The teachers noticed a shared interest in sign making after the children created their first community sign that read: Welcome to the New School West. They wanted to continue to work on the next sign. We took time to look at the Front Yard and we decided to create a sign for our Living Garden. This was a great opportunity for us to find a practical use for their interest in sewing.
After writing the letters on fabric, Teacher Katherine facilitated embroidery.
Archer: I don’t know how we are going to finish sewing our sign.
Theo G: It’s going to take a long time.
Greyson: How do you sew it?
Archer: I’m not sure. I’m also learning.
Teacher Katherine: First, we have to decide on the thread color and then add it to the needle. After that, we begin to sew.
Katherine: We are all learning together. I noticed we had big progress today. How do you feel about the work we did today?
Archer: First I thought it was going to be hard but we worked hard and focused.
Greyson: I learned how to do sew, right?
Theo G: Yes, me too.
Over the next few weeks, children continued to embroider the sign. They added new drawings to the designs that represented the space.
Leah: Can we sew some worms and butterflies?
Teacher Katherine: Of course. First, let’s draw the ideas and then we can begin to sew them.
Leah: I can support with that.
After a month, they reflected on the work.
Greyson: It’s almost finished. Remember we worked on this for a long time?
Teacher Adriana: You are remembering when we began and it looked like a lot of work and a lot of friends worked on the sign and now it’s almost finished.
Leah: Yes. We did teamwork, right?
Greyson: Yes. We worked together.
The Living Garden sign supported the children in a sustained interest with an unfamiliar technique: embroidery. Providing them the opportunity for extension of time gave them the possibility for adding layers of meaning to the sign. It also added a space for both East and West Wingers to experience a journey in learning together based on a common interest. Making the sign together supported the children in understanding the common connection to the Living Garden and helped them to persevere imbuing resiliency and collaboration. -Teacher Adriana