Ode to Inside-Outside Days

Carol and I were planning last night (sitting on the floor of her laundry room, kept company by the adorable litter of five week old kittens she is fostering), and we were discussing just how wonderful this week has been. The introduction of Inside-Outside Days has ushered in a whole new era of Turtle-dom, and to see it in action is to believe in progressive child-centered early childhood education. Throughout the year, we have slowly been building the trust, relationships, routines, and independence that led to this week. And here we are!
The children have the tools they need to navigate their environment and make independent decisions about their work and play. Sitting at Morning Meeting yesterday, with the children raising their hands and sharing their ideas about what would be important to include in our choices, it was clear that the Turtles were well on their way to mastering purpose, Erikson's developmental stage for 3 to 5 year olds. Here are a few snapshots:

GK carefully placing a long board on the platform of the outdoor classroom, walking along the plank to test where the tipping point was.

Katie sat down at the new Oobleck table, after watching her friends experiment with it. She tentatively touched it, then scooped it up. She watched it drip off her fingers, saying, "It raining. Hear it?" The Oobleck dripped into the aluminum pan, pinging quietly as it hit the bottom.

Kailyn returned to the garden day after day to monitor the progress of the buds on the marigolds. On this day, she was beside herself with excitement! Two buds had bloomed!

Watering the garden turned into an exploration of fluid dynamics as the Turtles noticed that when they spilled their water on the patio, it ran down the incline. They experimented by pouring many many buckets of water down the patio, watching the splashing rivulets trickle and run across the brick, turning it bright red and washing sticks and sand along with the water. Tamara asked, "Where is the water going?" And the Turtles set off to see where the water was. They found a puddle at the bottom of the steps, and then discovered that the water was going even further, making its way slowly through the wood chips!

It is amazing to see the deep and scientific (not to mention joyful!) exploration the Turtles are doing inside and outside!
As reflective practitioners of early childhood, Carol and I asked ourselves: what led up to this point? Could we develop this initiative and this purposeful play earlier in the year? What are the important elements of this play, and how can we support and extend it?