Third Day of School

Teddy bears, teddy bears and teddy bears -- oh my! Day Three at Franklin Kindergarten means bring on the bears. The teachers invited the students to bring their teddy treasures from home for a bear hunt. We hid the creatures around the school and then embarked with the kids on a journey around campus to recoup them.
While the students showed their delighted surprise in finding their bear, what amazed me was that the real intrigue for them laid not in the imaginative, fun side, but in the thought-provoking side of the exercise.

I figured that being five-year-olds these kids would most enjoy the silliness of the lesson and sheer fun of finding their fluffy friends on the art table or music-room instruments. However, they loved the thinking that this lesson offered. One student astutely noticed that I was the only one who didn't have a hidden teddy. I had to think for a moment -- and then said that I'd have to apologize to mine for forgetting to invite him when I got home. Another student looked very thoughtful for a minute and then burst out with her theory. "No!," she said. "Your bear just hid further away. You'll have to tell him that he did a great job hiding when you get home." "Yes, and you'll have to give him an extra squeeze, because he probably was scared, thinking you wouldn't find him," chimed in another student. The students continued to ponder this and hypothesize as we walked back to the room. This made me think about how kids at very early ages are eager to use and develop their cognitive skills. I plan to look into building a strong investigative component to a curriculum that I'll try with them in the spring. I'll attempt an activity where I ask them a probing question and have them come up with hypotheses, test them and evaluate what worked and how. (I hope it'll work.)