The objective of the teacher’s lesson was to introduce measuring utensils through following a visual recipe for making non-cook play dough as a means to introduce English vocabulary with something familiar such as measuring ingredients and kneading dough.  The idea of adding color and making shapes was to show them how to use such a simple tool to play with their children. The highlight was watching the women’s eyes sparkle with wonder and delight as they kneaded color into the play dough and then sat laughing and talking spontaneously in English salt and peppered with Arabic and Spanish.

Together, they talked about everything as they created flowers, animals, gingerbread men and other shapes with dough.   We heard words like, “stress”, saw tears and witnessed women comforting one another with hugs. For a moment in time, their isolation was broken and friendships were formed that continued through the remainder of the term. Hearts were connected through art!