It's a process

When thinking about a project or activity in the classroom, there are times when we set up all of the supplies at one time and the children work at their own pace to complete their work.  Other times, the project takes time and each step must be completed before the next can begin.  Today, we made crayon and leaf collages with wax paper.  

We gathered leaves, seads and stems on the playground.  We had big ones and small ones, some that were completely brown and others that still had remnants of green along the edges.

Next, we had crayons that needed to have their paper peeled.  The children were eager to help but didn't really understand why we were taking the paper off (we usually ask that the children do NOT take the paper off).  We talked about why we sometimes do things that are out of the ordinary (water colors in the sensory table, shaving cream on the tables) and the children were excited to help out.

After snack, we were ready to take out the wax paper.  We worked hard scraping the crayons against different size graters to make shavings for our project.  We took turns and used patience while waiting for a grater to be available.  Some children spent a long time, grating many different colors while other children worked for only a minute or two with one color.  Some used many leaves and others used only one or two (or even none).  

Finally it was time to use the iron.  We talked about keeping ourselves safe during this grown up part.  Some children wanted to help iron and others just wanted to watch their little shavings turn into gorgeous bursts of color.  

Each collage was unique and created with focus, patience and pride.