Madeleine: The hot lava is here! The hot lava is here!
With this simple invitation, a game begins.
Bowe: Get on the pirate ship!
Gus: The hot lava wave is coming all around our ship.
Madeleine: The hot lava is here. It’s on the ground.
Rio: Whoa! (as he slides down the slide, reaching up toward Madeleine and Bowe)
Bowe: I’m getting you. Grab my hand! (Bowe leans forward and reaches down to offer support) I’m the scary pirate. Umph, got you!
Madeleine: Get up! The hot lava is starting in five minutes. You can’t go on the hot lava, I have to save you! (Madeleine says to Rio after Bowe has pulled her to safety) Grab onto my hand. Got you. I’ve got you.
Bowe: Here! Grab the rope.
Rio: Ahhh! The hot lava is on me!
Madeleine: Climb up. Grab my hand. I’ve got you.
Rio: Whew! We are out of the hot lava.
Free-play offers opportunities for gross motor work, story-telling, creativity, and relationship building. The guidelines for the worlds, games, and roles for the game are shared primarily through body language with the players utilizing social referencing to join and evolve the game. As a teacher, these moments help me to reflect on the strength of our growing sense of community. Each hand outreached toward a peer is concrete proof of trust, of knowing that the person above will grab your hand and pull you to safety. – Teacher Jess