This picture makes me smile! Their faces look like something is wrong, but the fact is they were intently describing what they all did. "We used ALL the shells in the bucket to make groups of 2 and we counted to 100!" It was fun watching and listening across the room as they worked together during free play time. I will always schedule free play time during the week on days of no specials or after testing or when I feel their attention slipping away. Free play is a time when there is no toy or learning manipulative that is off limits. They know the rules of safety and kindness during this time. If there is a problem, the student goes back to their desk or table and finds something to do by themselves to settle down. By this time of the year (April), that rarely happens! When children know boundaries, they have great freedom and their creativity and ideas blossom. I do not instruct them what to play with or how to play with it. I do not guide their choice in playmates. Children need to be free to play as they choose. As grown-ups back off and give them space, children practice what they have learned and figure out how to deal with the different personalities of their classmates. Let the little disagreements and arguments play out, do not rush in to solve the problems for them. Listen and step in only if it escalates.
What kind of manipulatives do you have in your classroom? Shells, rocks, Legos, popsicle sticks, blocks, marbles, spools, gems, little erasers, pompoms, nuts and bolts, rubber bands, coins, buttons, chenille stems, foam pieces, felt pieces, small toys... the list goes on.... what would you find interesting to play with if you were 5 years old?
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