Let's do it!

As I pulled up to TBS today, I spied the Etzim class headed into the woods to build fairy houses.

They had read a book about fairy houses and were now headed to make some of their own.

"Let's do it!", cried one of the children, demonstrating a sensibility that is essential to the teaching and learning in Etzim.  That is, they read about a new idea and decided to try it out.  That is exactly what we want our children to do: discover great ideas and then take initiative.

Significantly, the children began to utilize the symbolic thinking inherent in the idea of fairy houses.  "This could be a door!", I heard one child say.  "This could be a window!"  As children negotiated the concept of reality/fantasy, an essential developmental phase of early childhood, they demonstrated high aptitude for symbolism, underscoring their ability to imagine and create.

Discovery, imagination, and creation: All in a day's work play.

(Pictured: Raking away the brush to make room for the fairy house.)