Dramatic Play Centres, Inquiry Update

Picking up from my last play-based learning update, I had originally planned to go in the direction of more story-telling and small world play areas with my kids.  However, the ways in which my students have been most recently playing, has led me to go in the direction of dramatic play centres.  I have been aiming to integrate more literacy and math into these centres.

Experimenting with Dramatic Play Centres

It all began one day, when I noticed that one of my students had set up her own classroom and was using markers to write ideas on the stand-up whiteboard during play.  With several other kids joining the fold days later, I decided to set up a classroom play centre with Helen Squires.  We provided reading flashcards, mini workbooks, real teacher materials (books, worksheets, magnetic letters) and even a coffee table that they use as a desk.

In keeping with our study about the bees, I also set up a beekeeping play centre where students would be able to act out beekeeping and learn more about keeping the hive healthy.  First, they have to make sure they are protected from bee stings by putting on their gloves, jacket and hat.  Then, they have to carefully check the hive to see if there are any moths, worms or bears that might be intruding in the hive.  In doing so, they also have to look for the Queen and her eggs, as well as how many bees are alive and well.  All of this gets recorded on their very own checklist - using checkmarks and numbers or tally marks!

Complementing our beekeeping station is our Honey Store play centre, where the students can pretend shop for groceries and different sizes of honey jars (small, medium or large).  This play area has been devised in an effort to bring more math language talk in during play.  For example, students have to ask for the specific size of honey they would like - as well as use the poster to determine the cost of that size of honey ($1 for small, $2 for medium and $3 for large).  It has been cool to see kids who struggle with speaking out in class - becoming so engaged and getting right into being storekeeper!

Important Take-Aways

The most important take-aways that I have with these play centres is how easy it can be to intentionally integrate literacy and math into play / role-playing without the children even realising.  Also, I have seen the importance of taking into account their interests during play.  If I hadn't have noticed the classroom playing, I would have missed the opportunity to draw that play out of them with a set-up classroom.  There are so many opportunities during play for us to motivate and inspire more learning from within them... but it needs to be noticed.

The classroom play centre has been amazing, as the students literally do the same activities that they do in reading/writing with Helen and I.  It is so great to casually observe them flashing reading cards and writing words on the board for students to copy into books, etc.  One student came to me and showed me proudly the entire page of words she had written!  In the beekeeping centre, students have to write their name on the checklist and use their math skills to check for the healthiness of the hive.  They are also developing an awareness of our integrated inquiry topic.  I heard one student say to another: "Be careful, you don't have gloves on.... you don't want to get stung at the hive.  Come put your gloves on!"  It has also encouraged students to be more creative.  One of my students built his very own hive from recycled materials only 20 minutes after playing beekeeper... and without being prompted to!  The Honey Store has a similar effect and the kids have to use their oral language to role-play and ask for different sizes of honey... paying in the right amount to the store keeper.

What's Next?

For the rest of the term, I plan to now work on the small world play areas for those students that enjoy building or creating small worlds during play.  I also intend to visit another play-based classroom for more ideas during my PRT release day.