Making your own toys

Avery, her Mom and I talked at carpool about why A. was saying she didn’t want to go in the Forest. I had been with her the day before and saw that she was smiling, and having success measuring the labyrinth with her steps. She said the reason it wasn't very fun was that there weren’t any toys to play with in the Forest. Maybe she could make some toys!

Later, A. came to the studio to work on a plan for some Forest toys.

Anna “What kind of toy are you talking about?”

A. “I’m talking about a toy that can shoot all kinds of things –a rock or a pine cone, er, a gumball (from a Sweet Gum tree). It will throw things at trees. It should be made out of sticks.” (I asked A. to go outside with me to find some sticks, but she decided to use popsicle sticks from the wood shelf).

Anna “Will you show me the parts that you are drawing?”

A. “These are the stripes from the sun. Well, the real sun has stripes. The Sun makes stripes and then power.”

(A. works a bit and then makes the toy. Then she goes back to this plan.)

“This is the part that throws things (The pink shape). This is the handle. This is the stripes that show it throwing out of the toy.”


After consulting with the teachers, I will try to help the children again to make some 'Forest toys', next time out of natural materials. It sounded like A. was trying to make a catapult out of sticks at first, and then revised her plan to "something more like a tennis game." We will revisit her intention another day.