A Mindset of Abundance. Wonderful Wednesdays Week 2

To practice a "mindset of abundance".  

One of my Wonder Studio mamas who has her 3rd daughter enrolled this semester (and still one more to come ;) named this "Mindset of Abundance" in her Hopes and Dreams for this semester at Wonder Studio.

It's a philosophy that Wonder Studio has practiced since it's birth in 2009 (when her 1st daughter came), but I have never had the right terminology to quite explain it.

When I was a full time teacher...we used to sing this song to teach the children how to use glue...
"Little Dots of Glue, WOO! Little Dots of Glue, WOO!"
It's quite a fun song and does help to reinforce with 4 and 5 year olds the idea of rationing oneself.

However, I don't mind telling you...I never believed it.  I found little dots of glue to usually NOT be enough.  How could children have the experience of glue sticking to their fingers or running drippy off the table if there was no experimentation involved. 
So, at certain times, when no one was looking, I sang this song with my students...(in a very deep voice please) "BIG GLOBS OF GLUE, WOO!"

Believe me, I understand the idea of a budget...WAY more now (having my own business) than I did back then.  
BUT...
I knew there was something REALLY REALLY wrong with limiting children's usage of creative materials.
BUT WHY?

What can children possibly learn from squeezing out an entire bottle of shaving cream?

I wonder if Thomas Edison could have invented the light bulb if he had been given one or even two opportunities with a mere one or two filaments.

The truth is, it took over 10,000 experiments (roughly) and I would venture to say that there was quite a bit of wasted materials.

But in the end, he had this to say:

• Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward....
   

The beauty of the Arts and Science... is something completely new can be brought to life each time.  

When children learn at a young age to think with this mindset...they will grow into adults who one day will understand that you have to create in and with Abundance to finally succeed. 

For some, it's enough to watch others do it...But, I know they are taking it in and taking something away to use for another day.

This is the key to my budget...Not ALL the children do it and I would never push them all to do it.  Children usually know what they need if we can just listen.

And, eventually, we do run out. Learning when enough is enough is not always something we learn until we are way older...But, how wonderful for these children at Wonder Studio to receive this experience as young children.

The educators in Reggio Emilia, teach us that there are 2 Lives to these creative materials that are given to the children.

The first life of a material is...
Children need to explore the material in ABUNDANCE.  
What are it's properties?
What are it's possibilities?
How can it be manipulated?
What are the different ways I can use it?

And, the 2nd life is:
Intentional and Purposeful use to communicate an idea or expression.

To begin to understand our world and it's possibilities, we must be given some freedom.

Freedom to explore.
Freedom to Wonder.

"Not all those who wander are lost."

And, even that beautiful quote can be manipulated...because sometimes getting lost is exactly what we need to do.

When my daughter was almost 2, she showed me the beauty of this philosophy.  

I gave her 2 google eyes and some glue but held the google eye package in my hands.  She asked me for more.  I gave her 2 more.  I kept saying, "Isn't that enough?"

She kept saying, it wasn't.

Finally, I just poured out the entire package of about 100 eyes.

Now she got started.  She glued and glued and separated the big eyes from the little eyes. And, she made what I believe is the first and only
GOOGLE EYE Sculpture. 

And, obviously 2 eyes would not have been enough.

You can see it below...a creation all her own.  

I wish you had been there.  

But, maybe, you can be there... with your own children to experience these 

"Gifts of Abundance."