AFC BIRCH: Wacky, Walking Wednesday!

Wednesdays are usually our "Walking Wednesday". With the thunder this morning and the radar reading more to come, we weren't sure we would get much outdoor time today. We decided to lead by example and BE FLEXIBLE! What did that look like today?

Well, your teachers in our hallway came up with a flexible plan! We would caper today with the Sycamore friends! But...then our flexible plan became even MORE flexible! The radar changed and we could go on a walk! But...flexible again...we decided we would do BOTH things!

So...today we had Walking Wednesday AND small capers with Sycamore! How crazy is that?!? SO crazy! And guess what?!? We ALL did an amazing job being flexible!

Since we weren't sure the weather would hold out we headed out without any big questions or wonderings like we usually have. We just walked with the purpose of exercise, fresh air, and the joy of spontaneous discovery.

"This looks like a brain!" "It looks like a jelly fish!" DM

"It looks soft."

We walked around our community and simply enjoyed the experience. I watched as children noticed snails on the sidewalk. I heard children squeal with delight at the seasonal decorations on the homes we passed. I overheard conversations about all SORTS of things! I know what costumes some friends are going to wear for Halloween - and - though this may be a surprise to them, I even know what Mommies and Daddies are going to dress up as!

As I walked along with the friends who were the caboose with me, I noticed you GC working really hard. I snapped a picture of your concentration and I'm so glad I did, because in the next moment I heard...

"I DID IT! I GOT IT!" GC

You were SO proud of yourself! And I was even more proud of you! And then...you unzipped your jacket and did it all over again!

There weren't many pictures of our walk, as I was busy being present in the experience, but this friend did make me smile and I noticed the joy in his step!

As soon as we got back from our walk, we were ready to caper with the Sycamore friends.

We invited them into our work with watercolor painting, and they loved it as much as we did!

We changed the presentation slightly and added two brushes to each paint pallet. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of our friends decided that meant they should work together! I loved seeing the collaboration of friends in one painting.

Oobleck, Slime, Gak...whatever the name the children use to refer to it, what it really is, is FUN!

Our light table is always a favorite space in the classroom. The children love to explore the materials presented there.

But sometimes, they don't interact with the materials at all. The soft light, the canopy overhead, the mirror, today they created an invitation to self reflect. I loved watching you take our pretzel breaths. You were watching yourself over and over again. I could tell your body was calm, and you felt safe and happy.