Now and Then

Kristina

For the past two years I have had a half-day Kindergarten/full-day Grade One class. I am committed, more than ever, to giving my students at least forty minutes of exploratory play each day. This year I also have an autistic kindergarten child in the class and accordingly, I need to incorporate concrete activity-based learning as well as opportunities for the students to socialize into the morning. This year got off to a rough start when the mother of the autistic child thought her child would not get enough play/time. I invited her into the class to decide for herself. She saw how interesting and diverse exploratory play time was and within three days she was convinced this was a great class for her child. The child now has trouble leaving when the morning is over.