Learning Story – Rain Day
The Week of September 24, 2024
What Happened?
We started the fall at Bushkids in a beautiful way by welcoming new friends and playing on the Land. We go outside in all types of weather, and we didn’t let the rain stop us from exploring the site today!
While we played and explored we wondered:
“Do you think the grey jay nest is still there?” “Are the birds still in it?”
While reading the wordless, giant fish book: “How do fish swim?”
While holding the racoon and coyote furs: “Where are his eyes?”
“Who hunted it?” “Who took the teeth off?”
“Why do we do Bushkids?”
“Look at that leech! We have to show Xavier!”
“I saw baby jackfish! Next week I want to catch them. I’m going to bring a big net. Maybe I should buy a pair of waders!”
“Did Auntie go to residential school?”
While playing at the mud kitchen and digging in the mud: “This is why we need to thank the Land because we are playing and using the Land so much.”
“Do you see and hear the eagles? I wonder how much longer they will be here.”
“I jumped to the branch from that far!”
Why is it Important?
Many of the Bushkids have attended for several years now. They have built a relationship with the Land, which is nurtured every time they return to the site. One of Bushkids’ principles is that the Land is the teacher. The Land guides all that we do at Bushkids. As the Bushkids have time to explore, play and communicate with each other on the Land, they begin to make new observations and connections, they expand their understanding or they revisit their bush skills. Some of these are examples of spiral learning – where learning isn’t linear but we trust in a process where we will always come back to a skill or teaching when we need to learn more about it.
What Does This Mean For Next Time?
We closed by feeding the fire and we asked the Bushkids what they wanted to do next time. Several said they wanted to go back to the lake to go fishing. Some said they wanted to build more forts. Some said they wanted to keep working on building the ladder, and another said they wanted to use the wagon again to move items around the site. When we offer them the choice to direct their learning, they are internally motivated, become more excited to be on the Land and practice spiral learning.
As educators we will set out invitations to play that help them answer some of the questions they asked throughout the day. We want to give them the opportunity to answer questions on their own rather than answering the questions for them.