Kids love to be LOUD! One
universal truth about the pre-k classroom is that no matter how loud a
teacher can tolerate sound, children can get louder. During this time of
year, pre-k kids tend to pump the volume even more, whether it’s in
class or at home. Maybe it is the new blooms or the nice weather, but
for some reason, in locales across the country, students seem to forget
the “inside” rules. And these rules, for example using your “inside
voice” or your inside feet, seem to disappear entirely when you pull out
instruments.

And,
that is my point. No one − teachers or students − can be heard in a
class full of children with instruments you shake, bang, and clang.
Maybe we should throw those instruments out the window and let them bang
on pots, pans, buckets, and trash cans outside. Recently, a blog titled
“Let the Children
Play,”
by a pre-k teacher in rural Australia caught my attention. In her
recent post, Jenny highlighted several
outdoor music projects created in pre-k classrooms. I especially enjoyed
the pictures of the music tree from the Filth Wizardry blog and the sound garden from Teacher Tom’s blog. Teacher Tom
offers a great example of play-based learning through his regular posts.
His reflection on his practice is really enlightening to read.

So teachers, spend
your well-deserved summer vacation thinking this: When is it okay for
kids to get loud? How can I raise the volume in their learning? What
might happen if the opportunity to get loud became incorporated with a
garden, a science project, or an outdoor gross motor play space? Please
let us know what you are doing in your classrooms. We would love to hear
from you.

Image: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w1BrWfOP08A/S-Ecj62_ihI/AAAAAAAACTI/ZlzP8TjtRe8/s1600/DSC_0043.JPG