Autumn is here, and so is the Wind

Living in Wellington, means living with wind. Most of the time there is at least a slight breeze in the city. Over the last couple of weeks we have had our fair share of wind. This is having an impact on our garden, and the children are noticing the changes the end of the summer season is bringing. The leaves from the poplars are falling, the acorns are scattered across our driveway and even the animals are changing their feathers or their fur, in preparation for the colder weather to come.

Wind is a fascinating factor of nature. There is something about the wind, the air, that stimulates all our senses. Have you ever thought about the connection the wind creates between one person in one place and another person in another place? The wind links people, animals, plants and all things in all places, making us all connected, regardless of distance or location. It very well illustrates the interconnectedness of all things. As part of our Montessori curriculum we introduce the children to the interconnectedness and interdependence of everything on our planet, developing tools for environmental responsibility and ecological understanding.

Wind is moving air, your child can't see it, but they can feel it. At preschool the children may observe the wind in action as it moves against things, trying to determine the different types of wind, a calm wind, a slight breeze, a strong breeze or a gale-force wind, not unusual for Wellington. At our preschool we take a moment to watch the grass swaying, the leaves rustling, and the water in our pond or puddles rippling.

In New Zealand, wind from the South brings cold weather, wind from the North is warm. Wind is produced by the uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun. Early Egyptians used the wind to sail ships on the Nile. Today we use wind to make electricity. This introduces another concept of wind, a force in nature. The wind force is making objects move, sometimes creating a sound. Listening to the wind is an excellent activity to do with young children, introducing them to the silence in nature, as well as the silence within themselves.

A windy day is a great day to gaze at clouds. Our children will move their meditation mats down from the deck into the open air, and watch the clouds, observing their shapes, sizes and the direction they move. We use this time for daydreaming and getting lost in imagination. I enjoy these moments with the children as it brings back fond memories of cloud watching as a child. Cloud watching is a great opportunity to bring some quiet time into your child's busy day, as they simply sit, think and imagine.

The wind blows autumn leaves from the trees. Falling autumn leaves introduce the children to the concept of gravity, but also provides great fun when raking and making a heap of leaves. Our compost is currently "glowing" as the combination of summer grass and early autumn leaves nourish the mulch in the compost heap. The children rake the leaves into a heap, fill up the wheel barrow and cart it back to the compost.

With Autumn here, there are new discoveries waiting to be made ...