Preschoolers Light the Way
There was a twinkle in the air recently. More like 26 twinkles over two January evenings as Principia’s youngest scholars—the Preschool 3 and 4 classes—led their parents on a lantern walk through the campus’ east woods. Each child carried a homemade lantern—a decorated glass jar or lantern made from vellum paper—for the occasion and illuminated with a tea light.
The trek involved crossing creeks, navigating steep hills, walking around a wickiup, balancing on bridges, and finding the perfect spot for hanging homemade bird feeders before settling on a tree stump to sip hot cocoa and share stories and songs around a campfire.
Principia’s Reggio Emilia-inspired program recognizes parents as essential resources to their child’s learning and important collaborators with the teachers and students. Community building and family involvement are integral components of the educational program.
Typically, parents are invited into the classroom to share their interests and talents with students. Potlucks, family breakfasts, author nights, and other fun family events aid parents’ engagement with their student’s education. This year, COVID-19 protocols have prevented these traditional gatherings. The lantern walk was one way that everyone could be together this year. As PS4 teacher Rachel Soney put it, “The light from the lanterns was symbolic of how we can let our light shine.”
The students’ lights were more than shining—they were bursting! says Early Childhood Principal Dorothy Halverson, “The students were so excited to share school with their parents that they could hardly contain themselves by the end of the day.”
In PS3, the class has completed a thorough seed study. Their concern for birds having enough food through the winter prompted the idea of leaving seed-covered feeders for the forest fowl. The PS4 class has numerous bird feeders outside their classroom windows. They use books available in the classroom to identify the birds. “Making a bird feeder was a natural connection to the curriculum,” Halverson says. “Sharing our love of the woods with the parents was also a desire of the students and singing and sharing books that we write on a regular basis allows the students to practice public speaking.”
Community building was evident as well. Parents had the opportunity to interact with each other, something they’ve not had the chance to do this year. Both Preschool classes welcomed new students in January, and the gathering was a way to embrace and welcome the new families into the Principia community.
“While we can’t go into the indoor classroom, it was great to see how our children are discovering, adventuring, and learning in their outdoor classroom,” says Marcel Biró, father of a PS3 student. “Every day my daughter tells me something she did in school. Her enthusiasm makes me wish I was a preschooler again. To experience learning alongside her brings me great joy.”
Halverson says the responses following the event have been very positive, and she plans to make the lantern walk an annual event.