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Day 23 - During constructive play time
the preschoolers painted two cardboard box structures that represented a tree
and a tent. These two boxes would eventually be part of the miniature golf
course after they were transformed into a bear's cave and lion's den.
During Circle Time the
preschoolers made predictions about what was going to be at the Miniature
Golf course, at McCray's Farm, tomorrow.
Day 24 - We knew that before we could
actually set up our own miniature golf course it would be necessary to visit
an actual miniature golf course. We invited the parents to join us and
carpooled to McCray's Farm in S. Hadley. The preschoolers were truly
intrigued with the course. They were thrilled at the opportunity to actually
hit a golf ball with a golf club down a path to a hole.
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Victor
positions his golf ball while Ally looks on.
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Victor
uses his club and hits his down the hill ball towards the hole.
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Ally
is jubilant to see that she hit her ball into the hole.
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Nico
hits his ball down a hill.
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Lola
guides her ball toward the hole.
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Jewel
moves with her club toward her ball.
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Timothy
runs towards his ball.
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He
closes in on his ball that is wedged under a rock.
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Timothy
uses his club to move his ball away from the rock.
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Finn's
mother shows him how to hold his golf club.
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Leo
aims his ball toward the hole after golfing over the bridge.
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Victor
stops to take a picture of a rock wall on the golf course.
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Leo
reaches the top of the last hill and aims his ball toward the hole.
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Nico
watches as golf balls disappear after traveling through a ditch into a
final hole.
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The
preschoolers pose as golfers with a golfer statue in front of the course.
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Day 25 - During Morning Meeting the
children and teachers revisited the field trip to the Miniature Golf Course
at McCray's Farm through both videotape and conversation. The teachers and
children discussed the logistics of integrating some of the features of McCray's
golf course with the preschoolers' golf course.
During constructive
playtime Jenny helped the preschoolers create a model of the hill that was at
miniature golf course at McCray's Farm. The children took turns hitting their
golf balls over the hill.
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Jenny
secures the back wall on the manmade hill.
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Leo
golfs over the hill while his classmates wait in line.
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Jewel
tries to hit her golf ball over the hill.
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In another part of the
room some of the children painted paper green for the leaves on the top of
tree.
In the Art room
preschoolers continued to work on the mural while Bobby painted the lion for
his lion's den.
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Bobby
shows his teddy bear the cardboard box that will be disguised as a lion's
den.
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Bobby
has his teddy bear help him paint a lion on the box that he will transform
into a lion's den.
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During circle time the
children and teachers formed specific groups to work on the golf course
Mural – Teacher: Dotty; Children: Leslie, Lola
Signs – Teacher: Linda; Children: Rebecca, Brenna, Gryff, Jewel
Painting paper green for leaves of the tree - Teacher: Liz; Children: Leo,
Ally, Susana
Lion – Teacher: Jenny; Children: Bobby
Tree – Teacher: Christina; Children: Nico, Bart
Score Sheets – Children: Edward, Laura, and Victor
Day 26 - During constructive playtime some
of the preschoolers painted the backside of their signs. A few of the
children assembled the tree with their teacher, Christina.
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Victor
and a classmate put the finishing touches on the leaves of the tree. The
children created this tree as they endeavored to bring the outside into the
classroom. This tree will later be integrated into the miniature golf
course.
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In the art room Laura,
Bobby and Jewel continued to paint the mural with Dotty.
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Jewel is in the
art room painting a duck inside of the pond. First she drew the duck on
paper, then copied the drawing onto the mural. She is now outlining the
perimeter of her duck before she paints the whole body.
Bobby's
completed lion sits in the background.
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During circle time the
children made observation sheets of McCray's mini golf with Lily's (2nd
grade) template.
Day 27 - A wading pool and the completed
doghouse were added to the miniature golf area. The preschoolers set up ramps
that went through the doghouse that was inside the pool.
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Bart connects a
gutter that adjoins the ramp from the side of the pool to the ramp that is
going through the doghouse.
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Victor
hits a ball up the ramp toward the tunnel that runs through the doghouse
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Victor
places a flag in the ball catcher at the opposite side of the doghouse.
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The
preschoolers sit in line and wait for their turn to hit the ball through
the tunnel beneath the doghouse.
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In the art area the
children began painting miniature golf balls. Victor had painted some of his
golf balls at home and his mother had shared this information with us. The
children and the teachers agreed that we should paint our golf balls too so
that the golfers would be able to tell their balls apart from the other
balls.
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Lola
mixes paint to color her golf ball with.
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The
children sit together and paint their golf balls.
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Vic
mixes his colors before he applies them to his golf ball.
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During Circle the class
revisited Victor, Bobby, Leslie and Bart's original drawings/plans for the
miniature golf course. The teachers also introduced Gryff's return the ball
golf apparatus that Gryff had brought in from home.
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Jewel
adds force and tries to knock the board with the ball that has been
automatically returned to her with the aid of Gryff's return the ball
apparatus.
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Jewel
succeeds in knocking down the board with her golf ball.
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After the preschoolers
leave for the day the teachers attend a staff meeting. They discuss which
teachers will co-construct the various holes with the preschoolers.
Proposed Mini Golf
Course – “The Golf Club”
Suggestion: Have an Introduction at each hole with a bit of background on the
origin of its construction with photos and original art work, if applicable.
Golf Hole 1 –
Nico's Pathway – Bridges and Pathways with tree stump (made from bucket)
Location: Circle Area
Teacher co-planner: Kate
Golf Hole 2 –
Tree/Bears Den tunnels
Location: Block Area
Teacher co-planner: Christina
Cross over bridge to:
Golf Hole 3 –
Hill outside (like at McCray's)
Location: on hill outside of play area
Teacher co-planner: Jenny
Golf Hole 4 –
Wading Pool, water, gullies
Location: outside playground near entrance to fence
Teacher co-planner: Linda
Golf Hole 5 –
Knock down and lose ball (under Plexiglas?)
Location: outside near or under climbing structure
Teacher co-planner: Dotty, Liz
Hole/Station 6 –
McCray's Miniature Trip
Golf Slide
Location: office?
Teacher co-planner: Kate
Day 28 - Some of the children continued
to paint miniature golf balls in the art area while others decorated
individual visors for Mini Golf Course.
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Fynn
paints his golf ball.
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Jewel
paints her golf ball.
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In the miniature golf
area the children were captivated by Gryff's return the ball golf apparatus.
Day 29 – In the art area the
preschoolers continued to paint miniature golf balls, decorate individual
visors, and create paths for the course with paper bags. Some of the
preschoolers began to make flags and signs for the golf course.
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Bobby
paints his visor.
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Ally
draws the diagonal line for her flag using a ruler.
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Liz
helps Henry hold the ruler so that he can draw a flag.
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Lola
darkens the letters that she has copied for a sign about the bridge that
will connect the outdoors to the indoors.
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The
text that Lola has copied reads, “ The Bridge that Brings
the Outside In.”
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Leslie
creates a sign that reads, “Welcome to the Golf Club.”
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In the art room Laura
outlined the lion while Edward painted the bear on the cardboard box that
would become the bear cave.
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Edward
paints the bear that he drew for the bear cave.
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Edward
paints leaves onto the tree that his bear is sitting on.
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During circle shared
her blueprint of the proposed miniature golf course with the preschoolers.
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Kate
shares a blueprint for the golf course layout with the preschoolers.
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A
close up of the golf course layout.
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After discussing the
layout for the golf course the teachers divided the children into groups
based on the particular golf hole that each child was most interested in.
Golf Hole 1 –
“Nico's Pathway” – Kate - Nico, Lola, and Gryff
Golf Hole 2 – “Tree/Bears Den tunnels” - Christina – Bobby,
Edward, Abby
Golf Hole 3 – “Hill outside (like at McCray's)” - Jenny –
Fynn, Eric, Brenna, Simone, and Rebecca
Golf Hole 4 – “Wading Pool, water, gullies” – Linda - Bart,
Cathy, Victor, Susana
Golf Hole 5 – “Knock down and lose ball” - Dotty, Liz - Leslie,
Laura, Jewel
Day 30 – The children completed their
artwork for miniature golf course.
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Victor
paints the words, he has written in pencil, “Hot
Dogs
and Hamburgers” for the Snack Bar in
the miniature golf course.
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The golf course was
once again revised. The final course would be set up with 5 holes.
Hole # 1 –
Knockdown – set up in the Art Room
Hole # 2 – Roadways and Pathways – set up in Block area
Hole # 3 – Tunnels – set up in Circle area
Hole # 4 – The Hill – set up outside on the hill next to the playground
Hole # 5 – Into the Pool – set up outside in the playground
Miniature Golf Project - Stage 4- The Golf Club
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