20th - 24th April Playground Safety Week

 

National Playground Safety Week is observed annually in the USA during the last week of April. This year it will be held from April 20th to 24th as it highlights the importance of responsible play. A playground is a place, usually outdoors, specially built to give kids a space to have fun together with other children in the neighbourhood. It is a time to focus on children’s outdoor play environments, and show gratitude for those who effectively maintain playgrounds.

My daughter is a landscape architect who has designed several playgrounds in parks and schools. She loves doing this, but is often dismayed when she revisits them sometime afterwards to find they have not been well maintained. Things such as pumps are no longer working, the colour scheme has changed, the surface under the climbing frame is damaged. This is so disheartening and I feel for her.

The school I teach at has a compact, yet quite adventurous playground that includes climbing, hanging, water play and sand, lots of sand! The sand gets in shoes, on carpets and occasionally even in the library books.

Next time a teacher suggests reading outside in the sand I'll give him these books about playgrounds:

• Want to Play Trucks? by Ann Stott and Bob Graham. Jack and Alex meet almost every morning in the sandbox at the playground. Jack likes trucks — big ones, the kind that can wreck things. Alex likes dolls — pink ones, with sparkles. But Jack doesn’t want to play dolls, and Alex doesn’t want to play trucks. Readers will smile at the quintessential playground squabble on display.

 • Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by David Roman and Jackie Davis. Lulu and her dog Bingo meet up with Sam on the playground and want to play together. Sam likes the sandbox but Lulu thinks the monkey bars are better. They just can't agree...until Lulu asks, "Have you ever played Ladybug Girl?" 

• Grug in the Playground  by Ted Prior. Playgrounds are full of fun and challenges for Grug!

• Floss the Playground Boss  by Corinne Avers and Sam Usher. Floss is the playground boss! That is, until a new boy named Peter moves into the house on the opposite side of the playground from Floss.  When Peter decides he doesn’t want to play along with Floss’ rules, she learns that having friends can be much more fun than being the playground boss!

• Rulers of the Playground  by Joseph Kuefler. A funny, relatable story about how becoming "rulers" of the playground in the end is less fun than playing together and sharing. 

• Where Did You Go Today? by Jenny Duke. A visit to the local playground becomes an exciting adventure thanks to the transforming powers of a child’s imagination. Familiar landscapes turn into exotic and mysterious worlds to discover and explore.

• Our Playground Rules! by Callie George and Jay Fleck. This picture book plays with the double meaning of "rules" to explore how following a few simple rules of kindness can make playtime more fun for everyone! 

• My Dream Playground  by Kate Becker and Jed Henry. Right now there is just an empty lot down the street, but this little girl dreams that one day there will be a playground — a real playground, a fun playground — right in her own neighbourhood. When she sees a man measuring the empty lot, she’s sure that he’s there to help make her playground dream come true. And he is!

• Welcome to Our Playground  by Moira Butterfield and Harriet Lynas. In this fascinating book, young children can learn all about the different games, toys and playtimes around the world, as well as the playgrounds, fields and beaches children play in, and the many different words they use when they play.

•  Let's Go to the Playground by Ruth Walton. Come on a journey around a playground to find out all about forces and motion. Discover what pulls you down a slide, how a swing works, why a roundabout makes you feel dizzy and much more.

• My New Playground  by Jonny Zucker. A bright, colourful book to help children prepare for the school playground. Playground activities such as skipping rhymes and climbing frames are explained and flaps to lift help the child discover the fun to be had making friends and playing games.

• Staying Safe on the Playground  by Lucia Raatma. How can you prevent playground accidents? What clothes can help you stay safe when playing on equipment? Why are soft surfaces important on playgrounds? Look inside to find the answers to these questions and more. By learning a few rules, you can stay safe hand have fun on the playground.

• The Right to Play: How Jane Addams Fought for America's Playgrounds by Elizabeth Brown and Olga Lee

Jane wanted to give the boys and girls in her care a place outside where they could run and play, just as she used to. So she commissioned the first model playground in the US, sparking a nationwide movement to build safe, dedicated spaces for children of all abilities to play.

16th April Autumn

It is quite some time since I did an Autumn display at school, but I do enjoy sharing Autumn books with my preschool classes. Outside the library there is a row of deciduous trees on the school footpath and we like watching how long before the trees are bare and how the leaves change colour. This fascination started over ten years ago when the then head of the school shared a book that she loved in assembly. It was Alfie's Long Winter. After the reading we collected leaves from the footpath, stuck small google eyes on them and each student had their own Alfie to care for.

This book which was published in 1995 is now old and looking somewhat lacklustre. I looked into buying a secondhand copy, but was shocked when the cheapest one I could find was over $70. What? The story is fun, but the illustrations show a very American looking farm and they are not what today's children are used to colour-wise.

• Alfie's Long Winter by Greg McEvoy

A breeze blew. Alfie closed his eyes, and - held on tight. "AL-FIE, AL-FIE, AL-FIE..." All the leaves on the ground shouted together. But Alfie could not jump. And so, Alfie's long winter began.

Searching for replacement books with a similar theme, I found

• The Little Yellow Leaf  ( 2008) by Carin Berger

It’s autumn. Brightly coloured leaves are falling everywhere. Finally, as the days get shorter and the nights get colder, a little yellow leaf discovers that it is the very last leaf on the tree. The little yellow leaf does not want to let go … not quite yet. Even when the first frost arrives, this little yellow leaf holds on, determined.

• The Leaf that Wouldn't Leave (2009)  by Trish Trinco and Bryan Langdo

Luigi, an autumn leaf reluctant to leave his branch, teaches us to be brave when facing new experiences and shows us that an amazing world waits beyond the backyard!

•  Leif and the Fall (2020) by Allison Sweet Grant, Adam Grant  and Merrilee Liddiard

Leif is a leaf. A worried leaf. It is autumn, and Leif is afraid to fall. “All leaves fall in the fall,” say the other leaves. But Leif is determined to find a different way down, and with his friend Laurel, he uses the resources around him to create a net, a kite, a parachute in hopes of softening his landing. The clock is ticking, the wind is blowing. What will happen when a gust of wind pulls Leif from his branch?

• The Very Last Leaf (2020) by Stef Wade and Jennifer Davison

Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest of the leaves, but even the top students on the tree have worries. Can Lance conquer his fear of falling and just let go when the time comes for his final exam, or will he let his worries take over?

• A Very Big Fall (2022) by Emmy Kastner

The weather is pleasant, the view is fine, and everything just feels fresh. But when autumn breezes begin to blow, adventurous Birch, nervous Oak, and grumpy Maple each have their own way of facing the new crispness in the air. The squirrels take pleasure in warning the leaves about the transformations to come: new colours! And more ... an actual fall. But will the ground be the end or a new beginning.

• When Leaf Let Go (2024) by Angie Marie Carlson and Csongor Veres

When an unexpected storm rolls in and changes everything, Leaf must make a choice - cling to what she knows or trust the Wind and let go. With gentle encouragement from nature and a whisper of bravery, Leaf learns that letting go can be a beautiful part of life’s natural rhythm.

I have written about Autumn before here and here. These entries have more to say and suggest other book titles.

18th April International Day for Monuments and Sites

In 1982, April 18th was established as the International Day for Monuments and Sites by UNESCO’s General Conference. Many countries also celebrate the day as World Heritage Day. It aims to bring global attention to the absolute need to conserve monuments and sites as our cultural heritage and celebrate its diversity. 

From recent data, 1,154 World Heritage Sites (897 cultural, 218 naturals, and 39 mixed properties) and 1,121 monuments are listed in 167 countries.

 

That is certainly a lot to celebrate. There are children's books that celebrate the Wonders of the World, but here I want to look at some of the Australian sites that can be examined using picture books. Year 2 are doing a unit of inquiry this term that takes them round Australia looking at landforms, landscapes and the built environment. Many of the Heritage sites in Australia are natural wonders. While doing the Year 2 bulk loan I will include picture books that visit these sites.

Starting with this book which looks at how we can protect the natural wonders of the world. People have the right to enjoy the world’s natural features, but with this right comes responsibilities. For example, should we climb Uluru? 

Then all the Australian sites could be covered using Ellen Millen's four books which cover the Heritage sites.

Some Australian sites:

 

• Great Barrier Reef

• Kakadu 

• Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

• Sydney Opera House 

• Macquarie Island

• Ningaloo Coast

12th April International Day of Human Space Flight

The United Nations proclaimed 12th April the International Day of Human Space Flight in 2011. 

It falls on the anniversary of the first human space flight by Yuri Gagarin from USSR. Back in 1961, he completed one orbit around Earth over 108 minutes in the Vostok 3KA spacecraft, launched from Kazakhstan. Every year, it celebrates the beginning of the space era for humankind and the contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals. It also aims to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes, such as increasing the wellbeing of nations and people.

It is also pertinent at the moment with our students following Artemis and its mission around the moon and back to Earth. Every student will now want to be an astronaut. Finding very recent titles about astronauts for young children will be a challenge.

Here's a start. These have been published in the last two years:

    

11th of April to the 22nd of April is Nature Play Week

From the 11th of April to the 22nd of April is Nature Play Week. Nature Play Week is an annual event that celebrates the importance of outdoor play and connecting children with nature. The following provides activity ideas that will help you celebrate Nature Play Week and can be implemented into the curriculum for children. If the preschool teachers came to me with this list of suggested activities I would find it very easy to provide picture books to use as provocations.

Mud Kitchen Play: Set up a mud kitchen where children can mix, pour, and create with natural materials.

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  Leaf Art: Use leaves to create prints, collages, or even crowns.

  

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  Bug Observation: Provide magnifying glasses for children to observe insects and learn about their habitats.

  

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  Building with Sticks and Stones: Encourage children to construct small structures using sticks, stones, and other natural materials.

  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  Planting Seeds: Teach children about gardening by planting seeds and watching them grow.

  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  Cloud Gazing: Lay down on the grass and let children identify shapes and patterns in the clouds.