Susan Harris MacKay
Opal School Children Design a Playground
Each year, graduating Opal School students give a gift to the Portland Children's Museum. In this video, fifth graders explain the process they used to…
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Traveling Through Time to Rethink the US Constitution
This post will offer you windows into the Opal 3 classroom (children ages 9 – 11 years) as they travelled through time as characters of…
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The Principles of Playful Inquiry
Adapted from What About Play? The Value of Investing in Child’s Play by Susan Harris MacKay, 2010 What is the role of adults in playful…
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Playing with History
It is a widely held belief that play is the work of young children. I think this statement has evolved because, as a society, we…
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Welcome New Readers!
If you're visiting the Opal School Blog for the first time because you've linked from the story that includes us on the Edutopia blog, welcome! We're glad…
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Diving Into Story
So we can see the power of story. But what exactly is a story, anyway? That is the question posed today by GB — not…
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The Power of Story
On the very first day of school, Kimie wrote this reflection: Our first morning meeting after goodbyes to loved ones–we found ourselves alone together for…
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Opal School Children on Play and Learning
Since this video was created for the Association of Children's Museum's annual conference in May 2012, it has gotten a lot of attention —…
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An Investigation
Watch this video, for the first time or for a re-visit: What natural learning strategies does this toddler exhibit and put to use? What…
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Listening for what they are trying to do
On the second day of school, these 5-year-old children were invited to revisit drawings they'd made on the first day of school with watercolor paints–…
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