OVERALL
I observed both the 3 and 5 year olds, but most of my observations were on the older children.

INITIATIVE
Some of my favorite anecdotes from the Children’s School come from when the children found a new way to approach problems that the teachers didn’t expect.
For example, for one activity, the 5 year olds were tasked to draw their family members. One child finished his drawing of his mother and father and showed it to his teacher, who asked why he didn’t draw himself and his sibling. He then indicated at the label he wrote on the drawing and replied that this drawing took place “before 2014” because he didn’t want to draw kids. I thought this was a good example of how children can approach even simple situations in ways adults don’t expect.
In general, most activities given to the children, from assignments to toys, were ones that allowed for children to explore initiative. Most were creative assignments (drawing) or building blocks or dolls that allow for multiple ways to play with it.

INDUSTRY
It was interesting to see how the school incorporated industry into the activities. I specifically noticed the teachers of the 5 year olds encouraging children to be proud of and showcase their work by asking them about it and taking photos of it when the children were particularly proud of the house they made or a drawing. Even the teachers for the 3 year olds would take photos of the block towers they made to encourage the children to make and talk about their work.

PROJECT IDEAS
Many of the ideas I have on the 50 ideas assignment relate to industry (creating something and showcasing it). I believe I will have trouble creating projects that won’t break if approached in unexpected ways, but I now know that is an important thing to look out for when creating things for children.