January 14th, 2021

Lucas' paper collection

"And this one had daddy's present in it" - Lucas

"Zoe got a rocking horse that had the paper on it."
​- Lucas

Lucas shared a few special papers he collected over the break during our Morning Meeting with us. He was especially excited to tell us more about the different wrapping papers, as he remembered every gift that was wrapped in them. Lucas told us that daddy's present was wrapped in the blue and white striped paper, his sister Zoe got a fox and a rocking horse and that mommy's necklace was wrapped in a red wrapping paper with white snowflakes on it. He impressed all of us with his striking memory!
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​He also introduced us to a few Star Wars characters and shared that his favorite pancake topping is whipped cream. This turned into a conversation about everyone's favorite pancake toppings, from syrup (Bea, Cape, Wilder and Hugh) over chocolate chips (Lily) and Bananas (Sam and Ines) to salt (Daniel). Frannie and Finlay agreed with Lucas that whipped cream is the best topping for pancakes. Michael shared that he doesn't like pancakes. 
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​Our Morning Meetings are for sharing ideas with each other, discussing current or upcoming events, such as Sing Alongs or birthdays, and talking about our day ahead. At the end of every meeting each child makes a plan and decides how he or she would like to start their morning at school. 
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Today Cape, Michael and Lucas decided to start by puzzling, Daniel wanted to play with frogs in the construction area, Wilder and Frances chose painting in the studio, Bea and Lily continued their birthday committee work, Finlay was interested in working with gems on the light table and Hugh said "I want to make something for Daniel" and he joined the birthday committee in the studio.
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Today's birthday committee work:
​Turning paper pulp into paper

Bea, Lily and Hugh spent all morning working on Daniel's special birthday present. While they decorated the paper they had just pressed, many more ideas came up. 

Hugh: Should we try to draw his name on it? How can we do that? Let's look for more things blue.
Lily: Maybe we should use our fingers?

Since the paper was still very wet we weren't able to use a regular blue marker, that Hugh had found, to draw or write on it. Hugh decided to utilize other parts of the classroom for his plan and went to the message center. He asked a teacher to write Daniel's name for him to use as a reference. He returned to the studio shortly after with his incredible work! He asked if we could add it to the finished birthday box in the end.
​Absolutely fantastic work, Hugh! WOW! 

"DANIEL" written by Hugh - Quarter coin as a reference for size

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​Mixing our own paint colors ​

​Lily: We need to use everybody's symbol! Go on a box!
Ines: Maybe ofter we finish the paper we can make the birthday box for him?
Lily: Yes. But the box need to be blue because because he (whispers) likes blue.
Ines: How can we make a blue box?
Bea: How about we paint it. We can use blue paint. 
Hugh: Look! Blue paint right there. (walking into the classroom, remembering the jar of blue paint we had talked about during morning meeting before making our plans for the day, which represented "Painting in the studio" as a possible choice). Where is the blue paint? (Sam informed him that the jar of paint was brought to our easels in the studio and that he can find blue paint there)

We decided to create more shades of blue (by mixing different amount of blue, white and black) which we could then use to paint a blue painting. The idea was to tape the painting around the birthday box. The final step would be to add everybody's symbol to the box. 

Painting for the birthday box

Hugh, Bea and Lily used the paints they had created to paint a collaborative painting for Daniel. Lily painted "a mean lion" which later decided "I'm just nice!". Bea painted multiple ponds and a "mean alligator". Hugh used a thick and soft brush to create a "puffy cloud" and in the end also a "big big big big ocean".

The collaboration showed in different ways. Throughout the entire process the children shared their plans for the painting and asked questions about their friends' painting. Towards the end Bea and Lily trailed each others paint brushes across the painting in an effort to "connect" their "individual paintings" (e.g. Bea's alligator, Lily's lion and Hugh's cloud). 

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Bea: We're mixing it. With our paint brushes. (...)
​I'm sticking everyone's thing together.

I think he's gonna like it. It looks so nice!
- Lily

​This elaborate process showed us that the children now have a deeper understanding and recollection of birthday presents and traditions in the Brown Room and their ability to guide almost the entire birthday committee work by themselves. They repeatedly questioned their ideas under the aspect of Daniel's preferences and likes and thought ahead about the next step necessary for a successful birthday present. Their familiarity and positive relationship with the environment showed in the way they drew and expanded on information from past experiences in the classroom and their level in autonomy, critical thinking and the way they support each other in finding solutions.

After noticing that pipe cleaners won't stay on the paper by themselves and trying out different ways (e.g. pushing it in deeper and bending it):
Hugh: We're using tape (about using wet tissue paper in order to attach pipe cleaners to the paper)
Bea: Yeah, it's like using tape.
Hugh: Guys, if you smoosh it it goes on. (showing his friends which way to apply the tissue paper in order to support the pipe cleaner best)

​A lot of hard work, consideration and love went into Daniel's birthday present so far and we're excited to finish the box tomorrow.

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​We want to end today's blog with a very funny joke that Lily told the classroom during snack:

Where does a cow go on a first date?
​...
Answer: The MOOvies!