NEVERTOOCOLDFORICECREAMAswewereoutsidetoday,Inoticedafewofthechildrenwerebusymovingtheplanksaround.Iwalkedovertoseewhattheywerebuilding.

Oncetheplankswere‘inplace’,EmilysaidtoIris,“Puttheiceontheicecreammachine.”

Irisputtheiceonepieceatatimeonthe“icecreammachine”thegirlswatchedastheicerolldowntheplank.

Astheicemadeitswaytothebottom,Emilyshoutedouttheflavoursoficecreamstheiricecreamfactorycarried(thereweresomanyflavours,eventomato).

Whentheyfinishedmakingalltheicecream,theymadeanicecreamstand.Thentheystartedshouting,“Whowantsicecream?Whowantsicecream?”Soon,childrenflockedtotheirstandforthisdelicioustreat!.

IrisandEmilyaskedthemwhatflavourtheywanted.Thechildrentoldthem,andtheygavethemtheiricecream.SophiawantedstrawberryicecreamandFionaaskedforastrawberryicecreamaswell.

Lydiacameoverandsaid,“Iwantsomeicecream.”Emilyaskedher,“Whatflavourdoyouwant.”Lydiaanswer,“Idon’tknow.”Emilysaid,“Howaboutpineapple.”Lydiasaid,“Ok.”Shetooktheicecream

andpretendedtoeattheicecreamasshewalkedawayhappily.

BothWillandFrankiehadsomeoftheicecreamtoo.Theirflavourswereoutofthisworld.Will“OptimistPrime”andFrankiehad“Decepticon”flavouricecream.

Jamie,oneofournewerfriendtothe3-5program,wasvisitingJimifromthetoddlerside.Sheheardthegirlsshouting“Whowantsicecream?”Shesaid,“Youwanticecream?”Jimirepeated,“Ice.”Jamieanswered,“Ok.”

Jamieranovertothegirls,andthenranbacktoJimiandsaid“Here’syouricecream,”andhandedtheicecreamtoJimi.

EDUCATOR’SReflection

Atfirst,whenInoticedthechildrenplayingwiththeplanks,Ididn’tthinkmuchofit,astheplankshavebeenapermanentmaterialinourbackyardandarebroughtfromplacetoplaceeachday,movedandmanipulatedinmanyways,usuallyassomesortoframporplacetomakethingsgo.IamsogladthatIwatchedthewholemomentunfold.Inthismoment,Iwasfascinatedbythechildren’screativity.Theytooktheirtimecreatingtheiricecreammachinewhichthenmorphedintoanicecreamstandwiththesameplanks.Thisshowedmethatsometimeslessismore,theydidn’tneedmorematerialstoseetheirvisionthroughtheyneededthetimetothinktheirexperiencethroughandbecameinnovativewiththematerialsthattheyhad.

Thegenerosityofthechildrenwasjustasamazing.Theygaveoutmostoftheiricecreamthattheycollectedandmade.Thechildren’simaginationwiththeiricecreamflavoursweren’tlimitedbytheconfinesof‘traditional’flavours,theyallowedtheirimaginationtogowildandtheywereopentoallideas.

OneofthemomentsthatstoodouttomethemostwaswhenJaimeofferedicecreamtoJimi,notallowingthefencetobeabarriertoafriendshipthathadbeencreatedoverthepastyearintheITprogram.ItwasasifJaimewasofferingthisicecreamasatokenoffriendshipsaying‘Iamstillthinkingaboutyou.’

“I Scream, You

Scream,

We all Scream for

Ice Cream”

KarenJones January6th,2017