February 2025
“GONE FISHING”
Dramatic Play continues to be the most common interest amongst all children in the program. As I was doing my daily observations; I heard a child say, “Let's use the blocks to build a raft.” After carefully constructing the raft, the children made the decision that each child involved needs their own room.
After the changes were added, the children’s conversation shifted. “What will we eat?” says one child to the others.
“We will catch fish for supper” another child announces. Soon the blocks were maneuvered by the children to create a space for fishing. To help extend this idea with the children’s play, the following afternoon I strategically placed a real ice fishing rod near the “raft”.
The children asked questions about the new prop and wondered if it's available to use. One child ties a string to the rod then ties a magnet to the end. He distributes the multi-coloured magna tiles on the carpet imagining it is the lake. Other children put out plastic marine animals on the carpet to catch for supper. He tells me the magnets are an assortment of fish to catch. Each colour represents the different types of fish. “This one’s a rainbow fish”. The excitement really picked up when they started taking turns to challenge one another to catch fish for dinner. The excitement lasted all week long.
It's amazing to see how the children's play flows and changes with each new idea!
Cristy Kuokkanen, Early Childhood Educator (Otherwise Approved) SSW
