Engaging Boys in Drama

With rainy weather today, we decided to spark our children's imaginations with a campfire cookout in the building area. The set up was easy...

We used a tripod plant trellis to add some character to the spot...

Rocks and logs from the building center for the fire...

Found autumn materials in the sensory table...

And some pots and pans from the drama area...

We were absolutely amazed to see the majority of children interested in the center were the boys in our classroom! They immediately got to work stoking the fire and adding more kindling to it. Pots went on and were filled with acorns, pinecones, and leaves.

 They gathered more materials from the sensory table and measured as they scooped.  "We need one pinecone, some leaves, and three acorns."

As the feast cooked, the boys walked around the room and invited others to taste their creations. They took such pride in their cooking!

Another stove was made out of the large wooden building blocks for those who didn't fit around the campfire - there were too many children!  What great problem solving and negotiation!

The boys were using specialized vocabulary in their role-playing as they spoke to one another. "Pass me the ladle please." 

Some children decided to order up extra ingredients with a phone. Others used it to order takeout from the campfire! The cooks busily worked away while passerbys picked up food for other areas of the classroom.

This take-out was set up on a table, complete with flowers on the table for decor!

What a great way to get both boys and girls excited about cooking, found materials from nature, and integrating learning experiences in the classroom!