(Child) Do one side and then the spider crawled up the house and then...
(Heather) Playful learning to me is seeing the joy on the children's face
when they're learning something new.
So seeing them smile, seeing them be able to use it in context
when they're playing, because they've learned it through play from us.
When I see them giggling and laughing, but still doing what I've asked them
to do, I say, "Yeah, that's it.
That's great."
Storyland is oral storytelling.
My students are learning the basics of writing, but they're learning it orally
which is where they need to learn it in kindergarten.
They need to learn the oral part of it because they can move
into the written part as they get older.
Once upon a time, tell me about your beautiful house here.
(Child) One day, a spider...
(Heather) I cover each table with a tablecloth and it becomes that land.
So, you know, the land of fall, the land of water, the land of snow,
so all of those different lands.
I change them up so that they're not always the same.
What we play with is nature-based.
I had acorns, I have pine cones, I have shells, I have pieces of wood.
I do have animals out so that they can add those in.
I put out the baskets with all the nature items in it,
and then they come in very quietly
and they gather the items that they want to play with,
and they bring it to their land of choice.
And then they create whatever they're making,
the house, the trees, whatever it is.
And they start telling their story, you know, to themselves,
or sometimes with a partner.
(Child) I think this is actually real.
This is real, so we tuck down...
(Heather) And then I circulate
and I walked around and I make sure that I touch in
with every child at least once.
(Child) And then this ran away and then they jump back up there...
(Heather) So then, as they play Storyland, I'll go around and I'll say:
"Okay, what's the setting of your story?"
and then they orally tell me what the setting is.
(Child) And this is the water where he swims.
(Heather) If we're working on characters,
I'll say: "Okay, who are the characters in your story?"
(Child) It was birds flying and some butterflies.
(Heather) It was birds flying and then their friends were butterflies?
Right now, I'm trying to work on more of a beginning, middle and end.
And so when they get to grade one, if they can orally tell the story,
they can hopefully start to put something down on paper.
It's magical to them and they love it,
so that's a good way for them to start their writing.
(Child) I make this goat never get his chocolate peanut butter--
(Heather) Oh, look, and I think someone's at the door.
(Child) That's a bear.
(Child) Hello. Who's there?