Road Construction

Observation

On a snowy spring day, E (4) and P (3) were playing outside. P placed a medium-sized wooden plank on top of a tree stump. E picked up a smaller wooden plank and placed it next to the stump, with one side on the ground and the other resting on the first plank. P placed another small plank on the opposite side of the stump, angling down to the ground too. 

They looked at their creation and E said, "it looks like a road!" P agreed and said, "we need cars!" They asked to bring cars outside to put on their road. 

We brought out several small cars, trucks, and construction vehicles. P and E each drove the vehicles along the road. They went up one side and down the other. 

P knocked down one small side plank. Then she knocked down the other side. She said to E, "The bridge fell down." Then she pushed the last plank off and climbed on top of the tree stump. She sat on her knees and drove a construction vehicle around her knees. She said, "I'm stuck"

E said, "I'll come help you" He drove another construction vehicle up the side of the tree stump and said, "I'm here to help."

Then P climbed down and walked towards another tree stump. P picked up a much longer wooden plank and placed one side up on a smaller tree stump. Then she asked E, "can you pass me that stick? E picked up a small plank and gave it to P. She balanced the plank on the other side of the tree stump. Then she drove a construction vehicle across the middle and down the long plank. 

Reflection 

Observing E and P collaborate was interesting! They worked together towards a common goal. They discussed their plans and put the planks in certain places to create a road or bridge. I noticed that both roads had planks that went up, over, and down the tree stump. It seemed to be their way of incorporating the tree stumps into their play, rather than just making a road on the ground.

They demonstrated imagination and creativity as they used natural materials in different ways. Earlier in the day, the children had used the wooden planks to walk on. They came up with the idea to build with the planks and make them into representations. They first called their structure a road, but later P also referred to it as a bridge. 

I loved watching them collaborate by asking each other for materials, planning how to build the road, sharing ideas, and driving their cars on it together. They were focused and engaged in play together. They seemed to take turns while building. One of them would put a plank up and then the other. They showed an urge to break down and build again. They also solved problems together and helped each other when there was an issue. As they engaged in building, they showed knowledge of measurements, balance, and cause-and-effect relationships. With this knowledge, they created a stable structure that they used as a road. It only fell when Penelope wanted to knock it down.