The Monkey on the Roof - An Investigation into Trajectory

An investigation of trajectory launches a monkey onto a roof. His rescue becomes the focus for a class of 4 year olds. Their investigation into how to retrieve said monkey leads us on a wonderful journey of machines, flight and imagination!

Recently we have been witness to a serendipitous series of events, leading to a shared experience that have launched an investigation.

It all begins with several children placing planks over small blocks and creating catapults. We view it with awe, and a slight feeling of anxiety. How clever are these children to invent this machine unassisted! But how worried are these teachers as the young scientists investigation involves experiments in heavy objects as well!

Several broken vases and jars later, we are sitting back wondering what just happened! We see a definite interest that extends to every area of the school. As animals are catapulted to the ceiling and joyously caught in the draped fabric above, children brainstorm and try to solve the problem of how to get the animals down.

Change of scene. In the back play area, a ball lands in the shade cloth above the slide and climbing frame, I noticed a boy had launched it there from the top of the slide during solitary game. It was then I asked him to stop as it was too high and I did not know how to get it down. A few minutes late and after having my attention distracted elsewhere, I looked above to see 5 balls silhouetted above in the shade cloth. Eeek! I panicked and wondered how I could stop this child. I should have learned by now, when I feel totally frustrated and think something must be stopped, it is usually when a child’s strongest exploratory instincts are in full swing, and requires a creative solution to enable the ‘schema’ or pattern of behaviour to be further explored and developed.

So I stop and think, and make a decision, “Well Alexander, if I can find some way to get these down then the ball throwing can continue. It was also at this stage I saw the link between the play here and the play inside with the catapulted animals! I found a long pole and was able to easily reach up and help the balls roll down the sails back to the waiting arms of the children. Their delight was palpable as squeals of delight were heard as they chased the balls then ran to the slide to attempt to get the balls up on thee sails again. No longer a solitary activity but a huge group effort.

 Whilst a small group of children are playing outside in the front garden, some children ask me to use my height advantage to get a monkey to the top of the tree. I say, “How about I throw it up? They get very excited about this. I decide to link the catapult/trajectory interest into the exploration and tie the monkey to a ribbon. I swing the ribbon and monkey around and launch it into the air. It flies all the way across the playground at a great height. I try it one more time. I ask a child to have a go. It lands on the roof top!

Every child climbed the climbing frame unprompted to take a look at the monkey, which could just be seen if viewed from the very top of the climbing frame. A long discussion then took place.

Sarah: Can you see it?

Luke: YES!

Sarah: do you think we could get a really, really long ladder do you think we can reach it? (Notice me immediately bringing a solution to the problem!!!!!!)

Noah” We can ask the fire man to . Fireman can use the fire truck.

Sarah: that’s a good idea we could get a fire truck. How do we get a fire truck to come here?

Justin: or we can take an aeroplane.

Noah: Ms Sarah I got an idea. How about lets go on the string and then swing, and go on the roof. And get the monkey and swing it back.

Sarah: you would need a monkey to do that I think!

Noah: you just have to…

Justin : You just put the hand up, then you put another hand like this and then…(inaudible)

Sarah: that's a great idea, what sort of person could we find to climb across strings? NO NO NO NO! Noah, don’t try and do it, absolutely not. (Ms Sarah almost dies of a hear attack as Noah attempts his idea)

Justin S: Ms Sarah we have to use an aeroplane Miss Sarah.

Sarah: I don’t think we are good enough climbers to do that.

Noah: A kite.

Justin : I would like to use a sliiide.

Noah: Put next to the monkey, and then u swing back.

Justin: Parachute.

Ivy said to get a thing that the fire truck use like a jumping thing and boom boom and up and get it.

Teacher: what will you do when you get there?

Ivy: And jump and jump and jump. You boom and jump and go. Ok?

THe excitement to follow is a familiar one at the beginning of any investigation. CHildren dont stop talking about it. They ask to go upstairs to find a way to get the monkey down. The tell every teacher they pass that there is a "monkey on the roof!" After their nap, first words out of mouths is, can we get the monkey?

My partner and i ask the children during a large group gathering to draw their ideas on paper. THis is the end result. THe paper was revisited several times over a week or more. CHidlren could add new ideas as tehy wished. THe paper provides a shared plan. I began the meeting by drawing a very basic mud map. I asked children to draw their idea. This point marks a turning point for me. I am letting go of holding on to what is "my reality" and begin to allow all ideas to flow. I have hellish flashbacks from a time gone past when I was videod telling a child his idea was "silly" during a group discussion. SIgh. despite being years back, and having looked back already with horror, I still tended to direct children towards sharing ideas that were rooted in my own reality. TOday it hit me. Who are we to tell these young scientists what "will and wont work" in their quest to retrive the monkey? If they say a magic carpet, then shit! Why the hell not try? Enjoy their incredibly creative minds, unstifled:

Enjoy spotting the following ideas: robot, super girl, crane, 'my daddy', a ladder, fire truck, trampoline, giraffe, an aeroplane, a hot air balloon, cable car, a bird, a stick from the verandah upstairs to push it down.

The large plan and the children's increible ideas become the driving force behind our planning for the next few weeks. Each day my partner and I predict which idea we can attempt. Here are some of our attempts.

 

Justin and a small group of others make an aeroplane, a trampoline and a robot out of recycled materials. These are all taken outside and thrown towards the monkey on roof. The process was repeated, over and over again. Children wouldnt give up. My own adult brain asked, "well what will happen when the plane gets there?". Either they repaid my 'dumb' comment with total silence or just politely shrugged. Clearly the children must construct the ideas with much less interference than this! The hypotheses need to be tested in their way, at their own pace.  

(Control tower)

I was inspired by Teacher Tom's children and i invited the children to catapault paint covered pompoms onto a long piece of fabric that has been hung from the above balcony. It was a brilliant time as predicted. Their interest in trajectory could be explored with colour and MESS! 

 I told the children I had a magic carpet at home. The next morning, the children are very eager to know what was in my bag. Out I pull my magic carpet. I tell them a story.
"Once, long ago when I was 18, I travelled to a land called India! I was exploring the winding alleys and markets in Mumbai one day, when a stranger, asked me to look at his shop, and he showed me a magic carpet. I just had to buy it! He said it was going at a discount as nobody could make it fly, as the magic word was long forgotten." I then invited the children to try sitting on it to see if they could guess the magic word. They really went bananas and took turns saying magic chinese words, magic english words, and more. They begged to take the carpet out again and again to continue trying to make it fly.

CHildren sat ont he carpet and prayed to god to make the carpet fly. Still didnt fly. :(

Children became engrossed in a game involving problem solving with simple machines.

Children and their parents were given the task of creating a catapult at home. The parents really went mad for this one! Some were child-like while others were obviously made by the parents. I imagine that they really relived their childhood, (or lack thereof!) creating amazing catapaults from all kinds of amazing and creative materials!

A trip to the local "ocean park" that was in response to an earlier interest in ocean animals became more relevant than we thought. The childen sat down to rest after the walk through the aquarium. Parents and children quietly ate a few snacks. Before we knew it, a full on acrobatics show commences and we have front row seats!!! Star attraction - a human catapult! THe parents and children sit in awe and I try not to fall over with the excitement I feel. I pretend it was all planned this way. We also take the time to investigate the cable car and train, both machines were proposed methods of retrieving monkey.

Finally, the monkey was retrieved using the method of a stick from the upstairs balcony (boring!). THe little plastic monkey was propelled again the next week, by me, and landed in the top of the pine tree. After a large storm, the elusive monkey disappeared and has not been seen again!