“Learning how to do projects is often described as a journey, an ongoing process.”
Judy Harris Helm
The Project Approach Catalog 3, the Project Approach Study Group
Here at the museum, we see many different journeys each year as new and veteran project teachers take on new projects. Each journey is different and unique. To share some the many stories that we hear, we interviewed past participants and mentors who have continued to develop their roles in the Project Approach movement.
Interview with Patricia Serrano, Owner of Three Little Angels Home Daycare
Patricia has owned and operated her home daycare for nine years. Over the years, she has worked with many different children of different ages from infant to school-age.
I know you’ve owned your home daycare for many years. Can you tell me a little about what influenced your decision to enter the field of Early Childhood Education?
“Before I came to the United States, I taught in a school as a teacher. A long long time ago, I chose to become a teacher because I like kids. Not everyone likes and understands kids. When I first applied to be a teacher, I had my first experience in a poor community. It pulled at my heart and made me want to become a teacher even more. In the US, I struggled and it was difficult to learn the language. I worried if I trained to work in another school, I wouldn’t be able to write well or teach the way they want in English. Having a school in my house, I am able to teach my way.”
How did you hear about the Kohl Project Approach Training?
“One of the other mentors, Lucia, I have known for over 10 years. We went to school together. And when I started my daycare, I was looking for trainings. She recommended the program. I feel and my kids feel, when we are doing project work that we are professional and really learning at high levels.”
What was your first project topic? How did it evolve?
“The pizza project. It was a big challenge. At that point, I only had older, part time kids. They decided the topic of pizza because they always wanted to eat pizza. Since it was my first one, we did it little step by little step, and when I looked, we had spent 3 months investigating! Since they were older students, they were very interested, but didn’t always want to show it to be ‘cool.’ One day, we spent a day really looking at all the different recipes. We didn’t know there were so many and that pizza is not an easy process. It takes a long time.”
Did you face any difficulties during your project? How did you handle them?
“Yes, where I live, there’s no walking access to a pizza place. I asked two different pizza places, but they didn’t respond. Another said they wouldn’t have kids. When I found a place, I asked the parents, but they didn’t have time because it was late. Luckily, one parent helped, and we each took half of the kids. We also cooked here 2-3 times making our own pizzas. Another difficulty is not much parent participation sometimes. The project topic may not seem as serious, but when parents see the papers, photos, and messages from the teacher they become interested and see the learning.”
What impact did the project have on you and your students?
“I feel like we really learned something. The kids learned more than just pizza. They learned about how it takes time and precision. I learned a lot about pizza dough and leaving it to grow and grow. There are machines to make all the pizzas equal quantity. There are also many ways to make a pizza. The pizza can be healthy, with different toppings and quantities.”
After your first project, why did you continue to do project work?
“It’s the best way kids can really keep information in their brain and learn more. They use all of their senses, so it sticks better and they remember it all better.”
What experts or field sites have you used in your projects?
“For the pizza project, we had an expert at the pizzeria. For the dog project, there was a trainer and she was really good. She explained the different ways dogs are trained like a family house dog versus a service dog. Service dogs cost around $20,000 to train because it takes a lot of time. She explained the importance of patience and for safety she emphasized to not touch the dog first without asking the owner.”
What barriers have you experience while doing Project work?
“It’s a little difficult to get more experts. Sometimes it’s hard to get ideas on what types of experts and to then actually find the experts. In the pizza project it was harder. The dog project, the parents were very excited and helped out a lot.”
What successes have you had with the Project Approach?
“There’s a lot of things. Since the dog project, we understood and respected dogs more. Children had a connection with the animals, learned to take care of them, and developed social emotional skills. Some of the kids even got a dog that they still have! I also got my own dog at the end of the project!”
Are you currently working on a project?
“Yes, we are doing a project on cookies and baking because children talked about cookies and treats around Christmas. In their play kitchen, there’s a recipe book, and the students were always asking about and playing making cookies. But, I’m not a good baker, so our first experience making cookies, something happened and they were too hard like a rock, super hard. I wanted to throw them out, but the kids were proud and wanted to keep them. One of the parents also came and brought another kind of cookies for the children. Another student and their grandma also made cookies together.”