Blog Post #2

This week I will be reflecting on two principles of the quality 8, which are connecting to nature and friendship. I did some research on how connecting to nature can be integrated within the classroom and how teachers can foster positive friendships within the classroom. To begin, teachers can implement lessons where students have the opportunity to learn in a different setting which is outside. This is especially important in the primary grades where children learn through exploration and making sense of their surroundings. I learned that recess isn't enough outdoor time and teachers should be incorporating there lessons outside to expose students to nature. This could be doing math on the sidewalk with chalk, reading a book outside or doing a science experiment outside. There are several fun ways that students can be engaged with nature in lessons. Additionally, teachers can bring  outdoors, inside. Teachers can decorate their classroom with easy-to-care for plants or open the blinds to let the sunlight shine through the class. Art is another great way students can connect with nature. Students can connect with Indigenous cultures also through nature and the outdoors. Students can do shading with leaves,  dream catchers with sticks, make log cabin picture frames with sticks, and the list goes on. In the 21st century, students are getting exposure to technology more than ever and it is vitally important for children's development to stay connected to nature. Let kids go outside and get dirty. That is a huge thing children do at camp as they explore the outdoors and the world around them. When students co-create meaning with one another by connecting to nature, students can also form connections with other students forming friendship.

Retrieved from Sonoma State University, 2018. [Online Image] https://www.sonoma.edu/calendar/outdoor-curriculum-young-children-open-classroom (photo on the left)
Wiking, C. 2019. [Online Image]. Retrieved from https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/59952/fall-nature-crafts/ (photo on the right)

Video Retrieved from Hughes, M. 2012. [Online Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hySY0GVDtRE#action=share

 This leads into my aspect of the quality 8 about friendship. Students making friends can impact their learning environment greatly and the willingness to want to go to school. From week one, teachers should establish a friendly community within the classroom. Team building activities are a great way to get to know one another as it allows students to communicate, collaborate and problem solve as a team. Initiative tasks and team building tasks solidify unison within the group right away as it fosters students to become comfortable with one another and forces people to communicate who may have not before. Once teachers create a positive teamwork environment, friendships happen, giving students the sense of belonging and the willingness to want to come to school. Teachers should set guidelines from week one about expectations for how students should talk to each other and shut down any negative comments or remarks towards other students. This will create a community where everyone feels welcome and students will feel like they can rely on one another, making it a place where they want to return to. Teachers can implement resources in their classroom about the importance of friendship or having writing exercises that discuss friendship. It is a vital role in a teachers position to provide opportunities where friendship happens. This can relate back to integrating opportunities to connect with nature or other experiences where students can find similar interests with one another. Teachers can provide a friendship banner within the class where students can share experiences and visually see the important qualities involved in friendship.

Anderson, S. 2016. [Online Image]. Retrieved from https://www.askideas.com/alone-we-are-smart-together-we-are-brilliant/