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created an array of language opportunities and
scientific exploration as we began guessing what
paint colors to mix to make the ones we wanted. As
children began decorating the upper areas of the
house, one little girl declared, “It’s the bedroom!” as
she decorated the peak of the house. Another child
painted doors and windows on the house. As you
can see in the photos below, the work area was not
neat and tidy. They show a very child-centered and
exciting workspace, one filled with creative explora-
tions. The gingerbread house became a project filled
with compromise, sharing, and rich-language con-
versation among the children.
Busy workers!
Example one: A house sculpture
One child decided to make wallpaper.
Example Two: Gingerbread House
Jan Brett’s beloved children’s book Gingerbread
Baby was the inspiration for our next box sculp-
ture. We began with two box houses to paint, but
the children quickly focused on only one of those
houses. Day one was spent painting the house
white. On day two, a roof was added, and the chil-
dren used pastel-colored paints to decorate. On day
three, we brought out collage materials for them to
use in decorating the gingerbread house.
Many exciting ideas were generated. Some of
the children thought pom-poms, sequins, and pipe
cleaners resembled the candies pictured in the
storybook. Two children wanted more colors, which
Example two: A gingerbread house
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