We were studying community helpers and fire safety, so I put out a big fire truck floor puzzle on the carpet one morning. The class was working together and cooperating so beautifully until they got to a big problem! There was one missing piece and one piece left but the piece didn’t fit. When I looked over I realized it was from another puzzle because it didn’t match the colors. I had a pretty good idea what happened but sat back and watched as they tried everything to figure this mystery out. They tried turning the piece around in every possible way, talking each other through the steps in true problem solving style! There was talk of looking for clues and students searching high and low throughout the classroom to find this missing piece. Chef Helen came in to grab our lunch orders and she too was taken aback by these adorable little detectives at work. After much reasoning and exhausting every possible option, I finally reported that there was another fire truck puzzle in the “magic closet”! The looks on their faces were priceless, could it be? Only one thing to do, so the whole class walked around the corner together and retrieved the other puzzle. Eagerly, we put it on the floor and began to check all the pieces. First we were elated to discover the extra piece matched the new puzzle! We were off to a good start. Then a student found a piece that looked different from the others and joyfully brought it over to complete the original puzzle. After a few victory dances and cheers of “best day ever”, they student cooperatively put together puzzle number two! I think the screams of glee were heard school-wide!