Each year we look for a way to bring all of the ideas we have explored into a final project. We like to consider the history of the project, the materials, and the topics we covered. The children should see the final project as a natural outgrowth of their work, and be active in its construction. This year children and teachers had worked together on mapping, vehicles, and places. In addition we had to honor the boxes, and their inspiration for secrets and treasures.
We decided to make a treasure chest. It would be lined with the maps that the children made, and encrusted with open boxes designed and decorated by the children. The studio worktable was transformed to suit this new purpose, and set up with a selection of materials, glue, and scissors. Smaller studio spaces appeared in the classroom to accommodate children who wanted additional time to work on the project.
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| Children worked in the studio and in the classroom to make their open box designs. |
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The use of color, texture and design combined to make each delicate little box was a unique artisitic statement. When the boxes were glued onto a brightly colored "treasure box" the effect was brilliant.
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It took a lot of conversation for us to come up with an idea that was simple enough to be done by kindergarten kids and complicated enough to hold the concept. In other words it had to be an idea that could be expressed in a concrete fashion and understandable by five year olds. The final art piece had to be satisfying, motivating and interesting enough to keep the children involved until it was completed, and strong enough to be permanent. Each kid had to feel like they owned it but it also had to belong to the group. Additionally, we thought it would be interesting to keep the project alive by using the treasure box for activities, ie., for games, storytelling, or dramatic play in the classrooms in future years.
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Finally the day arrived when the treasure box was complete. The outside of the box was familiar to the children as their ongoing work, the inside display of maps, and packages of candy would be a surprise. We planned additional surprise treasure hunts for peanuts and pennies. The idea of having eighty children search for one treasure was not practical. We wanted the children to have the experience and personal satisfaction of hunting for treasure by themselves.
 | Christiane hides the treasure box outside on the kindergarten patio. |
Once everything was in place, the treasure box hidden, pennies and peanuts at hand, we gathered the children in the art studio. Betsy presented the children with the treasure map that she had "found" in her mailbox that morning. It was Magical !!
This was the defining moment when all of the learning throughout the year came together for everybody. There was the piece about the treasure, the map study, and the magic of it all. It is also the story about a treasure that took the children from fantasy to reality. Tavensky (age 5) jumped up to read the map, pointing out the doorway from the kindergarten classroom, and the pathway through the patio to where an "X" marked the hidden treasure.
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Betsy shows the treasure map to the gathered kindergarten community. |
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The Magic Treasure Map. "Listen children to what you must do. To the Magic Treasure Map be true. Make sure to show Christiane this clue. And you will find goodies to eat and money, too!" |
The message in the map made it clear that it was Christiane who was going to find the map. She became the Pied Piper as they followed her out of the studio through Joanne's classroom and outside. The children gathered along the edge of the patio shouting directions to Christiane to help her find the treasure.
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Christiane leads the children |
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Christiane searches for the hidden treasure responding to the children's cues . |
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Betsy and Christiane reveal the treasure. |
The children were delighted with the surprises inside the treasure box. They loved the whole experience of being together on the hunt, and easily understood and trusted that the candy would be theirs.
Meanwhile, immediately behind the children Beth, was quietly sprinkling pennies across the patio. Trish was hiding peanuts on the front lawn. Beth set the scene, when she exclaimed, "Look, I found a penny, and here's another one, this must be a penny hunt. You can hunt too." We collected the found pennies in a common basket. When nearly all of the pennies had been found Trish announced the peanut hunt.
 | The children hunt for the pennies. |  | Zariah is absorbed in the activity |
 | Trish holds the common penny collecting trays. |  | At the end of the day the treasure box still holds fascination for the children. |
Hunting for peanuts and pennies made the experience concrete, and closed the circle. A year long story of their own creation became a reality. As if their dreams came true. The children exchanged ideas, constructed shared knowledge, and grew as individuals. They made the treasure box, hunted for their own treasure, became part of a shared story. Each one contributed to a piece of the project, whether it was back in January about the vehicles, the maps, or the secret boxes. The children collaborated by sharing their ideas and working together on a group project. This culture of collaboration, respect and trust supported through the Kindergarten Art Studio made this experience possible. It is a beautiful example of the masterful weaving of ideas into a successful learning experience. They shared the treasure with their friends and classmates. We ate the peanuts in class, and each child went home with a bag of candy and six pennies. The treasure box remains in the Kindergarten Art Studio as a symbol of our year's work together.