Journal: Sense of Wonder

Context

This journal reflects how teachers took a curriculum goal (to value and support a child’s sense of wonder) and transformed the goal into a tangible experience for the children.  The experience, detailed below, not only cultivated and relished the children’s sense of wonder, but also referenced Cow Hollow School’s value on nature and stewardship.

September 19, 2013  – Cultivating a Child's Sense of Wonder

"Natural play strengthens children's self-confidence and arouses their senses—their awareness of the world and all that moves in it, seen and unseen." – Richard Louv

During our teacher planning weeks, we discussed our values of the classroom. One of these was valuing the children’s Sense of Wonder. We want the children to experience new materials/situations that are new, intriguing, and offers challenges to them. We want to tap into their curiosity. We want to create opportunities where children will have the, “Ah ha” moment that us grown ups talk about frequently. A big part of this Sense of Wonder, is the nature component. Next to our beloved (classroom pet) Wendy Gecko, we set up a small greenhouse. Jenna (teacher) planted a few seeds in small containers during our planning week and by the first week of school, it had sprouted! At our morning circle time on Monday, Jenna and I wanted to have a discussion about the small greenhouse and the sprouted bean that has been living in our classroom since the beginning of the year. We have noticed some children look in it and walk by it, but only a few children have asked what it is.

When the children walked into the classroom for our morning circle, they noticed the green house sitting on the table. They were all curious about what was inside and wanting to touch it. We brought it into the middle of the rug and asked them if they knew what was growing inside.

Lulu- A bean!
Kavi- A bean!
Jenna- Yes, some of you have asked and I mentioned that it was a Bush Bean. What do you notice about it?
Kyle- I notice those are growing. (points to plants)
Maggie- I notice those are growing too.
Scarlett- That one growed a little taller.
Asher- That one is big and that one is small.
Dylan- That one is short and that one is long.
Melissa- Oh okay. Both Asher and Dylan are using different descriptive words to describe what they are noticing. I hear big, small, short, long.
Kyle- What are these going to grow into?
Melissa- What a great question Kyle! Little Bay, what do you think these are going to grow into?
Dylan- Apple tree.
Trevor- Peas.
Laird- Apples.
Lulu and Asher- Peas.
Dylan- Lemon tree.
Sara- A bean tree.
Caroline- A grape tree.
Maggie- A raspberry tree.
Melissa- I notice a lot of you are thinking it will grow into a tree. What makes you think that? Why do you think it will grow into a tree and not a bush or a small plant?
Asher- Because it’s straight.
Lulu- Its a little bending.   
Jenna- Well today, Melissa and I were planning on a group taking this tall bean and planting it in the garden. It is getting too tall for our greenhouse.
The children start to break into side conversations about gardening and sharing information about their gardens at home.
Maggie- If they grow, they grow into food!

After snack Jenna stayed at the big rectangle table with the two bean plants. Some children came over to the table and made representations in their field journal. Some children were really interested in touching the actual bean.

After snack, Jenna, Laura (Maisy’s mom), Maisy, Maggie, Sara, Caroline, Kyle, and Scarlett went to the garden to plant the bean plant. Maggie was very excited to dig the hole for the bean plant and wanting to use a shovel so her hands stayed clean. Maisy and Jenna then helped to tuck the plant into the dirt. The children discussed how the dirt was dry and talked about how important watering is. Laura pointed out to the children how the water would make a pool in the dirt and then it would spread out. Something that really stood out  from this experience was how the children connected to the story, “The Curious Garden.” We have been reading this story to the children and they have  been loving how the little boy Liam took care of his garden. 

When the children were done watering the bean plant, Caroline and Sara said they should sing to the plant to make it grow. (In the story, it shows Liam singing to his plants). They made a song about the bean plant using the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. It went: 

Twinkle, Twinkle, little bean.
Growing in the garden that has dirt.

Reporting Circle

Our circle time meetings have been a wonderful experience. There have been lots of Reporting circles where the children have reported about their small group time. During this, the child or children share their experiences, show work from their field journals, etc. The children listening then have the opportunity to ask them a question of comment. On Tuesday, at our opening circle, Jenna reported about the children putting the bean plant in the garden.

Jenna- What did we plant yesterday in the Garden?
Kavi- A Bean!! Jenna- Does anyone remember why we planted it?
Maggie- So it can grow.
Asher- I notice one was big and one was low. (Asher was remembering our circle time yesterday where he shared this same thought. We were excited to see him connecting these two experiences together).
Lulu- Yeah, it was bendy.
Jenna- Some of you guys also worked in your field journal and made representations of the bean plant before we planted it.
Trevor asks for Jenna to read his words and describe his journal entry.
Jenna- Trevor decided to represent the tall one. He noticed the curve in the stem and the 2 big leaves. On the other page, Trevor added his..
Trevor- It's my brother Jason and the sun.
Kavi- And a face!
Melissa- Kavi, you are noticing a face in the sun.

Revisiting the bean plant

After our reporting circle, I (Melissa) took, David (Asher's dad), Asher, Tao, Lulu, Scarlett, Oscar, Kavi, Mahku, and Dylan out to the Main Yard and Garden. Many of these children were not there when the others planted the bean plant. We wanted to provide an opportunity for everyone in the Little Bay to investigate the bean plant and make representations of it in their field journal. The first group that went to the garden was Scarlett, Oscar, Lulu, and Dylan.

Oscar- I know where the bean is! I saw it when I was walking into school. (Oscar leads the way).
Scarlett walks right up to is and says, "Oh, I want to put the bending part on the fence. (She gently takes her hand and lays the bean on it) There! That's better.
Lulu- Look! It's the bean plant!
Oscar- And this is the dirt that is all around it.
Melissa- I remember when the peas were growing here, it grew really, really tall. I wonder how long it will take for this bean to grow?
Lulu- Oh, 25 years!
Oscar- If it want to grow up and up and up, it will take 30 years.
Dylan- No, maybe 29 years.
Scarlett- Up, up, up. 5, 26, 89 years.
Melissa- What does it need to grow?
Lulu- Water and sun.
Oscar- So, um water. Lots of water.

The children then gather their field journals and begin to represent the bean. Some chose to draw right next to it and others chose to sit on the small picnic bench while looking up at the bean plant. Having the children represent their thoughts is a great way for us to see what they are thinking and how they interpret these situations and experiences. Here are some marks the children made:

We are so excited to see where this bean plant and garden exploration takes us! We see the children already being stewards of their environment. This is something that we both want to continue to foster in our Little Bay class. 

Stay tuned for next week’s journal, which will showcase the children charting the growth, noticing any changes that happen to the bean, and further investigations! 
Warmly,
Jenna and Melissa