One of the best parts of working with your children is witnessing their faith!  

This morning when we all sat on the carpet, one of the friends said, "Oh no!  We are missing a friend!  We should pray for him!" 

Then, the friends immediately bowed their heads to pray for their friend, and they each took turns saying a prayer independently.  What a joy it is to see their faith and care for each other! 

We then played the wiggle worm game!  

After wiggle worm, the friends learned a new game called "Little Mouse."  The mouse hides under one of the shapes and the friends take turns guessing where it is hiding.  This is a good way to practice recognizing shapes and engage in a rhyming poem! 

After snack, we discussed the bridge.  The friends had a lively discussion about what we need to do to fix the bridge.  They discussed the tools that we need as well. 

"We need a saw for the wood!"

"A saw is not really safe for school I don't think."

"Well maybe we could make it safe like the screwdrivers!  You know, Mrs. Douglas put tape on it?" 

"We need a wrecking ball to wreck the bridge and make a new one." 

"We need new materials too."

"Maybe if we are careful we can use the ones already there!" 

After our discussion, we went to work! 

Some of the friends chose to play Little Mouse together! 

We are writers! 

"What is this tool?" 

"Is it level?" 

"What if we cut the cardboard for the top?" 

"Let's measure it!" 

"This is a building book!"

"I think we need some dirt.  See?" 

"We need handrails so we don't fall in the creek!"

"Be sure that they are equal!"  

The friends are so interested and invested in our bridge!  It is worth our time and attention to listen to their thoughts and ideas and let them learn through the process.  I could easily tell the friends how to build a bridge in our classroom.  However, if I did all that they would learn then is how to follow directions.  Rather, by following their ideas and asking open ended questions help them to identify potential problems, we are supporting the friends to develop and refine their own thought process, critical thinking skills, and problem solving skills.   Furthermore, the friends are learning how to collaborate and refining their communication skills as they do.  (Not to mention all of the math work!  Identifying if it is equal, measuring, comparing the size of the pieces, etc.  I could go on and on about all of the learning occurring in this seemingly simply bridge!) 

This is what makes our program different than many other early childhood programs.  We strive to provide rich learning experiences that address multiple learning domains while integrating the children's interest.  

 

After lunch, we went to the gym for a dance party!