The Exploration Area invites four to five children to work with clay. Over the last month, the teachers have been discussing ways to help the children work in collaboration rather than individually. The environment was changed a few times. We have also implemented the “Master Plan” concept, where the children come together beforehand and draw and discuss their ideas on a single paper. And though these ideas supported our goal, something was still missing.
In the next appointment, I was mindful of my own language and redirected the children to one another and reflected/narrated the work to everyone in the space. Here was the children’s dialogue:
Henry: I’m adding a medium part to a bigger part with slip glue. It looks like a stick but it’s not a stick. It’s a big huge fingernail.
Madeleine: I’m making a cup.
Isla: I’m making a birthday cake.
Henry: I’m making a pizza.
Isla: What are you creating, Grace?
Grace: I don’t feel like talking.
Madeleine: Mine is not going well. I still need to figure out an ice cream cone and it won’t work.
Teacher Jennifer: How can Madeleine make an ice cream cone work?
Henry: You need slip glue. Slip glue. Look what Isla made!
Madeleine: A snake.
Henry: I will help you do that.
Madeleine: I need a long one.
Teacher Jennifer: Isla, Madeleine is wondering about your coil.
Isla: I made it work.
Madeleine: Thank you.
Isla: I’ll make another one.
Madeleine (to Henry): I have more pieces for you too.
Isla: I can make another one for you.
