By Jill Adshead
Play is the highest form of research.
Albert Einstein
![](https://wordpress.viu.ca/ecec/files/2021/06/Picture1-fence-2.jpg)
A pile of sawed off tree branches that were recently cut from a tree in the backyard.
Untouched, neatly stacked against the metal fence. The children walked by them but yet, no one showed interest.
![](https://wordpress.viu.ca/ecec/files/2021/06/image-16.png)
![](https://wordpress.viu.ca/ecec/files/2021/06/image-17.png)
![](https://wordpress.viu.ca/ecec/files/2021/06/image-18.png)
I called over to J. “J, please come here. I have something to show you.” J ran over and looked at me standing directly in front of the logs.
“Want to build something out of these logs?” I asked. In a high-pitched voice, J excitedly said, ”Yeah!”
I asked him where we could put them. He scanned the area and focused on the tires. “There,” he pointed.
J, “I need you to help me build a track.” “Sounds like a great idea!” I answered. J’s friend R was nearby. I suggested to J that he include R in this build. J did so and they both eagerly took charge while I slipped into the background.
J, “We need them to go like that.” J and R began to line up the logs in a straight line. I found this interesting as I assumed the children would build a campfire because of the size of the logs.
J, “We need them to jump over these.” J points from from one end of the logs to the other while holding a matchbox car in the other.
R, “I want a tunnel.”
J, “Look! There’s two jumps!”
The boys continue with their build.
![](https://wordpress.viu.ca/ecec/files/2021/06/image-19.png)
J, “I have an idea.” He doesn’t finish his thought but with a long sigh, “It won’t work though.”
J and R don’t conversate but are focused on their own project within their project.
R, “There’s an ant on it.” J goes to R, “Oh yeah, I see it.” R tries to catch it. J, “It’s black. The red ones are bad.”
I questioned, “What do red ants do?” J, “They bite you.”
J continues to build and R leaves the space. J does not ask him where he was going.
J, “This is going to be a carwash. It’s going to go fast, jump, jump and over to the other side.”
![](https://wordpress.viu.ca/ecec/files/2021/06/image-22.png)
![](https://wordpress.viu.ca/ecec/files/2021/06/image-20.png)
J asks if I could fill a watering can for him and I do.
J, “Thanks.”
J slowly pours the water over the car. He proceeds to get the car dirty in the dirt and washes it off with water. This is action is repeated.
J stands up, leaving his car and water on the ground. With his left hand on his chin, “This is what I do when I am thinking.” He walks in circles. J, “I’m thinking. This is what I do when I think.” With his left hand he taps his chin.
He walks back to his car and watering can. “Wash, rinse, rinse, dry.”
He continues, “How do we dry it off?”
![](https://wordpress.viu.ca/ecec/files/2021/06/image-23.png)
At this point in time, I could have given a multitude of answers, but I wait. I say, “Great question! How do we dry it off?”
J stands up again with his left hand on his chin and walks in circles. “In the sun!” he exclaims.
He walks over and leaves the car on a wooden table to dry out in the sun.
J, “40 minutes to dry out in the sun. It will be done drying when we are done the track.”
Lingering questions
- How do I engage with children? When might I step in and when might I step back?
- “What kinds of questions do I ask about children’s engagements? How does my language reflect children as creators of theories? How do my questions reflect children as constructors of knowledge?” (ELF, p. 76)
- How could this play be extended? “What materials invite experimentation, problem solving, or intrigue?” (ELF, p. 77)
- What are the complexities of being an educator and researcher? What am I listening to? What matters to me? And what do I make visible in documentation?
- How are children involved in the process of working with documentation? What are some ways children can give permission to share the stories? Where do the stories live?
Reference:
Government of British Columbia. (2019). British Columbia early learning framework (2nd ed.). Victoria: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Children and Family Development, & British Columbia Early Learning Advisory Group. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/early-learning/teach/early-learning-framework