The Art of Building Friendship

A lot of things indeed for us to understand as part of the whole process of the art of building friendship in our early years. One of the many ideas is about personal space ... err ... what do we mean by that? So many questions arise in our minds - how do we understand the meaning of personal space? how does it look like? 

Another thing that comes up into our mind is to ask permissions whenever we like to play or work with something that someone else is working on. Why do we need to do that? Seriously? 

Understanding the dynamics of building friendships, especially when we are young, is such a fascinating and complex journey. The idea of personal space and asking for consent are two key elements in forming healthy relationships and respecting others.

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Asking for consent, especially when it comes to something that someone else is working on or owns, is all about respect and consideration. It is a way of showing that we value the other person's feelings and we are aware of others' rights and personal space. It also builds trust - when we ask for consent, we acknowledge that the other person has control over their belongings, time, and personal space.

Without asking for consent, we may unintentionally make the other person feel uncomfortable, disrespected, or even hurt, and this can affect the friendship. So yes, it may seem like a small thing, but it is actually a big part of showing kindness, empathy, and respect in any relationship.

These ideas are like the invisible threads that tie friendship together. When both of us feel respected in our personal space and are comfortable asking for and giving consent, trust can grow, and the relationship can thrive. 

Friendship is a continuous journey of discovery for us. As we engage in play and collaboration, we navigate the complexities of personal space, sharing, and the social agreements that help build relationships.

We observe ourselves encountering moments where we want to join a game, use a material someone else is working with, or simply interact closely with another child. 
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Through play and daily experiences, we are developing an understanding of respect and consent in our interactions. As we listen to our words and watch our actions, we see ourselves forming our own interpretations of fairness, kindness, and cooperation.

When we take a walk outdoors we notice daffodils start growing, In addition, we too observe the sprouting seedlings on our plants. It is indeed one of the most exciting signs of spring! As the weather warms and the days get longer, many plants begin to emerge from the soil, symbolizing renewal and growth. These tiny seedlings represent new beginning, signaling that the harsh cold of winter is going to be over soon and that nature is coming back to life. Seeing seedlings sprout can also be reminding us to appreciate the small, yet significant, changes that happen all around us.

As much as we care for the sprouting seedlings, we too demonstrate the idea of caring for others and showing compassion. While reading a storybook about changes around us, we pay a great attention to the feelings of the penguins in the continent of Antarctica. We realize the penguins in Antarctica, especially the Emperor Penguin and Adelie Penguin, rely heavily on sea ice for breeding, feeding, and shelter. ​

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Through Nora's sharing of concern, we learn to empathize with the penguins. When we think deeply how that penguins rely on ice for nesting, protection, and food sources, we can understand the emotional and practical challenges the penguins face when the ice melts due to climate change. 

To better understand the situation of rising temperature affecting the melting of ice, we include a scientific learning experiment. Initially, we put ice cubes inside a clear jar and notice how it takes some time to melt. The situation takes a contrasting turn when we add warm water, as an element of rising temperature, both the quantity and quality of the ice change significantly. 

By experiencing the above experiment, we can build a deeper sense of empathy. We understand that kind actions can make the world better, whether it is helping a friend or protecting the environment. When we learn that our actions today can influence the survival of species like penguins tomorrow, it connects our sense of kindness to long-term thinking and stewardship of the earth.

This week is filled with joy as we celebrate Kalyan, Pranssi and Fides' birthdays. 

Birthdays are moments of connection, love, and shared happiness. To deepen our reflections we read Kindness Makes Us Strong and ask ourselves:

• What we do you love about birthdays?
  
• How do you show kindness when someone has a birthday?

​Our responses highlight what makes birthdays meaningful to us:
"I love my teachers and my birthday and I play with them all day." - Pranssi
"I spend more time playing with my friends." - Nora
"I love to eat cake with my friends. But Tvisha's mom was sick, she can't come to my birthday." - Kalyan.

As we read, we connect the words to our own experiences:

Kindness is … trading treats. Nora excitedly shares that she will trade treats with her friends, naming everyone, including the educators.

Kindness is … offering comfort. Fides says, "I will offer a hug." Pranssi adds, "Hugging someone when they feel sad."

Kindness is … cheering. Pranssi says, "When Nora plays a game I will cheer for Nora because I love her." Nora replies, "I will cheer her up because I love her too."

Kindness is … helping. Pranssi shares, "When a ball dropped, Kalyan helps me to pick it up."

Kindness is … being patient. Nora thoughtfully says, "When someone is passing, and you see and you are waiting, that's being patient, or the car... when the light is red the person passes and then when the lights is green  the cars go, like that!."

Through theses reflections, we exhibit how we understand kindness, as an action, a feeling, a choice, and a way to strengthen friendships. As we celebrate together we are learning kindness is what makes these moments truly special.

Our kindness tree stands as a reflection of our understanding of kindness, rooted in our everyday actions and nurtured by our shared experiences. This process shows us that kindness is something we do and feel.

Today is a special and joy-filled day at Children and Friends as we come together to celebrate Fides' birthday! The excitement starts as we gather around to sing a cheerful rendition of "Happy Birthday" to Fides, who beams with happiness as we celebrate him. His delicious cake is shared among friends, fostering a sense of togetherness and appreciation for special moments.

After our cake celebration, the fun continues with a piñata activity! We eagerly take turns striking the piñata, our anticipation growing with every swing. When it finally bursts open, a cascade of goodies spills out, and we excitedly gather and share our treats with one another. It is a beautiful display of generosity and friendship as everyone made sure to distribute the goodies fairly.

Following our lively celebration, we transition into a creative learning experience inspired by nature. We make raindrop suncatchers using crayon shavings and wax paper. We use sharpeners to carefully create crayon shavings directly onto the wax paper. Once we have an array of vibrant colors, we place another sheet of wax paper on top and gently irons it to melt the crayon shavings. As the colors swirls and blends, we observe the transformation with fascination. Once the melted creations cools down, we cut them into raindrop shapes, preparing them to be placed outside as beautiful suncatchers.

This learning experience not only encouraged creativity but also provides a meaningful connection to the natural world. We are eager to see how our suncatchers  catch the light and brighten up our outdoor space.

Kindest,
​Children & Friends.