Using a "map" of our school has been a fun way to make plans and do recall recently! During Planning Time, the children will take turns talking about where they want to go and what they hope to do during Work Time. Some days the plans described are more detailed than other days. :) Ideally, the child will develop language and cognitive abilities to think about and describe a future activity. They might plan to use specific materials, or work with certain friends. Sometimes they might choose to go to the Alone Table first.
After they've thought and talked about their ideas, they place their name on the map in the Area that they'd like to visit first. If a child has chosen the Alone Table, having the name filling up the Area helps other children see that the table is full. (Most of the Areas in Harmony's House are not limited to a specific number of friends, but the Alone Table by definition is a place where only one friend can work at a time.)
At Recall Time, we come back to the map and check to see if we followed our plans. We remember what we planned to do first. Then we move our names to different areas and review what else we did during Work Time. It is exciting to retrace our steps from the morning and see how friends moved on to new plans. Hearing ideas about plans from our friends helps us get new ideas to try next time. We also use this time to remember different ways we solved problems: wanting the same toy as someone else, not having enough materials or the right kind of materials, not having enough time, etc.
These are other favorite Planning/Recall Tools:
- camera (take a "picture" of the work we want to do)
- hula hoop (chant "It's planning time, it's planning time, it's planning time right now! Where do you work? Where do you work? Where do you work and how?" while turning the hula hoop.)
- draw a picture of it
- write it down with letters or words
- talk on the phone
- type it out on a keyboard
- use a computer mouse to click on the Area card
- wear a Planning/Recall hat
- use a puppet
- play a game (whoever gets the next BINGO makes the plan next)
- pick an object (use toys/tools from different Areas to represent each one- the child chooses the object s/he wants to use and describes the plan)
There are SO many ways to get kids talking about what they'd like to do with their time! It is fun to hear their ideas, and also to see them advance in their abilities to foresee their plans before actually doing them! And with this Plan-Do-Review sequence that we do EVERY time the kids come to Harmony's House, they begin to develop the habit of working intentionally on plans and remembering how they spent their time. Working memories and executive functioning are important skills for now and later in school.
