Ahh, the great outdoors! Rain or shine the children spend some time outside each day. On a comfortable pleasant day some of the older (non-napping) children spend up to 3 hours outside, eating lunch, playing, moving in big ways, snacking, socializing…repeat.

One of their favorite games is chase. The thrill of the run is irresistible for most. We check in often about who wants to play chase, asking permission to chase, and redirecting the game if chase becomes too much for an individual or group. Sometimes the game becomes “run around as fast as you can.” Every day is new and different. But there is always running.

Another popular activity is “kitchen time”. This can become a very collaborative process where several groups of children open up several different kitchens at once. One kitchen might be making ice cream, another cooking up a batch of soup. I was once offered a cheese plate! They will use what’s on the playground as ingredients – rocks, grass, bark chips, actual herbs – and it can be quite an imaginative process to behold.

On exceptionally windy days, we get out the parachute and turn it into a warm shelter. It’s both practical and fun. It is often turned into a bedroom and we play “sleeping time/morning time” with it.

We build shelters with tires, splash in puddles, collect worms, create worm homes, sing songs, form bands. We play catch with various sized balls, bird watch, cloud watch, dig in dirt, climb ropes, spin and fall down. We have outdoor reading time, we sketch together, have conversations. It’s a place of freedom of movement and negotiating social exchanges. It’s a beautiful environment in which to witness children develop and it is a joy to spend time outside together.

Finally, here is a short TedxTalk, presented by Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist, about the importance of outdoor movement for child development: tedxportsmouth.com/speakers/angela-hanscom/

The children at Frog Song have been busy, busy bees learning about themselves, each other, and the world around them! At Frog Song we create space for daily open-ended work periods where children are given the freedom of choice and freedom of movement, and are allowed to make their own choices of what to do as they move through their morning. In doing this we show them that we respect them and they learn how to meet their own needs, exist within a caring community and learn how to make choices (a skill that will come in hand for the rest of their lives!) After all, they have a way better idea of what choice will best fit their ever changing needs than we do. We never interrupt a child who is fully engaged in “work,” which is anything a child might be engaged in that serves them in their development. This could range from putting a sock on their foot to tying an apron to making a book complete with pictures and words that match. Check out the pictures below to see what some of the children been up to!

This child is scrubbing his boots after a muddy nature walk!

Bees have been buzzing, the sun has been shining, birds have been chirping, squirrels have been digging and children have been busy laughing, smiling, singing, balancing, collecting, digging and conversing! It has been a busy little start to the school year over here at Frog Song Montessori Preschool. Over half of our class graduated in August and we have been joyfully welcoming many new faces into our little community this year. Some younger friends have become exuberant, helpful leaders, showing our new friends how things are done in the classroom. Although the start of school is especially busy for us teachers as we orient new families and their children, it is always a good reminder to sit back and watch what the children are capable of without our help. It is a gift to get to be a “fly on the wall” in a classroom of socially cohesive children and we are soaking up these moments as often as we can!

Lately, some Frog Song children (notably, those with older siblings in public school) have started asking to go outside for “recess.” As much as we know what they mean, “recess” we generally use the phrase “time outside” in place of “recess.” For children, of course, words don’t tend to carry much baggage; they just describe the object, attribute, or experience they’re connected with. Still, for those of us who grew up with an understanding of recess as a time when we could literally “recede” from the rest of the school day, the semantic difference offers a little reminder that we’d like to build a different experience for these children.

So, what does everyone do when we’re outside?

At Frog Song, everyone goes outside after lunch. Since everyone finishes lunch at a different pace, we don’t wait until the whole class has finished (or been required to stop) eating lunch. Rather, once about a third of the class has eaten the right amount for their bodies, packed up their lunches, and cleaned up their table, one adult takes a first group outside. This allows everyone to get just the right amount of food (and spend the right amount of time talking with friends!) before coming onto the playground. Except for nappers, everyone spends at least an hour outside every day. Depending on moods and weather, many children spend quite a lot more.

They play as a big group]

They break off on their own imaginary endeavors

They teach each other to do new things

They comfort each other

And they just hang around

More recently, many of the children who were once content to be instructed on what roles to take, or more committed to observing from the periphery, have jumped into taking a more active role in directing the play. The children who came into this year as leaders have handled this with surprising grace, stepping back and letting their friends change the direction of the game.

Montessori education centers on freedom for the children within guiding limits set by adults. These limits are much less evident (and also, probably fewer in number) on the playground than they are in the classroom. This leads to exploration, of course, but also to conflict. As a parent, it can be so difficult to hear about conflict, aggression, and disappointment children experience with their peers! These feelings are a part of most of our own daily experiences, and the playground is a laboratory where children do the work of testing and refining their limits and their comfort levels, seeing how their actions are perceived, and learning to observe and match their friends’ behavior.

As adults at Frog Song, we set limits around physical play for children (tagging and hugging should be consensual, wrestling is always a no-go), and, since the winter, have banned play based on weapons, zombies, jail, and some other topics that seemed frightening across the board. This created a great sense of relief among most children, consternation for a few, and a big explosion in the subject matter of play!