A Blocks Trend Inspires Field Trip to The Walker
It started with a child’s idea. Then Vs teacher Mona noticed that many of her children were building hotels in Blocks. She leaned in. How might the children’s natural curiosity inspire their learning?
“At C&C, we consider trends, such as an interest in hotels, when we plan our field trips,” said Mona. “And, we are fortunate to have The Walker down the block. I am thankful to Suzi and Christoph for organizing the trip and serving as our tour guides, along with Lynette. They were very accommodating, and the field trip was very thorough. Our children gained a new, research-based perspective on how a hotel operates and what details hotels consider.”
The students carried clipboards to take notes and draw pictures of their experiences:
- Stepping behind the reception desk to watch key cards being made
- Exploring the lobby and noticing the skylight, the piano, and the fireplace
- Visiting two different rooms, one on the 18th floor and one on the 2nd
- Considering the function and purpose of items such as the hotel safe, an umbrella in the closet, an iron, and the minibar.
- Noticing how laundry operated as they put a hotel towel down the linen chute and then ventured to the “back of house” to see where the towel had landed
- Peeking into the kitchen before gathering in the restaurant, where a hot chocolate reception had been arranged
A few quotes from Vs included:
- “It was so beautiful. I want to live in that hotel.”
- “I noticed the chute, and the snacks, and the deck, and the old telephone.”
- “There was a big skylight when you walked in, a bar where you checked in, and a fireplace, and you could eat some snacks in your room and watch TV.”
Interdisciplinary and child-led studies are a hallmark of a City and Country School education. In-depth explorations of topics occur in a carefully designed, age-appropriate sequence and serve as a jumping-off point for virtually all other subjects during the school year, starting with explorations of their classroom and expanding outwards to C&C, the neighborhood, New York City, the greater world, and “long ago and far away.”
“This is an authentic way to learn about the world–going out in it, looking at it, and taking notes on it, then recreating it and acting, or playing, it out,” said Mona. “The Vs were observant and thoughtful as they drew their noticings on their clipboards. I look forward to seeing what they build from their rememberings and drawings and how their interest unfolds.”
To learn more about C&C’s educational philosophy, click here.
To learn more about Blocks at C&C, click here.