This month in the School-age after school program, the children have been very focused on the little bit of snow we have left. Each day during outside time we spend it doing a variety of activities on the snowbanks. As the days have been getting warmer, we have incorporated mud into our play.
One afternoon Braydon and Riley were busy gathering mud and spreading it on the top of the snow. Educator Tracy asked them what they were making and Riley replied, “cement!” Tracy asked them, “What will happen to the mud when it dries?” Riley explained that “it will harden as it dries which will be just like cement.” Joseph, Mason, Maria, Maddie and Tanner were digging out big muddy chunks of ice and piled them on the top of one of the snowbanks. Tracy asked them “What are you building?” The children replied “Concrete buildings.” Aiden and Gareth then began running up and around all the creations on the snowbanks pretending they were in the world of Harry Potter. All the children were working together to create a magical experience. The children were embarking in imaginary play as they utilize the wonders of nature outdoors. They were creating scenarios where collaboration and problem solving is involved as well as mixing different components together to try and create something new. This helps build peer entry skills and communication with the children as they choose not to play with toys but with their imagination!
