When the children planned for the walk, they agreed to visit someplace new. As they looked at the map, Laz placed a dot where he thought the group could visit. Aiden used a marker and started at New School-West. Laz created a second, longer route. He said, “So we can get lots of exercise” but the group didn’t want to “get too tired”. So they planned to come back on only some of the roads Laz marked.
As we followed the map, excitement grew. It became a true treasure hunt. The mark led us to something huge peaking above someone’s backyard. We asked them what they thought it was:
Laz: I don’t know. A ball. A statue.
Jacob: It’s like an egg. Lightning McQueen and eggs inside.
Aiden: It looks like planet earth.
Isla: It looks like a soccer ball to me!
Archie: It’s something magical. I think whoever touches that it gives you an easter egg! By itself. But it would
be cool but freaky.
Grace: A tent that is a ball.
The joy of a real-life treasure hunt exercised cooperation, negotiation, and flexibility of thinking. Our neighborhood has become the setting for a game that invites a view of our surroundings as full of possibilities and treasured discoveries. We may visit this location again considering many of them have so many hypotheses. Our hope next time is to sketch the beauty of what our eyes find. This way, we can revisit their perspectives back at school to deepen our knowledge of each other’s ideas. -Jennifer