Two Year Olds Solving A Problem: "How Can We Get Bryce's Journal Out From Behind The Radiator?"

We had problem in the Forest Room: 

              "How can we get Bryce's journal out from behind the radiator?"




Bryce:  "We can use a rope."

George:  "Beads!" (He uses it like a fishing rod)

Bryce:  "Maybe we need longer ones!"  

George:  "Maybe a hand can do it."

Bryce:  "Maybe my hand.  (It doesn't work)  "A bear! (He tries.) We're never going to   
           get it!"

Vivian M:  "Maybe something long."

George:  "I'm going to get something long!" (He goes to the kitchen to get some 
             beads.)

Penelope: " Look, my journal is behind there too!"  "I found something long!" (She tries longer beads and then uses her hand to pull it out of outside edge behind the radiator.)

All:  "Yeah! We did it!"

All still thinking of long strands of beads... for Bryce's journal.

Bryce:  "I found something very, very, very long!" (Longer strand of beads.)

Zoey:  "I know how we can get it.  Team work! Yes we can!"


Afternoon Circle Discussion: April 24, 2013

After reading ideas tried earlier that morning new ideas emerged.

Bryce:  "We need longer beads!"

Samuel, holding his hands far apart: "Like that long? Use my journal!
                                                     Something that can pinch a journal."

Madison:  "Like scissors and beads! We could tie beads on the holes."

Vivian S:  "At my home I can get something very, very long...a sword!"

Zoey:  "My dinosaur can help."

Madison works with beads and scissors:  "I can tie a double knot!"

Vivian S:  "A double knot is like a circle."


Morning Circle Discussion: April 28, 2013

"We are still trying to figure out how we are going to get Bryce's journal out from behind the radiator?"

Bryce:  "We could get some rope with scissors.  We could tie it to the holes."

Penelope: "I have a long toy at home."

Madison: "Try a long toy up to the ceiling, up the long stairs and use a flash
             light to light it up."


A Small Group explores suggestions:

They tried the rope tied to scissors...it dropped behind the radiator too.

Bryce suggested to use a hand to get Penelope's journal (which somehow was found behind the end of the radiator again). Using a hand worked!

But what about Bryce's journal? 


I asked: "Vivian S., Would you like to write a note home to remember to
              bring your very, very long sword?"  
                

Vivian:  Shook her head no.


Fran and I invited Anna to help us think about our problem.  She joined us for circle and began by asking what we were trying to figure out.

Bryce:  "My fournal is behind the radiator."

Samuel:  "I want to get it out before it gets hot."

Penelope:  "My journal is out." 

Anna:  "Vivian S. has a sword idea."

Vivian:  "You could use it as a fishing rod."

Scarlett:  "We could tie a magnifying glass to a rope."

Zoey:  "My dinosaur umbrella might help."

Anna:  "Zoey's umbrella is long.  Hey, we could go to the studio.  Come on 

          everybody so we can go to the studio to make some long inventions.

    "It got bent."

"It's not long enough."

                     
                                                                       "It's too big."

Making it longer

"I made it longer, see?"

                                           "I know!  We could move the radiator!"

                                                       "I can see what's back there."

Trying out Scarlett's invention.

"I see beads!"

     
                                                                "Our hands work!"

"There's my journal."

"I'm cutting the hair off."

All of the things pulled out from behind the radiator.

The floor was very dirty where the cover had been.

George: "A sponge can clean the floor!  It's in the sensory table."

Bryce's problem quickly  consumed the collaborative efforts of the Forest Room children.  The process of figuring out how to retrieve the journal took place over many days.  The children thought of ideas and accepted trying all of them! Fran, Anna and I never knew quite how they would get Bryce's journal out. The persistance of trying each idea more than once and listening to each other is evidence that very young children are capable of developing strong relationships through collaboration which sustains their learning. Together they are the genius of discovery and mutual respect.