My wife and I used to run a little farmer’s market stand about a decade ago. I can recall the early mornings just before the market began: the hum of trucks backing in with freshly harvested vegetables, the smell of freshly baked bread wafting down the street, and the hurried energy of the market stage being set just before the crowds came.
That’s the feeling I walked into when I arrived at Rabbi Steven Foster Early Learning Center at Temple Emanuel last Friday morning. The children from the ELC were busy but joyful, putting the last touches on their market stalls, and I could feel the excited anticipation in the air. The families would be arriving soon!
As the hour arrived, family members trickled in, drawn by the promise of honey butters and exotic teas that were all brewed and prepared by the children in the classroom. Unfortunately, I arrived at the round challah stand too late; they sold out in the first 20 minutes after the market opened. The children handed out change, counted coins , and proudly advertised fresh flowers and baked goods, most of them apple themed in honor of the holidays.
This was play, but it was also real work, the kind of work that teaches numeracy, literacy, and community. Later, I spoke with Outdoor Studio Leader, Kelly McCartney, who told me the history of the market. She explained that it began a decade ago when a Pre-K class with a surplus of veggies from the garden set up a stand in the lobby to share their harvest. The next year, more classes wanted in, and families wanted to learn what the excitement was all about. As the years passed, the market began to extend across the week, and eventually, they moved it to the large social hall. Now, every classroom participates in this joyful, collaborative, and educational event! The event is punctuated by a special holiday Shabbat Sing led by the Temple Emanuel’s clergy.
When we offer children a shared goal, an authentic purpose, and a rich context for play, this is what real learning can look like in early childhood. It’s about something bigger than preparing them for the academics that will come later in life. It’s about teaching the joy of being in community, and it’s a celebration of childhood. It’s about taking children out of traditional classrooms and placing them in a farmers’ market next to their families, with endless possibilities for play and learning.
