This Is Your Work

Today we read together one of my favorite books to read around this time of year Pilgrims of Plymouth by Susan E.Goodman.                         

It is a good read for preschoolers, how the author tells the history and life of Pilgrims keeps my group of children very interested and asking thought provoking questions. This year I had some mask that I purchased for the children to color however they wished.

             Here is a picture of the mask.

                                                                                     
The children color here everyday, I love watching their skills developing everytime they pick up a crayon or marker and do their thing.  When I passed out the mask they were excited to get busy, when I added " This is Your work", their voices slowly became silent and their concentration became amazing.
      

                                                                            
 When they finished they all were saying  "Look at me", "Look at what I did". These kiddos definetly took ownership of their work.               

                                                                               

Somethings are better to be left alone. I could of colored one of the mask and displayed it. Then the children would have colored it in the traditional manner that we perceive the image to be, you know the one with the black hat and the gold buckle. That would of left some children feeling a bit like a failure not being able to live up to the "expectation" that I set before them. I am so glad I didn't ! They took their work home feeling accomplished, and ready to come back to school tomorrow to work some more.