The children have been especially interested in camping this week! They have been talking about exploring inside a tent, and have been immersed in collecting wooden sticks. Yesterday, it was amazing to see the children all explore the big blue tent that was set up in our outdoor play space. They were lying down, and seemed to enjoy this relaxing part of their “camping adventure.” Some of them then ventured out and came back with a collection of sticks through which they decided to start a fire. It was very interesting to see how the children can make connections between real life situations and their play. They piled the sticks together, bent down to observe the sticks as if there was a real fire on it.
After this, some of them came back in the tent, while some ventured out into the sandbox. Jackson and Ava looked for shovels. Then, they picked up some pans. Jackson scooped some sand and put it on the lid of the sandbox, kept patting it, while saying “This is my pancake.” Ava scooped some sand, poured it into a pan, and said “I’m making pancakes.” The children were thereby making choices during their play, which reflected their own interests. For instance, some of them chose to come back to the tent right after they collected the sticks, while some chose to cook or make pancakes. Perhaps, there are some real life aspects that influenced the ways in which they made these decisions in their play. Some children were so passionate about camping, that they became so immersed in playing in the tent. These children were seeking and were “exploring with all (their) senses” (PPP, p. 122). As soon as they knew the tent was open, they went right in to explore it! It was something new in the play space, which had captured their attention. They were “developing awareness of the imagined and ordinary worlds they move between as they play” (PPP, p. 99). When they were starting a fire, their eyes began focusing on the sticks and in gathering more sticks, they began to chant “our fire!” Their imagination and creativity flourish in situations in which they can explore all their surroundings and make their own decisions on how they want to approach their play. We had such a fantastic camping adventure, and we hope to gain more ideas for our camping adventures in Quartz!
Have a great long weekend!! 🙂
Carlei, Kaitlin, Kerry
