“Teacher look what I drew. I drew the apple tree!” said the child with a Hawaii theme shirt. “Was this the apple tree that we saw during our walk to the lake?” said the teacher. The child vigorously nods, and other children quickly drew circles with their color markers on their corner of the page.
The apple tree on our walk to the lake has been our landmark. It was too popular that we had to focus the weekly theme on apples. Children and the educators took time to explore the apple and the tree but especially the apple tree by the lake. The children aren’t a fan of just apples that we see or eat on regular basis, but this particular tree and its’ apples are special to them. When the group starts to walk to the lake, they already point to the direction of the apple tree before it appears. Some children gasp, jump, and even yells and look at each other as if they saw something surprising. The apple tree is recognized the same all season long. When it is only left with the skeleton of the tree, the children wonder and inquiringly ask questions and comments if the apple is lost or eaten.
“Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).” (Government of British Columbia, 2019, p. 14)
“Holistic [is] an approach to early learning that encompasses the physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and creative nature of a child. A holistic approach focuses on the whole child, rather than concentrating only on individual components.” (Government of British Columbia, 2019, p. 102)
The search for this apple tree continues inside the space. Their free drawing times are their best re-searching time. They are excited to share their drawing of the apple tree and wondering what their peers are drawing as their apple tree. Some children ask for help from teachers to draw circles for them. Each child’s drawing contains meaning and story. One single look will provoke them to narrate their story of the apple tree by the lake. The holistic children present their way of this apple tree to their peers and the educators and it is phenomenal. Each color has meaning and intention. Each line, curves, some-what circles, and zigzags have meanings and intentions. All we need is to search and research their story and engage presently and holistically with them.
Reference:
Ministry of Education. (2019). British Columbia Early Learning Framework. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/early-learning/teach/early-learning-framework