Ice Cream Formation

While I was recovering, there was an explosion of ice cream shop materials created using paper and markers.  There was everything from ice cream shop mascots to actual ice cream drawings on the making table when I returned.  I asked the group of children who were working on this idea what their intentions were with the ice cream shop.  A. L. was quick to respond and said she wanted to sell it to other children from other classes.  I asked her how the other children would pay for it.  She was unsure and stuck.   I gave her the invitation to think about the class wallets for peers to make purchases.  The group decided that would be a good idea.  Below are pictures of the ice cream project group making their items for the shop.

The group then needed to find a way to transport their items to sell outside in the Garden.  The idea of baskets was brought up, but they quickly realized that the items would not be easy to see at a quick glance.  The children then decided to use trays to sort and display their items.  They ended up labeling each category on the trays.

L. also had the idea of declaring the classroom as the official ice cream shop.  She created a sign to let others know when the shop was open and closed.  I can't help but wonder if the idea of selling ice cream to other classes is still on their radar.

---

E. shared with me that she was in charge of advertising.  I think marketing might be in her future as she thought about how to gain the customers' attention and the follow up on how to direct them where to go for their products!  

I asked the children how will customers know how much each item is for sale.  A. L. informed me that they would just tell the customers. When diving a little deeper into this conversation and inquiring about the idea of price tags, the group was pretty adamant against them.  I found this interesting.  Why did they not want a set price on items?  Don't they have the same experiences that I have when I go shopping?  Was it because they wanted each customer to leave happy with an item no matter how much money they had?  Was it because it was an extra step to make the price tags that may not have brought them as much joy as the creation of the items for the ice cream shop?  Or was it tied into the bigger idea of wanting everyone to belong and be connected to this ice cream shop community?  I am not sure.  This is what makes this kind of learning so exciting... learning along side of the children.  Below are pictures of their morning in the Garden setting up their ice cream shops.

I think the idea of selling ice cream to other classes is still intriguing to them. When I went back to visit the ice cream shop in the morning, E. was very excited to share that a Kindergartener bought some ice cream from her.  When I inquired how she paid for it without one of the class wallets, she quickly pulled out a small stick with pine needles on it and exclaimed, "She paid with this!" This idea of community appears to be expanding with others outside our class.  

---

Later, the question that the children in the ice cream group quickly faced was how to split the profits from their hard work.  I gave some hypothetical situations to spark some deeper thinking on what they might consider to be fair.  The two reoccurring ideas that kept surfacing were:
​    -the children should split the profits equally between the group members
        -the person who made the item that sold should solely get the profits.  
The class went back and forth conversing with deeper reflection on both sides.  A child finally suggested that the class should vote for what the ice group should do.  I found this fascinating that the idea of a class vote for a resolution was so widely accepted since not all the children participated in the creation of the ice cream shop. But that is what we did, we held a class vote.

---

With an 8 to 4 vote, the ice cream participants will share their profits equally.  I wonder with time, if this will change or if the children will continue to make it equal for all regardless of contributions.  Again, is this a way that the children are creating a community for all to feel as though they belong?  I can't help but wonder.

---