Park Play

We are so fortunate to have a park less than a five minute walk from school! As a teaching pair, we have taken advantage of this great opportunity for the last two years, and now going into our third. We find this weekly outing to have so many wonderful benefits.

1. Part of the Reggio philosophy includes exposing the children into the community. By doing so, this gives us an opportunity for real life interaction with adults, children and animals they are unfamiliar with. We work with our children to appropriately approach and respond in these situations, especially those who have animals. This will only help our students to feel more safe and confident in public. 
2. The park provides a larger space for lots of running. Need I say more?
3. The park also has a great playground that allows the children to exercise different muscles than our play structures at school. Many of the children have already mastered monkey bars, ladders, and getting onto a swing independently. 
4. A deeper connection to nature is promoted through our weekly park trips. We allow the children to explore the "forest" along the sides of the park, with supervision of course. During these explorations, they often observe and collect their surroundings. With their collections, we are able to return to the classroom and further investigate their findings. 
5. Each of the five senses is deeply integrated into daily activites within the school. However, by visiting the park, we are creating new experiences for the children to explore with each sense. 
6. By visiting the park, we are putting the children in a new setting, creating new and different opportunities for inquisition.