Getting a three-year old ready to go outside during the winter in Seattle is no small feat—rain boots, jackets, hats, gloves, and of course the impending tantrums to go with all of that. Miss Savannah and I know this firsthand, as we get our seven Garden kids ready for outside time each day. Whatever got our students to cooperate yesterday might not work today, a common reality for everyone in the vicinity of a three-year old. Miss Savannah and I switch from silly to serious, songs and games, and competition and conversation to get our kids outside.

Most mornings, we take our Garden friends on a neighborhood walk; we’ll go to the community P-Patch, the field, or just around the block. Keeping our students safe on our walks is the number one priority. Our Garden friends have been so great at showing us how safe they can be crossing the street! Miss Savannah and I have worked with our kids to practice using their body language as opposed to their voices to keep everyone safe. We have everyone “catch a bubble” when we cross the street to keep voices off and we hold one hand in the air to show to cars driving by that we are crossing. Giving the kids something to do with their bodies helps them keep their voices off in the street, allowing Miss Savannah and I to hear what is going on around us.

Keeping our students entertained while we are on the sidewalk is a must when it comes to ensuring that we keep moving at a pace that everyone can keep up with. Singing songs often help our students use walking feet and safe bodies, while also keeping them engaged with each other and us. Our favorite these days is Wibbly Wobbly – “Wibbly Wobbly Woo, an elephant sat on you, Wibbly Wobbly Wee, an elephant sat on me! Wibbly Wobbly Wiss Worgan, an elephant sat on Miss Morgan…” and so on. This is a great song to point out colors/shapes/nature around us, as you can put any noun into it. We also love The Ants Go Marching, as it is very rhythmic and helps all of our friends keep a constant rhythm with their safe walking feet.

We love our Garden neighborhood walks! It makes Miss Savannah and I so proud to see our students using safe bodies, engaging with their friends and teachers, and take notice of the beautiful world around us.