Blue Soap

I was going through some old school papers the other day, and found one where I related this story about blue soap. It was a great reminder about the power of allowing kids to make their own learning discoveries.

A preschool student had been painting using blue paint. I observed her as she went over to the sink to wash her hands. The soap in the dispenser came out as white foam, and as she began to rub her hands together with it, it began to turn blue. I watched as she suddenly became interested in the blue soap, and then also noticed how the water running down also began to turn blue. She said:

"It's all blue. I can even make blue soap. It changes the soap!" 

Her apparent excitement was the direct result of a discovery about the world that she made all on her own. It is my belief that this kind of learning is much more meaningful and engaging to a child than if I had stood up in front of the class and turned the soap blue. She didn't need me to do that to learn what she learned-- I didn't even have to say anything to her as she stood at the sink. She was able to learn from her own experience. 

Sometimes I think that teachers get so stressed out about everything we need to teach that we feel the need to control every aspect of the learning environment. We are so worried that students learn the material that we miss out on moments like this one because we jump in and do all of the talking or even the interacting with materials. There is a time for direct instruction, but there is so much more that children can learn from doing it themselves. 

Playful Learning Resource

I recently stumbled across this website that promotes creating playful learning experiences and spaces for children. There is a link for learning experiences that has different ideas for areas such as math, literacy, science, etc. I only had time to look at a few, but here are some ideas that I loved: alphabet pebble magnets, leaf family, and everybody needs a rock.

There is also a link for resources that contains a plethora of websites for different subject areas. This website looks like an excellent resource for both parents and teachers! I will add it to the learning resources section for future reference.

Teach and Learn

There have been times when I have stood in front of a group of kids wearing the label of "Teacher," when it really should say "Student." It's funny how I can spend so much time preparing a lesson to teach my students, and they can just simply come into the classroom and teach me something by the things they say or do. But that's something I love about working with kids- you never quite know what to expect. They often surprise you. Sometimes in challenging ways, but sometimes in ways that inspire you to be a better person. I believe we can learn so much from children if we are open to our own growth and development. In many ways, the world could be a better place if we were a little more like them.

Last month I attended an Early Childhood Conference where Jason Kotecki was one of the keynote speakers. He is a comic-strip artist, an author, and an advocate for taking the time to enjoy, appreciate and have fun with your children. He shared with us what he calls the "8 Secrets from Childhood." Sometimes as adults we get so caught up in the stress and craziness of life, that we forget the things that are most important. I love these 8 "secrets" that are meant to help us leave some of our adult-like thinking behind, and soak in the moments of life-- the way kids do. These are definitely some valuable things that we could learn- or re-learn- from them.

1. Delight in the Little Things

2. Dream Big

3. Get Curious

4. Live with Passion

5. Play

6. Be Honest

7. Have Faith

8. Maintain Perspective