Finger rhymes or a visit to the moon?

Can we stay true to our philosophy in a virtual environment?

How can we teach responsively and ensure play is at the forefront when connecting with children online?

These two questions have been constantly on my mind since the year began. How would I meet and engage with 4-year-olds virtually? How would I ensure their parents that when they send their children to school they would do so with confidence that their child would receive a play-based program?
Well, like many things in the inquiry world my questions were all answered naturally, unplanned and in the moment.
As I entered my first virtual class with a single student I went in with a plan to teach a finger rhyme that we could use in class. One that could be adapted to hand-washing or used to familiarise the student but at that moment of seeing his face I forgot all my plans and I did what felt natural to me. I listened. I listened as he spoke about rocket ships and space. He told me about what he knew about the moon and how astronauts wear special clothes and then at that moment he finished I asked if he would like to go to the moon right this very minute? And so we did.
Although we were not in the same room or even the same building we were connected by a screen and through that screen we played! We flew to the moon in our rocket ships and we moonwalked. He helped me get better at moonwalking. More Bounce! Bigger Steps! And then we flew back to earth.
The next day I met the same student online and I had built a lego rocket ship that I was excited to show him. When he entered the meeting room he was holding his rocket that he had made. We had made a connection!
By connecting through play gave space for authentic inquiry, allowed us to find something to connect on, and led to action.