Nature Names

Every September, when it's back to school time, we plan some activities we would like our students to create, explore, and have fun with.

Last year, we did rainbow names, where each student glued on coloured pieces of construction paper overtop their name.  They were adorable!

This year we decided to do something a little different with our names.

Part of the Full Day Kindergarten program encourages the classroom to take the role of the "3rd teacher", or a place where each student feels welcomed, safe and comfortable - just not with an abundance of loud colours everywhere.  An idea we are moving towards is making our classroom look and feel much more like our homes.

That being said, I am slowly transitioning out of the loud colours everywhere and bringing in softer things.  For example, the children still decorated their name this year, we just didn't use the colours of the rainbow.

 

We took the children on a nature walk the second week of school just around the school property.  Since we are still under construction (my new classroom should be ready in a few weeks time, fingers crossed!) we didn't have far to walk.  I was a little hesitant taking the children outside for the first time, but we talked about the rules - everything from staying with the group to not harming nature (such as flowers still growing) - and it worked out beautifully!

We gave the students some large bags and baskets and had them think about items from nature to collect to use to paste over their name.

 

And this is what we got....

Beautiful!

Sorry that this next picture is so far away.  We displayed each name on the large wall at the back of my classroom.

I just started taking a course every Tuesday (until December) entitled Kindergarten Part 1.  The instructor, Joanne Babalis, is fabulous and has a very inspiring blog, My Classroom Transformation.
This idea was taken from her classroom blog.
If you are looking for a FDK classroom that embraces the idea of child-centered, nature-based, holistic environment, then you have to visit Joanne's blog.
It is truly inspiring!

I can't wait to share with you some of the other transformations taking place in my classroom!
More pictures to come!