20: The Hospital of Broken Things

There is no such thing as "away."

When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.

-Annie Leonard

In the Kindergarten 2 classroom, a remarkable transformation is taking place—a little corner has blossomed into a bustling hospital, not for the mending of bones, but for the restoration of broken treasures. In our society, disposable things are everywhere, used daily, sometimes not mindfully. This week, our kindergarten doctors took it upon themselves to embark on a sustainable mission: to breathe new life into the worn-out and almost discarded things that we once (or perhaps still) loved. 

Welcome to 

The Hospital of Broken Things.

This week, our doctors sought out broken items around the school to admit to our hospital. Armed with prescriptions for "medication" and a makeshift hospital bed, the kindergarteners approached their schoolmates and teachers to offer a simple yet powerful solution to our problem of waste: repair instead of replace.

With each broken toy, book, or classroom material they collected, the kindergarteners didn't just see a discarded object—they saw potential and an opportunity to make a difference. Each doctor was determined to fix their patient using different medications such as tape, glue, and a stapler. As they carefully repaired broken toys, books, and other objects, they discovered the power of giving new life to items that might have otherwise been discarded.

In this activity, the kindergarteners became inquirers, demonstrating curiosity and eagerness to explore solutions to real-world problems. They also became thinkers as they used their critical thinking skills to diagnose their patients' ailments and think of innovative ways to treat them.

When the doctors were satisfied with their treatment plan, they wrote their doctor's prescriptions before discharging the patients back to the respective classes.

Suffice it to say that all their clients were genuinely happy and impressed with their service. 

The doctors reflected on the impact of their sustainable actions through a book called One World by Michael Foreman, which underscores the effects of pollution to our ecosystem. They realized that their act of repairing things instead of throwing them plays a big part in keeping our earth a better place to live in, not just for us humans but for animals as well.

The book is a gallery of beautiful paintings that show the beauty of our earth, which we decided to honor as a class. We removed our doctors hats for now and wore our artists hats. Once again, I asked the children,

This time around, I asked them to think of particular places that make them happy.

the beach

under the sea

a place with rainbows

a jungle

a garden

Inspired by how the children have been decorating the classroom with their crafts, I invited them to answer this question:

If you were to transform our playhouse into beautiful places on earth, what would these places be? 

The children came up with brilliant ideas on how they will make their imagination come alive. One of them even brought books from home to inspire her classmates with images of things found under the sea and in the jungle.

(Thank you, Veronica, for this wonderful display of agency!)

Then, off to work they went. The kindergarteners dove right into our collection of recyclable materials and created their own versions of what make our world beautiful. I can't wait to see what we come up with, but it's truly remarkable to watch the process of how the children think, envision, and create.

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This week, we didn't just transform our classroom into a hospital or into the most beautiful places on earth. We also transformed ourselves into caring and principled individuals by showing empathy towards our planet and actively participating in small but sustainable practices.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Your Kindergarten teacher,

Pam

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