Emergent Curriculum At Its Best

It all started with a donated toy tool set which ended up in the Chipmunk classroom. The children were delighted! In no time they were busy pretending to fix and build with their tool set. Lu Abel, our wonderfully personable, friendly and talented handyman came into the room and as he fixed a hinge here and a latch there, the children gathered around him, asking questions and observing intently. Their interest in Lu’s work was intense and they learned a lot just watching him work and talking with him.

The teachers watched this intense interest in tools, fixing, and building and decided to focus on that as their theme over the next few weeks. And as part of their activities, they invited Lu to do a circle time for the children focusing on tools. Lu gave this some thought and decided that it would be great fun to actually build something with the Chipmunk children. So he went home and precut pieces to make a children’s table from styrofoam. He brought these pieces in along with plenty of real tools (the ones that were safe for children to work with under close supervision) and he and the children built a real, functional table! So exciting! Take a look at these photos. They tell the story better than words can.
First Lu ExplainsHe helps us measure.Then we screw in a screw.We use real screwdrivers!Two of us work together.Voila! Our Table!