A piece of wood can be many things...

My son is currently a JK student in a class where the FDK Team have been using the Outdoor Learning Experience as their primary teaching method. This style of teaching has greatly benefited my son as he finally showed excitement about going to school when asked to bring in some things he found in Nature. My son came home and said we had to go on a family hike to find items he could bring to school. As a family we collected acorns, pine cones, fur, branches, twigs, helicopters, etc. Even both sets of grandparents became involved in collecting items while he was visiting them. Once students started using and exploring with these natural items my son couldn't wait to share all the different ways the objects had been incorporated into his centres.

On a daily basis my son would share how much he enjoyed their nature walks at school where they would explore the school yard and nearby neighbour looking for and discussing all of God's creations. The recent “Wonder Waggon Walks” have brought a lot of new discussion about the amazing things that happen in Spring. My son always questions and loves learning through his hands-on experiences.

The green house/garden centre taught him a lot about the growing process and the time and commitment involved in growing/planting food. Students watched as various beans & seeds matured then compared the process and analyzed the different stages of growth. My son would come home and tell us how things were growing and compare it to the garden we grew at home the previous summer. Whenever I visited his classroom he would show me everything growing and ask me to remember what it was like the last time I was there and tell him how it changed.

A recent field trip to St. Kateri was eventful for my son as both mom and dad were also able to attend. The FDK Team requested parent volunteers who would be able to bring saws, axes, or chainsaws as they planned to bring bigger items back to the school to use in the students' outdoor gated play area. My husband (an outdoors man himself) really enjoyed this experience as students looked on while he cut some trees down and created some stools, benches, stumps, planks, and other items for the kids to use. While he was cutting the FDK Team had students observe his process and ask questions about the safety steps he was following while working with a chainsaw. My son was so proud and excited that his dad made these cool things for his class to play with. His quote one day, “Daddy my friends love the stuff you made for us!” As a family we even picked out and brought home a walking stick for each of us to use on our nature walks at Hiawatha. While at the school one day I observed a little girl using one of the planks as a place to lay down and pretend she was sunbathing at the beach. At the same time another girl used another piece of wood as a surfboard. When presented with these natural objects students' imagination is limitless. Later the same piece of wood became a teeter totter.

My son can't wait until they return to St. Kateri next month! I can't wait to hear about what the class and FDK Team do next.

Su-Ellen, Pa

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