As you know, we have been exploring some big concepts in Brown Room: Mystery, Hiding, Seeking, Concealing, Revealing, Finding, Missing, Lost, etc. (please take some time to look at the gray documentation board in the classroom if you haven't had a chance). And while we have been having some really great discussions and games of hide-and-seek, we have been brainstorming ways to explore these concepts through other materials and languages.
![]() As part of our process (the teachers), we make notes for observations. Sometimes, this includes making a more formal "chart" ahead of time. We think about why we are offering this specific provocation, what are we looking to observe, questions we might ask, questions we have in our own minds that the children might answer (in some capacity) during the work, etc. For this provocation, we were, of course, looking to observe the connections they might make between the materials/process and the concepts of hiding, concealing, finding, lost, and/or hidden. We also knew that this would potentially be a fine motor challenge for some children. Finally, we were only providing two "large" pieces of cardboard, so it would be a collaborative process. So often the children have their own "base" to work on, so we anticipated that this process would require additional collaboration, negotiation, and communication. Introducing it at Morning MeetingWe introduced the cardboard at morning meeting, and the enthusiasm was high (see video). Group #1 - Henri, Caroline, Christopher, and Win"I don't see anything under it." - Henri, 3.8 years"I wanna get more materials because there's more holes." - Henri, 3.8 years "We need more stuff." - Caroline, 2.11 years "I'm going to put the red one on top of the blue one." - Henri Can you still see it? "No." - Henri
Henri, Caroline [top cardboard piece], Win, and Christopher [bottom cardboard piece]'s work. When they were feeling ready for a next plan I asked what they thought a second group of children would add to the cardboard: "I can't see the stuff under, but I think they're not going to put things there [pointing to holes]." - Henri, 3.8 years Group #2: - Lillian, Lou Lou, George, and Zoe"It's hiding!" - Zoe, 3.3 years Lou Lou and Lillian moved around each other, watching the other one work. Lou Lou was commenting on the materials, and Lillian was watching and following Lou Lou's lead. "I'm pushing it all the way in. I can't see it anymore." - Lou Lou, 3.7 years "I can't see it!" - Lillian, 3.0 years "I'm making a collage out of buttons." - George, 3.6 years
Contamination of ideas: George started layering large pieces of cellophane on top. Zoe observed and then joined in. Across the table, Lou Lou noticed what they were doing and chose sparkly tissue paper to use the same hiding technique. Groups #3 and #4 - Cully, Gracie, Lou Lou, Eliza, Henri, Adaline, and WillThe third group started by looking around at all of the materials that were on the tables. They were asked to consider the possibilities. "Silly rubber bands". - Lou Lou, 3.7 years "Glass." - Eliza, 3.5 years "I have glass too!" - Gracie, 3.5 years "This [cellophane]!" - Lou Lou "I can see through you!" - Gracie "You're red!" - Cully, 3.6 years "Umm...corks." - Eliza "Fabric! More fabric!" - Gracie "How are we going to fit this?" - Eliza "I think it's too big. You're not putting it in the holes." - Henri "Crumple, crumple, crumple. It's too big." - Eliza How can we make it smaller? "Rip it!" - Lou Lou How do you make it fit? "I can rip it [fabric] in half! Nope. I can only rip this [cellophane]." - Gracie The fourth group was very focused on the cellophane, hiding, seeking, and transparency. "I'm going to hide the star tissue [paper] and the lobsters [tissue paper]." - Adaline, 3.6 years "Can you see what I hid under it?" - Will, 3.7 years [they all begin hiding their faces behind the tissue paper and cellophane pieces] "Can you see me anymore?" - Gracie and Adaline [with their faces behind tissue paper] "No!!!" - other children "I added so many colors [of transparent cellophane pieces] you can't even see me anymore!" - Adaline "Can you even see me through this?" - Eliza "Can you see what is hiding?" - Will Observational Notes: These are on display in the classroom. They are placed in the windows between the classroom and studio. Please take a few minutes to look at them. Warning: if you move them too much things will fall out! But, perhaps it is a challenge for you to hide them again!
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