Who Gets to Design the Scarecrow? How Can After-School Groups Make Fair Decisions? - post

When every child has a different idea for the group scarecrow, the decision-making process can become as meaningful as the finished project. The Lesson Planning to Meet School Age Needs Buy Now $16.00 course offers practical strategies for creating engaging, differentiated after-school experiences; you can also explore Project-Based Learning for Children Buy Now $16.00 for deeper support in planning collaborative investigations. Together, these learning opportunities can help you plan projects where children’s voices shape the work while every child has a way to contribute.

Why does group decision-making matter in an after-school project?

“Who gets to design the scarecrow?” sounds like a small question, but it invites children to practice listening, expressing preferences, weighing options, and accepting a shared plan. In after-school care, these are not extras added to the activity; they are part of the learning. A project that includes a real choice gives school-age children a concrete way to experience agency and responsibility.

Children’s participation should be meaningful, not merely decorative. Canada’s National Child Day activity guide describes children as active participants whose views should be heard in decisions affecting them. A scarecrow project offers a manageable setting to put that principle into practice: children can suggest designs, raise questions, and help determine how the group proceeds.

Well-structured collaboration also helps prevent a familiar problem: a few confident or quick-speaking children making the decision for everyone. The Education Endowment Foundation notes that collaborative tasks need careful design and support so all participants can contribute. A clear process makes that expectation visible and helps staff guide without taking over.

• Children practice #listening to ideas that differ from their own.
• They build #teamwork through a shared goal and interdependent roles.
• They develop #fairness by learning how a group decision is made.
• They exercise #creativity while turning individual ideas into a collective design.

How can you help children generate ideas before voting?

Start with the project question, not an adult’s preferred answer: “What could our scarecrow look like, and what should it be able to do?” Share the purpose and practical boundaries—for example, available materials, outdoor safety, and how much time the group has. Boundaries help children brainstorm ideas that can actually be explored without implying that adults have already chosen the outcome.

Give children quiet individual thinking time before open discussion. They might sketch, write a word, choose from picture prompts, or tell an adult their idea. This protects less vocal participants from having their thinking crowded out by the first suggestion. Then invite children to share in pairs or small groups before collecting ideas on a board where everyone can see them.

Offer ways to contribute beyond speaking aloud. Children may draw a hat or face, point to a material, use a communication device, or dictate an idea. The ChildCareEd article How Can Child Care Providers Encourage Children to Express Their Ideas? discusses how movement, drawings, gestures, home languages, and assistive tools can all make children’s thinking visible.

Ask open, non-leading questions:

• “What details would help the scarecrow show our group’s ideas?”
• “What do you like about that suggestion?”
• “Is there a way to combine two ideas?”
• “What would we need to make that safely?”

Record suggestions in children’s own words when possible. Resist ranking ideas as “best” too early. The goal at this stage is a broad, welcoming set of possibilities the group can consider together.

What voting process can feel fair and understandable?

Before a vote, explain the options and the procedure in simple, neutral language. Make the choices visible with sketches, picture cards, or sample materials. Let children know whether each person gets one vote, whether the vote is private, and what will happen if there is a tie. Predictability reduces confusion and makes the result easier to accept.

For a design with several parts, avoid asking one oversized question such as “Which scarecrow is best?” Instead, take a series of decisions: choose a general theme, then vote on a feature such as the hat, colors, or accessories. This keeps the task manageable and can make room for more than one child’s contribution. Alternatively, the group can select one central design and incorporate other ideas as details.

Use a method suited to the group: placing a marker beside a drawing, adding a name card to a choice, or using a private ballot. A vote is a decision tool, not a measure of whose idea matters most. Make clear that safety and program limits remain the adults’ responsibility; if a popular option is unsafe or impractical, explain the constraint and invite children to revise it.

• Display every option clearly and read or explain it aloud.
• Offer accessible ways to cast a vote, including pointing or supported communication.
• Count votes where children can follow the process.
• State how a tie will be handled before voting begins.
• 🗳️ Invite children to check the count together, without identifying or teasing individual voters.

Voting is not always the only fair method. Children may take turns testing two ideas, combine options, or agree on a design after discussing what matters to each person. The ChildCareEd article How Can School-Age Children Disagree Without Adults Taking Over the Discussion? offers a useful reminder: adults can set fair conditions and coach the process while leaving reasonable choices to children.

How can a team agreement make participation more balanced?

A team agreement is a short, child-friendly set of shared commitments for how the group will work. Create it with children before construction begins, and keep it visible beside the voting board. It should describe actions rather than rely only on broad phrases such as “be nice.” For instance: “We let speakers finish,” “We ask before changing someone’s part,” and “Everyone has a job or a way to help.”

Help children choose a few roles that support the project without assigning status. Possible jobs include materials organizer, sketch recorder, builder, color planner, photographer, or spokesperson. Roles can rotate or be shared. A child who prefers not to speak to the full group might contribute through drawing, measuring, sorting materials, or documenting progress.

Structured collaboration matters: the EEF’s collaborative learning guidance emphasizes that group work does not become effective simply because children sit together; tasks need a shared outcome and opportunities for everyone to participate. A brief agreement and clear roles make this practical in a busy after-school room.

Try including these prompts in the agreement:

• How will we make sure everyone gets a chance to share?
• What can we say when we disagree?
• How will we decide if we cannot agree right away?
• What will we do if someone needs a break or another way to communicate?

Revisit the agreement when the group gets stuck. Treat it as a supportive tool, not a contract for punishing children. Notice specific efforts: “You asked Maya what she thought before choosing the colors.” That kind of feedback reinforces participation and mutual respect.

How should educators respond when children disagree or feel disappointed?

Disagreement is a normal part of group work. A child whose preferred design was not selected may feel disappointed, overlooked, or frustrated. Acknowledge the feeling without changing the result automatically: “You really wanted the striped cape. It is hard when the group chooses something else.” Validation helps children feel heard while preserving the agreed process.

When children can continue safely, use neutral prompts rather than deciding who is right: “What did you hear your teammate suggest?” “Which parts of each idea could work together?” or “What is one next step the group can try?” Give children time to think. If the discussion turns into insults, intimidation, or repeated exclusion, pause it and restate the safety boundary. Adult support should increase when a child cannot participate safely or fairly.

Do not insist on consensus for every detail. The group can respect a difference of opinion and still proceed with the agreed plan. If the process was unclear or children believe a vote was unfair, review what happened and decide whether to repeat the decision using a more accessible, consistent method. The purpose is to teach fair participation, not to defend a flawed procedure.

Common pitfalls to avoid include:

• Letting the loudest or most popular child dominate the choices.
• Announcing a vote after the adult has already settled the design.
• Changing the result because one child is unhappy, without explaining the process.
• Assigning every interesting role to the same children.
• Expecting identical participation when children need different communication supports.

Fairness means creating genuine access, not giving every child the exact same task. State requirements vary - check your state licensing agency when aligning program practices, supervision, or training with local expectations.

How can you turn the scarecrow project into a useful lesson plan?

A focused plan helps staff support the children’s decisions without over-directing the project. Begin with an observable goal, such as: “Children will share ideas, use an agreed process to select design features, and contribute to a shared scarecrow.” List materials, preparation, supervision considerations, and adaptations for children’s ages, languages, communication, and sensory or mobility needs.

Divide the experience into flexible stages: introduce the challenge; gather and display ideas; agree on discussion norms; decide on design elements; build; and reflect. The schedule may unfold over several afternoons. Leave room for children to revise a plan after testing materials. A meaningful project is not always a smooth or linear one.

During the activity, observe the process as well as the finished product. Note who offered ideas, how children responded to different opinions, whether roles were shared, and what support helped participation. Keep observations concise. At the end of a session, ask children what worked, what felt fair, and what they would change next time.

For a ready-to-use planning companion, the ChildCareEd Fall Group Project Voting Board and Team Agreement Buy Now $0.00 resource can help make choices and shared expectations visible. Pair it with the Lesson Planning to Meet School Age Needs Buy Now $16.00 course to build your broader skills in planning engaging content for diverse school-age learners.

Conclusion: Who gets to design the scarecrow?

The group gets to design the scarecrow—through a process that makes each child’s contribution possible and treats disagreement as part of learning. Providers can support that process by collecting ideas before discussion, explaining voting rules, using a shared team agreement, and coaching conflict without dictating every outcome. Adults remain responsible for safety and inclusion, while children gain meaningful ownership of the choices they can make.

With clear routines, accessible ways to participate, and reflection after the activity, a fall project can become practice in listening, teamwork, fairness, and creative problem-solving. The finished scarecrow may be delightful; the shared decisions that brought it to life are the deeper achievement.