Dynamic Discovery

Children are so fascinated by the simple. It amazes me that we as adults forget the hours of enjoyment a box can create. The toy is removed, examined, perhaps handled a bit and then placed to the side. Then out comes the empty box. The real treasure. 

It opens doors, leads children to new heights and engages them for hours. Yet, toy manufacturers and adults get excited by what is inside the box and miss the true discovery.

 
The use of imagination.
The wonder of creativity.
The fun in discovery.
The fulfillment in being.

I put out simple basters, pipettes, and containers of colored water. The water was colored with food coloring in red, yellow and blue - primary colors. Glass jars and ice cube trays were provided as mixing vessels. We took the project outside. 

Spills, which did happen, where no problem, we were outside.

Glass containers were provided with safety directions. 

1. Only the teachers would pick them up when full and carry them to water the plants. 
2. If broken step back and a teacher would clean up the mess.

Trust was instilled in the children. They knew, that we knew they could handle this experience. 

Then we explored the pipettes and basters. Once the knowledge of how to draw water up into the tube was shared we stepped back and watched the learning take place.

"GREEN! Yellow and blue make green," announced one child.

"I can change my green to greener by adding more blue!"

"I made brown. I added a little red, some yellow, and lots of blue, and I got brown. I wonder if I can make more brown? Look! I made brown again, but light brown by adding lots of yellow, and a little red, and blue."

"These little suckers (pipettes) make little bubbles and little drops. The big suckers (basters) make huge bubbles and drip when you move them. Why?"  "The little ones drinks less so they have less to drip," replied a child watching the process.

  
The vocabulary was rich. There was lots of conversation addressing what was happening and why. Children were learning to work together and share tight spaces. They were developing spatial awareness and exploring simple chemistry.  They were engaged for over two hours. 

Some never left the table and others would wander away and then return. No technology needed, no brightly color, plastic toys limited in what they could do. Just simple every day object.

Social Interaction and Expression

I just love this photo! Yes, it is two adorable twin boys.  But it is so much more than that.  It shows 2, two year old children, at play. Look closely and you will see so much more going on in this picture.

First notice the individual style each is sporting.  You have one in a short-sleeved shirt and no shoes.  His attention is drawn to something beyond his brother.  He has a carefree and confident attitude.  Life is good and he is going to enjoy it.

Now look at his brother.  This guy looks no nonsense.  He is dressed in a leather jack and black shorts and is wearing shoes on a warm summer day.  His focus is on the job at hand.He is busy instructing someone as he gets ready to mow the lawn.  He makes plans and follows through with his agendas.

Now consider the vocabulary being shared.  The rules of engagement being learned as they try to communicate their plans with one another.  You see in their world it is still all about them.  So this chance to play is allowing them to explore social cues and develop a sense that others exist and have a plan.  Surely there will be some frustration as they work to share the conversation.

But it is so important to let them resolve those conflicts.  Think of all the adults you know who still don't understand the  concept of turn taking in a conversation, who do not know how to listen to the person talking to them. Often it is because we forget to let children learn these rules of engagement on their own and don't allow them to handle the conflict resolution in simple settings on their own.  We also are poor role models in conversations these days as adults.

One of my biggest frustrations as a teacher is that adults always talk over my children, when the child was talking first. Another frustration for me is adults who interrupt my circle and story times, because what they have to say is important.  When what is really happening is the adult has not learned self regulation, nor do they realize they are teaching children that to communicate to someone else you must interrupt all others to be heard above everyone else speaking.  Their message is what I have to say is more important than what someone else is trying to communicate to me.

I believe this has gotten progressively worse as we become so in tune to our phones, i Pads and other devices that we forget humans need real contact.  We need a give and take in information and time to process that information before we respond.  If as adults we don't model this behavior, how will our children ever learn?  And what will our great grandchildren conversation skills look like?

Take time and observe how you communicate. Are you listening to the person speaking to you?  Are you making eye contact?  Are you really hearing what they are saying?  Are you speaking when it is your turn? (That is when the other person or person has stopped speaking.) Are you giving the individual you are speaking to time to process and answer what you said.  (Adults need at least 10 to 15 seconds to process thoroughly and children need 15 to 30 seconds to process before being able to respond.)

One of the reasons I love this photo is it shows two children being allowed to be themselves and develop important life skills.  It is so much more than a cute photo.  Thank you to thank Alexis Agnew Roberts and Monica McCallum Agnew for allowing me to use this photo.

Young Architects

An architect according to Dictionary.com  is a deviser, maker or creator of anything.  They are creative, thoughtful and approach a project with a goal in mind.  They have a plan to accomplish that goal but as they work on their plan, trial and error help redefine the plan and new ideas are implemented. Children at play are architects at work.

Open-ended toys are the best for developing the skills and encouraging the learning that building provides. They provide a wealth of problem-solving experiences, develop persistence as a structure continues to topple over while the child is discovering how to build a strong foundation. Math is actively learned as children explore shapes, compare sizes and encounter weight.

Construction can be performed as a solitary activity or in a group.  Learning to work together, share ideas, explore others points of view and language development are all enhanced when working in a group.  Conflict resolution is learned as children work out how to implement everyone's ideas or how to rule out ideas and handle the rejection of your idea being the one ruled out. 

Solitary construction enhances problem-solving, allows for research skills to be cultivated and teaches a child to recognize when they need help.  It provides them a chance to see they need others.

Social-emotional development and self-esteem are cultivated as a child learns what they are capable of and see success in their own skills.  Learning that failure is not the end but the ability to try again and learn from your mistakes.  The sense of accomplishment, when your tower finally stays standing, helps reaffirm I am a capable human being.  I can do this!  This sense of pride carries over into future challenges and helps create future success.

Sculpting is another form of construction.  The artist molds or forms his 3 dimensional creation with a plan in mind.  As they work with their medium they learn what it can and cannot do. They develop new ways to get it to do what they desire it to do or they adapt and let the medium teach them new ways to adjust their vision.  The artist, like the architect, works in harmony with the art medium to design the final outcome.  

Providing loose parts, blocks and other items to build with will create a mess.  Toys will spill all over, voices will get loud as struggles are encountered and frustrations will lead to upset; however, all of these are needed to help the child grow and develop in many areas.  

Don't be dismayed by the process. Embrace it and watch the growth. Examine the learning, note the way a situation was handled today and compare it to the last time a similar situation occurred.  Often our first response is to fix or educate.  Sit back and observe.  Let the student teach you. Let them learn what they are capable of and be encouraged to discover who they are in times of trial.

Other Articles on Block Play and Building:

How Children Learn Through Block Play

Ten Things Children Learn From Block Play

What is Going On? Part 1

What Is Going On?

 

Caught in the Moment of Discovery

Multiple Dynamics

I am doing this blog a little different please take a few minutes to to observe these pictures:

Concentration

Oh The Possibilities

What do you see happening?  

What is the learning taking place?

Why is this important play? 

 

Oh A Mighty Fortress

The View From Below

Share in the comments. Name the photo(s) your comments are about.

Part 2 will follow after I have received some feed back

Joy and Wonder

Joy surrounds us every day.

 All we have to do is be in tune to it. It is so easy for children to find. They just stumble over it as they go through their day and they invite us to be a part of it with them. I am always amazed at the wonder a small wiggling worm can instill in a child. It goes from a slimy creature to the best of friends.

One of my little guys I will call him E, many years ago now, found a worm after a rain. E became enthralled with the worm. How did it breath? What did it eat? Where was its mom? The worm was christened with the name Hermie. He went everywhere E went.

Hermie rode the slide, traveled the playground in cups and sat by E on the climber. One day Hermie was even smuggled into nap. We talked E into letting him sleep in a cup and not under the covers on the cot.

I always wondered what Hermie thought? One day he was just crawling out of his house to move in the rain and suddenly his world became an adventure.  He flew to new heights, had new experiences and was loved.

The class fell in love with the book THE DAIRY OF A WORM by Doreen Cronin. Hermie would be put in the playground garden every evening  and E would dig him up again every day. E was positive which worm was Hermie and which ones were not.

Joy is contagious if you allow yourself to be infected.  It is probably the best part of working with children because they find joy EVERYWHERE!

The definition of joy is:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joy

1. 1a :  the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires :  delight 
   1 b :  the expression or exhibition of such emotion :  gaiety
2.   a state of happiness or felicity :  bliss
3.   a source or cause of delight
   
   

Children are the embodiment of happiness.

They see possibilities, enchantment and discovery all around them.  We need to let our inner child out when with children and see the discoveries they are making from a child perspective before we use the adult in us to squash the joy even when our aim was to enhance and educate.  Look at the photos and discover the joy in each.

What do you see first?  If it is the JOY & WONDER than you have probably let the adult in you take a vacation.  If you see dirt, chaos, or a chance to teach a lesson, your adult probably needs a little vacation to reconnect. 

If you love something, then show it. It’s contagious. -Jordan Catapano

http://www.stephenpbrown.com/15-inspiring-quotes-about-the-joy-of-passion/

I would love to hear your comments. Please post them below.

Lovely Lady Slippers -Taking Time To Draw What You See.

The Showy Lady Slipper is the Minnesota State flower.  They are a protected and grows in bogs.  I have looked for them in their natural habitat but never found them until last weekend.  It was a wonderful surprise. 

I was walking through the Pine, Oak and birch forest of Pequot Lakes.  There was a gentle breeze blowing and rustling the leaves of the trees and the bog grasses.  The waves of Lake Ossawinnagmakee were lapping at the sandy shore. 

Off in the distance a family of loons called to one another.  A humming bird buzzed by and darted into the tall grasses.  I spied a little slip of white and pink,  as the leaves of a nearby bush were lifted up on the breeze.

There they were, the Showy Lady Slippers I had always wanted to see in their natural habitat, in full bloom.  I stood quietly as a bright, blue sewing needle (dragon fly) landed beside me.  I was so grateful I had my camera.  I snapped pictures and video to help hold the memory.

If you are anything like me you will understand the first thoughts that came to my mind. "I want to draw those!", "I want to share this experience with my preschoolers!"
From those thoughts came the drawings below.

People ask me often how I get young children to draw flowers and other objects.  "I can't draw, so I can't teach others to draw," coworkers have told me.  But if you take the time to break down what you see and help the child break down what they see the drawing becomes less daunting.

I start with the question: What do you see?
flowers, petals, leaves, stems are very common first answers with a flower.

My next question is: What colors do you see?
In this case I was told pink, white, yellow, green and blue.  If you look closely you will see the shadows appear blue in color.

Then I follow it up with: What shapes do you see?
Oval, egg shape, banana shape, lines, triangles and swooshes were some of the answers I got.

Next I discuss how the shapes go together to make the whole picture.  We worked in small groups, and we used washable markers. In this drawing we started from the center and worked out. From the Oval we added the banana shapes for petals, then put our leaves (triangles) and stems on.  I had photos of the lady slippers on the table for them to look at and observe.  We had viewed the short video I had made walking through the forest when finding the lady slippers before our discussion of what we saw when looking at them.

You can find the video here: https://www.facebook.com/FromFingerprintsToMasterpieces/videos/474415726231297/

Showy Lady Slippers On Display

Once we had drawn our flowers I showed them how to use water and carefully brush it onto the drawing.  The colors began to blend and mix.  The hard lines of the markers became soft and gentle lines.  The drawing transformed to a painting.  I then displayed the final works of art with the photos of the lady slippers and information about the Showy Lady Slipper.  Add their own words that i recorded during our discussion to the documentation next week.