Art in the forest

Friday was a beautiful day in the forest.  After a forest recess bustling with activity I set the class a challenge. A book on contemporary art had been generously donated earlier in the day and we were investigating how artists use different materials to create works of art.  The challenge was to create a work of art that used only the materials in the forest.  These are some of the beautiful pieces that were created.

Zen
G created this piece on a hidden rock.  
He noticed the spots of rain adding to
the beauty of his piece.

Face
T created this piece in the crook of a fallen tree using two different colored soils.

Ocean in the forest
L used a mushroom cap to create her seascape.

Temple
The pair created two gates and added a top and leaves.
They then blew on the leaves to create a
performance art piece.

Untitled - a shelter in the forest
E created a tiny dwelling- complete with a bed inside

Fallen Tree
This group were inspired by a fallen tree that they had been playing near. They represented it with rocks and twigs.

Following the students' lead

In the last post the class identified two problems with the outside classroom.
One was the cold and the other the boy's shelter.

We capitalized on a warmer day last week and started out to help the boys with their shelter problem before embarking on our science activities for the day.

The boys began by describing the problem and the class went off in search of more tsll sticks to add more space to the shelter while others went off searching for seating possibilities.  The seating group came across a huge and very heavy log cut from the wood for the triangle.  The first thing one student did was measure the log with his arms to make sure it would fit the space and then called for help to carry it up the hill.

Once again the entire class responded, with students taking on leadership roles and all working together they lugged the log up the hill.  Next problem, the branches sticking out made the log too big, so a plan was made to bring the handsaw next time.

Another problem that had come up was the idea of a roof, we decided that maybe we could weave small branches to make a panel.  The question of weaving came up, so we decided to have a minilesson.  While the children were at lunch I gathered together some pine needles and had a provocation ready, I was working on a weaving as they returned to the room and everyone wanted to give it a try.  Those ready to go, shared needles and found a space to start. Those a little nervous or needing a starter lesson in how to weave started with paper.  One student made a chess board with his newly acquired skill.  Next was to take it outside.  One student had tried weaving with rulers and discovered that in order to work the materials had to be "bendy".  So in the hunt for bendy sticks students also found bark.  Groups set to the task of weaving small sticks, large sticks and bark.  They worked at it for a good twenty minutes before all declaring that it wouldn't work.  The sticks were either not straight enough or not bendy enough, and the bark needed to be more similar pieces to work.

So is this failure?  NO!  We discovered a problem, we came up with a solution idea, we learned the skill, transferred it to natural materials on a small scale, discovered the necessary properties for the solution to work and set to work on the actual materials needed.  What we learned was that we still were not there, we still needed to figure out how to make the wood more flexible.  Some suggested making the wood wet, others to put it in hot water to see if that work.  The investigation continues.

Once again, I see totally engaged students, solving real problems, cooperating and being a successful community of learners.

Problem solving our outside space

We built the space, we were excited be outside but sometimes it is harder than it seems.  We spent some successful time outside but soon we realized that we needed to rethink a few things to make it work much better.  We decided to come back inside to discuss what the class felt were two major problems.

First: The Cold

Our discussion led to many suggestions and a new way to go about using the space.  Here are the main points:

• Decide the day before, so everyone would be prepared for cold temperatures.
• Take the temperature, if it was less than 35 degrees we would not use the outside classroom, also we would stay inside if it was raining or snowing.
• During cold days - only have active things to do.
• One suggestion was that if you didn't have the right clothes that you wouldn't be able to go, but the class decided that it was everyone's responsibility to dress appropriately.

Second: The group shelter.

A group of boys had built a group shelter but were having a hard time working without getting distracted - they felt they needed more space.  The class decided to help them brainstorm some ideas:

• Build out from the space along the logs
• Add in small nooks
• Add in more seating areas

This was the most successful discussion we had had all year.  Our umbrella project is relationships and we have been focusing on community. When building their own community, the students had strong ownership and were determined to make their space work.  Students were able to voice their concerns knowing that their classmates would make helpful suggestions to try and solve the problems.  This is the beauty of empowering the students.  I could have said, well it is too cold, lets leave it until the spring, or the group space isn't working, go to individual spaces; but giving the children the safety and power to work on these very real problems, to give them the time and space to investigate them, they came up with ideas for workable solutions.

Building the Community Space

Everyday I hear "Are we going outside?"  Ever since this idea got started the students have been eager to work on their outside classroom and to be in the forest.  Our latest challenge was to build a community space to gather as a class.  Once again the students took on the task with gusto.  As I was reflecting on the learning that took place in building the community triangle I was amazed at the amount we accomplished in such a short time.

This is what we did:

We measured the space. First by measuring the inside space using a variety of measuring tools, including a new one, the trundle wheel.  We measured using both standard and metric units and found both the dimensions and area of the space.  We decided on a triangle with 15 foot sides.  We needed 15 seats and a triangle has three sides - 15 is divisible by 3!

 We needed help to cut the wood.  A small group of students wrote to Pippin, using a strategy they had learned previously while writing e-mails to other faculty.

 The students then designed the benches. They had originally thought about making stools but decided to change to benches as then more people could be invited to share the space.  At 15ft long, the children worked out they would have 3ft each!  They then sketched their ideas and made scale models using natural materials.  Using a handsaw was an introduced skill, and the students used tools they were already familiar with.  After conferring with Pippin a design was chosen.

 We then began to gather the trees.

 The students measured 15 ft lengths for Pippin to saw.  

 Then they had to really work together to carry those heavy logs and place them in the space.

The students took it in turns to steady the log and saw off rough patches to make the benches smooth to sit on. Then the supports were then placed to keep the logs off of the ground.

 While all this was going on, a team of students got together to clear the path from the classroom to the entrance.  This was a spontaneous action, decided upon by that small group.  A good example of initiative and leadership.

 Our finished space!

We can't wait to use it!

Building our outside space

Today we acted upon our idea of an outside classroom and went to investigate an outside space.  The students loved it and immediately wanted to personalize it.  They set to work clearing leaves and moving sticks to create and build personal work spaces.  I was impressed with the ease of their work. Everyone was fully involved. They discussed options of placement, use of materials, ideas for shelter and ways to build. I noticed students taking on leadership roles, giving constructive advice and helping each other create the perfect space.

We only stayed for about thirty minutes and not one was wasted - as we reflected,  the students expressed how they enjoyed the freedom of designing their space in a place of their choice.  Even though there was lots going on, they felt a calm and a quiet in their work.

It was interesting for me to notice the importance to the children of creating their own personal space, a community space was not a focus today. When I mentioned this they seemed to think whole class space was an easier task, it was the personal spaces that needed the most work.

After the first five minutes - no-one mentioned the cold, and when I suggested going back to the classroom they asked for more time outside !

The Other Way to Listen

Our 4th grade classroom thrives on social interactions, the students enjoy activities that involve moving around and working with each other.  They discuss their ideas freely and love to bounce their thoughts off of each other.  The classroom is always buzzing and rarely quiet. So, I was really surprised at the students' response to Friday's forest lesson.

We had read Another Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor earlier in the day, and the students wanted to experiment in the forest with quiet listening themselves.  They wanted to test whether you really could listen to rocks and trees and sand.

All the students picked a spot, be it lying on a rock, sitting over the creek or up in a tree and they listened.  I thought we'd be able to handle it for just a few seconds, but I was wrong.  In fact, we were all surprised when it came time to come back to campus.  The students listened so hard that one said she heard an ant walking across a leaf.  Even I heard the gentle sound of a leaf drifting to the ground.

They noted in their field notebooks that:

"I heard nature crawling and swooping around me."

"I heard the wind whispering to me."

"The highway sounds like a war has just started and one team is roaring. The trees are saying shhhhhhhhhhhhh to the roar. "

"The water is scared."

When we returned to the classroom we reflected on our afternoon.

"I thought that the experience was wonderful."

"It was so peaceful and quiet."

"I loved it, much quieter"

"Can we do it again?"

So this really led me to thinking.  How could I incorporate this feeling of calmness into our day?
Did the students need this sense of calm more than I thought? I had so many questions on where to take this experience.

Could I create a classroom space that reflected the feeling of the forest - bringing that outside space in.

My ideas were full of spaces full of natural colors and materials, a sort of inside forest.

I happened upon Sara and told her about my experience.  Sara told me that when this class had been in preschool they had much preferred to work outside than in. I wondered if I could try this again in 4th grade. Could we adapt our work so that sometimes during the week we could be outside?
It would be perfect for science as our focus is geology.  I remembered a day a couple weeks ago (in an earlier post) when the students chose their work for our forest afternoon, many chose literacy and seemed very content working in shelters others had built. Math, outside?  Well, yes I believe we could do that.

I started to think this could be something we could do.  Would a mix of inside and outside be beneficial to my group?  I am so lucky to be working in a school where this would not be considered unusual.  That we are able as teachers to adapt our environment to fit the needs of the students.


So on Monday, we'll follow up with our Friday forest day and I'll ask the students what they think?
We may be needing our cozy coats and boots more often than we thought.

Messing about in science

As teachers, we all know the importance of allowing children to play when they encounter new materials or experiences.  In Reggio this "messing about" is critical.  I have noticed the interest of the children in trying new experiments, acting upon their "I wonder what would happen if ......." ideas.  I always try to give enough time for these experiences, without being tempted to move them along, to set them a focus.  But how long is long enough?

As I have been watching closely I see purpose and patterns in their work, they have already set themselves a focus.  When they were smashing the rocks the students found that rocks were made of sediment or "sand".  So one focus is to use this knowledge to rebuild rocks from the sediment.  The children are mixing rock types together, adding water or freezing their mixtures.  They are also experimenting with adding other substances to their sediment mixtures, and then checking under the microscope to see what they have made.


Others have been experimenting with liquids available in the classroom. We have vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, baby oil, soda water and still water on hand.  One student coated pieces of mica with each liquid to observe changes.  She noticed that the vinegar seemed to be making the mica peel.  She then checked the liquids with litmus paper and saw that vinegar was acidic, she thinks this may be significant.  Others have been mixing their sediment with salt, with vinegar and with water to see what happens. Still more have been seeing if they can clean rocks with the various liquids.

So as I watch, the focus they have set for themselves starts to evolve.  They are wanting to see how rocks change, they are noticing the effects of different substances have on their rocks or sediment mixes. So as the teacher, this is the stage where I reach into my "pockets,'' my initial planning ideas on where I thought the children might go with the investigation.  An idea I had, was weathering and erosion, they are already experimenting with chemical changes so I will set a new provocation and see where they go next.

Scientists in the Field

 I just love it when a field trip is so successful- it was "better than summer vacation".

As part of our geology study we visited Morefield Mines to hunt for rocks as scientists in the field.  As one student put it "scientists get dirty." We did get dirty and we learned so much.  So how were the students being scientists?

"We listened and observed closely"

"We got information."

"We chose the equipment we needed"

"We focused on finding garnets"

"We dug for rocks, then identified them"

"I looked for good places to dig, we looked together"

"I made discoveries"

"I cleaned my rocks in the sluice and was surprised to find some topaz."

"I made them shiny so they were easier to observe"

"I noticed that wet rocks looked different when they dried."

"There were even good rocks in the discard pile!'

A successful field trip acts as a springboard to other investigations.  We have been focusing on the skills of classifying and observing. One of the children asked about a microscope so I brought some into the classroom.  For some of the students it was the first time they had used a microscope so it was exciting.
Among the "Wows' and "look at this's" I also heard students teaching each other how the microscope worked, showing each other how to move the mirror or focus the lens.

There is something about spending time in the forest.
Be it hunting for rocks to further scientific experiments, painting with natural materials, writing a short story, or just reading a fun book.

Sometimes we just have to wait for the right moment for an idea to take off.  The class was interested in investigating rocks.  So, we observed, we sorted, one of the students brought in information about the three types of rocks and they immediately wanted to name them.  This proved to be very tricky.  Even though the interest level was okay, where to go next was difficult. I decided to go another route.  At the creek some of the students were excited about throwing the rocks to try and break them. I decided to capitalize on this, yet in a more controlled manner.  So complete with safety goggles and hammers we smashed some of the rocks.  This as you can imagine was just so much fun!  But also it was the magic that launched them.

Suddenly the ideas were flying around:

"Melanie, I made sand"

"That rock went poof, into dust"

"Can I see if I can remake the rock?"

"I'd like to do an experiment"

Freezing the rocks, or mixing them with water,  seemed to be  big things, also making a new rock with the crushed sediment.  I'm constantly hearing the words "I'm surprised" or "I wonder what will happen if....." . The students are very willing to record their thinking, to make plans for their experiments and to write or draw what they are noticing.

Drawing on previous understandings is also apparent.  One student devised an experiment to compare some sediment with salt, another his quartz rock with ice.

Who knows when an idea will take off. We must remember to slow down, and watch what the children are doing, and they will take the lead.