We all know the tale of The Gingerbread Man.
"Run, run, as fast as you can,
You can't catch me,
I'm the Gingerbread Man!!”
Our King's Ridge Kindergarten Class took it to the next level. What if we made a plan and tried to catch him? How would we go about it? Mrs. Daugherty, King's Ridge Christian School's Curriculum Specialist, asked the 5-year-olds those questions, and the ideas started flowing.
Next, they began planning and discussing. Mrs. Hornby's students asked questions, such a “how can we catch him, and what will bring him into the trap?" They drew out a plan of what their trap will look like and how it will work. Once each group had their plans, they met Mrs. Daugherty in the Makerspace. The students went to work. Scissors were cutting; beads were precisely placed inside the trap to lure the gingerbread man. The students worked together to unroll the tape and cut it to the length they needed. All the groups were collaboratively working, problem solving, trying new ideas, and exploring. You could tell they all were having fun building and engineering while using their fine motor skills, creativity, and teamwork. These Kindergartners took this very challenge very seriously and did a fantastic job. Rumor has it many gingerbread men were caught in their traps the next morning; their hard work paid off.