Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Explorations in Sewing

A big part of our day was taking sewing in new and interesting directions.   Along with fabric, children had the opportunity to use plastic gels, rubber bands, cloth loops, bubble wrap,, cardboard, netting, and various papers were available.  While we didn't come close to using all these materials, some children made new discoveries with the materials and the machines.  Different types of stitches such as zig-zag were also part of the experience.  Lou Lou and Louise stuck with fabric, but often compared their work and collaborated with sewing.  At one point, the girls took turns going under the table to run the foot pedal, while the other would feed fabric through the machine.  Some of the reflections about the sewing process:
  ​ Grace - A thread is like a line.  The machine was moving so fast.  It was not easy (sewing through paper by hand).  Grace used both machine and hand sewing in her work 
   Lily - I used the sewing machine.  These are big lines. (Lily adjusted the size of the stitches she used.)
   Lou Lou - The lines I did with the sewing machine.  I turned it around. (Lou Lou and Louise both were able to turn a corner with the sewing machine)
  The new materials and processes were engaging for children, whether they worked together or individually.  We will offer more sewing explorations in the coming weeks. 

Our large group featured five Tucker Room friends today.  We placed the bridge that was created as aThanksgiving feat centerpiece along with construction materials on the large table.  Hugh, Tommy, Maisie,, Tegan, and Lily spent much of their afternoon creating a city around the bridge.  This was another example of the small worlds children have created throughout the year such as the Curious Garden and the Main Street City book.  As they worked, the children negotiated, took turns, solved problems and collaborated.   Here's a few of the things that took place in their city today:
    Hugh - (Adding blocks)  That a building because buildings are on the side of the road.  (Adding animals)  The animals should be in the wild.  (Hugh then arranged the animals into their "families,"  al the elephants together, etc.)
     After some more building....
    Tommy - (Looking at the roads and rows of building they've added)  We made a "P."
    Hugh - Yeah, we made a "P" in our city.  The letter P.
    The city is subject to a series of natural disaster, storms, wildfires, and an earthquake.....
    Maisie - It's an island that has a lot of storms.
    Hugh - It's a massive storm and the animals are injured.
    Tommy - Yeah, so many are injured.
    Tegan - It's a very intense city. 

It was so wonderful to be back together again!  We had a great time just hanging out in the outdoor classroom as well.  We can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!