Note from Gina: Blogging has given me the opportunity to meet some fabulous preschool teachers from around the world: one of which is Ms. Kierna Corr, the author of the blog, "Learning for Life." Kierna and I bonded over a flubber recipe, and we soon realized we had similar approaches to teaching. When I decided to open up the blog for guest posting, she was the first person to come to mind! I hope you learn to love her as much as I do!
I live in N. Ireland, and everyone knows that the island of Ireland is known for its green landscapes. There is a very good reason for that - loads and loads of rain!
I decided that rather than fight against it or try to stay inside when it rains that I needed to embrace it.
As the old saying goes, 'When life gives you lemons make lemonade!" When life gives me rain, I make puddles!
I teach 26 three and four year olds, and we go outside everyday, no matter what the weather. In fact I can't imagine anything worse than having to spend the 5 hours each day inside. It helps that all staff are in agreement with me, and are prepared to don waterproof trousers & boots & get stuck in to!
We usually find that after about 2 weeks the children are all happy enough to be outside in all weathers provided they are dry, warm & comfortable. We have invested in waterproof clothing for everyone. In fact we have 2 sets of coats & trousers so that if we out first thing & get soaked we have another set to put on later if we go again again.
I watch the forecasts so closely because I like to know if it is going to be a very wet or windy day so I can plan to have the powder paints out so we can decorate the playground with the rain or fly our kites.
From following other preschools around the world I also now appreciate that although we may have rain & sun in the one day, we don't get the extreme heat that some people have to worry about. Our slide is never going to be too hot to use; nor would I ever have to put the tyres away in case anyone got burnt on them.
I like that we can have hailstones one minute & sun the next, literally as this photo shows.
We do spend a lot of time in our 'rain gear,' but it means we can enjoy whatever the weather throws at us.
We can always take our coats off if we get too warm. Most parents comment on how much their child enjoys going out in any weather after a few weeks at our school, and none of them have ever complained or asked that their child stay inside, even on the coldest, snowiest days. They were delighted that their child was getting the opportunity to go out.
It really is all about the right clothes, not the weather!
Note from Gina: So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes! I'm drooling over that weather gear--especially the rain boots! If you would like to see more from Kierna, hop on over to her blog: Learning for Life
You can also find her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/nosuchthingasbadweather
Happy playing!
