Can we have ” class ” outside ?
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Learning takes place everywhere. The way that we learn here is not worksheet based so we can do it anywhere! Did I have lesson plans ? Yes! Did I still go by them ? YES! We were still talking about feelings and emotions today. One of the best ways to learn about a child is to observe those feelings and emotions in an unstructured natural environment. I saw ALL of the emotions today. When you see a child having extreme reactions it is a great time to point it out, so they learn what it is that they are feeling . You might look at them and say ” I see by your face that you are angry . Can you tell me what happened ?” Or you might say ” Look at your friends face, she looks very sad. Do you know what might have caused this ? What can we do to make her feel better ?” Being able to control our emotions starts at recognizing the differences.
One of the games we played outside was FREEZE ! I would count to 3 and the kids would start to run and dance. Then I would yell EXCITED FREEZE and they would freeze with an excited look on their face. Or I would yell SAD FREEZE and they would freeze with a sad expression. You get the idea. The LOVED this game.
We even sat on the front porch steps and read our book.
What a great day. We enjoyed the fall weather and spent all morning outside playing and learning. After lunch we tried an activity called “what’s bugging you ?” This concept , even after I explained it, was hard for the kids. They are not ready for terms like this – it confuses them. I got answers like spiders, flys…. 🙂
After moving on from that failure… we read a book called ” When Sophie Gets Angry.” We were able to refocus on what makes us angry and then center in on a solution. We practiced the Al’s Pal’s technique of calming down.
1. Take three deep breaths.
2. Count to five.
3. Then say to yourself ” calm down, calm down”
We have a song that goes with this technique. I challenge you at home to remind your child when you see then start spiraling out of control to get their way or express anger in an inappropriate way to try this.. do it with them.