21: Make the Invisible, Visible

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” 

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

What would you do if you had the chance to be invisible for a day? For many people, this is an opportunity to try things that they've never done before. Unfortunately for others, being invisible is what they know.

This week, the kindergarteners revisited one of the most important lessons that we should learn in life: to be kind. Through the story of The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, the children discovered that kindness also means being able to stop and appreciate people or things that we don't usually take notice of. 

The story focuses on the experiences of a boy, Brian, who is invisible -- but not really. He belongs to a class much like Kinder 2 with children who have different interests, personalities, and beliefs. Unfortunately for Brian, no one in the class notices him. Maybe because he's quiet, maybe because he likes different things, or maybe because his peers don't give themselves the opportunity to see the beauty in him -- yet. 

"Ms. Pam, why doesn't Brian have any color in the picture?"

"I think it's because that's how he feels."

"I think he feels sad, that's why he's gray. 

The others have color because they're happy."

"What would you feel if you were Brian?"

"I'd feel sad, too."

This changed when a new student, Justin, joined the class and befriended Brian. Through Justin's kindness, Brian felt seen. Apparently, he wasn't so invisible after all.

After reading the story, it was beautiful to witness the children exploring different friendships and allowing themselves the opportunity to make new friends.

To align with our unit of inquiry, we looked at a specific material that we might overlook if we don't care to look closer at its source. I asked the children: 

Where does metal come from?

"From trees," said one of them.

The children have become so aware of the many gifts that trees give us from our previous lessons, that they automatically thought most materials we use come from trees (and maybe they're right! 😄)  

"I think from rocks," said one of them.

"Me, too!" another one agreed.

And right, they are. The children learned the process of getting metal from rocks. They discovered that in rocks, we can find 'ore' which we use to make metal. You have to heat it in an oven (we have that at home, Ms.Pam!) called a furnace to turn the metal into liquid, which you can pour on containers to help make its shape.

To find out different uses of metal in school, we used one of our favorite tools -- the magnet! The children discovered that our white board has metal, as well as many screws in the room that keep our chairs and tables intact. Plus, our heater and Ms. Pam's water bottle are made of metal, too!

Who would have thought that something as trivial as a rock would be the source of materials that build skyscrapers and transportation? 

The children also used the magnet to create different shapes and objects through collaboration. They were separated in four teams, and their goal is to work together with their teammates. 

After all, 

"What's gonna work?"

"Teamwork!" 

(this is one of our class mantras!)

We also used metal to create art.  

We started off by drawing on recycled pieces of cardboard...

...which the children covered with tin foil to make beautiful pieces of artwork:

ROBOT FLYING DIG

by Jinnosuke

This is my Daddy's robot. 

It's name is Robot Flying Dig. 

It has rainbow colors.

It can fly and dig a hole. 

My daddy likes playing with it. 

BUTTERFLY

by Emi

I used the color brown, green, blue and purple.

I made this because I love butterflies.

FLYING FISH

by Diego

This is a flying fish that flew out of the water.

It's color yellow, red, and blue -- rainbow colors!

It kept flying until the sun came up.

LEI CHANGE

by Ren

This is a puppy. 

It's name is Lei Chang. 

It has rainbow colors.

It likes picking up the ball. 

It has many balls. 

MOMMY'S HOUSE

by Haruto

This is a house. 

Mommy lives here. 

It's a happy house with my family.

AN AIRPLANE

by Mana

This is an airplane. 

I want to ride an airplane. 

I used pink, purple, green, blue, and yellow. 

THE MOON

by Sophia

This is the moon. 

It is shining above a house. 

The sky is purple and red and blue.

The stars are also shining. 

It was a good night. 

CAT AND DOG

by Yanchen

I like cats and dogs.

I also drew my friends.

There is also a black hole.

I like my work.

I will give it to Mama. 

MS. PAM

by Eimi

This is Ms. Pam. 

I drew her because I like her. 

She makes me laugh.

I like snack time and lunchtime in her class. 

CAMPING

by Rino

I made camping because I feel happy. 

I used different colors. 

I drew my friend Arisa. 

A RAINBOW

by Eda

I made a rainbow.

The rainbow is shining. 

The rain pouring and the sun was shining at the same time.

It looked beautiful.

My brother, Teo, tried to touch the rainbow.

A CHOCOLATE CATERPILLAR

by Arisa

The caterpillar is eating.

I flew away with the balloon candies.

I saw the colorful caterpillar. 

STATION

by Atsuharu

This is a bus station. 

It is for BTS. 

This was a week of taking it slow and re-learning the basic things that are essential:

to be kind,

to make friends with others,

to pause and take a closer look,

and to see the beauty in the littlest of things.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Your Kindergarten teacher, 

Pam