Getting to Know Our Houses

1/13/2021

Rainey Room B

Houses have been a pop-up interest in RRB, but the pop-up is starting to find foundation. Early on in the year, we observed the relational exchanges that the children were making through the language of construction. Periodically, the narrative of shelter was played out and books about castles or other architecture were explored. The fact that some children were at home attending virtual school, while other children remained in attendance within the physical classroom has remained in the back of our minds as a reality of a new and ongoing home-to-school connection. So we had in mind that houses might be of particular interest to the children.

The design and construction of houses kept arising in our (adult) minds. However, in accordance with the Reggio approach we could not go deeper into the study of houses before taking it to the children to authentically discern the their interest in the topic and their existing knowledge giving "houses" the importance of our initial assessment. What is it about houses that the children care about -- why houses? Additionally, what is a house and what makes a house (the physical structure) become a home?

Drawing Our Houses

Drawing upon Janie's return, being home for so long, we asked the children where they were before they arrived at school. The answer was unanimously, "at my house." Time to draw our houses then!

"I was at home because there was a virus." -Janie

Welcome back Janie!

The Finished Drawings

"Jane, I have a question. Are there any windows?
I have another question. Where are the doors? -Maxon

"I need another paper to draw the other part of my house." -Jane

The children present their work to each other:

Maxon's house

"Here's to keep snow out. Two bathrooms, kitchen, walls, and here's the door." -Maxon

Maxon's bedroom

My room. It has movies and a kitchen and my bed. Here's pillows. There's pictures on the wall; I don't know what they are." -Maxon

We took notice of the similar approach to their drawing by each of the children to view it from a top down aerial perspective, include lots of movement indicative of feeling and connection, and to include the essentials of survival and comfort: walls, kitchens, beds, bathrooms, and other people.