Remember when we voted between creating an Office or a Boat Place in our playhouse? Last week, kids were reminded about the Boat Place idea, and we began talking and planning. This week, we’ve begun construction. We like to involve kids in all aspects of these kinds of transformations, from brainstorming to planning to executing ideas. The problem solving, collaboration, and fine motor work to create the space are as valuable as the imaginative play that happens there.
We started by asking kids in both our morning and JK groups more questions: What do we need in or on a boat? What do we need around a boat? What will we do on a boat? Kids had many ideas and we had several good grouptime discussions. Once we created the lists, we started to talk about how to create their ideas. Some could already imagine how to create the sky or water or sand, with ideas about tape or paint or paper. Here are some photos as we begin to transform the space.
We talked about defining the space, and whether the top or bottom of our playhouse should be our boat. Would the water or the boat be on top? We all decided the bottom could be the water and the top would be the boat. Teachers hung some blue paper in the bottom, and invited kids to decorate it with fish we made for last week’s fishing pond, and stencils and drawings of various fish and sea creatures. We offered new items at the light tables to add to our underwater look.
Some were keen to tape on the paper fish, others collected the plastic fish on the light tables to “cook” and others decided the gems on the light tables were the treasures they hunted for with the aid of their maps.
We raided our recycling bin to create a motor, a key, and steering wheels..
Meanwhile, the paddle balls have been dipped in paint, and we have sand back in the classroom!
We’ll do a blue paddleball painting, too, to add to our water hanging in the Boat Space. As we make and add more props, and do fishing from the top, we expect our work in the Boat Space to continue. Hope you get to come for a swim or sail on your next assist day!