After working in the Communication Center, Libbi, Persephone and Tulip moved to the magnet space and began building with magnetic sticks and cubes. They chose to work on a surface on the floor. Organically, the three of them started working on many small creations together. Mila and Ava walked by on their way to put some drawings away in their file folders and stopped to watch them work for a while.
Mila: What are you guys doing?
Libbi: We’re making a bug playground.
Tulip: It’s full of bugs and it’s a big park.
Libbi: It has something New School-West has…monkey bars!
Tulip: This is the real fun slide!
Persephone: These are wooden walkers like the ones at Alla Park.
Mila: That’s so cool.
Teacher Melanie: Which part do you think is cool?
Mila: It’s cool that they worked together.
I was pleasantly surprised about Mila’s answer, as I thought she would say ‘the monkey bars’ or ‘slide.’ I also thought it was really cool that they had worked together as their imaginations and memories took them on a journey creating their bug playground, constructed from their own personal experiences. Through beautiful small moments like these, aspects of our classroom culture are reflected. There is deep respect and care for one another and the work, and for collaboration, as they look for, recognize, and place value on it.