Creating Possible Worlds

We are so pleased to present our very first ebook!

The first to come in our Symposium Series, this ebook documents a project facilitated by Opal Beginning School teachers Lauren Adams and Caroline Wolfe with children ages 3 – 5 years, which they presented at the Opal School Symposium in 2013. Lauren and Caroline inspire us to wonder together: How does the world of imagination and storytelling support the world of science and reason? How might the languages of the arts support children to make sense of their relationship with one another and together negotiate meaning of the world around them? What might be possible if adults worked with children to bring their ideas to life? What might be possible for us all? The volume is rich with images, children’s words, reflections and questions to support teacher practice and discussion.

Here are some reviews!

“In Creating Possible Worlds, we see a project about seeds unfold through photographs, children’s stories and drawings and teachers’ insightful comments. The heart of the learning in this project focuses on relationships, connections and empathy for living systems that we are all a part of. This little book adds to the beautiful collection of publications from Opal School. It offers us another glimpse into the imaginative and extraordinary work that children and teachers engage in every day at Opal, and inspires us to do the same.” Dr. Louise Cadwell, author of Bringing Reggio Emilia Home: An Innovative Approach to Early Childhood Education, co-founder, Cadwell Collaborative

“Creating Possible Worlds is an invitation to educators to be curious, self-aware, humble, and contemplative. The book illuminates both the inward thinking and the collegial conversations that guide Opal School educators as they join with children to explore questions that matter. It is both provocative and encouraging, as it asks educators to claim a strong role in constructing knowledge, neither shying away from nor overly asserting their right to active participation in investigation and learning alongside children.” – Ann Pelo, teacher and author of The Goodness of Rain: Developing an Ecological Identity in Young Children

“Once again, the wonderful educators at Opal School have offered us a glimpse into the minds of young children by creating a safe and nurturing space for them to wonder, explore, discover and express their discoveries in thrilling ways. What we see in those minds is not only delightful but profound: These are children who, through playful inquiry, attempt to make sense of the world around them with boundless curiosity, compassion and joy. And we see that same boundless curiosity, compassion and joy in the minds of their teachers who have traded certainty in for wonder and pre-determined outcomes for trust in order to arrive an unexpected but truly glorious ends.” – Vicki Vinton, literacy consultant and author of What Readers Really Do: Teaching the Process of Meaning Making and the blog To Make a Prairie