Why I love the mixed age classroom
15 Apr 2010 2 Comments
in outdoor Tags: child-led, gross motor, mixed age, outdoor activities
In a word, the pure joy of it. Bigs and littles doing their thing.
A few weeks ago we added couple of hay bales to our outdoor space. Hay is a fun, messy, great smelling addition for the children. Jumping off a bale? So fun, and safe for the youngest ones. You know how they adore a ledge? Hay bales are the perfect height.
My 4’s are all about moving the bales about, which takes a ton of strength and a little bit of planning. (“Okay, you take this side, I’ll get over here….rrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggh!”) Successfully moving the bale? Oh, satisfaction indeed. Our bales have been used as a boat, a bus, a bed for monkeys, ambush cover… a handy bench for adults to observe the garden from.
This week the children discovered that the hay is getting loose and can be pulled from the bale. Much mess and excitement resulted. The bottom half of the climber has been designated our “barn” and once a couple of friends start collecting hay to stock it, the entire group spontaneously joins in, carting the stuff across the yard. Spontaneous, child-led, magic. The biggers guys racing back and forth, calling out the plan. Youngers moving on those slower toddling feet, super proud to get in on the action. The three’s digging the wacky delight of it all.
Which brings me back to bigs and littles doing their thing, together.
