's tweet the photo and see what other people think."
We tweeted the photo our to our followers and waited to hear back...
One of our children's mothers responded with the answer! Technology was effectively used as a research tool within the moment of learning and we had now gathered more information to add to our research and writing about the Dr. David Suzuki P.S. Wilderness Reserve!
On May 24 we met with our grade eight technology buddies in order to conduct more extensive research about the living things in our school yard. We partnered a kindergarten child with a grade 8 and gave each team writing materials (clipboard, paper, pencils) and an ipad. After going on a nature walk together and identifying the living things that were visible in our yard...
...each pair spent time researching, writing, and drawing their living thing together. This was an excellent chance for our grade 8 students to mentor our children in the use of technology for the purposes of research. We are looking forward to compiling their information into a final, finished product to share with our greater community soon!
As a culminating activity we asked the children to take the pictures they had drawn and find places in our outdoor space where the living thing was either observed to be or might be found. This was an excellent way to assess if the children remembered the information they had researched about their chosen living thing, and also to see if they could apply this information to a new context. With the support of a parent volunteer, the children found the right spot and with a little bit of creativity, were assisted in order to take a photo of their living thing in its habitat.
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