Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/integrating-literacy-in-nature-inspired-early-childhood-environments/5027044/
*Photos and tables can be found in the pdf version of this article.
Mr. Lee was engaging his class of 4- and 5-year-old children in a study of trees. During a morning meeting, Mr. Lee shared a large hollow log that he found in his yard. He said, “I wonder why this log is hollow. I wonder why there is an empty space inside.”
The children huddled around the log to examine it more closely. Jaydan said, “There was lightning and it hit the log and now there is nothing left!”
Sophia added, “Maybe an animal lived inside.”
Mr. Lee jotted down all the ideas the children were sharing and then asked, “What kind of animals could live inside a log?”
Manuel said, “Maybe a rabbit just like in the story you told us.”
Mr. Lee then asked the children how they could find out what makes a log hollow and what kinds of animals live in logs.
The interactions between the teacher and children provided opportunities for meaningful conversations to emerge when a natural outdoor element was brought inside. The teacher’s questions stimulated the children’s intellectual thinking, promoted the extension of vocabulary, and created the potential for research and journaling. Creating classroom environments that bring earthy components ...