Our Kindergartens took a field trip to Minnehaha Falls. Before the trip they worked with their teachers to plan the trip. What will the weather be like? What should we wear? What should we bring? What do we want to notice and reflect on?
They were asked to pick a subject from the field trip to make a “list poem” about.
They drew their subject (waterfall, Blue Heron, bridge, cave, etc) in their journals and made a list of words that they dictated to an adult, or wrote themselves. During this time, students worked with great focus and attention to capturing their experience. Later they were asked to draw and paint their chosen subject and their teacher typed up their poems after reflecting with each student about their work.
Their desire to communicate was ravenous – their experience hiking, playing, studying and learning about the creek, river, waterfalls, and the many things they encountered was expressed with their words and lovely black line drawings and watercolor paintings (see below)
They also reflected on the field trip by building a 3-D model of Minnehaha Falls. It covered the classroom circle area, using blocks, fabric, stones, pinecones, and driftwood. The model had the roads, bridges, “golden cave,” creek, waterfall, and the river they saw.
There are many progressive education principles practiced in this project:
- We engage in thematic studies to foster authentic and emergent learning experiences.
- We design opportunities to integrate the arts in curriculum as an essential way to acquire and express knowledge.
This project is also aligned with many of our environmental education goals. We are committed to helping students:
- form deep connections to nature.
- have a strong sense of place.
- value being stewards of the natural world.
Kindergarten Minnehaha Study – Watercolor and Line Poems
Kindergarten Minnehaha Study – A 3-D Model
