Once the building
activity was completed,
we still had a large
pile of vines to address.
Since the children had demonstrated creativity by building the nests, I
didn’t want to discard the vines. With
the habitat unit coming up in the next few weeks, I knew we could use them as
building materials.
I
asked the class how I could get the pile of vines into a shape that would allow
me to tie a string around them to store them for a later time. After some discussion, they decided that if
it were in a “ball” shape, that I would be able to tie a string around it.
I
asked how they could get the pile into a “ball” shape? “We could roll it”.
So,
roll they did.
They started by pushing on it to compact the
pile. Then they rolled it across the
grass until it formed a large ball shape.
I wrapped string around the ball several times
and pulled it tightly together.
Then the children carried the bundled vines
over to the tunnel structure. Working
together, they hoisted the bundle up as I tied it to the railing. We hung the vines up in the air so they would
dry until we needed them again.
This simple work activity in the garden
demonstrated problem solving, creativity, cooperation, and coordination. It also provided an opportunity for the
children to complete a task that was “real” work and gain pride in a job well
done.
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