SOLSC #20 Let's make a light tunnel!

I am posting every day during March as part of the annual "Slice of Life" Challenge for Two Writing Teachers.  Check out their website for lots more reflections on teaching.

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Melissa had the inspiration for this fun new exploration in our class. She had visited the East Wing of the Smithsonian National Art Gallery, only to be mesmerized by the gorgeous light tunnel on the basement level.

Could we create one for the Big Cats? In our classroom? To help them extend their exploration of shadows and light? Wouldn't they love this?

The next thing we knew, Melissa, Claire, and I were hard at work, trying to construct part of the tunnel using tri-fold boards (we found a few extra in our supply room - necessity is the mother of invention!).  This was yesterday, during nap time. There were many non-sleepers who watched our every move, engaged in our construction work, trying to imagine what we were creating. Our beloved building supervisor, Paul, saw us at work and remembered he had another large, strong box...perfect for a second section of our tunnel.

We were filled with our own inquiry -
how to make the box tunnel strong enough for a class of preschoolers to use?
how does one stabilize a box that will be open on both ends?
what could we use to reinforce the corners, to keep them at 90 degree angles? (Blocks, to the rescue!)

(We teachers were thinking like engineers!)

Check out the non-napper who is watching our every move!

Today, during centers, the children painted the boxes black - stretching long and tall to paint inside and out of these large boxes. Wow, did they love this! We turned on the music and danced as we painted. It seemed as if everyone was holding a paint brush soaked with black paint...there were definitely moments when I felt a slight panicky feeling that we had maybe taken on too big and messy a task!

But, ahhh, the delight on everyone's faces! Why not spend a morning this way?

So much more still to come - including the answer to our wondering, will these boxes be strong enough for children to go inside, many times over?

(The best news for me - the preschoolers were just as excited to help wipe the floor of its black speckles, at the end of our painting fun!)

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(A daily share by preschoolers in their own words)

A Story Collage by Micaela

     Once upon a time, a lot of people lived in the city at Sherman Circle. Me, my Daddy, my brother, and my Mom. And it was night-time. But then, I suddenly woke up. I heard a scared and spooky sound. I went into my Mom’s room and I had to tell her what the spooky sound was. I looked out the window. For five whole nights. And what I saw was spooky witches and they were messing all around. My favorite Sherman circle. I couldn’t do anything but I was even stronger than them. I went out there as fast as I could and I threw them in the trash. And then, they came out of the trash as fast as they could, but they couldn’t do anything – they were childs! Then a mother penguin came along and they said, “Are you my witch mother?” and she said, “No, I’m a penguin mother and I live in South America.” And a mother rabbit came and he said, “Are you my Mommy?” and she said, “No. I live in North America.” But then walking along, he saw his Mom and he ran over and then they got meaner and meaner but I foughted them off and a cowboy came to save the day. The End.