Storytelling and Other Magical Moments

As our kindergarteners prepare for their seasonal concert, The Festival of Light , we consider light in all parts of our learning. How does light change our decisions when we play? How does light enhance our stories? How is light different in different celebrations? How do light and dark make us feel? We offered little lights during play engagements and Writer's Workshop. The element of light was uniquely different to each child... The light was there to hold the princess and to make it pretty. - Esma The light in my story was thrown at the football player to knock him down by the fan. - Tigran The light helped find the way back home. -Anthony The light was the mom (an angel light) and magic for the poor people. - Mia The light helped the football guy and the pig go further along on the path. - Alex The light told the pets to take off their jewelry. - Juliet The light got hot and melted the snow. - Konstantin Above children are wo...

My first attempt at using Adobe Spark Pages.

In order to give a focus to some regular (and lengthy) storytellers, I searched for ways to keep stories moving and also help give them a beginning and a middle and an ending. I read about creating "story bracelets" or "story beads." Story Beads The green bead (go) signifies the beginning of the story. Once upon a time... One day... Once there was a girl... A long long time ago... The middle beads signify the other parts of the story. Other ideas and plot of the story. Then, And Next, Next, And then... The red bead (stop) shows the author/storytelling that the end is near that he/she should end the story very soon. Story beads have really helped students keep track of their ideas and have added to their vocabulary related to story crafting.

The magic blue jewel.  I decided to take a deeper look in to MAGIC and what it means for language development, storytelling and imaginary play in kindergarten.  The WORD Magic has come up over and over this school year and has allowed for wonderful authentic storytelling opportunties.  I wanted to listen to the conversations about magic and figure out what it meant to say MAGIC so often.  Below are some images of magic that came through during play and storytelling experiences. The magic blue fire is stronger than the orange fire in this volcano. This is a magic car. It can go SUPER FAST! Trying to get the ball to roll to the magic yellow mountain. The magic key was found under a hut in the blocks area. The magic rainbow forest. What I realized... Magic fueled their imagination. It created a world that they would love to be a part of. It brought chaos. It brought crazy. It brought laughter, noise and fun when playing and telling st...