Two kindergartners are playing on the stage in our classroom. "I am the Monarch!" says one. "But I am, too!" says the other. Indeed, I noted, both are wearing Monarch wings. "Let's go to the Ice Cream Cone and solve our problem!" suggests the first. "Ok, yeah, let's go talk about the problem," agrees the second.
With wings folded behind their shoulders, the kindergartners sit face to face on the red-cushioned benches in our peacemaking place. A friend nearby goes to find the Peacemaker and calls her over (the Peacemaker role is one of our "Helping Hands" classroom jobs). The kindergartners starts talking about the problem. Turns out, both children who are dressed up in butterfly wings were invested in playing the part of the same monarch butterfly in the story Gotta Go! Gotta Go! (Though the story features two Monarchs in speaking roles, I realize as I listen to their conversation that the children forgot about about the other Monarch role!)
In kindergarten, the Ice Cream Cone Peacemaking Place is the place in our classroom that we go to solve problems. In the peacemaking area there are two benches for kindergartners to sit face to face and a laminated ice cream cone hanging between the cushioned seats. The visual image of the ice cream cone provides support like a scaffold for children engaged in the process of solving a problem. They begin with the cone, work through four layers of ice cream, and finish with the cherry on top. The cone and each additional layer are individual pieces of paper that can be taken apart and assembled one scoop at a time as the children work through the problem. From the cone to the cherry on top the children: Talk about the problem. Agree to listen. Share your feelings. Dream of solutions. Agree on a strategy. Try it!
Children who use the Ice Cream Cone Peacemaking place often have the help of the Peacemaker who is on call to help in whatever way he/she is able to do so. Children who use the ice cream cone demonstrate a readiness for the cognitive work of problem-solving. A kindergartner may need to use the reserved space of two Comfort Zone areas prior to coming to the Ice Cream Cone. In the Comfort Zone areas, a kindergarten will find support for managing strong emotions with the help of a teacher.
At the ice cream cone today, each kindergartner takes a turn to talk about the problem from his/her own perspective and hears how the problem is experienced by the other. They acknowledge that they are listening to one another and that they are willing to continue doing so. They take turns describing how they are feeling about being a Monarch in the play. They find out they share a common interest and similar feelings! They move forward and begin thinking about ways of solving the problem. They remember that all kinds of ideas are welcome at this step and that peers and teachers can help if they get stuck.
“Let’s use the book Gotta Go! Gotta Go! to help us, " one kindergartner suggests. The children flip through the book and discover an illustration of the “Monarch in Mexico.” The butterfly was on a tree with "millions of other monarchs." Aha! Now the children remember that there was indeed other Monarchs in the story.
The kindergartners refer to the ice cream cone poster again. "We're here," says one kindergartner pointing. "Agree on a strategy and then...try it!" says the Peacemaker. "If you are the Monarch in Meadow, I’ll be one of the Monarchs in Mexico,” one kindergartner says. “Okay!” says the other smiling. The three children head back to the stage together, the Peacemaker declaring her interest in joining in and being the Stage Manager.
In kindergarten, we learn about the ice cream cone in meaningful ways as we become friends. Sometimes we have problems that need to be resolved. Learning to figure things out together is a hallmark of the kindergarten experience. It is very helpful to have a picture of the ice cream cone nearby to refer to if we forget what to do when we have a problem to solve. A peaceful problem-solving place helps with all kinds of situations that arise in kindergarten. If you ever wonder how we do it, just remember, we take it one scoop at a time and then we give it a try again!
