It’s part of our whole school culture to work together in creating welcoming environments for those entering the spaces after us. So at clean up time, the children in the Mud Pit set up a World for Animals as inspiration for the next group.
As the children entered the Mud Pit, they began adding a river for the animals and worked together to merge ideas. By clean up time, it was all ready for the next group to continue the work.
Agnes: We are adding ideas to the river.
Emilio: What ideas are we adding?
Anaya: We can dig more. Make the river deeper.
The river sparked the creation of a bridge that supported the animals to cross the river. As the children met in reflection group with the entire class, they came up with the idea that they needed to create something where the river held water.
Teacher Adriana: What other ideas can we add to the river and bridge?
Kayden: I know. I want to dig a deep hole. The deepest hole, and add water.
Teacher Adriana: It sounds like you want to create a water-well.
Coco: Yes, that’s what it is. I can support you, Kayden.
This group of children invited other children to come and find a way to connect the water-well with the river.
Laz: Guys, how did you do this?
Jake: We did some parts and other kids worked here in other parts.
Fiona: Now, we connected the water-well to the river and we want the water to move around and around.
Reflecting on these multiple experiences, we can see the importance of providing opportunities where children feel the freedom to extend an idea. By having time to revisit their plans as a group in reflection meeting and repeating the intention, children can gather new proposals collected from their peers. One group idea becomes a collection of ideas that holds meaning for the whole class. Sharing the evolution of a concept supports the thought process of remaining flexible for children to value the creative input of others. -Teacher Adriana