How The Horse made a new friend yesterday. (and a slight rant)

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When I work at my friend's preschool, I usually work with the older (meaning 3- and 4-year-old) children. But yesterday, I worked with the 1- and 2-year-olds. I enjoy the littlies, in part because I can't always understand what they're saying, so I have to read their gestures and facial expressions to communicate with them. There is one littly whom I often hear crying from the playground area of the younger children. Her sister is one of my older kids, and the little one wants to say hi to her big sister. The two playgrounds are right next to each other, separated only by a four-foot chain link fence. I respond automatically to crying (it's in my viscera and in my training), but the head teacher of the younger children always says, "Just ignore her. She wants attention" (that was my rant). Yesterday, I worked directly with little sister for the first time. It turns out she is 18-months-old. I decided to be proactive. I started putting sand in a bucket near her. She imitated my behavior with her own bucket and shovel and was too busy to cry. Sometimes I would say "You did it!" and she would make eye-contact with me and smile. She actually said "I di...!" After that, I found two of the little plastic fishes that I had used to establish relationships with 1 1/2-year-olds in the past, including some of the kids that are now in my "older" classroom. I put the two together, mouth-to-mouth and said "beso!" She giggled. I gave her one of the fish. We spent the next fifteen minutes attaching our fish and saying "We did it!" (or "we di...!" in her case). We then moved on to the slide area where she delighted in making "trains" (three kids sliding together) with her young friends. I don't recall her crying the whole morning, even the one time she landed awkwardly. My question for today: Will she find the fishes we bonded with and hold them out to me when she sees me? Kids often find the same book you were reading or toy you were playing with when they want to interact with you again. We shall see! Once a researcher always a researcher.