Pumpkin fun!
Today was a celebration of Halloween and the not so humble pumpkin. Over a cup of homemade pumpkin soup we shared our experiences of trick-or-treating, costumes and scary houses; to build connection through common experience between peers and to build confidence speaking in front of the group and respect as active listeners.
A plethora of creations came out of our creative tool and craft circles today. We had spears (which were honed to a sharp point with swiss army knives to pierce a pumpkin), carved pumpkins (carved with chisels and the back of hammers), pinecone spiders made with daisy chain knot webs (the drive to make the longest web imaginable was strong), witches wands (sanded sticks wrapped with yarn, painted and adorned with feathers)...to name but a few!
Literacy was supported as we read a book of Halloween poems and laughed at silly notions like rain from witches on mops!
A fort was built in the trees with tarps and ropes. Knot tying, shelter building and tree climbing skills were practiced in the process. Two ropes were even strung up by the children as a kind of slackline they climbed upon.
We celebrated the abundance of jack-o-lanterns our fabulous families brought with a ceremonial collective roll of the pumpkins down a big hill, to see which we could get to smash against trees. This fun continued with one enormous heavy pumpkin being kicked and cajoled with great team effort (and leg strength) all the way to the bottom of the hill. These pumpkins along with bringing us much fun also were a great opportunity to all contribute as helpers and were even quite the strength builder as these big beauties were hauled around. Thanks parents for bringing us your pumpkins, we made great use of them!
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