When the Rivers Class students arrive at the playground in the park each day, Ms. Buckley asks, "Who is your partner?" Each child says the name of his or her partner, and then Ms. Buckley cheerfully exclaims, "Now you may go play!"
The small slide is open (which means that students can enjoy it), but since it rained last night, the slide is wet. Never fear. In our park bag, we carry many chamois cloths which we use to dry the slide.
Drying the slide is hard work, and it takes many hands
to complete the task.
The small slide is open! One student takes a turn going down the one-way slide while others patiently wait for their turn at the top.
The students have learned that the slide is often pretty fast!
Some children go down the slide many times each day.
Students delight in the small slide! (The large slide is closed. To keep everyone safe in the large group, we say it is closed so the children know not to use it at park time.)
But there are other things to explore at the park, and students enjoy balancing on this favorite piece of equipment.
Sometimes Ms. Buckley hops on the equipment as the students move back and forth and test their balance.
Students also like to climb on the ropes and poles.
They remember to "stay on the orange" at the park. The orange, springy surface provides a large play area, so students also enjoy games of tag.
Hanging onto the bar takes a lot of strength. Our physical educator teacher, Mr. Licato, joins us at the park several times a week, and he challenges students to give a "High Five" with their feet as they swing from the bars. They're having fun and building core body strength at the same time.
"Listen for the chimes!" When Ms. Buckley rings the chimes, students in the Rivers Class quickly run over to the park bench, find their partner, line up, and get ready to return to school to have a snack.
As the students leave the park, they sing "This is the Way We Walk to School!"
What is your child's favorite activity during park time? How many times has your child gone down the small slide? Has your child mentioned the squirrels that we have noticed on our way to the park? What do the chimes mean? And ask your child to sing "This is the Way We Walk to School" for you!
