The Forest
The EW teachers have observed a big interest in animal play. In the children’s dramatic play, they transform themselves into different kinds of creatures and turn the kitchen furniture into caves. Their every movement is planned with intention. The children focused on communicating through animal sounds and gestures with a ‘human’ interpreting for the players.
In order to support this thread in play, we decided to convert our house area into a forest taking into consideration their need for small spaces, water and darkness. Last week, we introduced this space with meeting outside the “forest” and prepared them by asking them:
“What kind of a living being will you be in this space?”
After deciding on the role of a bunny, this group entered the forest and noticed the night time mood of the space. As Lev changed the position of the moon, he asked a question to the group.
Lev: How will we know when it is daytime?
Raven: The sun will come out! We need a sun!
She volunteered to make a sun for the forest by drawing it from paper. The others looked on as she drew her representation. After cutting it out, the sun and moon were used to change the time of day.
As Lola and Lev prepare food for each other, Raven and Bryce ventured up into the loft.
Raven: The babies are orphans and they live in the treehouse.
Bryce A.: We need to take care of them.
Teacher Paola, refocusing the children on their communication interest without an interpreter asked: How will you (the bunnies) communicate with the babies?
Raven: These babies understand what bunnies say. They learned to understand bunny in school. (Raven looks for a logical answer.)
Bryce A.: No!!! They are orphans, remember? (Assuming orphans don’t go to school.)
Raven: The fairies come to their home and teach them how to say animal words and help them understand what animals mean. (Understanding Bryce’s assumption, Raven forges ahead with an explanation to satisfy both Paola and Bryce A.)
They move the babies into their burrows, treating their injuries, feeding and keeping them warm. As they care for the orphan babies the conversation shifts to a discussion about the classification of people in the animal kingdom.
Bryce:Well I think we are actually animals.
Raven: We are actually animals. Mammals are some types of animals.
The teachers wonder: if we are all mammals, is there a common language of communication and how are we interpreting meanings?
-Kris and Paola
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