What is this game?

Following lots of play with penguins over the past couple of weeks we brought in a new manipulative to Extended Day, leaving them for the children to discover on their own.  Maddy soon found the colorful penguins and asked
‘What’s this game?’
Hmmm, I’m not sure – I haven’t seen it before.  I wonder….
Maddy looked for a few seconds and announced “Teams.  They are teams, pink…blue….’
She sorted the penguins into their teams before she set them on the bases.
‘Now they are champions!’
Ada is watching and asks ‘Can I play?’
‘Yes – they have to go on the champion places.’ Maddy tells her
‘I want to be a champion’ says Margot, asking to join
‘Well, one day you will be.  Hi.  The game is about to start.’  Maddy
‘All together’ says Margot ‘Can we please sing?’  She continues singing ‘Every color is beautiful..blue is beautiful like the sea.  Green, green is the color of grass….’
The girls continue, giving each color it’s own line.

With different groups of children with us on different days we don’t always see play from one day continue into the next in the same way.  Here are some of the other ways the children used the penguins later in the week….