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A group of children found a small birch tree that had fallen in the ‘V’ made by twin birches growing close together. For days the dynamics of such structures occupied the children as they worked to free the stuck tree from the ‘V’. They took a branch of the tree and placed it horizontally between the two tree trunks and then began to make see saws from loose branches. Watch Erik, Andre and Ritchie as they challenge themselves to make a see saw that does not break. Observe the richness of this environment for collaboration, invention, and reflection.

A teacher interests a one-year-old child in a live video image of himself. As you watch, speculate on what the young boy might be thinking. How may this experience be beneficial? The child could learn: 1) that video images are not mirror images or a TV image, 2) that video images can offer new information about the self and representations of the self. The child might approach the monitor to make his face grow larger, as he does with a mirror, but in fact his face grows smaller because he is moving further from the camera at his side.

Observe the dynamics of three boys attempting to play in the same space. The teacher uses a variety of strategies to assure safety while honoring the children’s goals. Notice aspects of actions that help us infer a child’s intention, such as eye contact, sequence, and timing. Note how Alex reacts to Henry as Henry tries to make entry into the play space. The teacher redirects Jackson to the pile of leaves on the floor so that he can play without standing in the elevated water basin. Alex picks up on whatever the teacher says, such as ‘feet’ and ‘be gentle’ and ‘leaves on the floor’.

Emma, Brenna, and Julia watch a video replay of a pretend play episode from the previous day. We observe them answering questions and summarizing their feelings as they revisit their own play. In the second segment of pretend play, Julia pleads to let her Barbie doll take Emma’s baby doll into her outstretched arms. Emma counters that Julia’s Barbie doll is too little to hold Emma’s rather large baby doll. Then the video clip shifts to Julia’s reaction to this segment.

Putting on a pair of shoes can be as challenging to a two year old as repairing a car is to an adult. Watching children attempt and accomplish this task reveals many instances of high-level thinking and indicates what children know about these complex objects. See if you can find where this two year old indicates that she knows (or does not know) the following concepts: 1) It would be hard to put my shoes on while standing up. 2) Getting the toe into the shoe does not mean the shoe is on. 3) Shoes do not belong to the class of objects called ‘coats’.

Henry and Caleb, at Boulder Journey School, watch how feathers and fabric behave differently in two wind tubes made from fans and Plexiglas. The fan on the right pushes less air than the one on the left. This setup has many variables that present opportunities for discovery. The technical skills needed for experimenting are minimal and the effects are immediate, obvious and often dramatic. The design of the space allows several children to play at the same time and to enter the play at their own level.

When children play outdoors, they are doing more than developing their gross motor skills and self-confidence. They are also experimenting with the physics of their bodies on swings, seesaws, jungle gyms, and in this case, a tilting board on a green pipe.

Brayden, age four, experiments with a board that tilts, depending on which side holds more of his weight. Here are possible thoughts that Brayden has as he experiments with the balance board. Note the amazing amount of thinking that is involved in these two minutes of play.

The children in this video clip are busy exploring seashells. We observe their actions so that we can provoke and support their in-depth investigations using this material. Providing time for children’s explorations of materials can also provide teachers, as astute observers, with relevant information. The information gleaned from teachers’ observations can be used to design rich problem-solving contexts, which have the potential to generate high level thinking about form and function. Below is a brief listing of some of the things the children in this video said and did.

In this video episode, you will see three boys, about five years old, pretending to jump over a crevice flowing with hot lava. This invented adventure occurs because 1) the boys were previously acting out scenes from a television show that all know and 2) the affordances of the two gym pads present a convenient context for jumping over a defined distance. Fortunately, the pads can be moved. The boys, by degrees, increase the gap, thereby increasing the danger and fun of the game. They even invent the jump and roll to accentuate the feeling that the gap is wide and difficult to clear.

A child’s introduction to a swimming pool can create memories, while also establishing attitudes that may last for many years. Thus, the process necessitates forethought and sensitivity. Think of the perceived immensity of even a small pool to a young child who is anxious about sinking. Watch this video clip of a two-year old child whose father is giving him a lesson on how to extend his legs behind him and kick. To make meaning of this clip, think about 1) possible reasons underlying what the father did and 2) possible reasons for what he did not do.