Welcome to my blog about my experiences working in early childhood. I have called it Nurturing Forests because I believe that raising children is not a isolated activity but takes a whole community.



As early childhood professionals, we are actively involved in this process but we also need to work closely with the children, parents, community as a whole and other allied professionals.



I hope you enjoy my site. I also have a facebook site of the same name where I provide links to useful sites for teachers, parents and others interested in the early childhood: www.facebook.com/nurturingforests



Tuesday, March 15, 2011

We play: hanging washing and raking leaves

This is part of the We play link up over at Childhood 101

As I have mostly involved in establishing systems and routines at my new centre. I feel like I have been missing out on my favorite part of being a early childhood teacher - play.

But on reflection and in a attempt to join in the great fun that is we play- I realized that there has been lots of meaningful play surrounding me of late.... And one of my favorite kinds house play.

While I have been hanging the washing out - the children have mimicked this behavior on the washing line that my wonderful colleague Danielle had put out with the babies and their clothes.

While I have been raking and sweeping the grounds - the children have been helping with their rakes and brooms and sometimes the adult size ones.

When I tidy up around me - the children, especially the two years olds, mimic this behavior in their play and immediately become more respectful of the toys and making sure they go back in their homes.

Integrating household chores and activities into the curriculum is a significant component of the Waldorf/Steiner philosophy including knitting and cooking. This has increasingly been integrated into most mainstream practices and is a major theme in the new early years learning framework. Part of this is building relationships with families and gaining an understanding of what they do at home with their children and bringing their skills and knowledge into the centre where possible

How do you bring a sense of home into your practice?

2 comments:

  1. W

    endy,

    Sounds like a good time for your children.

    We provide small brooms and dustpan, and some of the children like cleaning up spilled rice or sand from the sensory play, and as well paper snippings from cutting with scissors.

    Some of my kids really love to help make up the nap cots on Monday's when we make up the beds.

    Really you have me thinking they may enjoy more jobs, such as taking their bedding off the cots on Fridays(we send laundry home every Friday).

    My children don't scrape their plates after lunch, but maybe I could allow them this, etc.

    Is it Autumn in Australia now? You mentioned raking leaves.

    Have a good week,
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Brenda,

    We let our children get involved in everything ranging from making their own beds, packing away their sheets, packing away and setting up the environment, serving their own food and so on....

    I like the Montessori of - help me do it myself. Basically everything we do I ask if the children can be involved and set about it.

    My boss is about to start looking for a new cook and we are hoping for a child care/ cooking background with the aim that they involve the children in almost all of the food preparation each day...

    ReplyDelete