Toddlers and Music
A teacher started their music app and set the phone on the counter. A few seconds later, one toddler was swaying, dancing, and singing. Two more joined in they held hands. All together four toddlers without any interruption, oversight or “help” held hands and swayed to the music laughing and enjoying themselves.
This lasted through one song and just into a second song before they drifted apart. Have you ever tried to organize children for a event like this, and it doesn’t work out? Children need the time and space to come together on their own without the pressure to perform. To me this is what an inviting, child led, play based quality experience looks like.
Did you sway, sing and dance uninterrupted today?
Little Humans
How is it that we spend so much time trying to make children just like us? We think they need to know what we know. We think they should use materials we put out in some pre-determined way. Children are little humans with rights. We should not impose ourselves on them but rather respect them for their inexperience and support them.
We are trying to fit all children into a model of education that doesn’t work for most. The “sit here and learn this” model doesn’t allow for movement, exploration, creativity, and collaboration. We aspire to a model where we acknowledge that we adults do not know what skills will be needed for jobs in 15 years.
If only we could view children as co-“everything” we could sit back and enjoy what they bring to the table. We don’t need to teach them ANYTHING. We need to give them a safe place with caring adults and stand back!
A Look Back
I spent several hours cleaning out my file cabinet of “teaching” ideas. It was fun to see my own evolution through the years.
I had folder after folder of cute crafts with samples. We no longer do crafts but rather explore the open- ended process of art through different mediums.
I had folders of science ideas. We now explore what crops up seasonally in our space and add “experiments” as are relevant.
I had old posters, magazine cut outs, instruction pages, samples; it’s all obsolete to where my path of learning has taken me with the children. If I stand back and I am observant with an open mind, I am the one who is learning. Our children learn while freely exploring and expressing.
How do you learn best? Is it by following someone’s idea about what you should know or do you explore your interests?
Made Up Games
When we give children resources they create their own games. This group of children used materials to create a “basket ball” game up off the ground.
We too often limit children’s imagination with our own constraints. The joy of children making up their own games and playing them teaches so many skills at once. Collaboration, communication, consequences, risk assessment, eye hand coordination and other skills are innate to play. These skills are skills we think we should teach. We do not need too if we just let the children be.
What will you allow children to do today?
Rivers and Lakes
After a rainy morning, the children discovered some dry “river beds” that the heavy rains left. They thought of a variety of ways to recreate the flow only to discover that the earth kept soaking it up.
The activity did not last long however the children involved worked together cooperatively to test their hypothesis that they could re-create a river and lake. Natural resources science lesson for the day, check! We must continue to follow the children as they create our curriculum based on their interests.
How often do you use what is naturally occurring around you as your curriculum?
Collecting Water
The children are learning the concept of conservation. They have discovered different sources for collecting water. One idea was to put out buckets to capture the rainwater. They quickly found that the air conditioner run off tubes were much more consistent source of water than depending on mother nature’s rain fall.
Surprisingly on our hot and humid days they were able to collect bucket loads which they enjoyed in a variety of ways.
What concepts are important in your program/life?
Light and Color
The children enjoyed investigating where the colors on the ground came from. Science in its naturally occurring form.
The joy of discovery. What will your children discover today?
Just a Box
The life cycle of a box at Friendship Garden. An empty box is put on the playground.
At first the box is used in it’s original shape, children are able to get in and out of the box, at this stage the child can close the box or hide under the box. It is a car, truck, airplane, robot, house etc. It might be painted or colored on.
Next, the box begins to break down. It may not be quite flat but rather several sides might be ripped. It is used in new positions, held up by other objects.
The box begins to get torn up. It begins to become art material where the children color and or paint on it. It might become a map or a mask or whatever is in one’s imagination.
Inevitably the pieces get discarded or sent home as creative art. The process starts over!
Sharing or Turn Taking?
Language is so important. Let’s unpack the language of sharing vs turn taking.
Young children are learning the skills of sharing and turn taking and they need support.
First let’s clarify the terms. Sharing is when something can be divided, so that each child has some of what ever is being “shared”.
If there is only one then the terminology is to “take turns”, first one person uses it and then another.
At Friendship Garden we do not put a time limit on a child who is using something. It is never taken away. The child gets to chose when they are finished. Classmates may ask for turn by saying, “may I have a turn when you are done?”. It is important for the child to control the length of time needed with an object before they are done. If I wanted the pen you were writing with and you were not done, do you need to give it to me? Of course not, we’d find another pen or I would wait until you were done. We need to respect children in the same way.
The language we use should reflect what the action or behavior is so it is clear to the child – “taking turns” implies you will get it back this is different from “sharing”.
Pretty Invitations and Play Residue
Pretty Invitations and Play Residue
Are you trapped in the cycle of feeling let down because your expectations were not met by the children in your class?
What does it take to let go of pre-conceived ideas and let things naturally evolve?
Picture 1. The invitation. We set out some old flowers and a variety of color crayons and white paper. Several children investigated using the magnifying glasses and some chose a crayon that matched the flower and set out to drawing the flowers. There was no instruction given.
Picture #2 As more children got involved the investigation changed. The reality for me was that it was hard not to correct the tearing off of the petals so the next children could have the “same” experience with the flowers. What was obvious was that the children tearing up the flowers were also investigating in a way that didn’t fit with my expectation. It’s not my learning experience, it belongs to the children.
Picture #3 Play Residue. Finally, the flower petals made their way outside to the mud kitchen for use in soups and cakes, extending and enriching the children’s play for hours.
Don’t be fooled by the perfect “invitation”, set up or environment. Pinterest cute and perfect is not a PLAY based reality. Go with the flow. The results might surprise you if you take the time to observe what is happening and resist the temptation to “correct”. Let me know how you are allowing for PLAY in your environment.