"Traveling" to Mexico: the Orca Class takes a "trip!"
One of the best ways for children to learn and practice self-regulation skills is through mature dramatic play. As children are developing the ability to engage in this mature play on their own, they can do it with adult assistance. So the Orca class (4-5 year olds) is learning about transportation, and the country of Mexico, and enjoying this type of mature play while we take a "trip" to Mexico.
We started by learning about different kinds of transportation, and looking at maps to see how we could get from Bainbridge Island to Mexico. We have had first-hand learning about cars, the ferry, and the train.
At the same time, we have been learning about Mexico, it's geography, and language, and food and culture. We have been singing and speaking some Spanish, and reading stories about Mexico. We have painted murals of Mexico's volcanos, and of her jungles. We have painted the American and Mexican flags. We made our own fresh corn tortillas and homemade salsa. We have made suitcases, maps, and passports. We created a travel store and bought what we need to take to Mexico, and our suitcases are packed.
Today we start on our trip. We will play both the passengers, as well as the ferry and train workers. We will go through customs in Mexico, get our passports stamped, and exchange our American dollars for pesos (both of which we made). We will check into a hotel, and call it a day. Then, tomorrow we will play that we are in Mexico. We will board a tour bus to see the country and take our binoculars and cameras with us. We will go swimming at the beach, have a fiesta complete with a pinata, and end our day by taking in a bullfight. This is going to be fun!
At the same time, we have been learning about Mexico, it's geography, and language, and food and culture. We have been singing and speaking some Spanish, and reading stories about Mexico. We have painted murals of Mexico's volcanos, and of her jungles. We have painted the American and Mexican flags. We made our own fresh corn tortillas and homemade salsa. We have made suitcases, maps, and passports. We created a travel store and bought what we need to take to Mexico, and our suitcases are packed.
Today we start on our trip. We will play both the passengers, as well as the ferry and train workers. We will go through customs in Mexico, get our passports stamped, and exchange our American dollars for pesos (both of which we made). We will check into a hotel, and call it a day. Then, tomorrow we will play that we are in Mexico. We will board a tour bus to see the country and take our binoculars and cameras with us. We will go swimming at the beach, have a fiesta complete with a pinata, and end our day by taking in a bullfight. This is going to be fun!
Teacher Ellen