At the wood working table in the Front Yard, there is a printed question that reads: “How will building together bridge new relationships?” Theo P., Aiden, Henry, Rio and Jacob G. all chose to work there.
Rio chose to work on drilling a long piece of wood that teacher Cynthia secured to the table with a C-clamp. Henry asked for a piece of wood into which he could hammer a nail. Reflecting on the printed question, I wondered how to connect these two through the woodworking materials.
Kristin: I wonder if Henry’s nail will fit into the hole Rio drilled?
Teacher Cynthia: Henry, would you like to put the nail in that hole that Henry’s drilling?
Henry: Yes.
Rio: Well, I don’t want to hammer because I want to drill.
Cynthia: But he wants to hammer. So when you’re done drilling a hole, Henry can hammer a nail in that.
Rio: Alright for me.
Henry comes over to Rio’s side of the table. Cynthia shares techniques for choosing the right sized nail for this piece of wood. While Henry waits with Rio, they communicate about the depth and a food discussion arises.
Theo P.: I like to eat salmon.
Rio: I like to eat salmon even with Teriyaki sauce.
Henry: I love salmon, too!
Rio: Hey, now look how deep it is!
Henry: No, I don’t think it’s deep enough yet.
After awhile, Henry uses the hammer to connect the nail inside the hole and Rio continues to drill next to him. I relish these small moments when the philosophy comes to life. To see the materials work as a conduit for deepening or introducing relationships with discussions beyond the work in which they are engaging is magical. In discovering their shared love of salmon, the three boys connected on a deeper level. Perhaps, not deep enough yet, as Henry says, but it’s only the 3rd week of school. With teacher facilitation and well defined intentions for spaces, these moments will surely grow into bonds. There were other examples of seeing materials connect in a new way. With hammers to drills, sequins to thread, the Front Yard was rich with new connections this morning and you can read about them in the forms from 8/24/17 on the East Wing chart by the sign in. -Kristin