Clink, clink, clink. The sound of a whisk gently hitting the side of the glass bowl is heard across the classroom as a child focuses intently on whisking soap bubbles into a bubble frenzy. After sufficient bubbles are created, the child carefully walks the bowl of water over to a bucket, empties the water slowly, and returns to the table where he neatly dries the bowel and tray with a towel. The work is then returned to the shelf and the child moves on to the next self-chosen

An excited child was observed heading straight to the watercolor painting. There was no doubt in her mind which work choice would be her first of the morning. She filled her jar with water, carefully carried it back to the art area and was ready to paint. I quietly watched behind her as she thoughtfully chose which colors to apply to her paper. She used long, wispy brushstrokes. To the adult eye, her painting was abstract. “I’m painting a moose and a rainbow for my Dada!” she

“ A ‘q’! I did an ‘h’ and a ‘q’! “a boy from the Pre-Primary classroom raced across the room, chalk in hand. He grabbed a teacher’s hand and tugged her towards his work, his eyes sparkling with excitement and pride. He was actively working on writing his name and had moved on to writing an array of letters from the alphabet chart that accompanied the chalkboard work. The teacher smiled and caught his hand and gently placed it on her arm. She continued the conversation wi