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Silly Stories

12/1/2016

2 Comments

 
Picture
Today, was another day with temps. below zero and if it weren't for the little ones all hidden behind their "ninja masks" you never would have known. On days when the weather is especially chilly we tuck into the forest or down in the valley to protect ourselves from the wind. Today we went to the outdoor classroom and while the children played I started a campfire.

From my experiences, fires seem to be a place where people naturally gather to sit, to sing and to share stories. A place to build community. As the fire that I was tending to came to life and started to dance with flames of red, orange and yellow most of the children came over to sit next to me... silently at first and then after a few minutes they started up their own conversations. Their conversations turned into stories. And their stories turned into silly stories. Before long everyone was giggling.

I am not sure what sparked the first silly story but before long everyone had one that they wanted to share. That is when we started our group fill in the blank story... the kids loved the MAD LIBS type story telling. Together they contributed to story after story and likely would have sat there the rest of the day laughing with each other if their bellies didn't tell them that they were hungry. So before we headed in for a warm up and lunch we ended with a story about a king that went to the zoo to pet a dinosaur ;) (3-4 year olds humor is the best!!)

(Next time you need a giggle just narrate a story and include your little ones by leaving blanks to fill in. It makes for some really good, silly stories! Bonus: it helps build language and literacy skills.)
2 Comments
Harriet Hodgson link
18/3/2016 09:37:35 am

Hi Meghan,
I'm have a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College in Boston. Although I'm retired, and the grandmother of adult twins, I try to stay current on things. That's why I belong to an historic study club in Rochester, MN. My next research paper is going to be on Waldkindergartens. Your playschool seems to be an outgrowth of this movement and I learned about it from our caregiver, Liz Huey. Would you be willing to share some thoughts with me? I'm especially interested in planning, and how your plans change with the seasons. Years ago, my husband, C. John Hodgson, MD, interned at St. Mary's Hospital and I taught kindergarten at Lakeside School.

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Bobby C link
18/3/2021 06:59:57 am

Thanks for pposting this

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    I am Meghan Morrow, the founder and lead teacher at Secret Forest Playschool in Duluth, MN. This blog is a way for me to share some of the amazing moments that I witness and the lessons that I learn from some of the wisest people I know... children. 

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  • About Secret Forest
    • Our mission
    • Our values
    • Seasons of Change
    • Meet Our Guides
    • Our location
    • Our day
    • In The News
  • Enrollment/ Openings
  • Current families
  • Research with Juile Ernst
  • Mighty Maple Mentorship Program
  • Consultations
  • Contact us