Reflecting together with the children in their everyday experiences is part of our daily routine. In the Front Yard, we began to talk about the meaning of the word “community”. The children immediately became excited to share their ideas of what a community means to them and how they practice their ideas.
Palmer: A community is when you work together.
Archer: A community is when you make a friend and you work together with them.
Jake: When someone has feelings, you support them to feel better. That’s a community.
Ozzie: When you are all together in the same space.
Teacher Adriana: Ozzie, can you explain your ideas a little more? How is being in the same space a community?
Ozzie: Well, actually, it’s like all of us. We make the community. Even our parents.
Archer: Yes. I agree with Ozzie.
It has been a wonderful experience for us to listen to the children’s perspective and understanding of a community. We decided to continue to research this question with the children and invite them to make these words visible. The children are enjoying sewing their words and as we sew together, we discover new ways to collaborate and practice our multiple understandings of what it means to be a part of a community.
