This year, the tiny courtyard that exists between JK103 and JK105 is open and offering many outdoor play opportunities for our junior kindergarten students! Right now, the space includes a large table, a see-through painting easel, a sensory table and plants.

The main attraction, of course, is something most adults would overlook: the gravel on the ground. The students have been absolutely engrossed in transporting gravel with trucks and buckets, building gravel into large mounds, making animal habitats and so much more!

Overall, the space has given teachers and students a rich selection of play schemas to explore. It brings to mind the Jewish lens of Hit'orerut (Awakening, Amazement and Gratitude) in the way that this space has really awakened our excitement to all of the learning possibilities, including the way the space builds a strong relationship with our outdoor world and encourages a love of nature—a huge focus for many of us this year!