may 2022
One of the children in our program gets very excited whenever they see birds. No matter which type of bird it is, it’s always a “Caw-Caw”.
We are very blessed to have such big beautiful windows at Elsie, and they are at a low enough height that the children can easily stand and look outside. Now that the season has changed, we are discovering more and more “caw-caws” outdoors; roosting in nearby trees, perching on our fence and even walking through the grass.
The fascination with the birds is so contagious that even some of the other children have joined in the excitement. “Caw-caw” is now the word of choice for labelling any birds that are seen through the window or outside. The recent neighbourhood walks we have taken include a search for birds, and the children will call out ‘caw-caw’. (We wonder how they would react if a bird were to call or sing back in response?) We recently added some animals to the environment and we made sure that we added a few birds. The eagle ‘caw-caw’ is a popular favourite and the child who has inspired this interest can be seen carrying it in their hand. A raven and owl puppet also visited the program a couple of weeks ago, and may need to come back to see the children again.
What is most exciting right now is that this child is also beginning to label their drawings. There is a clear and intentional idea being expressed while they are drawing. Here is a sample of artwork with a paper full of ‘caw-caws’. This is an amazing representation of this child’s interest in birds, and we look forward to finding ways to extend this even further!
Don McMahon RECE
Carly Baratta RECE
Madison Myefors RECE
