All of a sudden, during their daily work at school symbols become readable to them in everything, everywhere. Their genuine and spontaneous interactions reflect their early recognition of symbols, letters, and shapes in a natural context. Witnessing moments like these shows how the children are internalizing, processing, and applying all that they have been practicing at school day by day, moment by moment.
I was struck by the children’s first reaction of curiosity and empathy. Had we just ignored this living creature we could’ve also missed the magic that was about to unfold. Wiggling its long, dark body in such a way that, to the children, it looked like the worm was making the letter S then a balloon shape, then the letter G! The moment was such a discovery that it even made Gia wish her friend Sonia was also there to witness this special moment. And for Sawyer who has been working so hard on the letters of his name, he like many other children, is beginning to recognize them when they see them outside of the school environment.
“The hundred languages are a metaphor for the extraordinary potentials of children, their knowledge-building and creative processes, the myriad forms with which life is manifested and knowledge is constructed.” (Preschools and Infant-Toddler Centers—Istituzione of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, 2010, p. 10).
This quote makes learning transparent and supports interpreting how literacy can be everywhere.