Back to Southworth Park!

Fun at Southworth Park!

After a long hiatus, we finally returned to Southworth Park. What a fantastic time it was! I love watching the kids play and have fun in the woods. They try new things, challenge themselves (climbing trees, jumping off logs, walking on difficult terrain...), and mix with kids that they don't always play with on the playground and in the classroom. We hear laughter, cooperation, encouragement and hardly any arguing. It's wonderful! The half mile walk there and back also helps them use up some of their endless energy in a positive, productive manner.

We started by reading Miss Rumphius, a book about an old lady who made the world a better place by sowing lupin seeds all over the fields in her oceanside town. The book is full of wonderful language that we talked about (learning what new words and phrases mean - "sowing seeds" means "planting seeds"...). We then talked about different ways we could make the world a better place (planting pretty flowers, picking up trash, being kind to friends...).

After reading the book, we spread out and each found a spot to sit by ourselves. We sat without talking for two full minutes. Everyone spent those two quiet minutes looking around, listening, and smelling. Then we came back together as a group to talk about what we observed. The kids made lots of wonderful observations. We heard a jet fly by, birds chirp, leaves crackle, and the wind blow. We saw ourselves and each other along with trees, leaves, rocks and so much more. Some kids smelled the dirt and others the dead leaves. We're going to observe the changes that happen throughout the spring in our "sit spots". Will the trees change? Will grass grow? Stay tuned...