Collages and Collaboration

Today started with a question : Where is Sam? During drop off and our morning meeting the children noticed that she was not at school today and that we had a new teacher in the classroom.
Lily: Why did Sam not want to come to school today?

We missed having Sam but we are so thankful that Jennie was our wonderful substitute teachers today. Her son Palmer is in the Tucker Room with Jill and Brooke and some children already knew her.
Finlay: My mommy knows her name.
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Sam will be out until Tuesday because she will get married this weekend. Yay! After learning about her plans to get married the children had lots of thoughts on what marriage is and who can get married.

Hugh: Wedding is many presents.
Cape: Big presents.

(In response to the question who can get married)
Finlay: Me.
Daniel: And me.
Wilder: Wilder, too.
Hugh: I think Lily.
Lily: One day my mommy and daddy got married. My mommy and daddy all big. This is my picture. Look. Mommy and Daddy. (pointing at her family photo on the wall)
Hugh: Sometimes you miss someone.

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Collages

Jennie: What is glue?
Finlay: It's this. It's sticky. It's in a bottle.

This week we have been working on message making and started to introduce new materials such as glue and scissors. The children showed a lot of interest in using glue, especially the white liquid glue. So today, we transitioned into making collages. The children had the choice  to explore a variety of different materials such as wood, buttons, metal, buttons, yarn, silk flowers, styrofoam, rocks, paper, toothpicks, plastic gems, or sequins.

The materials first got introduced on their own and then in combination with glue. Finlay and Hugh both used materials to create a story or patterns. Hugh alternated between adding glue and materials to his board. Finlay decided to not use glue on his board but on a piece of paper next to it. When he flipped his board upside down he was surprised that everything fell off. Lily chose to create two different boards, one for mommy and one for daddy.

Lily: Since I know my dad likes these stuff, flowers, I'm using flowers. This is for daddy. Do you have a daddy?

Daniel and Cape added a larger amount of glue to their boards first before then adding materials to it. Squeezing the glue bottle was hard for Daniel and he kept saying that they are not working. Wilder experimented with mixing different types of glue (first liquid glue and then gliding the glue stick through it) and preferred adding paper.

We would like to share a few conversations that happened in the process.

Lily: Can I use the sparkles?
Hugh: These are blue ones.
Finlay: Can I use all of them?
Hugh: Can I feel the blue ones? Guess what I'm gonna do with them? I'm gonna build a fire truck hose.

Lily: Hugh, may I take some?
Hugh: Well, I don't think so. Just one.
Lily: They are squishy. (about small rubber headphone coves)

Finlay: What are these rocks for? And what are these? These are buttons. And what are these? These are white.

Lily: (counting blue gems) Now I have one, now I have two. (noticed Hugh using sequins) Hey, can I try that?
Hugh: I can't give you because it's out of glue. (he referred to the glue being out of the bottle and that it can'y be put back in for Lily.)

Daniel: This is hard! This one is hard, so I need to use some scissors. Wilder's using glue.

Cape: I'm using so many glue. Look at my collage! My collage is good.
Daniel: What are these for? (pointing to the styrofoam pieces) Are they for ripping?  (proceeding to rip them into smaller pieces)

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Collaboration and Problem Solving Skills

It is very exciting to see more and more collaboration happening and the Brown Room. The children are still learning each others names and are now using them more frequently throughout the morning. Learning how to communicate needs and interests to other children is a big and important part of our day. Getting adjusted to a group setting takes time and continuous guidance. Currently we are working on ways to communicate interests (wanting to be on your own or to join someone else) and sharing ideas about the materials and process. 

Multiple children worked on building, dissembling and rebuilding a tower out of magna-tiles. 

Cape and Finlay started to build the first tower.
Cape: Is this how we do it?
Finlay: No, no, no. Put it here. See this is a box.
Cape: Good job, Wilder.
Ines: You are building together with Finlay. Did you mean Finlay?
Cape: Good job, Finlay.

Michael joins the group and at first knocks down the tower, after guidance they work together on rebuilding it.
Michael: How do you build?
Cape: He (referring to Finlay) is showing Michael how to do it.

Hugh joins the group and continues with Michael to build different towers. Lucas showed interest to add some different materials he had brought over from the light table. 
Hugh: Yes. Put it here. In the roof. Up here.

The tower kept falling over. Hugh then added blocks to two sides of the tower.
Michael: It's gonna fall.
Hugh: No, it's not. because it's very tall. I'm saving it. I saved it.
Ines: How did you save it?
Hugh: I know. I have an idea.
Michael: We make a house.

Lily, Daniel and Wilder were working on building a long line with the wooden blocks.

Lily: Can I please help?
Daniel: Yes, of course.

Wilder: Can I please help?
Daniel: But I am helping her.
Jennie: Can more than one person help?
Daniel: Yes.

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Michael: What is he building?
Daniel: Nothing. I'm not building nothing. Don't help me. Wow! Look at this.
Wilder: Can I build?
Daniel: Can I please build by myself?
Wilder: Why?
Michael: Because he on his own. Not playing.
Daniel: I want to do it by my own.

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Today we want to end the blog by sharing a wonderful example of problem solving in the Brown Room:

​Lily noticed that her larger block doesn't stay on top of the smaller ones. 
Lily: Why is it falling down?
She then tried out different ways of adding and removing blocks in order for her larger block to cover the structure. 
Lily: Now. It works.