Walking into Flinders you can’t help but notice the new garden development at Preschool House. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the path; along it’s twists and turns, down the hill to the new gate. What a stark difference it has made visually to the space. What difference will it make to play at Preschool House? A new path, new possibilities; we wonder where it will take us.
The children and educators at Preschool House are very excited to witness the development of the Forest, beginning with the pathway that connects to the affectionately names Jungle Path along the fence line. Many children spend time during their day looking over the fence; watching, listening and asking questions.
We have also begun documenting what is happening. We are learning about different tools and the material that is needed to make a path; logs, rakes, wheelbarrows, quarry sand and rubble. Inspired, we add logs and wheelbarrows to our play. Some children enthusiastically begin making a path with the logs; two children use spoons from the sandpit as a tool to cut the log to size and others take the wheelbarrows and move sand or leaves around the space.
Following our risk assessment and our knowledge of the children’s competence in using logs safely, we add more logs as the week continues. This means that the Preschool House children can complete pathways, yet is also opens up opportunities for new inventions. The log is a remarkable loose part. A loose part is a resource that can be used in multiple ways with endless possibilities. Offering logs as an invitation never ceases to amaze the educators at Preschool House. For example, in just one hour they were used as an outline for a pool, dug into the sand and used as a table by placing bowls on top, arranged as a fireplace, and balanced on top of one another. We have used logs as a resource for many years at Preschool House, yet they continue to be used in new ways. What creative children!
Like the humble log with it’s open, endless possibilities, the new pathway also invites new play. We can’t wait to see how it is used. We look forward to the children surprising us once again with their creativity. A new path, new possibilities; we wonder where it will take us.
