Beautiful weather and falling leaves result in some exciting days in the park! This week, we have taken advantage of our stash of rakes to enjoy raking and jumping adventures!
Most young children really enjoy physical work. When they are given a job like raking, and do it do together with their community, the work becomes even more fun.
Raking can be great heavy work for children and can help them to develop muscles and stamina. When children pull or push a rake to move leaves, they must use their arm muscles in ways in which they don't usually move.
Both raking and jumping also provide children with proprioceptive input for their muscles: these movements help them to develop a sense of where their body is in space.
Jumping, in particular, really helps children to have a greater sense of how their body moves and where it is in space which can ultimately help them to develop a greater sense of control over their growing bodies.
When children run and crash into the leaves and feel all of the sensations—the leaves, the air, the ground—they receive input and feedback which helps them to gain body awareness and a greater sense for how they can manipulate and control their body in space.
Some children commented that their favorite part of playing in the leaves was jumping into the pile.
Children also collected leaves and sticks that came back to the classroom for further exploration at the light table.
Some children also enjoyed finding pinecones, which were collected and brought back into school where new discoveries are being made as children touch and observe the pinecones close up.
Children are also wondering about why some pinecones are more open than others. They are finding seeds, sticky sap, seeing different sizes and comparing them to things they know. “This is a Goliath sized pinecone!” exclaimed Elijah. Sometimes children make connections in their learning in surprising ways!
It is simply, just plain fun to play in the leaves!
Down, down, yellow and brown
Fall the leaves over the ground
Rake them up in a pile so high,
Until they reach up to the sky.
(A rhyme you might hear in the classroom right now.)
