“I’ve felt that way before, too.” – Mila

As we went to the East Wing library to discuss our plans for the Communication Center, Theo was missing Bear, his lovey, and went to check if it was in his nap basket. He was unable to find him and began to cry.  His friends were concerned.

Mila: Are you ok, Theo?

Theo: No. I miss Bear. My mom forgot him and she said she would bring him and she didn’t.

Kyler: Are you sad?

Theo: Yes (crying).

Mila: I’ve felt that way before, too.

Lela: Me too.

Teacher Melanie: Where do you think Bear is?  What could he be doing?

Lela: Watching TV.

Max: Yeah, Power Rangers and Spongebob.

Navin: He’s sitting on the couch!

Kyler: Bear is writing a note to Theo.

Mila: And eating eggs.

Theo: He likes mac-n-cheese in a bowl and his favorite is honey.

Lela: I think Bear’s note says, ‘I miss you, Theo, a lot. I want you to come pick me up today.’

Teacher Melanie: I wonder if we could draw all these ideas and make a book about what happened to Bear?

Everyone cheered and then rushed to the Communication Center. Max got paper, while Navin got color pencils and Lela got markers. Everyone started furiously drawing their ideas.

We hung the drawings on our magnet board and talked about the story.

We took a snack break together and everyone returned determined to continue working on the book. We scanned their drawings in the copier and then wrote down their words and discussed the sequence.

We worked the entire morning together.  Even though we didn’t get to finish the book yet, we made a plan to complete it next week.

When we talked about it afterward, Max reflected, “We made this because Theo was sad.” Lela responded, “And we wanted to make it together.”  It is pure magic to watch the children come together, relate to and help their friend feel better.  And even more magical that they were able to take those feelings and ideas and collaborate together to create a book.  I’ll admit, I am so filled up by this experience and can’t help feeling incredibly inspired by their empathy, camaraderie, determination, and collaboration. – Teacher Melanie   November 12, 2015