Our Little Community

Inspired by our nature walk last week and hoping to encourage children to explore environmental print in further detail, we decided to read Zoran Milich's "City Signs" book today. After discussing the signs we recognized in the text and comparing them to the signs we found in our neighbourhood, the children decided to create their own community using our car mats, blocks, and mini vehicles. It was an excellent task for building a community in our students as they worked together for almost an hour, setting up their little town.

Some worked on building structures around the car mats.

Others created signs at a writing table.

The children carefully set everything up, paying particular attention to putting the signs in just the right places. 

The results were stunning!

 

But what was more exciting for us was how cooperatively our children worked together, focusing for such a long time on thoughtfully setting up their buildings and matching the appropriate signs to each. They worked hard to sound out the words on their signs, referring to the "City Signs" book when they were unsure of how to write a word. They engaged in meaningful, engaged play together for a very long time!  It was wonderful to observe and be a part of!