L i n i n g u p o b j e c t s . . .
can establish a boundary…
…or give a sense of direction and movement.
The children’s interest in roads or paths leads to mapping in children’s play. Henry and Elliot take a designated route to walk to the ice cream store. Kesler’s bird walks on Henry’s road.
The children move from lining up objects to creating and exploring maps.
Kesler has his clipboard and he starts to make lines with his pencil. After he does this for a bit, he asks Diane, Which line to go home? It goes home to my house…to your house and Curtis’ house. It goes to a different Charlotte’s house. It’s the same Charlotte’s house where Rob and Jen and Charlotte and Nathaniel live.
Stella is listening and she goes to get her clipboard where she draws this.
Stella: If you follow my dots, you will come to my home.
Oh, you like Kesler’s idea. That’s the way to get to your home Stella.
Stella: So, follow my lines. (She starts to walk while looking at her drawing).
Your lines go to your home, Kesler, and Curtis’ home.
Stella: This is a list. This is a list. So let’s go this way. So follow mine.
Kesler: I’m following mine. Mine is over there.
Stella: So this is my home.
Kesler: Mine is right there! Right there. Her is much far away from school.
Kesler follows his map, sitting down in the spot that the map has led him to.
The next day, Kesler uses his clipboard again to express his thinking. He makes many marks with his pencil and then explains,
Kesler: Directions to my house. The little circles are for my house and your house. These are directions to my house. I sometimes head there and then I’m at grandma’s house and there. (He draws lines horizontally across his paper.) I’m one of these lines. These are directions. These are directions to a house. Then I’m gonna make some rain. Rain outside. That’s rain outside.These are directions to a house. Pick one circle to your house. Or grandma’s house. A car and then some lines.
Kesler draws a map on his clipboard:
That’s the direction to go back home. These lines are for going to the store. We’re going to a city. You’re going to the store, to the city, to your home… Or grandma’s house… So I’m going to make a road, okay? That’s parking for Diane and me. Those are directions. When you go home sometimes you look at directions on my clipboard. Pick that circle and then do a car and then some lines.
After Jack discovers a map on the field guide to local wildlife, he, Ellie and Stella follow their “maps” around the classroom as they find a home for their babies. There is talk of treasure – perhaps they have heard of treasure maps, too.
And many children have shown an interest in this map in the book The Black Rabbit.
We’re looking forward to watch how this continues!
