Cowboys and cowgirls at Chandler Elementary School in Goshen have danced and built campfires in their classrooms as part of an adventure.

This year the school has been part of a pilot program called Tools of the Mind. The program of learning is disguised by different activities of play. The students have been on various adventures throughout the school year without ever leaving the classroom.

“They are learning so deeply about all the different content areas that we’ve studied," said Kindergarten Teacher Amy Fisher.

The most recent content area the students explored was the Wild West.

“It’s exciting to see them take on these different skills and when I think about what they came in with at the beginning of the year and where they are now, it’s amazing,” Fisher added.

The students take on roll-play and act out scenes from books they read in class. They also make props for the roll plays which further emphasize the components they are learning about.

Students also participate in activities that involve writing, talking, and dancing that come in the form of meaningful play. They are learning without even realizing it.

“Some cowboys are bad and some save the Wild West,” said Olivia who is a Kindergartener.

“All kids are busy all day long doing what they love doing and it’s disguising their learning,” Fisher said.

The final adventure of the school year that the students have already started working on is the Serengeti in Africa.