Dear Studio Blue,
What happens . . .
. . . when we work together?
. . . when we play music together?
Does an Obstacle Course Always Have Rules?
William, you put out the curvy boards and said you were making an obstacle course for people to walk over. Ferdinand, you sat on a line of curvy boards and lifted one up to open the door for people and wagons to go through. Was this an obstacle course, too? What is an obstacle course?
In the sculpture park, Camden, Augie, Alice and Will, you seemed to use this bench like an obstacle course. The rule was to crawl across it on your belly.
Do obstacle courses always have rules?
Augie, when you were going from rock to rock on the path, you made a game of jumping from one to the other. And Ferdinand, you tried stepping from one rock to another without touching the grass – sometimes the rocks were far apart and you had to take very big, long steps. Maybe you were both using the rocks like an obstacle course.
Can you do an obstacle course and sing at the same time?
Vivian, you started the day singing Hickory Dickory Dock, and when we went to the playground after snack, you were still singing it, but this time you were jumping off the curvy boards while you sang. Llewyn, you heard Vivian, and you started singing too, and jumping off the curvy boards, just like Vivian.
What Tools Does a Firefighter Use? What Does a Firefighter Do?
Kairan, when you asked to read “Meet the Baker,” Vivian and William joined us to read it. You noticed pictures of other books on the back. One was called “Meet the Fireman,” and one was called “Meet the Policeman.” You were especially interested in these firefighter and police officer books. I (Mark) thought we could make our own firefighter book. When I went to get my clipboard to write down your ideas, you and William decided to get your clipboards, too. You both named equipment that a firefighter would use. You drew pictures of them. Here’s what you drew:
Kairan’s drawing
William’s drawing
And here’s what you said:
Kairan: We have a hat. We have tools. We have hoses. We have fire hoses and a firetruck. And fire helmets.
William: I draw two helmets and one ladder.
Kairan (drawing): Ladder, ladder.
William, you also drew a belt and a coat, and I think you said you drew a shield for the firefighter.
At meeting, I introduced the idea of the “Meet the Firefighter” book to the class, and there were some more ideas about what to put in it:
Cassie They spray out fire.
Camden And water.
Cassie They use a hose and a ladder.
Afterwards, I wondered about the shield you drew, William, because I didn’t know what a firefighter’s shield is. So I looked it up. This helmet has a shield on it: it's the piece on the front with red and white on it, and the big white number in the middle. Is this what you meant by a shield?
