The beginning of a new project

After culminating the last project, the teachers begin to look for common threads of play or interest in order to begin a next project.  As the teachers observed, we noticed that the children were doing a lot of restaurant play. After a week of play, we heard the children discussing several restaurants in our area that they might want to learn more about.  At the end of this week, a child asked if she could lead our daily large group.

Before she lead group, this child and I discussed what she wanted to talk about.  At group, she told children “Today is a special day.  We get to pick a new project.  If you want to pick Happy Joe’s raise your hand, if you want Jimmy John’s touch your nose.”  This continued with several more restaurants.  The voting continued until the children with the child who was taking the lead brought it down to two choices.  She then shares, “I think we decided it.  We are going to learn about Happy Joe’s!  When we come inside, let’s write down our questions, OK?”

Thus a new project begins!