We're building a Bigger tower !!

We are seeing an evolution in the style of play in our classroom.  You can see in the photos that a small group worked at building a very tall tower.  What started as one child's project changed as others joined in and made their own contributions to the construction.  There is also some discussion as the children work together.  The blocks vary in size by color.  Notice how the kids sort them and arrange them in their project.

Can I Play?

School is all about growth. Children all develop at different rates, and school is a place to celebrate that and help the students move to the next stage of development.

This morning, Nathan and I were working on a 100 pice puzzle. We started out working with Aleeza, and eventually we became overrun with classmates! Some students who love to do puzzles, some who haven't shown any interest in puzzles before, and some joining small group play for the first time.

Many of our students walk the line between dyad play (with just one playmate) and small group play (with 2+) playmates. Watching this puzzle get put together with a group of students was a great way to see those worlds colliding. It was clearly easier for some to work with others, and it was a great step for those that are starting to dabble in groups with more playmates. While there were some disagreements, each of the boys were so helpful and respectful to one another, as well as cheerleaders for their playmates.

Like I said, school is a place of growth. And when the students feel comfortable with themselves and their peers, they blossom!

-Alison

How do Keshet children play?

The Keshet class was alive with activity and energy today.  There were some puzzles to explore as part of our Shabbat celebration.  In the photo collage below, the pictures show children who are playing next to one another, doing similar activities with no direct interaction.  They're engaged in parallel play.  Today I caught a moment where Allison and Isabella were engaged in dyad play - two children playing together.  When a teacher is involved, a small group may form and engage in an activity like dancing, trying some yoga poses, or making pumpkin muffins.  With Savita's guidance and support, the kids made part of their own snack once again today.  The sweet pumpkin smell filled the room and drifted into the hallway this morning.  It was tasty alongside the delicious challah that Ben shared with us today.  Thank you Ben and the Greenstein family.  Shabbat Shalom to you.  

Small Group And Dyad Play Galore

As you can see, lots of small group and dyad play was abundant in the Rainbow room. From drawing Rapunzel at the easel, to making juice cake with the rice, to dropping off packages with the trusty mail truck, to recognizing classmates in the faces book, to putting together potato heads, a great time was had by all!

Group Play!!

Throughout the year the Tel Aviv class has made major strides in their ability to grow beyond partner play and play well in both small and larger groups. Today on the playground I was so impressed to watch groups of five or more children playing well together for a significant amount of time. The boys pulled the plastic chairs together to create a Starwars rocket ship and they had some of Maria's jump ropes as props for their ship. Later a group of kids explored seadpods and were collecting the seeds in a small bowel. The groups were communicating effectively and using kind and polite language as they worked together to collect the seeds. Well done Tel Aviv crew! It is great to watch you explore and create while building your friendships!

Trip to Outer Space

We took a trip to outer space this afternoon after lunch. First we needed to build the spacecraft. This small group of children from Levana, Unicorn and Sunshine classes worked well together sharing ideas and construction tools. Micah invented a way to sand and wash the ship. There was plenty of hammering, and bolting. Max said "we need a roof"' so we raised the table and everyone fit underneath for the journey. Following the countdown and our flight, we played with some astrounaut figurines and small rockets. The return flight was quick. We then joined the other lunch bunch children for a pizza snack in the Haifa classroom.

A Small Group Working Together

These three children are working together to fill a large planter box with soil. They are co-operating and sharing the soil from one large container to complete the task. Moving from working or playing with one friend to working with a small group of children is no small task. The social and interactive skills that are required of Olivia, Elias and Mia to navigate multiple relationships at once can be challenging. The dynamics of a group of three or four children is quite different than what goes on between two children. These children are clearly demonstrating that they can do small group work.

Moving from two to six...wow!

The faculty at TBSCC is reading the book, Beyond Behavior Management, by Jenna Bilmes. The textbook takes us through the "six life skills" that every child should have to thrive in today's world. The book discusses effective teaching strategies to help children move through these different stages of development.

As teachers in the Sunshine classroom, it is our responsibility to facilitate children's social development by helping them create and maintain friendships and connections with people outside of the home. However, it is important to recognize that children become affiliated in ordered stages. Solo play, adult-child play and parallel play are the beginning stages of play for children. There is little direct interaction between children at this time. Dyad play (playing interactively with another child and identifying someone as "a friend"), small group play and large group play begin to develop once the initial stages of play have been mastered.

Yesterday, Zachary and Brett wanted to play with the dinosaurs. They cooperatively brought the basket of dinosaurs to the rug and began using imaginative play with each other to create a dinosaur attack scene. Shortly thereafter, several other children moved into the area to join Zachary and Brett in their make-believe world. We heard growls and chomps and squeals of delight as 6 Sunshine children interacted and cooperatively played together.