I am present. I hear . . .

11-13-17

We continue to connect our engagement to our conversations early in the year about being present - what being present looks and feels like. While we wait for our outdoor classroom to be safe again, we have been utilizing the trails and open fields around our little school. On Monday, I introduced a large map of Westford school trails. We highlighted the trail we had taken the previous week and discussed the many trails the children are curious about.

Prior to our hike and invitation to listen, we read two poems from the text, Forest Has a Song. This book is a beautiful collection of poems about what we hear, see, and feel in the forest. Our reflection following the reading of the poems connected back to earlier conversations about what poetry is and what poetry means to the Kindergarteners. This book has become a new favorite of mine and I have saved many of the poems for future teaching, as it touches upon important topics about nature through colorful illustrations and rich language.

With journals, pens, and our singing bowl in hand, the children, Cindy and I hiked out to the meadow. The children noticed additional trees down in the forest as we passed, we wondered when the woods would be safe to explore again. We watched birds frantically move between the branches of a bush. We found a spot at the end of the meadow and gathered together, I invited the children to listen. With 19 gathered close, it was hard to be silent. Some children asked if they could turn and face the sky.

We heard chattering and leaves and the swishing of winter gear. We heard a truck and maybe an airplane. JF said he thought he heard a pinecone fall.

I asked the children to record what they heard in their journals. The prompt;

I  am  present.

I  hear  _____________________________________.


There was a large space to draw or illustrate their noticings. Many recorded the birds they heard, eager to write the word birds on the line. It was empowering for the naturalists to read the prompt independently, to share their careful work, to fully engage in the moment - recognizing that all of the work they do is important.

As we hurried to leave for the buses, I took one last look at the Kindergarteners; a large group of children with nature journals in their laps, a bright cluster of hats and mittens at the edge of a meadow, surrounded by trees and sky. This is what Kindergarten should be.