In September, the children had the opportunity to test their limits, as they took turns moving across a wooden plank that Mary had positioned at various heights in the playground. Through this experience, the children build self-confidence, as they began to discover what it is they are capable of achieving. This type of risky play is valuable because it allows children to push themselves to see what will happen next, without knowing the exact outcome.
In order to scaffold this learning further, Jess decided to bring a tall ladder into the classroom and incorporate it into an art experience. Theo was immediately drawn to the ladder and followed closely behind Jess to see what she was doing. Kinga, Frankie, Lincoln, Finley and Emily noticed the paints Jess was setting out and started gathering around the art table. More children gathered and seated at the bottom of the ladder, eagerly waiting to see what the activity entailed. Jess then explained, “I thought we could do some painting using pompoms. I wonder what we could create while standing on the ladder?”
Jack volunteered to go first. He dipped a large pompom into some blue paint. He then started to climb up the ladder, holding the railing with one hand and the pompom in the other. This slowed his movement, as he only had one hand to support himself, while climbing. He stopped just over halfway up the ladder and dropped his pompom onto the paper below. Splat!
Lincoln was next, followed by Tilly and Frankie, who all chose which colour of paint they would use, and took their time to position their pompom before dropping it directly onto the paper below. They also moved slowly, as they held on carefully to the ladder for support.
Alex was next. He took a pompom that was sitting in the paint and quickly moved up the ladder. When reaching the second rung from the top he exclaimed, “I’m as tall as up there!” pointing to the loft in front of him. Alex took his time to look around the classroom, observing things from an unfamiliar height and new perspective.Following Alex’s excitement, the children seemed eager to see how high they could climb. At this moment, Jess realised that for many of the children, the activity had little to do with the painting and was much more about testing their limits and seeing how high they could climb.
Emily took her turn next and with a great deal of confidence, climbed to the top of the ladder. Xavier followed, climbing to the top at a steady pace. Stéphane, Leena and Otis were also confident in their ability to climb and zoomed to the top.
Finley then took her turn and excitedly started to climb the ladder. When she reached a level that she was no longer comfortable with, she turned around and jumped straight into Jess’ arms!
Nina proceeded to climb the ladder with caution and although she did not reach the top, she went to a level that allowed her to explore her ability and stand at a height that was taller than Jess. Jess said, “Nina, you’re taller than me." In which Nina responded with a nod and a sweet smile in return.
As Theo climbed the ladder, he expressed that he needed to be able to see Mary, who was spotting from the other side of the ladder. Mary reassured Theo that she was there. He continued to climb and then smiled and sweetly said, “Mary," when he reached a level that allowed him to stand face to face with her.
Once everyone had taken a turn, Jack asked to go again. This time, he was far more focused on how high he could climb, rather than dropping the paint. When reaching the very top, he noticed the tray on the other side of the ladder and asked, “What’s this for?” Jess explained that it is often used for holding your paints. She then moved the paint palette onto it. With confidence, Jack leaned over the top of the ladder, reached for a pompom in the paint and dropped it from the highest point onto the paper below.
This activity was not about creating a piece of art, but rather, it was about the opportunity it gave the children to test their limits and really see what they are capable of. No matter the height they reached on the ladder, each child took a step upwards that boosted their confidence in their own abilities and competencies. They each seemed encouraged by what their peers were achieving and even challenged to push themselves that little bit further up the height of the ladder.
I wonder once our new playground is completed, will the children continue to test their limits and take risks in their play, as they explore the new environment?
