Walking Backwards

It was Friday, and that's always a quiet day in the classroom. Half of my class disappears for gymnastics and the rest of the children settle in so easily. On this day, there was a child at a rug working on the hundred board, and most of the children had chosen table jobs. Two children decided fairly randomly to walk backward in a circle around the carpet.

They did this for about 15 minutes. I watched and listened to them. They were excited having fun, and talking about how hard this was and quite a challenge. I was wondering if it would disturb the child working on the hundred board - it certainly would have disturbed me to be constantly circled! She didn't seem to mind except when they came a bit close to her rug. Gentle words of caution not to get to close.

Silliness reigned after about 15 minutes. A third child joined them and one of the first started to yell and giggle. They started to move faster and faster. I cautioned them once, and then suggested that it was perhaps time to find another work.

The delightful part for me was that about 20 minutes later one of the children came to me and told me how much he had enjoyed walking backwards. "There is no place at home where I could walk backwards, and it was so much fun."

He was refreshed, energetic, so excited and happy. Walking backwards in a circle is not a lesson that was in my training. Yet, it falls in the principles of follow the child. Not everything is materials and academics. This child needed to move at the moment. They walked and talked and were happy. They did not disturb another child. I adored them...