In Heron group we have been focusing on classic stories to share as a group. We have done Coyote and the Sky, Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Gingerbread Man. The children already know these stories well, so we mostly focus on how we can use our bodies to tell the story. Masks help us start to find our character. They help us try out our character's voice and also how we would move as that being. As the story develops, parts of the environment are mentioned, and are also a very important part of bringing the story to life. What would Coyote and the Sky be without the sun, moon and stars? What would The Three Billy Goats Gruff be without an arched bridge? And what would The Gingerbread Man need Foxes help for, if there was no river? Here we are working on our own personal masks so we can bring them home.
We read a few different versions of the classic story, Stone Soup. We recalled the ingredients that were mentioned in the story and made sure we had them ready. We even found a few more like turnips and beets. We took care to wash the vegetables well. We each picked a vegetable to peel for the soup. While the vegetables were being prepared for the soup, we made a Stone Soup craft. We helped to stir the soup and mix in spices. We used some garlic, salt and pepper, just like the story. It smelled delicious! We were excited to try our Stone Soup. Some children loved the stone soup so much, they had many helpings.
Most people's understanding of sharing in a daycare setting is with toys. Taking turns. Sharing items and equipment. But if we look at how our community shares with each other and compare it with the children's understanding what do we see? The children see the importance of preparing food and sharing this with others. This happens inside our centre as well as in the forest. Once in the forest, markets are carved out under trees and merchants sell their wares. Pinecones, stones, seeds and twigs become food to be shared. Ice cream and treats are easy to find but merchants are always happy to fill special requests. Money is sometimes requested in exchange for food but most often food is given for free. It was lovely to see how Valentine's Day was able to coincide with our generosity unit of inquiry. The children were SO excited to be able to mail their valentines to friends and family. Sharing space with others is often a difficult thing to learn how...
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