Exploring Rope

I was in Lima, Peru, visiting the schools that are part of an educational community that offers high-quality learner-centered education that supports the city's children. 

The study tour was terrific. I learned so much from the educators while visiting the schools. My process of reflection is ongoing. I am still unpacking all the wonderful cultural and learning experiences. I am trying to figure out what they will mean for my practice going forward.

During my time visiting the schools of La Casa Amarilla, I observed many of the classrooms. I also collected some learning stories. The following is a story about rope and the opportunity to investigate.

A child was playing under a loft space and discovered a short piece of rope. The child picked up the rope and began to twirl it. Then the child walked toward where I was sitting and handed me one end of the rope. Next, the child passed the other end of the rope to a nearby teacher. 

The child motioned to express I am going to jump over the rope. The teacher and I tried to swing the rope, but it was too short to swing over the child's head. The teacher and I laid the rope on the ground. The child stepped over the rope in a motion that simulated jumping rope. 

Next, the child walked away with the piece of rope and started interacting with other children. I focused my attention on other activities in the classroom. Then I wondered what the child with the rope was investigating now. I discovered the child had collected a selection of tiny ropes. The child had the collection of ropes on the floor in a pile. The child picked them up and dropped them, spinning and moving them around the room.

What does this activity mean? What are the implications of this observation? How can we support children as they become interested in material or subjects in the classroom? 

My initial thought was the child wanted to jump rope. I am in the space of not knowing because there is a language barrier. The child speaks Spanish, and I do not know enough Spanish to listen well. After discovering the rope was too short for jumping, the child created new ways to explore a material of interest.

The opportunities this investigation offers the child are many. The child can examine the different lengths of rope. The child can learn more about the diameter and texture of the rope and test the potential of rope in different ways. Having space offered the child an opportunity to tangle and twist the rope over an existing structure to test the properties of rope and gravity.

The initial investigation offers possibilities for future provocations with different types of rope. Educators could provide different textures, diameters, and lengths of rope for the child to explore. They could place rope at different heights and angles so the child could explore the interaction of rope with the body and movement. How does rope react when interacting with other structures, the natural environment, and gravity? How is a rope used as a tool? What type of people use rope, and what do they use it for? What are the creative uses of rope, and how is rope different from twine or string? How does rope connect, and how can I connect rope based on my age and experience?

As I finished my observation, the child was busy cleaning up. The child placed the ropes back into the original space. I will never know what happened to the investigation of rope. Was this investigation a one-day interest, or did the child come back to rope the next day? The possibilities are infinite in the learning community.