Traffic Jam

            The trikes and Rocket Cars have been in the Front Yard for children to exercise their gross motor and social skills. 

            *Thanks to the Smuklers, Bernthals and Trents, parents of 2010 for the legacy gift of two red trikes and one yellow and red car rocket.*

            There have been a few conflicts with traffic when all the four Rocket Cars and two trikes are being used. Trikes are open first, then Rocket Cars follow to give children opportunity for the coordination practice trikes require.

Mia: “Trikes opened first, then the Car Rockets next.”

Dex: “That’s how it usually is. I usually see the trikes open first, then the Car Rockets. The teacher shared the idea about what we needed to do so there would be less traffic and accidents.  She suggested that we needed to take two Car Rockets out to make it safe.”

Laurel: “But I was going really fast and somebody crashed into me and I fell   over and scraped my knee.”

Yoli: “Why do you think you crashed?”  I wondered what else we can do.  The two girls suggested that we put the old ones away and keep the new ones. I wanted to involve the larger community and we created a survey with a checklist to find out which cars should be put away.

Mia: “Laurel, I will draw the red car rockets. I am going to use the pink marker for the old one because I need a lighter color.

Laurel: “I am going to draw the yellow and blue one. Don’t forget the black for the steering wheel!”

            The survey was done as soon as they noticed that the new car rockets were getting the most votes. The children shared this at the afternoon meeting.  The children were still concerned about people going super fast.

Dex: “The color doesn’t matter, it is how fast you go.”

Reflection: I noticed that when the two girls did this survey, they did it as a team. They hung out, played in the woodchips and ate lunch together afterwards supporting the theory that collaboration builds relationships (also seen in last week’s wire blog).

There was careful observation reflected in the representations covering shades of color and assigning meanings to the shades in regard to age, but knowing it had no bearing on speed.  Nuanced understandings are developed with repeated exposure to the same subject, and the children are very invested in the Rocket Cars. We will revisit the car rockets as new ideas develop.