A calm, focused day in class. Classical music playing, rain pelting on the windows,  teachers with children in their laps...a very cozy day in Time for Twos!

Today one child started to string beads and quickly commanded the attention of several other children who then decided they, too, wanted to string beads. I watched in awe as they negotiated the beads, the cord, their own fingers. Each child came up with a different method of putting the bead on the cord, some using their bodies as a stabiliser. A quiet activity that promoted a lot of concentration.

Questions that arose for me:

• Will they put every bead on in the same way?
• If they try this again later or tomorrow, will they use the same method?
• Some of them chose the beads with thought, while others took the bead that was on top. Does this mean something about patterning?

There was a bucket filled with salt, stones and wooden farm animals for the children to investigate. I watched as two children explored this activity. One girl played in the bucket for a while and then proceeded to take out the animals and stones and line them up.



 Interestingly, the boy she was playing with did not mind at all. He continued to play in the salt, clearly enjoying the activity immensely. He played with quiet content...no dialogue and no interactions with me or the other child.








Questions that arose for me

• What does he know about salt?

What he might be thinking about...

• How does it move? How does it feel?
• What designs can I make? How does it feel?
• I can make a pile
• It goes through my fingers.
• I can make tracks
• How does it sound when I move a wood figure through the salt?
• Does the salt stick to things?
• What happens if I squeeze it?
• What if I move slowly? Quickly?
• What if I move animal along the edge?

I enjoyed my time observing these inquisitive children.

Emily