Project Work: The Hospital for Animals, Part 2 of 2

By Imagine Nation, A Museum Early Learning Center
•
12 Nov, 2018
•

Exploring The Project Approach with Classroom 4B

imagine nation, bristol, ct, early childhood education, reggio inspired, reggio approach, the project approach, preschool

As The Hospital for Animals project continued, children began to express interest in purchasing treats for the live animals in Imagine Nation's wildlife studio. But how would they get the money? The class decided to create a kindness project fundraiser.

One student said: “Well I have an idea…when people do something kind they can put it in the pom-pom bucket, then they can ring the kindness bell. First, they ring the kindness bell then they tell the people what they did. You have to ring it quiet and say it loud enough so everybody hears.” -B

But before they could raise money through their kindness project (more on that later), the children decided to build a bank to collect their donations.

*Children drew sketches of possible bank designs.*

*Bank prototypes were tested in the Design and Engineering Studio. "This won't work for a bank, all the money will fall out of the holes on the side." -B*

*After testing a few bank prototypes, children decided to build a cube and paint it to look like a pig!*

*The class visited Imagine Nation's Design and Engineering Studio and wore safety glasses. Parts were pre-cut and holes were pre-drilled so that children could find where to place the screws.*

*Children were excited to take turns assembling the bank.*

Children applied the color mixing skills that they learned in the Art Studio, and mixed white and red to create the perfect shade of pink for their bank. "Let's make the whole thing pink!" - C "Yeah...pigs are pink anyways." - K

The children completed a special project in the Art Studio with Ms. Pac. They learned techniques to work with and form animals from clay. Children used clay tools and techniques to demonstrate their knowledge of how the animals look and feel. The clay creations became part of the Kindness Project table display.

*The Kindness Project had very specific steps. First, you put your donation in the bank...*

*Then, you throw a pom-pom in the bucket...*

*Then, say something kind that you plan to do, or a kind thing that you have already done!*

*Passers-by were happy to donate and participate in the Kindness Project.*

*Children sorted and counted the donations, and found that they raised $100.16 to buy treats for the animals.*

The final phase of The Hospital for Animals project began with a grocery store trip to buy treats for the animals. Before the trip, the class talked about grocery shopping, what they like to eat, and what they thought the animals might like.

*Children were able to find all of the items from the shopping list.*

*Children took the lead at each stage of the shopping trip.*

*Children gave the cashier the money, and also got to exchange quarters for dollars.*

*After the shopping trip, it was time for the children to feed the animals.*

*Ruby the tortoise enjoys the "fruits" of room 4B's labor.*

The Hospital for Animals project ultimately took classroom 4B several months, and produced many more charts, graphs, and experiences than are pictured. The project extended over the course of the year, as children revisited, researched, and purchased additional items for other museum animals, including a hammock and ball for Dipper the Bearded Dragon, and a swing and a mirror for Perico the Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot. This project left a lasting impression throughout the Imagine Nation learning community.

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Project Work: The Hospital for Animals, Part 1 of 2

By Imagine Nation, A Museum Early Learning Center • November 2, 2018

In Imagine Nation, A Museum Early Learning Center's preschool classrooms, our curriculum is based on The Project Approach. Teachers follow the children's interests and build meaningful, enriching experiences around their students' ideas. The first in a series of posts, "Project Work" follows classroom 4B's journey with their project, The Hospital for Animals.