Part 2: Insight into Action

So, what did it look like when it came time to be playful with priorities?

Let’s take a peek…

Grade Level	Insight	…into Action
Kinder	This team is protective of their work. They need to be appreciated through a lens of “I trust what you do is best for the kids. You are the expert.” The inquiry leader uses questioning to seek to understand what they’re doing and why, while looking for ways to add suggestions that help enhance and support their process.	Lemon Art and Yoga Poses. This group appreciates time centered on self-care. At the time of our first meeting, their classes were investigating changes due to heat, so I thought - why not create a hands-on activity that they could use with their students that incorporates inquiry, art, and yoga? I welcomed them into our full day together with bowls of lemon juice, paper to paint on, and a selection of yoga cards spewed out on the floor. They secretly selected a yoga pose, painted it with lemon juice, then revealed their work with a blow dryer. We used their paper to create a yoga sequence, and I led a little session based on their pictures. You may think, “What’s the point of this?” To us, it was how we started our first session together - building trust, having fun, and connecting to our learning.

Grade Level	Insight	…into Action
1st	At the time, this team had 2 longer-standing members, 2 brand new educators, and 1 male teacher coming from another grade level. They needed a sense of stability, common ground, and trust built on mutual experiences.	Camp Cimo and Kapla Blocks. I started off this group with each of us privately reflecting on who we were as students, our previous work experiences, what has ultimately shaped to become educators, and how we prefer to operate within a group dynamic. We partnered up and shared one-on-one. I sat cross-legged on the floor with another teacher who taught in China for the past several years. Another set of teachers got comfy on my turquoise couch and took turns listening to each other’s stories. Another pair exchanged gasps as they uncovered similarities between their backgrounds. One teacher teared up and jokingly called our time together “Camp Cimo” where we come to really dive deep. I connected it back to their central idea: “Similarities and differences impact relationships.” We balanced our serious moments with playful ones. After a few hours of focused work, I sensed we needed something novel and hands-on. Their students were about to study survival, so I took them to a new space where our Kapla blocks resided. (Note: One is never too old for Kapla blocks.) I came up with a challenge: Design a shelter that would protect your living thing (a plant). You have 5 minutes, go! The competition was fierce, and the teams who were once divided came together to ultimately build a shelter for the smallest member of the group, Crystal. It was just the break we needed. And guess what? They used it with their students the next day.

What you make time for reflects what you value. Play has a purpose.

Stay tuned for more examples of playful actions!