Beyond the classroom walls

We had a field trip today. Well, if going over to the elementary classroom counts as a field trip. At a little before 10 o'clock we called the children to the ellipse and let them know that we were going to a play put on by the elementary class. We talked about how we needed to be good visitors to their classroom, sit quietly and stay in our places. And they must have took it to heart because I only had to speak to one child about keeping their voice off. A short Q&A after the play (The Scrambled States of America) was a bit much for them to sit still for, and required an explanation of a question versus a story. Then we trooped back to our classroom and got back to work.

What play do you choose to do when
your Elementary class has 44 students?
Why one with 50 roles in it of course!

That was just about the perfect amount of 'going out' for our children. Elementary on the other hand has actual going out activities where they leave the school grounds. Normally these events don't involve the whole class, rather just a small group will go. Ideally these going outs are planned by the children themselves and stem from a desire to learn something in a more hands on way, like actually visiting a recycling plant or soup kitchen. The children figure out how they will get to their destination, recruit a parent volunteer to accompany them if  needed, and any other details. The parent chaperon is there, not to lead the children, but rather as a safety net in case a situation arises that they might not know how to deal with (such a missing the scheduled bus). 

All of this is a little above the younger ones in Children s House. For them the simple routine of coming to school and knowing exactly what to expect is comforting to them. Their community has expanded beyond the family to include their classroom. Elementary students, on the other hand, are ready to begin embracing an even larger community. All of this stems from Dr. Montessori's findings of child development and understanding that the preschool and elementary child differ as much as the adolescent does. And I have to admit that watching our children walk nervously into that big elementary room really brought this point home.

These are older children that they see regularly, and a lot of them are even their older siblings. They see these children coming in and going home at the same times as them, some even play with the older children in before and after school care. Yet walking in to a new room, even with all their classroom friends, was still the biggest challenge of the day for our kids. Meanwhile it seemed like the Elementary was ready to take their show on the road if we would only have let them!