In the SK classroom, explorations is prime time for creativity and imaginative freedom. This is a time for children to explore ideas, of their own and from peers, work with classroom materials, and apply skills and concepts learned at school and home. Imaginative games like "babies", "button factory", "travel", and most recently "hospital" are a few of the names given by children to these invented role-playing games. Reading, drawing, and painting are a few of the entry level activities involved in explorations but more demanding roles such as doctor, secretary, or pilot become more critical to the play. This series of three photos show the reorganization and development of an area in the room that has become a center of construction and play. You can see in the most recent picture (furthest right) the artwork hung on the wall, including a red and black sign that proudly reads "MBC Hospital". This hospital play has been ongoing for about two weeks and includes a thorough process of checking in patients at front desk with a secretary, being assessed by a nurse, then (most likely) given an x-ray by a technician, and then finally seen and treated by one of the doctors. Although the diagnosis of many patients (animals included) is "really, really bad", they all eventually heal back to full health. The timelapse video below documents the construction process of a major structure that was built in our reorganized space. You will notice at the beginning of the video, a child sitting at the table writing and some drawings on the wall in the background. Those are the "blueprints" for the construction project that I required, as the project manager, before anything was constructed. You will also notice the drawings being consulted in the early stages of building. Toward the end, the SK class shared the structure with a few JK students and they added final touches with brick and mortar tools. The construction hats were a nice touch, too. They helped children transform their minds into that of construction workers.
2 Comments
12/8/2014 09:34:17 am
This construction project was amazing. I was surprised how intricate the structure became and it never toppled over -- great patience and planning exhibited by the students with guidance from Mr. Reynolds!
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AuthorThis site was created by Colin Reynolds as the SK Lead Teacher for the 2014-2015 school year. Stephanie Holdridge was the apprentice teacher for the academic year.. You can contact me via e-mail or follow me on Twitter. Blog History
June 2015
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