Cooperation

The weather was amazing today so we stayed outside for an extended period. I always feel the need when we do that to justify that we are still learning all of the important things while we are there.

Today I noticed cooperation everywhere. Just like community yesterday,learning to operate in a large group is such an important skill before going to kindergarten.

I saw cooperation as Preston threw his dinosaur in the tree so It “could eat leaves .” The children worked together to figure out how to get the dinosaur down. Watching them try many different methods and talking through the process was encouraging. We usually ask them not to throw things in the tree and over the fence. We also ask them not to shake the small branches to break them. We have to learn how to respect and care for nature as well as each other. However, it was difficult to interrupt the amazing cooperation that was going on to get the dinosaur out of the tree.

There was also cooperative play going on in the corner. The children spent over half an hour here working. I overheard astory about little babies they were caring for.

If you look closely you will see a little orange dots in the holes. Those are the babies.

Just think of the amazing fine motor control they used to get those tiny orange dots inside those holes.

Then there is the corporation that it takes to build complex play. Do you remember what the boards looked like at the beginning of school that the children moved around to create obstacle courses to climb on. Look at them now.

Learning to cooperate is high on our list of kindergarten readiness skills.

I am proud of our cooperation today. We even read a book about cooperation. Ask your child do they know the word and what it means !