Three-year-old student looking through a ViewFinder to focus in on details
The desert is full of beauty – some obvious and others subtle. Sometimes we forget to notice those small moments of beauty that surround our day in and day out routines. The children at our preschool seem to have an innate ability to wonder at the beauty surrounding them. Our campus offers a tucked away oasis and this spring has brought beautiful blooms of color throughout the desert landscape.
Our youngest class has taken a special interest in nature walks this year. They began visiting the Memorial Garden frequently – first walking through and noticing, then revisiting with clipboards for drawing, and again with cameras to photograph. Each time they revisit the space, they are making deeper connections and expanding their knowledge. Small groups also ventured into the Chapel Garden across campus. One child observed, “It was good. It was far!”
The teachers documented conversations as the children investigated their desert surroundings:
“It looks white out today.”
“That’s because it’s cloudy.”
“It’s a big cactus!”
“Not small, big!”
“It has spikes.”
“It’s green. It has one arm.”
“It looks like a circle one.”
“Look at this tree!”
“It’s bumpy.”
Cameras are a cornerstone of our curriculum as teachers document children’s processes and thinking. When the child takes the role of photographer, it illuminates their unique perspective. So often, they can see the world from a different angle, zooming in on the details that seem to get overlooked as we become adults. They notice the colors, the subtleties, and the contrasts.
Examples of photographs taken by three-year-old children in the Quail Class
Students were eager to share their ideas about cameras:
“I just love cameras.”
“I pictured it!”
“I took the pictures of the bugs!”
“I took a picture of the air (sky) because it’s my favorite color.”
“I took a picture of the bug cactus!”
The Quail class has explored their desert context this year in a way that has been meaningful and purposeful. Across our school, each classroom has taken a unique approach to think about the desert that surrounds us. We invite you to preview our Atelier Exhibition, Sunday, May 15th after 10 AM services, featuring both collaborative and individual work from students.
