September 29th, 2021

What Makes us Unique?

I thought it would be pretty and it was. Especially this. - Lily
Is it time for pumpkins? The trees haven't changed. - Jade

Enjoying the fall colors by painting Marigolds on the light table

Warming up Our Minds and Bodies

"She put her hands behind her back". - Finlay
"I like (this game). It's easy for me - Jade

Recently, we're been thinking really hard about the differences and similarities that make each of use unique. We've read books like Sparkle Boy and Pink is For Boys. We've spent time talking about fairness and how to treat others. On Tuesday, we decided to dive deeper into those topics and apply a critical eye to how we perceive others and the world around us. We started with the game "What Changed." 

Rules: One child stands as a statue and the other children take not. Then, the children all close their eyes and the statue changes 2-3 things. The children then have to guess what changed using clear language.

What changed? - Jordan
Your hands and your legs - Bea
What do you mean? How did they change - Jill
His legs were together and now they're out - Wilder

After lunch, we had a group discussion about how we see people. This was both an exercise for the children and an opportunity for Jill and Jordan to better understand how KW children perceived the world around them. We used the same discerning eyes we used in the previous game to try and figure out similarities and differences there are between the KW teachers.

These are our family collages. What do you see that's similar our my and Jordan's family. - Jill

​Different:
You have flowers on your dress and he has a blue dress.  Wilder
They’re not dresses, their shirts.  Bea
He has black pants and you have blue pants
Is that fabric the same? - jordan
No, this is shiny - Jade
Jordan has red shoes and Jill has white shoes.
This is too easy.  Your hair is different. Finlay
Your hair is black and your hair is grey - Wilder
I have a difference.  He is brown and you are white. Bea
You’re wearing glasses and you’re not - Wilder
You have a beard. A tiny, tiny beard - Bea
You’re a girl and Jordan is a boy - Bea
Jordan has whiskers and you don’t - Wilder

Same:
Oh that’s tricky - Finlay
You’re both wearing white socks. Wilder
You work different jobs but you still work. You teach kids in the school. Bea
Like our parents work, but not at school.  Jade
Oh, do we both have parents?  Jill 
You both have a mom and a dad. Bea
Jordan’s body is brown and your body is white.  Wilder.
I have another difference.  Jordan has brown eyes and you have blue eyes.  Finlay

What Makes a Family?

During our training with Debbie Lee Keenan, we discussed several activities and strategies to explore diversity through the eyes of the children. One activity, which the KW team was particularly excited about introducing, is the family card game. A number of pictures are laid out in front of the children. The cards have people of different gender, age, nationality,   race and religion. The children used the cards to make families. 

Introducing People Cards

Jill - (Spreading out the people cards with Bea)  Do you want to tell a story or do you want to make a family or…?
Bea - I want to make a family.
She carefully selects her people cards and lines them up.
Bea - This is the sister.  This is the brother, this is the mom and this is the dad.  
I’m going to make another family.
She goes through the same process with more people cards.  Identifying the people left to right.
Bea - This is the sister and this is the brother.  This is the mom and this is the dad.  This is the grandma and this is the grandfather.  
​

Bea lines up a third “family.”  Skin color does not seem to limit her choices about who can be a family.  She does pay attention to the ages portrayed.


Jade - (Coming to the table)  What are you doing?
Bea - Let’s make a big family.
Jade - Yeah!  This could be the mommy.  Or this could be a king and a queen.
Bea - Yeah, we can have a queen.
Jade - And this could be the mom and this….. (holding another woman)  there could be two mommies.
Bea - I’ll make a girl family.
Jade - Let’s make a big family of boys and girls.

Lily joins the next day

Lily: This is my dad. This is my mom. This is a queen. They all look nice.
Jordan: Why did you choose those people?
Lily: The other ones didn't look as chic.
Jordan: Who is that person? 
Jordan points to Lil Nas X
Lily: That's a boy. He's wearing lots of gold jewels. He's in the family, too.

Cate makes a family next

Jordan: Cate, would you like to make a family?
Cate: Which skins matches to be in the family?
Jordan: Is that what makes them a family?
Cate: Maybe these skins match.
Jordan: Who could they be?
Cate: This is a big sister. And this is a mom.

How to Catch a Bug

No rainbows today. The clouds blocked out the sun. We were forced to come up with a new idea. KW decided to try and make bug/animal catchers. According to the children, we needed specific materials:

​Cate: Tubes
Finlay: Blocks
Cate: A fence
Wilder: Ropes

​That’s a trap. You won’t get out, you beasts.
It will be stronger with more blocks. - Cate

"There's a tunnel in there. It leads to a dead end." - Wilder

This is where the bugs come in. Then, this (basket) is how we catch them - Cate
How can we trick the bugs into the trap? - Jordan
We could tell them a joke - Cate
Cate whispers to the toy beetle
I talked in bug way - Cate

Our First Attempt at Animal Traps

The next day, Cate invite Wilder and other friends to come back at try to make new traps.

Cate: We need a lot of cages
Wilder: Maybe we can make a roof.
Cate: He'll never get out of this!
Bea and Lily disagree with the plan but Wilder has a solution
Wilder: You can make a house over here (Lily) and we can make a trap over there.

Lily: I'm making the floor.
Bea: I'm making the bed. I'm measuring it. The blocks measure her.
Lily: This is a bunny path. These are the stairs to the downstairs kitchen.

Photographs taken by Bea and Lily

Collaborating to Catch the Rainbow

Finlay: Can I build with you Jade?
Jade: Yes
Finlay: So when a rainbow comes in here, it falls and traps it.
Cape: Using shutter pieces. It's locked up!
He snaps the shutters closed on the rainbow
Jade: So it buzzzzzz and that means it works.
Cape: Want to hear the sound mine makes?
​
Cape shakes the shutters back and forth

Finlay has developed a system of 3 baskets to trap the rainbow. The other friends positively reflect on each other's work.

Cape: I really know how yours works, Jade. Does the rainbow go into that hole?
Jade: Yea. The air comes up and out and sends the rainbow away.
Cape: Can we amok shutter house?
Jade: I like your house!
Frannie: I like your house, too!
Cape makes some adjustments
Cape: I'm in the shutter house