A few days earlier we had built some houses together out of thick refrigerator boxes. We still had many boxes left and asked the children if they’d like to build something else.

Yes they would, it was clear from the cheers, but what? “A space ship,” was the choice of all. The teachers brought out the thick cardboard once again, followed by all sorts of bits and pieces of paper and plastic and silver sheeting and foil wrap and bubble wrap and yughurt containers and gift boxes, and some silver paint and crayons and marking pens, and heavy packing tape and scissors.

For the next hour and a half their were teams of children working on making a silver floor, another attaching tubes to each corner of the body for thrusters, another designing the windows and door, another attaching “lights” made of bubble wrap, another placing the telescopes, and another wrapping the nose cone in “heat resistent” silver foil. Children needed guiding and advising at points, of course, but enjoyed the momentum of the project.

New combinations of children arose — children who ordinarily don’t play together now worked together for a common purpose. Children who sometimes find it difficult to take turns or share were caught up in the spirit of the group. These important social skills arose from their play together. But important cognitive skills were being introduced as well: Measurements needed to be taken and proportions assessed before materials like cardboard tubes could be afixed to the body. This required comparisons between longer and shorter objects; also some materials were too heavy to attach and lighter alternatives needed to be found, and taller and shorter comparisons were necessary. Counting was being done constantly, both to project how many of something we would need and to inventory how much of something we had.

When we were done the children were quick to suggest we make a movie about “astronauts, and the moon, and space creatures,” with our new rocketship.