On Thursday, several children chose to play with some fallen branches during recess.  They were very creative while using the branches in their play.  The children rode the branches like horses, they used them as fans, as well as swords.  There was much enjoyment on the playground.

On Friday, we reflected on this play and the use of natural materials which led us to read the book Not a Stick.  This is a story about how a stick can be used in many different ways when we use our imagination.  One page in the story gave the example of using a stick as a paintbrush.

The children were invited to use the branches they collected as paintbrushes.  With excitement, they chose the colors they they would like to use and were off to paint!

After the experience, the children agreed that this was different than painting with regular paintbrushes, but it was very fun!