EARTH LANGUAGE CURRICULUM
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"Wouldn't it be fantastic if we had eyes that could see underground? So that we could observe everything down there in the same way we can look up through the skies to the stars. When I look at a giant tree I marvel at the gnarled trunk, the spreading branches, the multitude of leaves. Yet that is only half of the tree being – the rest is far, far down, penetrating deep beneath the ground." - Jane Goodall
We are all parts of a whole.
We are all parts of earth. How are we in relationship to all these parts, yet still be our one self? Children inherently feel these questions and have theories. As a teacher I learn alongside my students to be instructed by their insights. I apply my perceptions of who they tell me they are into a responsive curriculum infused with our natural ways of being with the world: socially, emotionally, mathematically, scientifically, artistically, and physically. Children respect learning when learning respects their development. I teach honoring this reciprocity of knowledge and growth. Time is a one with respect one with acknowledgement of mistakes/growth/change/ending Every area of child development is supported by being outside. Earth Language curriculum weaves together the outdoors with the indoors. changes that take place in outdoor spaces with the growth of our student's cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development during the nine months we are together. Our special outdoor spaces are the Children's Garden located at the North East corner of 58th and Kenwood, Jackson Park, and Wooded Isle. It must be noted, that the entire process of walking to and from these spaces is part of the outdoor experience. Real life skills learning is taking place for the nursery schooler. We learn to self-regulate in order to cross streets carefully and walk as a group; we learn the importance of keeping our community free of litter; we identify letters, shapes, colors, numbers, and words that carpet our community; we make up songs and sing old songs together; we learn to map our route with ordinal and cardinal directions; we build our physical endurance; we find and wonder about the tiniest pieces of natural beauty woven and wafting along the path; we learn to appreciate all types of weather; we are curious about animal habits. The process of walking to and from the outdoor spaces brings us into our broader Hyde Park community. These corners are large places to a young child. The distance to any of these outdoor spaces may be long in the beginning of the year, yet will become well-known, loved and just right at the end. Students become independent, resilient, confident public citizens in the community. Additionally, the community learns to respect the competencies and capacities of the early years of human development as they observe our children out and about. The changes that take place in our outdoor classrooms are not limited to the seasons, although the seasons frame the moments. In the beginning of the year we are at the crux of summer and autumn. Students notice a multitude of colors, smells, and textures. Children easily find worms and isopods with shovels and hands. As fall turns into winter and our harvest festival ends we note changes. The air feels and smells different. The colors are new. The sound of outside has changed. The worms and roly-polies are no longer easy to find. We wonder why? together. The time spent outside is but a part of our curriculum, a very important part. This said, there is time spent inside, as well. Each space in our classroom is intentional in its focus. We cook, build with unit and big blocks, have snack, take care of dolls, paint, collage, and much more. As will become evident the two important spaces, outdoors and indoors will become intertwined in their play. The big blocks will become gardens and the bricks at the garden will be used for worm homes. The scenarios are as endless as our imaginations. |
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