#14 Lenten Reflections
Today when my 3 and 4-year-old class walked in the classroom, I had a live winter scene of wildlife on the Clear Touch Screen. Instrumental piano music played in the background as White Arctic wolves, foxes, deer, and an occasional squirrel ambled across the screen.
The video had 6,651,825 views. It was magnificent.
After the kids settled on the carpet in a circle, I paused the video and a solo hawk sat on a blanket of snow eating its latest meal. Oozing with curiosity, a bright-eyed, confident, leader in the class, Moriah, walked straight up to the Hawk, poised to ask a thoughtful question. She had a silver spacer to help widen her jaw for future braces lying at the bottom of her mouth. “Where are her mom and dad?” She paused. “Or is she probably okay by herself?”
Hmm…What do you think? I asked looping the question back to her.
“I think she’s okay by herself. Her parents may come back, but look, she’s eating all by herself. She’ll be okay. What do you think she’s eating?”
“Meat!” One girl hollered, “Cake,” said another, “Snow!” came the last guess.
Seeing as the videography of this scene was quite clear and honesty always wins, I told the onlookers it looked like it MAY be a mouse. I then decided to move on and not elaborate on “how” the mouse came to be the hawk’s lunch. I quickly began singing our welcome song in Spanish and everyone joined in, the hawk left to tend to itself, just as Moriah had speculated.
What I learned:
Play, wonder, not knowing, making predictions, letting kids figure things out, and teaching kids to observe their surroundings will all spark curiosity. Encourage them to ask questions and provide a safe space for them to thrive. Or just have them look up, and watch animals frolicking in the snow. That should light the wick in the candle of learning!
Thanks for joining me,
❤️Lucretia
runonmom.com 