Video Game Adventure By Laura Mandel TTE309: Language & Literacy Practices Across Learning Contexts for the Young Child Spring 2014-Dorea Kleker, Ph.D. Monday 10:30-1:30 & Online

It started with a blank slate and a little discussion. “If you could create your own video game, where could it take place?” Two boys came up with a few ideas… “water, a volcano… …and what else would it have? “A dragon…it could breath on the world!” “Skates…you go down the volcano fast.”

There was a story about a boy named Omer, set in Ethiopia, and how he enjoys to play. …and then there was conversation again about some of the games and videos they like to play. Prompted with questions about what could be in their video games, we got lots of ideas!

I added a few props… Pom-poms & craft sticks Styrofoam disks & balls Small textured, light up balls & old food tubs and…

… some simple colorful homemade masks…

O: It’s a cake. It’s his birthday. It’s a birthday for J. J: I wanna make something cool like a rolling pin. K: We’ll need more of these things. We’ll need more of these.

O: It’s a cake. It’s his birthday. It’s a birthday for J. J: I wanna make something cool like a rolling pin. K: We’ll need more of these things. We’ll need more of these. From left, J.E., K.K. & O.V. S. Here’s some more. Here’s anudder.” she says to T, handing him some of the Styrofoam balls. T: Hey, S, make-em. There are some conflicts between the Styrofoam balls. “These are ours.” S.R. and T.F. I interject: You can share. You can use some of these, I suggest, showing them the baggie of pom-poms, but most are not interested because they can’t be put on the sticks, like the Styrofoam ones can. When I ask T what kind of game he’s making, he says: T: I’m making stuff for my game. and the fun began!

The first day, the play center spanned two areas – the kitchen area and the block area, and the children’s ideas went from snowy playgrounds, to birthday cakes; and with prompting from me to a game where pom-poms rolled down blocks into cups.

R: I wanna little one. Miss D: You go find me a circle that’s the size you want.” Captain America (left), and R, wanting a small shield. Another day the play center prompted different creativity in the children, with a whole shield “factory” erupting, with help from another teacher.

The video game adventure turned out to be a fun and creative play center that kept the children’s interest (always a challenge), helping them engage in mostly positive social interaction, but with opportunity to work on challenges, too. It’s a center that can be altered (with different props, only limited by your creativity), to meet the needs of the children’s interests and temperaments in your classroom, from small intimate groups to large, almost full classroom ones. I encourage you to try this and other open ended creative centers to spur the imaginations of the children at your center! Laura