As part of our Sustainability unit in Junior Kinder, we aimed to encourage the children to be creative and use their imaginations to create new things, from old things. This week, we read a book called Not a Box by Antoinette Portis. Not a Box tells the story of a rabbit who is asked what he’s doing in or to a large box, and repeatedly responds that it’s not a box, it’s a spaceship, a race car, a mountain etc…

We then brought out a large cardboard box and encouraged the children to use their imaginations and decide what the box was to them.  Their answers are below. It’s not a box! It’s a….

Zoe- It’s a unicorn and I’m going to ride it

Leon- It’s a racing car

Greta- It’s a trampoline

Ilan- It’s a kangaroo- jump, jump.

Lior- It’s a steam train

Oneil- It’s a bed and I’m going to sleep

Joel- It’s a bullet train that goes superfast and is electric

 As the most popular answer was an auto mobile, in particular trains, the children decided they were going to collaborate by making a train with several carriages.  Educators encouraged them to listen and respect each other’s ideas, problem solve how they were going to construct it, what materials they would need, what shapes required for the wheels, windows etc… Stay tuned as the children will present their completed train throughout the next few weeks.