Last week everyone came to school bundled up in coats, hoodies, and hats to embrace the chilly weather. Bright yellow ginkgo leaves covered the ground of the yard, an enticing invitation to scoop up a handful and watch the leaves fall from our hands. It reminded kids of rain falling from the sky or confetti at a birthday party!
We also played with Bilibo Seats, or “shells”, a movement toy meant for wobbling, spinning, and balancing. It was first a challenge to comfortably climb into the seat, but quickly thereafter, it was tons of fun to see the different ways we could play with the chairs. Kids loved wobbling until they gently tumbled over to face the clouds and look up into the sky. It was hilarious to spin in the chairs using our feet to turn us around, or figuring out how to kneel in the chairs and spin using our arms. Some children even flipped the Bilibos over to use as stepping stones. We also enjoyed playing with large cardboard boxes which we drew, climbed into, and climbed on top of!
Inside, everyone sat on the big green rug to eat bananas and rice cakes while reading this week’s story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. The story takes us on a family’s adventure to search for a bear, taking them through squishy mud, deep rivers, and windy fields. Just as they enter a bear cave to find the beast they were searching for, the family realizes how fierce the creature is and turns around to redo their journey, this time heading straight home. At each obstacle, the family recites “We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. We’ve got to go through it.” The story both features fun imagery and playful sound effects, but also serves as reminder of how powerful it is to have friends, family, and community supporting you along what ever journey you’re taking.
During inside choice time, kids tried out some new chairs with arm rests. They’re slighter lower to the ground than the other chairs and provide extra support while kids are working on their core strength. It felt like the chairs became a choice of their own as kids really gravitated towards them for reading books in, carrying them to where their friends are and watching them play, or even finding space for them on the rug during goodbye circle.
