Our preschoolers in Mrs. Sterling’s class recently discussed birthday parties and how they celebrate their birthdays with family and friends, special foods, and giving/receiving presents. Mrs. Sterling then suggested the class celebrate everyone’s birthday, all together at the same time, in one large community celebration. The students happily embraced that idea and got to work on organizing their shared birthday party.
At random, everyone chose a peer for whom they would create a birthday card and make a present (a beaded necklace with the recipient’s favorite colors). At the party, the children handed out their gifts, shared Happy Birthday wishes by singing the song, and blew out the candles on the class birthday cake they baked all together earlier that day. After enjoying some cake, the preschoolers went to their P.E. class and wished P.E. teacher, Ms. Dlouhy, a happy birthday, offered her cake and sang happy birthday to her as well.
Mrs. Sterling’s intention was to expand each child’s focus beyond him/herself as an individual and discover the joys of celebrating with your community. When working on the gifts and birthday cards for their peers, the students had to think of the other child and what their preferences were outside of their own. While this was a challenge (as was waiting for the delivery of the gifts), there was a tremendous amount of cooperation and fun when working together to create the birthday feasts in the kitchen. After gifts were delivered, hugs were also shared, thank-you’s expressed, and smiles stayed abundant on all of the preschoolers’ faces.
Students getting ready to blow out the candles and eat the cake they baked all together!
Putting candles into their individual cakes
Sharing “ice cream” and “cake” in the preschool kitchen
Reading birthday cards and opening gifts from peers!
Giving P.E. teacher Ms. Dlouhy a big birthday hug
.png&command_2=resize&height_2=85 "Symbolic Learning and The Zionosphere")
