Whenever we read the book Hug by Jez Alborough, Ellie announces Sandwiches! while we are looking at this page (above). She notices the layered appearance of the cub's paws and sees a stack of sandwiches. Other children have been creating sandwiches out of materials they find in Studio Blue.
On Thursday 9/20, Stella found some felt squares on the floor. (Wesley had set them up like this earlier that day.) She picked them up and then stacked them all, one on top of the other. She brought them over to Diane announcing,
Peanut butter and jelly!
Wesley seems to like this idea and he finds more felt squares, stacks them together and gives them to Diane,
Wesley: Peanut butter and jelly.
Stella noticed Diane’s clipboard nearby on the table and used the pencil to make marks on the paper. She handed the paper to Diane, explaining, Here’s your list for the peanut butter and jelly.
On the following Wednesday, Susannah was visiting Studio Blue. Susannah is the parent of an LNS alumni and is looking to go back into the education field. She will be volunteering regularly with us in Studio Blue this year.
Wesley and Livia have been sitting at the playdough table with Susannah. Wesley folds his playdough over itself, using his fingers to squish it all together. He hands his playdough across the table to Susannah.
Wesley: This is sandwich. It’s only for you.
Susannah: That is a very good sandwich. Are there sardines in that sandwich?
Wesley: Yea, sardines.
And…chocolate?
Wesley: No. And avocado.
Susannah: What else am I tasting in there?
Wesley: Juice.
Anything else?
Wesley: Juice
More juice?
Livia also makes something and gives it to Susannah.
Livia: There’s more sandwich. It’s ready. It’s for you. You can share with people.You can have some of your sandwich.
On Thursday morning Stella puts 3 tree blocks together and brings them to Diane.
Stella: Here. I made a sandwich for you.
Chris enters the room on Thursday and asks Mark to read the book A Story To Tell, by Dick Bruna. One picture has a picture of a child with a sandwich. It looks like white sandwiches, says Chris. Livia thinks a piece of the sandwich spilled onto the child’s clothes, making the dot below the sandwich (really a button)
A few minutes later, Chris offers Mark a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (made of brown and red felt squares).
On the same day, Stella is caring for a baby when she decides to feed the baby a felt sandwich too!
The teachers add log rounds to the playdough table; perhaps the children would make sandwiches by putting playdough between slices? Wesley, however, has a different idea. He covers a stick with playdough, as he has done in the past, but then he puts another on top, covering it up, and does this again. Finally he announces, This is a sandwich. You have to eat this sandwich. It a little hot here. Where do I take the first bite? Back of it (he points, then hands it to Mark, who takes a “bite”). Jack notices and imitates Wesley’s technique to create his own: I made a sandwich. Chris squashes playdough onto either side of a wood slice to make his sandwich: Here you go, he says, sliding it over to Mark. Here’s a sandwich, offers Livia. She and Mark trade pieces of playdough.
