My daughter almost Never chooses to do a puzzle on her own accord.
They sit in the closet or on her shelf ... sometimes, I even find puzzle pieces glued onto her artwork...
Similar scenarios happened from time to time when I was a classroom teacher and even now at Wonder Studio. Some experiences are ignored and/or parents ask me, "What do we do here?"
My friend and teaching mentor, a trained artist and Montessori teacher, a mother, a grandmother and my elder of about 35+ years...
she talked a lot with me about the importance of adults showing appreciation for the materials that are set out for children.
She warned ... they won't appreciate it unless I do...
Baby dolls were never chucked into the corner...
they were lovingly embraced and carefully put away in a crib.
Blocks were not in piles on the floor or in a basket. They were carefully and methodically and neatly put away.
She taught me that if we want our children to be curious, investigative, or creative...
then WE must also adopt those dispositions...
It's not effective to simply tell our children what to do, we must invite them in to play and to construct knowledge together with one another.
I have realized that my words can sometimes be misleading...
I always indicate to the adults that come into the Wonder Studio:
Follow The Lead of your child. Let go of your own agenda.
However, over the years, I have quietly studied the ways parents interact with their children. Especially... on those days when the materials don't seem to be inviting the children in on their own.
Tuesday's Art class was just one of those days. I can't explain why... But it became obvious when most of the group was over in the corner eating snack and there were only a few left exploring the art materials.
In the land of Educator talk, it's called Scaffolding...
Otherwise known as... providing some support in an effort to invite your child to play in an area that they might not naturally gravitate towards...
As you can see in the picture above, the Collage experience I had set up had become quite Uninviting... But the mom (in the picture below) sat down with her 2 children and she became curious.
She wondered aloud... Let's see what would happen if you squeezed some glue on top of this pile of sand...
It wasn't a question she knew the answer to
(and these are the best kinds of questions we should ask our children , in my opinion...)
She was genuinely curious herself...
He became very curious about the question as well and began squeezing the glue over top of the sand piles.
With big brother deeply immersed in investigation...little sister also began some important work of her own, working closely beside Mom.
After Mom's initial wondering...the children took off and Mom was quiet most of the remaining time. But her attention was one of true interest and deep respect for her children's interests.
Other children became curious about this creative research... As I shared the little guy's game with the new player, it became a joint project.
There was some struggle with sharing space but this was also an important part of the project...
These children worked in this area for a good 15 minutes.
So...while, it's important to follow the lead of your child...it's also important to Be the leader for your child, when they need you to be.
When they observe Mom, Dad, or Nanny really interested and curious about the experiences offered...they too learn to appreciate these materials.
Gotta go...I see a puzzle I'd like to do...
maybe my daughter will join me?...
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